Kasim sighed. “He’s the worst sort of person to deal with. Agh, I should have taken him out when I had the chance.”
“I do not think he’s after world conquest.” Graham’s soft-spoken words drew all eyes to him. “If that were the case, then the Rhodesian Empire would have been the most important tool he could have asked for. He would not have relinquished his hold on it so easily. I personally believe the twisted curiosity and drive of a magician are what govern his actions. For people like him, you cannot surmise their actions by simply weighing what they have to lose or gain.”
“Just how many people...were sacrificed for that...?” Satie was sobbing quietly into her knees, her body quaking. It seemed it had finally grown too painful for her to go on. The more they talked, the more she would remember.
Belgrieve gently drew Satie close. Like the others, Satie did want to see this issue resolved. But the days she had spent engaged in battle with Schwartz and his conspirators, and the ghoulish, bloodstained sights that ensued had traumatized her. She couldn’t look at it directly for long.
“Let’s end it here today,” Percival said as he picked up a piece of firewood. “It’s getting late.”
“Right, very well. We’re in no hurry,” said Kasim as he folded his hands behind his head.
Belgrieve rubbed Satie’s back. “Satie, how about a walk to get your mind off of all this?”
“Okay...”
The spouses left the house together. The heat of the day had long since given way to night’s refreshing chill. The grass was laden with glistening dewdrops reflecting the light of the half-moon, which was bright enough that they had no need of a lantern to guide their way.
Satie let out a deep breath as she looked up at the moon. Her silken, silver hair practically glowed in its pale light. Belgrieve was entranced by the sight of her when their eyes suddenly met.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing... Well, I was just thinking... Ange must have gotten her hair from you.”
Satie chuckled. “Maybe she did... It’s a different color, but she does have some lovely locks, that girl.”
“That she does. Even when she has a terrible case of bedhead, she only has to run her fingers through it to straighten it out.”
When Angeline had started to braid it, Belgrieve had wondered if perhaps her black hair would start to grow curly. But then she would untie the braids and it would naturally go perfectly straight, and it was as soft as elven hair.
The two of them had left the village by now and had walked all the way to the nearby plains. The summer grass was towering at this time in the season. There was a slight breeze, but not enough to rustle the grass noisily. The sky was clear but for a few wispy clouds that occasionally passed under the moon and cast shadows over the earth below.
Satie seemed to calm down with every breath of the pristine air.
“Sorry, Bell. Honestly...if I was stronger...”
“Don’t say that. You did as much as you could.”
“Did I really...?” Satie said as she stared into the distance. “What I have now is so precious to me. I wish it could continue forever. But, I know that if I ever looked away...something terrible would happen.”
“Are you talking about the children?”
“Yes. I’m worried about Schwartz, but even more so about the kids. There’s Hal and Mal of course, but Byaku’s still fighting with the demon’s consciousness too. I can’t help but think of what might happen someday.”
Aside from Mit, the twins and Byaku were also children born of the experiments. If they did not confront the secrets of their birth, then there was bound to be trouble someday, just like how Mit had once drawn the attention of the ancient forest. The will of the demon still persisted within Byaku, and there was no telling when Hal and Mal would lose their equilibrium. Of course the threat of Schwartz loomed, but for Belgrieve and Satie, the deeper fear was of the calamities that might befall their children and what they might suffer as a consequence.
Satie brought both her hands to her mouth and let out a sigh.
“It was pretty terrible, to be honest... Nothing but sad and painful memories. But if I don’t confront them now, I won’t be able to help those kids someday.”
“Percy and Kasim are probably in the same boat as you... I’m starting to feel a bit guilty; I was the only one of us who got to enjoy any peace and quiet these many years,” Belgrieve confessed.
Satie chuckled and patted her husband on the shoulder. “What are you talking about? It’s thanks to you that Ange came and saved me. If you hadn’t lived in Turnera...I’m sure we would never have met again like this.”
“You’re right...” Belgrieve gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders, smiling.
Satie looked up at him. “Bell, I think...no matter how they might come into the world, newly born lives bear no sins. Even if they were the results of all sorts of cruel experiments...”
“That’s right. I think so too.”
“So you know...for all the suffering that resulted from what I experienced, I’m glad that Ange came into the world. I mean, she brought us all together... I need to work a bit harder.”
“Yeah...”
Even if it had been Satie’s suffering that gave birth to Angeline, Angeline herself did not bear any of the sins. In fact, with all the good fortune the girl had brought, she deserved praise, if anything.
Belgrieve patted Satie’s back. “But don’t do anything crazy. What’s the point if we lose you in the process?”
Satie burst out laughing. “Pfft—ha ha! You’re right... Oh, Bell. That’s the same thing you used to say to me and Percy.”
“Huh? I-It is?”
“Heh heh... Yes. You really haven’t changed at all, you know that? In a good way, I mean.” She patted his shoulder, giggling.
Belgrieve awkwardly scratched his head. “Well, I’ll be...”
Still smiling, Satie stretched her arms overhead.
“All right... Let’s head back. Seren should be here in a few days, right?”
“Yeah, it’ll be a longer stay this time. The manor is pretty much done, save for a few minor details.”
“Then it’s going to get busy from here on... You’ll have to do your best, guild master,” Satie teased, a mischievous look on her face as she poked his cheek.
Belgrieve smiled wryly and patted her on the head. “I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better.”
“Hey, don’t treat me like I’m Ange. I’m your wife, you know.” Satie puffed out her cheeks, making an expression so amusing that Belgrieve couldn’t hold back from laughing. The two of them reveled in the moment, trying to stifle their mirth as the wind picked up a bit and rustled the grass around them.