03-15-2020, 01:09 AM
“Why did he want out if he was their leader? He has to be able to Channel. I can’t think of another reason why he would leave them… Surely it can’t be because he suddenly disagrees with how they do business,” Aiden said ponderously. He tapped a finger under his chin as the other two men went on. The ex-leader of the Atharim was a mystery, but not one Aiden cared much to figure out.; not at the moment at least. Rowan could fend for herself if things came down to it. A reconciliation between them could wait. She clearly needed some space to get her mind right.
Sage was correct, what mattered now was the adventure.
Jaxen’s white-hot anger was intense, but he seemed to be over it once he brought up his own escapades. Typical. The man tugged at his shirt, slightly revealing a tattoo. Aiden figured that Jaxen was trying to remind them of the Atharim brand. Surely, he did not possess the same mark. Sage would’ve already told Aiden if Jaxen was an ex-member of the cult.
“You melted the mansion, Jaxen?” Aiden asked, not bothering to hide his curiosity, “Like… literally? What did you use? Surely it would take more than Fire to melt a structure… I mean, unless it was completely made of metal. And am I right in assuming you were only there to get their information on the treasure?”
It’s not that Aiden was trying to encourage Jaxen in his vanity, there was enough of that between the two of them already, he simply wanted to learn as much about the Power as he possibly could – and perhaps learn a little bit more about the man and his motives in this venture. Part of Aiden was deeply terrified that Jaxen just wanted to use Sage and himself to get his hands on some treasure. The man did not exude trust. The next few days could very well play out like an old Indiana Jones movie, the group getting to the treasure only to be double crossed by Jaxen. Which way would the cat jump if it came down to that?
The countless questions served another purpose. Aiden had a need to keep his own mind occupied as much as possible, lest he grow sad and angry all over again. No one liked a weepy Rockstar.
Sage was correct, what mattered now was the adventure.
Jaxen’s white-hot anger was intense, but he seemed to be over it once he brought up his own escapades. Typical. The man tugged at his shirt, slightly revealing a tattoo. Aiden figured that Jaxen was trying to remind them of the Atharim brand. Surely, he did not possess the same mark. Sage would’ve already told Aiden if Jaxen was an ex-member of the cult.
“You melted the mansion, Jaxen?” Aiden asked, not bothering to hide his curiosity, “Like… literally? What did you use? Surely it would take more than Fire to melt a structure… I mean, unless it was completely made of metal. And am I right in assuming you were only there to get their information on the treasure?”
It’s not that Aiden was trying to encourage Jaxen in his vanity, there was enough of that between the two of them already, he simply wanted to learn as much about the Power as he possibly could – and perhaps learn a little bit more about the man and his motives in this venture. Part of Aiden was deeply terrified that Jaxen just wanted to use Sage and himself to get his hands on some treasure. The man did not exude trust. The next few days could very well play out like an old Indiana Jones movie, the group getting to the treasure only to be double crossed by Jaxen. Which way would the cat jump if it came down to that?
The countless questions served another purpose. Aiden had a need to keep his own mind occupied as much as possible, lest he grow sad and angry all over again. No one liked a weepy Rockstar.
Russian Dolls and Broken Gods, a new Fantasy novel by best-selling author, Aiden Finnegan, out this December! Preorder online and instore today!