More Questions Than Answers

Theo's grip tightened around his glass. When cold tea splashed his hand, he yanked it away and dug his fingers into his knees, twisting the denim of his jeans. The Levia from the crystal pulsed against his thigh, uncomfortably warm.

No way. No way in hell. All this time, he'd assumed Victor had shared the dreams with him. Yeah, Meg had said most wizards didn't have dreams like this, but if they came from his mom, it only made sense for Victor to have them too.

Instead...they belonged to him alone? What could that possibly mean?

Victor was still watching him too carefully, as if trying to dig out Theo's secrets with his eyes. It made Theo's mouth go dry. He didn't know if it was a good idea to keep talking about his dreams, or if he'd somehow end up passing vital information to the Infernal Legion.

Shit. Theo couldn't let himself lose control of the situation. He was the one asking the questions here.

"That…." Theo gulped down as deep of a breath as he could manage. "That...doesn't matter. Okay. So you found out you were a wizard. What then?"

The corner of Victor's mouth twitched, and he tilted his head. But rather than press the issue, he gamely answered. "Some other street wizards took me in, showed me the ropes. I formed a few contracts, but I was never satisfied. Making someone fight for me didn't sit right. I wanted the strength to fight for myself."

"And...and the Infernal Legion? How did you join them?" Theo's mouth was moving, forming questions, but they had nothing to do with the thoughts darting through his mind. All this time he'd banked on Victor sharing his dreams, his history with wizardry. Now that he knew Victor didn't, he felt unmoored. What could he ask without revealing too much about himself? Or should he not worry about it? If even Meg didn't understand, why would the Infernal Legion?

"That was about two years ago." Victor's voice drifted over his ears from seemingly a great distance away. "After I acquired my demonic armor and could fight the way I wanted. I happened to encounter them in a battle. I think my armor intrigued Captain Mirage. He asked me to join him. Told me all about the Infernal Legion, the power it held. So I made my choice."

"So that's it." The words tasted bitter in Theo's mouth. "You only have what he told you. He could have been lying – no, he definitely was. All that crap about the Infernal Legion being the strongest – "

"I've seen the Infernal Lord's power firsthand," Victor cut in, sterner than Theo had ever heard him. His eyes were like impenetrable tunnels. "I know it's not a lie."

"I – " But Theo swallowed the rest of the sentence. This wasn't what he had come here to do. 'Focus, focus!'

"So." He sat up straighter, forcing himself to stare Victor in the eye. "You don't know anything more about Mom."

Victor's brows drew closer together. "No, I don't. But you, Theo – "

Theo spoke quickly, cutting him off. "What about back when you were a kid? Do you remember anything strange? Any kind of hint?"

"Theo." A definite tinge of anger slid into Victor's voice. "Why do you want to know so badly? And you have a few questions to answer yourself."

"Just answer me." Theo's voice came out strained, tortured. No good. He was losing control – or maybe he already had.

"I suppose…." Victor gave a brief shake of his head. "As far as I know, Mom was perfectly normal. What do you want me to say? That she secretly taught me spells alongside cello? And what makes you so certain she was a wizard, anyway? Well, there's obviously no way Dad is one, but you don't need to have a wizard parent to be one yourself."

He glared at Theo. Sweat trickled down Theo's nape, but he glared back.

"You think so too. You said it yourself."

"I do," Victor conceded. "But she kept it a secret to the end. At least from me. But you – wait."

His gaze became distant. He blinked, slowly at first, then more rapidly. Theo watched with the breath trapped in his throat, his heart thudding a violent rhythm in his chest.

"When I was very little, before you were born, even...I went digging around in Mom's studio. I must have been bored. But I remember I found something. A shard of blue crystal."

Icy fingers scraped down Theo's spine. He gripped his knees tighter, nails almost piercing the denim, and felt the crystal's Levia thrum harder and faster.

"It felt...nice." The distant look came over Victor's eyes again. "I didn't want to let go of it. I always thought because it was pretty, but now...I wonder if...it wasn't resonating with my Levia?"

His words came careful and hesitant, as if the idea had come to him for the first time. Then his gaze sharpened. "More than anything, I remember Mom's reaction. She didn't yell at me, but I could tell she was upset. She told me...it was special to her. Something she didn't want anybody else to touch. The same way I didn't like to share my favorite stuffed animal."

When his lips quirked up and he huffed a little, Theo's heart skipped. This might be the happiest he'd ever seen the current Victor.

"I haven't thought about it for so long. But maybe…." His gaze hardened. "I've told you everything I could. Now you tell me about these dreams of yours."

Theo could barely think through the waves of Levia pulsing from the crystal. Was it trying to give him a warning? He didn't know. Didn't know anything. Should he tell Victor the truth? Wasn't it only fair, after everything Victor had confessed to him? But what if it gave the Infernal Legion a weapon against him? Then he'd put not just himself, but everyone in danger.

Maybe he shouldn't have come here after all.

Suddenly Victor stiffened, every muscle snapping taut. A cold pressure thickened the air, pushing down on Theo's shoulders. His Levia.

The crystal's Levia seared, hot and urgent. But the power that spiked inside his chest didn't belong to it, or his own dawn light. No, this power blazed a pure, stark white.

Footsteps from behind. Zenith loomed over the table, glaring at Victor with eyes like shards of ice.

"Well," Victor said, low and taut. "You were setting me up after all."

"I am not here to fight." Zenith's fingers closed around Theo's shoulder, his grip comfortingly tight. It grounded Theo, calmed the frantic racing of his heart. "It's simply time for us to go."

"I'm not done here." Victor's eyes narrowed.

"We are. Come, Theo." Zenith squeezed hard. Theo blinked, feeling like he'd snapped out of a dream.

"R-right," he made himself say. His voice came out thin and hoarse. "Sorry, but I have to go now. Um, thanks for coming."

Victor snorted and shook his head. "So that's how you want to do it. Fine. Mr. Rose has probably noticed I'm gone by now, anyway."

He stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Graceful as a panther, he stalked past Zenith, though he paused to throw the knight a sidelong glance.

"Looks like you've been repaired. Well. You'll need to be in top condition the next time we clash." His eyes flickered over to Theo. "This isn't the end of it. I'll see you again, Theo."

Theo curled his hands into fists, nails biting into palms. "I know."

Victor turned away and strode on ahead, disappearing into the crowd. The door bells jingled, then the icy pressure released from the air, allowing Theo to draw his first full breath in minutes.

Zenith swung in front of him and placed his hands on both of his shoulders. The concern shining in his eyes almost made Theo want to cry. "Theo, are you all right? Forgive me for interrupting. I merely sensed – "

"It's okay," Theo said quickly. "You came at just the right time. Thank you, Zenith. And...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this in the first place."

"You very well should not have," Zenith said, about as wry as Theo had ever heard him. "Still, were you able to get the information you wanted?"

"I…." Theo swallowed. Had he? He'd learned much less about Mom than he'd hoped. But maybe he'd learned something even more valuable about himself, even if he had no idea what it meant. "I don't know."

"I see," Zenith said. "Well, as long as you're safe. Shall we go?"

Theo couldn't nod fast enough. Though the cafe bustled with laughter and chatter, he felt like he would never be safe here again. Not as long as the faintest traces of Victor's Levia still remained in the air.