Chapter 13

His eyes fluttered to a gentle close as he sagged into his chair. A four hour surgery he hoped went well. Another almost drowned child hit their head on a rock at the beach. He wished parents cared more about their kids than they did about how much alcohol they consumed on the beach. A sudden appearance of magic made his blood sing in response. Normally he'd perk up but being in the hospital industry meant that many doctors and nurses used their magic to help those who needed saving.

"Long day, huh?" His eyes flew open at that remark.

A man and a woman sat on the chairs on the other side of his desk. Remi did a mental check of his schedule. He didn't have any patients scheduled until three hours later. So who were they?

"Who are you?" He sat up. He had a hard time reading the couple. He couldn't pinpoint their magic or ultimately guess what they were. They must be some subform of magical creature that he'd yet to encounter.

The man stood up. He slowly walked around the room. His ink jet hair glistened each time the sun hit it. His sandy brown muscles bulged through his shirt as he touched the posters in his wall. His soft pink smirk revealed his cheekbones while he looked out the window through his blinds. He closed the blinds and made his way back to his seat. Taking off his black sunglasses, his hazel green eyes told Remi he was dealing with something entirely different. The woman did nothing at all. She sat and robotically looked at him. She was too clean, too pristine and too cold. Her midnight hair sat in perfect waves, her caramel skin was beyond flawless, her pouted rouge lips sat straight and her sunglasses were polished until the gleamed on their own.

"Dr Remi Al Rashid." The man drawled out his name. A warm buzz swirled in his head.

"You're a difficult man to find." The woman spoke.

"Why is that so?" The man's honeyed voice.

"I don't like anyone in my business." Remi kept his eyes on the man. He seemed more likely to make a move but the woman seemed faster than him.

"I'm sure you're beyond infuriated to know that you're on the list of most wanted men." the man scoffed.

Annoyance flared in Remi. "Let's get to the point. Who are you and what do you want?"

"Amo and Levi. At your service." The woman lifted up her sunglasses and winked. Soulless black fox eyes twinkled back at him. Demons. They must be higher demons most likely working for the princes themselves.

Remi sucked in a breath. "What do you want?"

"No fear? No trembling? No bowing?" Amo teased.

"I bow to one being and it's not you." Remi's hand involuntarily stroked the tattoos under his wrist. His family names. On the left were his father side and on the right were his mother's side. Written in Arabic and Korean respectively.

"Time." Levi's high silver voice urged Amo.

"Patience, my dear sibling. We're only starting." Amo patted her head.

Amo fixed his gaze on Remi. "My dearest Remi, I'm sure you understand the situation and it's importance."

"I need you both to leave." he stood to leave.

"You didn't even hear our proposal." Amo teased the doctor.

"And I don't intend to. Get out." Remi walked over to the door.

"We're offering you protection." Amo opened his arms with a wink.

Remi placed a hand on the door handle. "Not interested."

The demon put a marble on the table. "And Mbilu." Levi finally spoke.

Something in him forced him to stop. They know about her. He slowly turned around. A projection of Mbilu floated on the table above the marble. A hand swiped over the hologram. A projection of him and her together at the arcade. They were playing fruit ninja. A hand swiped over the hologram again. A live projection of Mbilu at the moment. She was on her second set with her second crew. She applied makeup on an actress's face while they chatted.

"Ms Basambilu Twala." Levi drawled out. Playing with syllables.

"You've done so much to keep her safe. All those charms and wards around her. You placed one hell of a warding spell on her. Those magic induced chocolate sticks didn't even work on her." Amo took a seat beside Levi and placed his arms behind his head.

A hand swiped over the hologram. Mbilu had a box of the chocolate sticks from the party. One stick was taken out and she ate it. She'd eaten a few more. He looked closer into the background of the room. She was in the spare room next to his. He watched her stand and walk towards his bedroom. He was asleep. She'd stood there and watched him. When nothing happened she walked back out and burned the rest of the box.

"She wanted to see what everyone else was seeing. She wanted to see what you are." Levi's breathed out beside him. Guilt swirled in Remi's chest. All she wanted was the truth and it killed her not finding it. A small price for her safety.

"Let us help you strengthen her protection wards." Amo proposed.

" Seems like I did a good enough job without your help." Remi huffed.

"Say you did a great job on protecting your girlfriend, what about your people? Who's protecting them?" A pair of hands gently lead him back to his chair.

A hand swiped over the hologram. The mer city belonging to the Court of Ashes was being attacked and ransacked by the reigning mer kingdom of Khloris. The scene faded into the wolf town of Oxalá aflame. A teenager rushed around collecting younger children as they ran out the town. They urged the children to keep running and not look back. The scene shifted to scuffles between the fae and half - fae. Fae yelled and told the half - fae to leave their homes for them. The half - fae yelled back and told them to return to their broken kingdoms. It was anarchy. And the people he promised to protect and serve were on the worst end of it.

"Do you see the pain your people go through?" Levi's silvery voice pulled him from the projection.

"You mean the pain you and your friends created. Why couldn't you keep your family fights between yourselves? Where do the rest of us enter into your family drama?" A breeze of hot air escaped him. Levi rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers. A fan appeared next to her and blew cold wind.

A second fan appeared next to Amo. "We didn't mean for it to spill onto the surface world." Amo leaned back on the chair and placed his legs on his desk.

Remi roughly pushed his feet off the table. "Well it did and it seems none of you are taking responsibility for the mess you created."

" A thousand apologies on behalf of me and my siblings." Amo said half-heartedly.

"Does this mean you'll stop the war?"

Amo leaned forward, rested his elbows on the desk and rested his head on his hands. "Oh no, my dear Remi, the war's just begun."

"If you're not here to offer a solution to your mess then I suggest you leave." The demons glanced at each other then at him.

"You've made your point young Al Rashid." Amo sighed as if to say 'we tried'.

Levi waved a hand in the air. Something glinted in her hand. "In case you change your mind." She placed a card on his desk.

Amo and Levi vanished in a puff of black smoke leaving behind the stench of old money and rusted copper. He picked up the card left behind. It was silver metal card. On the one side, Mammon, was engraved in rainbow colours and on the other side, Leviathan, was engraved in gold. The princes. The two princes had actually visited him. This war must be bigger than he thought if the princes had personally come for him.

He twirled the card in his hand. The princes offer protection from the war. They'll protect the citizens of the court of Ashes and they'll keep Mbilu safe. What if they lose the war? He didn't know what the chances were of winning or losing. This war was between the princes. It wasn't his problem or anyone's else's to be honest. He didn't see how they fit in. Though at the end of the day they were all involved. He'd have to get more information before deciding. He tossed the card and shook his head.

What was he thinking? He would not compromise his morals for this random war. He wouldn't even dare think of joining a side. Why was he considering that now? The card glinted underneath the sun's rays under the blinds. It was the card. That's why they were there. To plant the idea and sway him using the damned card. He opened his blinds and picked up the card.

He held the card outside the window. Prepared to drop it. He had to get rid of it. Yet he couldn't. He tried to open his hand to let go. It didn't budge. Why wasn't it leaving him alone? He clenched his jaw. Hastily he brought his hand back inside the room. He tossed the card out of his hands. It flew across the room and clattered to the floor. It couldn't leave the room so it would bug him there. Looking to the grey painted wooden door, he flicked his hand and locked it. He took the card from the floor. A wall of smoke surrounded him as his disguise fell apart. His tongue ran across the card. It tasted cold and sharp. He lightly bit the end of it. He sucked in a breath after his teeth vibrated violently. It felt as if someone had taken a metal hammer and decided to knock on his teeth. So biting the card was a bad idea. The card sat on his palm. Fire ignited in his blood. He brought the heat to his hand and throat. Breathing in and taking in as much oxygen, his breath produced blue flames. Blue flames were hotter than red or orange flames. They were powerful enough to turn a person to ash. Yet the constant stream of fire aimed at the card is not melting the metal. His eyes narrowed. Maybe it was heat resistant.

He had to find its freezing point then. A knock at his door brought him to his senses. The card was quickly shoved under a file and his disguise brought up again. The door swung open.

Reuben closed the door behind him. Wordlessly, he took out the same metal card from his pocket. Remi took out his card from under the file.

"It won't break." Reuben spoke first.

"It won't burn." Remi tossed the card aside.

The two men stared at each other. He wanted to help Reuben. He didn't know how. As much as Reuben has a strong moral and ethical compass, at the end of the day he's not built for conflict. He's a bastard son of a noble family in Elfhame. His father was completely useless and as uncaring as they come but he'd grown up in a comfortable manor. He was still treated as royalty by the other fae. Even more so as he was half nymph. Remi on the other hand had a revolutionary as a father. He and his brothers were raised among the common folk. He'd seen the arguments between his father and the nobles. Though they were also nobles, they were treated as outcasts. Treated as outcasts by their fellow nobles and adored by the commoners. They'd been taught how to mitigate through the palace life. They were sheltered from nothing. They knew the ways of the noble and that of the commoners. Remi could easily hold his ground against the princes. Reuben couldn't. He's all for change but not at the expense of his comfort.

Water welled in his black eyes, his lips set in a pouted frown. Worry written all over his face. Reuben won't be able to stomach the full force of the war.