Chapter 586: Two Days

Orion frowned slightly, his gaze shifting between Ronan and Brynhild.

"Ghost?" Orion said.

Brynhild nodded. "Jarek told us about a garden. Someone who operates in the black market... he sells the corpse plant. And while it’s not really surprising that he’s anonymous, it’s surprising that the only hint they have regarding his identity is that he’s one of Victoria’s warriors. He goes by Ghost." She paused. "And if Kairen told you he owns that garden, then it points to one conclusion."

"Kairen is Ghost," Orion said.

He was quiet for a moment.

Then he nodded once.

"Do you know about the uses of the plant?" he asked.

Ronan and Brynhild both nodded.

The three of them stood there in the snow, the compound moving around them at a distance. The sounds of children and conversation carried faintly through the cold air.

Ronan was quiet for a while.

Then he spoke.

"Whoever gave Sophia that tonic," he said slowly, "they wanted something from her." He looked at Orion. "And now that we know who she is—couldn’t it be because of her visions? The plant enhances abilities. If someone knew what she was capable of and wanted to amplify it—"

"I suspected that too," Brynhild said.

She frowned. "And there’s something else. If there’s a second garden—one at the black market border—then whoever gave Sophia the tonic might not have needed to be from the west to get it. They could have bought it."

Ronan’s expression shifted. "That would rule out the assumption that Sophia is from the west."

Brynhild exhaled slowly.

Orion hadn’t spoken through any of it. He stood with his hands loose at his sides, the faint snowfall settling on his shoulders, his gaze somewhere between them and the middle distance. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Nothing is true until it’s proven," he said quietly. "Right now we have information about the plant. That’s what we have. Everything else is still hypothesis."

He paused.

"Do me a favour."

They both looked at him.

"Don’t tell Sophia yet."

Brynhild’s brow lifted. "Why?"

Orion took a slow breath. "When Sophia heard that the plant was cultivated by Victoria... that it grew in the west..." He stopped. "She looked down."

Neither of them said anything.

"She’s dreading it," he said. "Recovering her memories. Even though at this point—" he exhaled, "—we may need her to. And quickly." He shook his head. "But tomorrow is a day for her to celebrate with her friends, and I don’t want her spending it thinking about this. Not yet. Not until we have everything. Until what we know is definite and not just something we’re guessing at."

Ronan’s frown came slowly.

"I understand what you’re doing," he said. "But Sophia doesn’t strike me as someone who takes well to being kept in the dark. You know that better than anyone. When she finds out you knew and said nothing—"

"She’ll be annoyed," Orion said.

"Annoyed is a generous word," Ronan replied.

Brynhild nodded. "It’s about her, Orion. All of this—her memories, the tonic, Victoria, whatever connection exists between them—it’s about her. She deserves to know."

*Brynhild is right,* Noctis said.

Orion didn’t react outwardly.

*Sophia told you herself,* the wolf continued. *She told you not to treat her like something fragile. Not to handle her like an egg that might break.*

Orion pressed his lips together.

He ran a hand through his hair.

The snow came down around them, quiet and steady.

"Two days," he said finally. "Just keep it quiet for two days. After the results are announced, after she’s had that with her friends—" He looked at both of them. "I’ll tell her everything. All the information we have about the plant."

Ronan sighed.

"I understand," he said. "I do. I’d rather my sister-in-law be herself when the results come out." He looked at Orion. "But two days."

"Two days," Orion confirmed with a nod.

Brynhild exhaled.

"Then we better hope," she said, "that she doesn’t find out before then. You know how she is, after all."

"I know how she is," Orion said, a faint smile on his face.

Brynhild stood for a while, gazing in his direction before speaking again.

"I’m going home," she said. "Lysander needs to know about the plant." The faintest smile touched her face. "He’s going to want to study it the moment he hears."

Ronan laughed quietly. "He’ll forget he was ever tired."

"Exactly," Brynhild said, already turning. "And then he’ll drive me to the brink of madness with this new obsession."

Ronan laughed. "He better not neglect my niece."

"With how much she needs his attention, I doubt he’d neglect her," Brynhild said with a smile.

Orion laughed too, but then his eyes widened slightly. "That reminds me—regarding the garden, I plan on sending Ethan with Kairen and Helios."

Brynhild paused mid-step and glanced back. "Lysander is going to be insufferable about wanting to go himself."

"He’s not going," Orion said.

"I know he’s not going. He’ll be dead if he goes with them. The only weapon that man can use is a surgical knife... if that’s what it’s called," Brynhild said.

Orion and Ronan chuckled again. Lysander could not fight to save his life. Brynhild had tried to teach him and had failed to do so... he only knew basic defense skills.

And that took a lot of effort for him to learn.

Brynhild waved them off and then headed to her home.

Ronan shook his head, amused for exactly one more second before his expression settled back into something more measured.

"The garden," he said. "We have to at least hope it’s still intact. The black market was destroyed. If the garden was close enough—"

"I know," Orion said.

"And if it’s not intact—"

"Then Kairen would know how to cultivate it again," Orion said. "That’s why I’m sending him."

Ronan nodded slowly.

A beat of quiet passed between them.

"Do you trust him?" Ronan asked.

Orion considered it properly.

"No," he said.

Ronan looked at him.

"But," Orion continued, "there could be something worth keeping. Something redeemable." He exhaled. "For now though, we’ll just observe him."

Ronan took that in.

Then he nodded.

"Fair enough," he said.