Board Thread:Short Stories and Fanfictions/@comment-44907704-20200201232939/@comment-44907704-20200202163138

Lord Cassius motioned Sophie forward with a swaggering bow, which she suddenly didn't find funny at all. "Was my son giving you a hard time?" Sophie reeled backward and nearly fell over again. "I— why don't you—" "Ask him?" He shook his head. "My son has learned to rely on the friends he trusts most. Something I taught him, mind you," he added icily. "I take it as that wasn't part of your original training program? For him?" Lord Cassius shook his head sadly again. "Some secrets will always have to be kept, Miss Foster. Why do you think Gisela didn't involve me with her plans about Keefe's legacy?" He dragged the word out so much Sophie found it hard to believe. "What do you think it is?" She dared to ask. Cassius exchanged a grim, defeated look with her, strangely reminding her of Alvar. "My son has a lot of potential for good. That's what I see in him — but his mother's idea of good is evil, Sophie. Everything I had in plan for him was to make sure he was on the right side of the divide when our world finally falls." She didn't want to admit that he sounded right, but he could probably deduct it himself. "Was Lady Gisela good to you— " "She does not deserve that title!" Lord Cassius snapped, scowling. "I could sense much potential in her, if that's what you wondered. But I didn't care to think about what she would do with it — and what that potential was for!" There was something deeper in the words and she felt herself sink in, knowing that she had to go even further to finally fall through. "She said she chose you from her match lists because you were an Empath and she needed your hep. Why didn't you refuse?" "That is neither here nor anywhere else," His voice echoed Alden's — telling her that she was close to the truth. She blinked and tried a different strategy. "You wouldn't have chosen her if you weren't desperate. You pushed yourself too hard at school — too hard for anyone but your Mentors to pay attention to you. Why? You could've been happier if you chose a different route. You would've still been in the same place. You could've had a happy family!" She tried to make herself sound weak and desperate herself, clinging onto whatever she had left. But her words held an element of truth, as if daring Lord Cassius to counter her or give in — and she waited. And waited. Until Lord Cassius had a tear streaking down his face and whispered, "Keefe wouldn't be here otherwise. And he would've never been your match." Evil. Evil, evil, evil, and Keefe was the result of two evils — ''Good. ''