“Ah... perhaps I am not the best person to consult,” said Emiliana. “I have never met any other aberrations.”
“But you know of them,” said Hector.
“Yes... I know they are supposed to be vicious creatures without humanity. And I have hardly spent any time with him, so I cannot claim to know him very well. But Lord Ibai--he had an opportunity to kill several reapers and consume their souls, yet he chose to spare them. He even had assurances that no one would ever find out. His own men were encouraging him to eat them so that he would grow more powerful. But he did not do it.”
‘It’s true,’ Chergoa confirmed. ‘If I hadn’t seen it myself, I probably wouldn’t believe it.’
Hector’s brow lowered. “Could it have been a trick?”
Emiliana bobbed her head to the side. “I suppose so... but to my mind, that was a genuine display of mercy. And if aberrations are truly all inhuman monsters, then I cannot imagine one of them doing what Lord Ibai did.”
‘He had the opportunity to kill me as well,’ said Chergoa.
‘What?!’ said Garovel.
‘I had nowhere to run or hide. I was completely at his mercy. But he didn’t hurt me. And when his father asked him to, he let me go.’
For a time, no one said anything further, perhaps needing a moment to digest that information.
Hector didn’t know what to think. He’d been told that all aberrations were violent and dangerous, but maybe that was wrong. He’d only met one other aberration before, so how could he presume to know what the rest of them were like?
But it wasn’t that simple, either. As much as Hector tried to separate his own feelings from the subject at hand, his memories wouldn’t be ignored. Memories of Geoffrey Rofal. So much had happened since Hector killed that son of a bitch, but not much actual time had passed. Only a few months. Those old wounds, they hadn’t healed. They’d barely begun to feel like scars in his mind.
Still, it wasn’t up to Hector to decide what to do with Ibai, and for that, he was glad; but he also wondered how the Rainlords would handle the situation. When it came to aberrations, he doubted he was the only one who’d had bad experiences.
A dark serial novel. Set in a modern fantasy world called Eleg. Mature language. Updates every night at midnight PST by ~400 words.
Still, it wasn’t up to Hector [to] decide what to do with Ibai, and for that, he was glad; but he also wondered how the Rainlords would handle the situation.
ReplyDeleteGot it, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI would think hector could show a bit more emotion. I mean he seems so mature for his age. He is a strange boy.
ReplyDeleteI think we predicted how Hector would feel here...
ReplyDeleteEmy...kinda sounds different to me for some reason. Not like she did when she was first introduced. Is that because of Mariana dying, or something else...?
That's just the effect Ibai the Loveable Aberration has on people! Give a few minutes alone with Hector. His social problems will abate, and he'll be able to withstand physical contact from females without running away! Watch the Loveable Aberration magic in action!
ReplyDelete-->"Emiliana bobbed her head to side."
ReplyDeleteTo one side? From side to side?
Um. Ibai isn't a pod of dolphins. And, if he were, I'd think twice before exposing him to that much stress dealing with others problems. :P He's not somebody you want having a breakdown. To put it mildly. <_<
ReplyDeleteHe's had a life of not being shown how to emote due to emotional neglect. It's actually amazing that he's as grounded and expressive as he is. :)
ReplyDeleteFixed now, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am genuinely excited to get Hector interacting with all Elroy children, especially Francisco. I think that Zeff & Co will be good to and for him. And maybe he will get the opportunity to express his grief instead of bottling it all up.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wonder, are all of the aberrations male? Would love to see a fale aberration. But it would probably be scary as fuck.
So after 3 weeks of reading, I've finally caught up. Hello people! I'm glad Frost updates so regularly and so often, because I don't know what I would do if I had to wait so long for another chapter.
ReplyDeleteThose exist already, but only for a few days a month.
ReplyDeleteAnd the understatement of the year award goes to...
ReplyDeleteI had kind of expected Hector to actually try to kill Ibai at some point before Emy could talk him out of it, but I guess that would be kinda hard to do given that you can't trap him ever.
ReplyDeleteOh, har har: and, what excuse do blokes get, pray tell?
ReplyDelete... ... ... The most dreaded, painfull moment... ... ... I CAUGH UP DX !!!
ReplyDelete... Let's try to forget about this novel for a month...
Flight or Flight,unless you equip "Red wine and chocolate" +5 to male creatures, unless already tapped.
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome. Glad you're enjoying.
ReplyDelete