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"And as I have told you comrade, you have my faith and my skill to take this fruitation. We will bring them down, I promise it with my life," Ridley nodded her head gravely.

"We will find their weaknesses."

Alexi had been lost for a long time. Not the typical lost in the woods or took the wrong way lost, but the heart-achingly, soul-shatteringly loss of self. He was adrift in a world that no longer made sense to him. Everything he had ever known had been a carefully constructed lie. The wounds of his flesh had healed, but what of his mind? How long would it be before he could forgive himself for the things he had done? For the pawn he had been made to be?

He knew that he could not forget, possibly not even forgive. Then what was left? That hollow word peace? Would it ever come to him or would it stay away as it had done so far?

Ridley had asked him to come, he knew not why and a part of him didn't even care. It was something to give him some sort of semblence of life instead of this hopeless drifting. That had to be enough.


He could hear the soft murmmer of voices. He paused, tilting his head to listen to the cacophany of voices that resided just behind on his sight. They were not arguing, but he could feel the tenseness in the air. It was so thick you could cut it with a blade. But all of that faded away as he felt the blade at his neck. The voice was cold as the steel against him and just as cutting. Her words registered and he kept himself silent for a moment, weighing his response.

"And I said, who are you and what are you doing here?" The voice demanded again.

Davina wanted to say more, she wanted to hear more of what Falsetto Amachi would say but it was not the time. The other mare had looked away, eyes focused on Ridley and Charon as if there was nothing else to discuss at the moment. But Margaery was alive, and there were two baskets of her blood that were somewhere not far away. It wasn’t a lot, but it was the first ray of hope that Davina had had in a long time. She would keep Falsetto’s secret to be near them, to save them from this growing threat. And this is why Ridley had not said why, only that she should come because something important was at stake. Why had she not just told her?

Charon took the lead from Ridley. “Avada Kedavra’s consort was recently attacked by Horus and his brood. I won’t go into the details, but the attack was carefully arranged by Ridley and I.” He nodded his head over at her. “Now, they’re at odds. Morsmordre is off healing while Avada Kedavra is livid. Horus will be punishing his brood for their own ineptness. That’s where we come in to sow more seeds of doubt and confusion. Little things that mount up until they don’t care if they cause mutual destruction.

“That’s not fair, “ Ridley said rising to Charon’s defense. “He’s changed.” She looked around the motley crew. “How many of us have something in our past that we’re ashamed of? Something that we did wrong? I cannot say I’ve had some perfect life. And maybe he hasn’t been there to be a father to him but he’s trying to be now. And that should count for something shouldn’t it?” Yuki had never been a father to his daughter, only using Ridley as the instrument of blame to hide his own inadequacies.

Charon gave Ridley a look. He had expected these questions, he had in some small way prepared for them. No one would trust him. He understood that, he did. “You do not have to defend me Ridley.” He looked at Oziuhilasven calmly. “I never even thought about what it meant to be held captive. You could say I have very little imagination about the whole thing. But when I found out that in my undiscerning couplings that I’d impregnated a cursed skinwalker, and that I had sons who were basically going to be raised captive learning at their mother’s hooves. For the first time, I realized what I had done to others. I won’t ask you to forgive me, I know that you can’t. I cannot even say if I had direct contact with your sister, I cannot say if I helped transport or guard her or….anything.” He paused. “ You have no reason to help me, no reason on earth to believe that anything I say is true. But with or without you, I will be going after her. I will right the wrongs that I have done. Maybe I deserve this, but my sons. My sons, do not.”

Umeko nodded along, considering what all had been said. Taking a deep breath, she faced Charon squarely. “I believe what you say is true and I’m in. I think Charon,” she smiled at him, “wouldn’t be risking his own hide if he didn’t believe it himself.”