Chapter Seventy-eight

Locke was panicking. He hadn’t been this terrified for his brother since the betrayal. Only one entity throughout all eternity could bother Keye, and if they're back? A shiver ran down Locke’s spine. Worse timing didn’t exist. His foolish minion must be wrong. There’s no way the Watcher would have told him anything. He would have known he wasn’t speaking with either of the brothers, wouldn’t he? Though, that hadn’t stopped Quain from relaying what he wanted to say through him.

“Keye! I know you’re in here!” Even using his magic, Keye wasn’t about to let himself be found. Images of his brother’s near lifeless body last time crept in on him, and he was pushing through every door and screaming at the top of his lungs as he raced forward. He had to be here. He had to be. If he actually left… Locke couldn’t bare the thought. THey've only ever had each other. He couldn’t lose his brother now. Not after everything they’d done. Not after all this time. “Keye! Dam it! Grow up and come talk to me!”

A young half-elf ducked out from one of the rooms that Locke had just swooped into long enough to verify his brother wasn’t there. Dropping to her hands and knees, she called out. “Master. Your brother, he’s down in the bathes.” Her flaming red hair spilling over to conceal most of her face.

Locke stopped in his tracks, turning on his heals to stare down at her. “How do you know that?”

“He wanted trays of liquor brought down. He asked for a few concubines too, Master. He swore that if we told you where he was he would do the same to us that he’s doing to them.” The little half-elf shook, bent over head pressed to the ground. Locke knelt before her. Between he and his brother, they rarely spared anyone mercy. Not after everything they’d seen and done.

“Why then, are you telling me?” He asked, pushing her red hair away from her face. He was surprised that she was so pretty. The pretty ones didn’t usually stay working as a maid long.

“The other Master is in a bad way.” The young maid cowered as Locke lifted her chin to force her to look at him. “I’m sorry.” Her voice shook as she spoke, and her emerald eyes wandered to the side, refusing to look him in the eye. “I should not be telling you because he told us not to, but if he kills himself, all will suffer. At least this way, only my life is forfeit and the others remain safe.”

“How benevolent of you. If this information truly does save my brother’s life, mercy will be bestowed upon you for betraying his trust in lieu of trying to save him. You may wait in my quarters for my return.” Locke stood, striding back the way he had come. Usually, neither of them would be caught dead in the common bathhouse. He was shocked that his brother would go there, but it was a good hiding place if he didn’t want to be found.

It took Locke a matter of moments to reach the bathhouse. As he threw open the doors, he knew he was in the right place. The water around them was tinged a reddish color, and though he couldn’t make out anyone in the room, he wasn’t surprised. The steam was so thick, he couldn’t see more than a small amount of the large bath. “Keye. Are you in here?” Locke called as he stepped into the fog. He waited a moment for an answer. It was no shock that no answer came back. “I heard he’s finally coming back. I was told you could confirm this for me, Keye.” Locke frowned. He thought for sure he would get some sort of answer with that question.

Locke sighed, waving his hand before him. The steam started to clear. Locke took a deep breath. His brother was in the back corner of the bath. A dozen bodies were strewn around him. Elves and humans. To Locke’s surprise, even a dwarf was laid out on the walkway behind him which was shocking. “Oh, brother. What have you done?”

“You heard. You know what I’ve done.” Keye’s head hung low.

“Is it true? When you found out, why didn’t you call for me?” Locke asked, prodding one of the bodies with the toe of his shoe. The smell of blood was intoxicating. “And why do this?” Locke asked waiving a hand at the corpses surrounding them. He wrinkled his nose realizing the few floating in the tub with him were starting to bloat.

“What else do we do when liquor isn’t enough?” His brother’s head bowed more, his hair starting to stain in the water. “We messed up bad, Locke.” Keye said with a shaky intake of breath. “He’s going to hate us.” His hands lifted to his face, and Locke could see the slits in his writs running from the base of his thumb down into the water. Once again, his brother was searching for a death he would never find.

Locke didn’t know what to say. For more years than could be counted, he had always been the one who delt with those who delt with the vessels. There had always been a reason too. Somewhere along the way, they had forgotten that, and Keye had wanted to pull his fair share finally. Of course, that would be when Chihero would make his move. Why not? It was the best course of action to get back at them for what they did.

“We deserve it.” Keye sobbed.

“Why?” Locke said, his tone harsher than he meant it to be. For the first time, his brother looked at him. His eyes full of regret and fear. “In all our years, we haven’t killed half as many folk as he did when he rampaged.”

“All he wanted was his son, Locke. His son. Who for all he knew was dead in a ditch. You should have listened to me. None of this needed to happen.” Even as Keye sobbed into his hands, Locke watched the skin on his brother’s arms stitch back together without any help from either of them. As it always was. They were cursed to live and wait for their judgement day. There was a sense of relief in Locke’s chest. At least soon it would be over.

Locke nodded, pulling the knife his brother had used to slice his flesh from his reach. “You were always right. It was a mistake. But one we finally have the ability to right. We’ve waited for this day for so long. We can’t just give up now.”

“He’ll hate me more than anyone. I fucked it all up.” Keye started sobbing into his palms. For a while, Locke could only watch the red rivulets drip from his arms causing ripples in the water surrounding him.

“Chihero waited for this moment.” Locke said, easing himself into the water beside his brother. It was hot against his skin, and the thought of bathing in the diluted blood was sickening. “He has been waiting for you to finally make a move.”

“Of course he was.” Keye’s shoulders shook with his tears. “I deserve this.”

“Don’t.” Locke said definitively. “You are the last one who deserves his wrath.”

“No. I’m the first one. I still love him more than anything. I should never have betrayed him.” Keye curled into Locke’s shoulder finally. Clinging to his brother like his life depended on it, which was a joke. Their lives depended on nothing, and would end only when Necron finally chose to release them.

“We had to, Keye. He was out of control. You were the only one who could stop him.” Locke said, wrapping his brother in his arms. “You had to do what you had to do. In the end, he has to forgive you.”

“He won’t.” Keye curled up in Locke’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t.”

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