Chapter 376: Asking For Help
"Thank you for agreeing to meet me on such short notice, Ms. Montrose." Hawk gets to his feet when he sees Theo approaching the table. His eyes shift to the person behind him.
Liam.
She is not coming alone. Of course not, Hawk.
He shakes both their hands.
"It was very sudden, Mr. Hawk. But I figured it must be urgent, otherwise you would not have called and asked to meet this quickly." Theo says as Hawk shakes his hand.
Liam says nothing, but he projects no hostility toward Hawk either.
Theo had come to him earlier and mentioned he was going out to meet Hawk. Liam had immediately offered to come along. His reasoning was simple. Theo’s safety. Claudia had tried to catch his eye the entire time he was talking to Theo, winking at him repeatedly and making a series of expressions he chose to ignore entirely.
"Please, just Hawk. No mister needed. It is the least I can do." Hawk says, and the smile is genuine, even if it costs him something to hold it there.
Theo can see both things at once. He smiles back.
"Then please call me Thea. We have fought alongside each other twice now. And I am younger than you, so Thea is more than appropriate." Theo matches the gesture.
Hawk looks slightly brighter. He gives a small nod. "Thank you."
"Please, sit."
Once everyone is settled, Theo cuts straight to it. "You said on the phone that you need my help. What is it?"
Hawk’s expression dims.
"I did not really want to say anything about this. But my friends’ lives and mine are on the line, so I decided to reach out." He begins.
Theo and Liam both listen without interrupting.
Hawk lifts his head and looks directly at Theo.
"I am asking you to train me. I need my magic to be stronger." He says.
Theo’s eyebrows lift. He exchanges a glance with Liam, who looks equally taken aback.
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"You are leaving, Dad? Are you sure?" Claudia is standing in the doorway of her parents’ bedroom, watching Linus fold several items of clothing into his suitcase.
"Yes, I am sure, Claudia." Linus answers without looking up. He needs to leave for the office soon and the packing needs to be done first.
"When?" Claudia asks.
"Tonight. I will go to the office first and leave from there." Linus closes the suitcase.
"Where are you going?" Claudia asks, in a tone so deliberately nosy that Linus has to look at her.
He sets the suitcase on the floor. "Aurenvale. What’s with all the questions? You do not want me to go?"
Claudia shakes her head. "No, I want you to go. That way we will have no parents here. Just us. One male, four females." She says it in a completely flat tone.
Linus is holding back a laugh, but his eyes give him away.
"I am aware you will have no adult supervision. This is how much I trust you and Liam. Watch over Thea. She is the youngest here and she does not have her magic."
Claudia nods firmly. "We will, Dad. Don’t worry about that."
Linus nods, satisfied. Then Claudia laughs, and he looks at her again. "What’s funny?"
"I just cannot believe one of the things I am talking to you about is magic." She laughs again.
Linus smirks. "Why is that?"
Claudia looks at him, completely deadpan. "It does not suit you, Dad. And yet, somehow, it does."
Linus shakes his head. His daughter is like Miranda. A unique way of seeing things.
"Well. I am leaving now. Remember, take care of Thea."
Claudia rolls her eyes. "I know, Dad. Believe me. And why are you so fixated on protecting Thea when I, your own daughter, also cannot do magic? You are not worried about me at all. Should I be jealous?"
Linus does not stop walking toward the door. He glances back at Claudia, who is leaning against the doorframe with studied ease. "Because I know you can take care of yourself."
They continue chatting and teasing each other all the way to the car.
At the car door, Linus turns to say something. Claudia cuts him off before he can.
"Oh my God. Get in the car already. I know. Take care of Thea. Since when do you care this much about other people? Just go!" She laughs and gives him a light shove.
Linus smiles and nods. "Fine. Be careful, Claudia."
He gets in, closes the door, and drives away.
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"Can I not just stay in Solarys?" Sonia says, for what feels like the hundredth time.
Elder Loujt does not miss a beat. "No, Your Highness. You cannot. You will return with us."
Sonia’s pout appears to be permanent at this point.
Elder Loujt ignores it and continues packing. He is eager to get back to Vaelin and report everything to Elder Maer. He has ideas forming that he believes could benefit the Vaelin significantly, but he needs to run them by Maer before moving forward.
"But Dae and Huri are not coming back with us. Why can they stay and I can’t?" Sonia’s lip quivers slightly and her voice wavers.
Elder Loujt stops and looks at her.
Like a child throwing a tantrum.
He sighs. "Your Highness, Dae and Huri have an assignment. They are not here to sightsee or play. They have work to do, and they will not be staying long before they travel and return to Vaelin." A hint of irritation enters his tone.
"You have your own duties, Your Highness. Or have you forgotten who you are?" The irritation is no longer just a hint.
His tone sends Sonia into a panic. "No! Of course I haven’t forgotten. I really haven’t! I just..." She stops, biting her lower lip, searching for the right words.
"I just..." She finds she cannot finish. Because the real reason she doesn’t want to return is simply that she hasn’t had enough fun outside of Vaelin. She hasn’t had enough of this.
Not being able to say that out loud, Sonia looks down, defeated.
Elder Loujt says nothing. He continues packing and gives her the only instruction she is going to get.
"We are leaving tonight, Your Highness. Please go and pack."
Sonia does not reply. Her head stays low, her steps slow. But she moves toward her own room.
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Theo looks at Hawk without blinking.
Hawk grows restless under it.
"I know it’s a lot to ask. But I don’t have anyone else to turn to, and it’s not just my life on the line. I—" He cannot finish. He knows he’s rambling, but the thought of walking into a level eight dungeon with four of his friends and the Baroness behind them, he knows with certainty how that ends.
There’s this fear that has been sitting in Hawk’s chest since the Jade Lantern District dungeon. He was useless there. Not just him, all of them. Completely helpless.
Theo exhales quietly. He’s thinking.
Hawk came here and asked for help. Why? What frightens him enough to go to his rivals? Rhaenas and the Hunters are rivals. Theo doesn’t know how much the rest of the Hunters know about Rhaenas. But judging by Hawk’s behavior right now, he hasn’t said anything to them. Why is he protecting Rhaenas?
He exchanges another glance with Liam, who stays quiet.
Theo takes a breath. "Have you told your friends that Rhaenas uses magic?" He decides to give Hawk the benefit of the doubt.
Hawk lifts his head immediately. "No. I haven’t."
"Why?" Liam asks from the side.
Hawk shifts toward him. "Because it’s not my story to tell."
Then he scoffs. "No. That is not actually why."
He sighs. "I was afraid. I was genuinely afraid of what you could do. I stayed quiet so you would have no reason to come looking for me. I wanted to stay on your good side." He says it plainly.
"And now?" Theo asks quietly.
Hawk looks back at him. "And now I am asking for your help."
"May I ask why you came to me specifically?" Theo presses.
"You are the only person I know with real knowledge of magic, besides my mentor. And after that night at the apartment, I felt my fire get stronger from a single instruction. But it’s still not enough." Hawk explains. He can see Theo does not follow.
He takes a breath and walks them through it, the instruction Theo gave him that night, what it did, and how it has stayed with him since.
Theo blinks several times. "I said that because we were in a desperate situation. I was not trying to teach you anything."
Hawk nods. "I know. That’s what makes it more remarkable. One instruction, said without intention, and it changed something in me. Is it wrong to think you are the only one who can actually help me?"
He exhales. "My current mentor has no real interest in training us. We are entertainment for her. Something to satisfy her ego. But the threat to our lives is real. She is out there right now looking for a dungeon, and I believe she will find one soon."
"So please, Thea. Help me."