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Bohwanox looked at Hector. ‘If you have something to say, then say it.’

He held his tongue. It didn’t sit well with him, but Hector already knew where their priorities lay. Even if Bohwanox were willing, Colt would surely not want to leave his children behind to go fight in some war with an enemy he’d never met. And for that, at least, Hector could not fault him.

Garovel picked up the conversation, first looking at the children, then at Colt. ‘I’ve been meaning to ask--where is their mother?’

Colt took his time answering. “She’s in an institution for the criminally insane.”

Hector blinked at that. He noticed the reapers exchange glances.

“And now you’re wondering why,” said Colt. “It’s because she tried to kill the children.”

“...W-why would she do that?”

“Doctors said the pregnancy made her snap, but I don’t know. She had always been violent with me. I just put up with it. And that was obviously a mistake, because one night, she decided to grab a knife. Attacked me first, then moved on to the crib. She managed to cut Thomas under the arm here.” Colt pulled the boy’s shirt up, revealing a scar along the right side of his ribcage. It was not a small scar. “I just about killed that bitch.”

Hector could only stare, mouth half-open.

“It went to court. My case didn’t play very well to the jury. I did beat the shit out of her, after all. Wasn’t hard for her to make it look like I was the one who cut Thomas.”

Everyone just listened.

“She was about to get full custody. I was about to go to prison. And that’s when Rofal showed up, telling me he could make sure I won the case.” Colt’s eyes fell to the table, and he scratched his forehead. “I’m still not sure how much of it he’d planned. He had her lawyer and the judge in his pocket. I suspected members of the jury, too.”

‘And then he quietly got a hold of your children?’ Garovel asked.

Colt nodded. He seemed like he was done talking. He merely watched Stephanie play with his thumb.