Page 37 of Becoming One
CHAPTER 13
“That son of a bitch. I swear the next time I see that little elven fucker, I’m going to finally kill him myself,” Nicu seethed as he stormed into the room. Stopping in front of the couch, Nicu raised his hand and rubbed it against his chin, as he looked to Laramie and said, “I need to look like one of Ezra’s most trusted guards so that I can get closer to that damn Jewel and kill the little fucker.”
“Too soon,” Laramie hissed through clenched teeth. “Once… in twenty-four… hours. Using the potion twice… in that time… and the second… time… won’t be… as effective.”
“So I’ll do it tomorrow. I need more of that potion,” Nicu insisted.
When Laramie didn’t answer, Nicu looked closer at the mage. The man lay sideways on the couch, clutching his thigh. His face was twisted in pain and a fine sheen of sweat covered his face.
“What’s wrong with you? And hey, what the hell happened out there? That bastard Orion had me a time or two. I thought you were supposed to be there to help me.”
Laramie looked up at him with narrowed eyes. His jaw clenched and lips a thin line. “I was there you witless wonder. Why… do you think… you had the upper… hand… for most of… that fight?” Laramie admonished as he struggled to sit up. His face contorted deeper, showing the true depth of the agony he was in. As he straightened he released a heavy breath, then hissed, “What, did you… suddenly… think you… had… powers and… that was all… you?”
Nicu dropped down into the chair across from Laramie as he huffed, “Well then, why the hell did he beat me? I should be standing there during the Ranking Ceremony tomorrow taking my rightful place as Regal to the Re. I have worked side by side with Ezra long enough and that position should be mine, not that muscle headed fuckwit.”
“As you… had help, so… did he. The Re’s… mate was… using… his powers… but there… was something… wrong… with… them. They weren’t… very controlled and… made no… sense. I wonder… why?” Laramie asked.
“How the hell am I supposed to know?”
Laramie rolled his eyes and gave him a look as though he was stupid. Nicu hated the fuck, but they needed him and his magic. If not for that, he would have slit the sleezy guy’s throat a long time ago.
“It was… a rhetorical… question,” Laramie replied, as he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.
“A ritoiwhat?” Nicu asked in confusion.
“Rhetorical, meaning… never mind.”
“If you can’t answer your own questions, then how the hell is the rest of the plan supposed to work if I’m not in Ezra’s office?” Nicu huffed.
Laramie’s eyes turned cold and hard as they filled with anger. “I don’t… answer to you,fledgling.We… both report… to a… higher power and… you know... it. You just do… your part… and shut up. Stop… thinking, it’s… not… your strong… suit.”
“Fuck you,” Nicu spat. “Someone’s in a fucking bad mood.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Laramie. He hated that he had to work with the asshole, but for their plan to work he had to put up with the crazy ass mage.
“I need you… to… run an… errand for… me,” Laramie said.
Nicu gave him a bored look then raised a brow in question. “I can’t actually go out there in the world with this face, remember? How the hell am I going to run you an errand? And, why would I? I am not your dog.”
Quicker than Nicu could see him, Laramie was up off the couch and looming over him, with his face a mere hairsbreadth from his, his eyes crazy and full of rage. Laramie gripped the front of his shirt staggering to stay upright but still with more strength then Nicu would have given the small man credit for and pulled Nicu closer. Laramie’s stale sick breath washed over his skin and a chill ran through him as a sense of great dread filled him.
“You listen… to me now you… little cunt. You… do as I say, or… first I… turn you into… a eunuch, then… I change… you into… a slug for the… rest of… your damn life. Not… too far off from… what you… already are, but now… you’ll have… the form to… match.”
Nicu didn’t want to show this man fear, but he was helpless against it. The pure evil he saw within the mage’s eyes was disturbing. Nicu’s body betrayed him and began to tremble. “W-what… what d-do, you… n-need?”
A sinister smile rose from the mage’s lips, then filled his eyes. “That fucking… Santorini fox… bit and clawed… me. He… released a poison… into my b-bloodstream… and I… need the antidote. I… have everything… I need to mix… up a d-dose here… except for one... ingredient. The Epiphyllum… Oxypetalum, otherwise… known as… the… Kadupul… Flower.”
“The what? I’ve never even heard of it much less know where to find it,” Nicu said in a strained voice.
“It is only… found in… one place, and… only blooms… at night. You… must cut… it while in… bloom and… get it back to… me before… it wilts, or… the sun… rises. Once the… sun… comes up… the flower… will die, and… it will no longer… be of any… use,” Laramie explained as he released Nicu’s shirt and moved back a few inches.
“Where do I find one?” Nicu asked.
“Not one… I need you… to bring me back… as many… as you can… carry without… damaging… the specimen. It is… very delicate. With… that damn… fox around, it… would behoove… us to… have more of… the antidote… available.”
“Boohoo what?”
“Behoove. Never… mind,” Laramie replied in exasperation as he shook his head. “Just get me that… flower. It’s… white and… large, only… blooms at night, and… isveryrare.”
“Great. And where am I supposed to locate this rare whatever its name is?”