Chapter 45 ANGER
She had to quickly jump aside as all five people rushed from the room, Xyra and Darren in the lead. They raced down the hallway, heading towards the room. They had been waiting for this and dreading it at the same time. Xyra and Darren were both worried about what his reaction would be when he saw the thief again. She had betrayed him, and neither one was really ready for the angry shouting that would follow their visitation.
They all ran right into the room, stopping the second they entered. Sitting up on the bed was Magnus, his eyes fully open. He watched curiously as they all made their way to his bed, Xyra sticking to his back now. She didn't want him to see her just yet. He would get mad when he did, and this reunion was supposed to be at least somewhat happy.
"Darren?" Magnus questioned as his eyes followed the hunter. Darren came right up to the side of his bed, followed by everyone else. There was a wide smile on his face.
"Hey Magnus," he greeted. "Glad to see you're alright."
"Yeah…" he agreed in a sigh as he raised his arms a bit. He was looking at his wrists, the cuts still a bright red but not bleeding. He frowned a bit at the injuries before returning his eyes to his friends. He looked over them, not bothering to ask how he had gotten here. He could basically piece it together. Somehow he had gotten out of that hellhole that was the Sorcerer's League headquarters. Someone must have saved him.
His eyes continued to scan through the people there, but they stopped the second they landed on Xyra. When his jade irises locked with her sapphire ones, he saw fear wash over her, and he was happy for it. He could feel his face slowly molding into a glare, and everyone instantly fell dead silent. They all knew what was about to happen.
"Xyra," he demanded, his voice just as cold as his hard eyes. "Come here."
Without hesitation, she walked over. She had been preparing herself all week for just this. However, her body was quaking in fear now. No amount of time in the world would have prepared her for this moment. Magnus's eyes were equivalent to a devil's, and she was sure his wrath would be just as fiery.
"Yes?" she asked meekly when she reached his bedside.
"Did you hand me over to the Sorcerer's League?" He was wasting no time in getting to the point.
"Yes," she whispered, her voice so quiet that Magnus could barely hear her.
"… What did they offer you?"
"What…?"
"As payment. What did they offer?"
"A billion gold pieces and a teleportation spell…"
It was silent for a moment, everyone's attention focused solely on Magnus and Xyra. The sorcerer seemed to be keeping calm about this, but his voice easily gave away how angry he was with his companion. His whispers sounded threatening, each one as reprimanding as the next. His temper was slowly rising. He was like a bomb that had just been lit.
"I just have one last question," he stated calmly. However, that tranquil state came to an abrupt end when the bomb finally exploded. "Why the hell did you do that?!" His voice made them all take a fearful step back. They all wanted out of the detonation range. "How stupid can you be?! Did you think, even for a second, that just maybe these guys were going to try something? You put us both in danger, you idiot!"
"I… I'm sor–"
"No!" he cut her off, silencing her. "Sorry is not gonna cut it! You sold me like I was just some object! I trusted you, Xyra!"
"Magnus, I'm…"
"I said I don't wanna hear it!" His voice was still so harsh. It hadn't lost any of its hate. He was so mad that he didn't seem to notice the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. That or he just didn't care. "Just get the hell out of my face! I'm sick of looking at you!"
She didn't hesitate to grant his wish. She spun on her heels and dashed out of the room, tears streaming down her face. No one followed after her. They all just stood there, watching as she disappeared. There wasn't anything they could say in this type of situation. Xyra had done one of the lowest things imaginable, but Magnus hadn't even allowed her to try and apologize.
"Don't you think," began Darren, knowing full well that he was treading on thin ice, "that maybe…you were just a little, tiny bit too harsh?" The look Magnus gave him quickly shut him up from asking or pressing the matter further. The sorcerer looked absolutely terrifying. His eyes were cold and unforgiving. Once again, he represented the very creatures he hunted.
"Are you taking her side?" Magnus asked, his glare deepening.
"No," Darren told him, becoming rather serious. "I'm not about to justify what she did, but I do think you were a little too hard on her."
"She almost got me killed!"
"But she also saved you!" There was a moment of complete silence as the two hunters stared each other down. The room was so tense that the other four people in it were almost afraid to breathe. "If you could've seen her," began Darren, his voice much softer now, "maybe you would understand."
"There's nothing to understand."
"Just listen to yourself! Don't you know how to forgive?!"
Astrid couldn't take too much more of this shouting. She quickly reached out and grabbed Darren's arm, drawing his attention away from the sorcerer. His eyes met hers, and they instantly softened. She shook her head at him, saying wordlessly that that was enough. He only sighed and turned around to leave, but he had just a few more things to say to the merciless sorcerer.
"When you see Xyra again, and I know you will, keep this in mind." He paused for a moment by the door, glancing back at Magnus. "Your scars can be healed…but what she saw cut so deeply that I doubt she'll ever forget it. Her wounds…are so much worse than yours."