The Reaper's Wicked Obsession-Chapter 35: The Wager

"We need answers," Nyssa voiced, getting impatient. "We deserve that"

"Answers," Kraven said as he swung his leg away from the armrest and leaned against the cold rock.

With a raised eyebrow he asked, "What kind of answers do you seek?"

Logi scoffed. "He does not want to tell us anything,"

"They want to know why you brought Isadora back with us," Rav got straight to the point, leaving this matter in Logi’s hands would only drag longer.

Kraven and Logi shared the same brain cell—when it came to amusement and what roused them.

Putting those two in the same room was like stirring up something perpetual and crooked, he wasn’t in the mood for that and didn’t want to be in this situation where he had to corner Kraven for answers, these two would probably do it though.

"Then our first meeting after five winters would be centered around unimportant stuff"

Nyssa rolled her eyes at Kraven’s reply, her master’s sense of humor hadn’t changed. "She’s a mannfae, useless" she instigated. "Why else would you have brought her here then?"

Kraven rose from his throne, rotating the dagger between his fingers before strapping it back on his holster.

He grabbed his sword resting at the side and climbed down the stairs to the stone table, positioning just at the head with hands resting on the crossguard of his sword.

Many decisions had been made in this particular hall, many that served endless purposes and now he was making a decision none of them saw coming.

"You’re right, Nyssa" he spoke, keeping his eyes on the stone engraved with runes, the large writing etched against it, a reminder of their path.

"Isadora is not useless, if she were I wouldn’t have wasted my time" he declared.

Logi narrowed his eyes at Kraven’s words, suspicious.

"She’s a weaver,"

"A weaver?" Nyssa said with wide eyes. "I’ve never heard of an impure blood wielding the gift of the gods? That’s impossible, you’re joking" but looking between Rav and Kraven without his trace of usual amusement she knew they weren’t. "You’re serious"

"You traveled hundreds of miles in search of a mannfae who can weave" Logi cut in and all attention diverted to him. "That is far from our purpose, is not it? It’s hard to wrap my head around it, you have me confused"

"I never make sense," Kraven said ending the discussion but that only intensified Logi’s curiosity.

’Yes he never, but this is unlike him’ Logi thought sternly. ’Nyssa is right something is not right with this’

"How many are ready for the Hunt?" Kraven asked, glancing at Nyssa.

She sat upright and spoke. "A hundred at most, many are still in training and more work needs to be done"

"And the date?"

"We were waiting for you, we thought if you didn’t make it, Logi would decide"

Kraven nodded. "Make it three moons from now"

Nyssa nodded.

"Have Isadora join the training too"

She paused. "W-What?"

"Kraven" Rav began. "She won’t survive the Hunt, it’s dangerous"

Kraven tilted his head to the side. "Who are you to decide what she survives?"

"The Hunt is sacred to our people, it was meant to be that way, would you go against it by letting an outsider have a passage? An impure blood?" Nyssa spoke in disbelief.

"Yes"

Nyssa stood on her feet and slammed her hands against the stone and it shook at the impact.

Her anger had gotten the best of her, she couldn’t understand why he was doing such a thing. Bringing a rare stray here was understandable but making her go through the Hunt? It was borderline unacceptable.

"We do not care if she’s a weaver," Logi began with a stoic expression. "We do not care if she’s an impure blood who can weave, the Hunt is off limits"

Nyssa smirked, turning back to Kraven.

It was perfect Logi was here to question this, they were his counselors and also his close companions, and he had no choice but to listen to them.

Kraven broke into a deranged laugh, silence bored into the hall with only the sound of his amusement ringing through the walls.

Rav was the first to break it. "Logi is right, Kraven" he never liked to agree with Logi but for Isadora’s sake, he would make the exception. "She will fail"

Kraven’s laugh dialed down into soft chuckles before he glanced at Rav with a menacing look that caught him off guard.

"Krav-"

"I created the Hunt, a sacred rite created not to test blood but bravery. You all went through it, even I did" he murmured the last part, it was not in the way they did because... it was tenfold, to prove he could burden their purpose.

"Isadora will participate and that is the end of it"

"How about a wager?" Logi cut in as a smile found his lips. "Wager your position"

"Logi!" Rav snapped. "I’ll not entertain that attitude"

"And I don’t expect you to," he said, glancing back at the Fae he respected but was now making outlandish decisions that strode far from everything they had worked for.

"She fails and then I take the ravenites"

"You were always so greedy," Kraven amused. "That is what I like about you, Logi. I accept your wager"

"Kraven! This is madness" Rav barked.

"If she passes, you become her lap dog, following her around with that windy attitude of yours, might as well put it to good use"

"This is a disaster" Rav murmured rubbing his forehead.

"That is unacceptable! You’re practically reducing a high-ranking member of the court" Nyssa hissed.

"He wagered my position and I wagered his livelihood" he shrugged. "It’s all in"

Nyssa gasped with wide eyes, suddenly speechless.

"Do we have a wager?"

Logi chewed the inside of his mouth, he had succeeded in turning the tables around him and he knew there was no possible way a mere mannfae from the countryside would survive such a feat.

It was her funeral.

"Fine! You’ve a wager"