Chapter 28 - Threats

“How do we get back home?”

Tetsuo’s heart froze as she asked. He looked around their surroundings, searching for anyone who may be watching them. A phantom pain of ice formed in his throat. He did everything he could to hide his fear from her.

“Can’t.” Tetsuo winced as the word left his mouth. He peeked to see her reaction.

Bianca seemed confused. “What do you mean? There has to be a way back. We got here somehow.”

Tetsuo stammered a response. “There’s not. No one knows why or how we got here.”

“Nothing?” Bianca asked skeptically. “Not even a hint?”

“No.”

Bianca sighed, and dusted off her clothing. “Look I know I look like crap right now but you can tell me the truth. I can take it.”

Tetsuo grimaced again. “Look, I’m telling you there’s nothing–”

Bianca loudly interrupted him. “Please. We’ve been married for six years now, you think I can’t tell when you’re hiding something?”

“I’m not! This is how it is!” Tetsuo started to get desperate. He continued scanning the environment, and could see that some people had begun to stare. “Please, trust me!”

“How am I supposed to trust you when you’re lying right to my face?!”

More people began to stop and stare. Tetsuo could see someone was speaking to an Alvanian knight while pointing at them. He now understood why Alon had brought him to a bar and made him drink before having told him all this information.

“Bianca, how about we go somewhere more private? I think we’re about to get reported.”

Bianca didn’t respond, frowning.

“Bianca?”

“Fine.”

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The bar was nothing compared to Pietro’s back when Tetsuo had arrived. There was no counter, no kitchen, nothing. It was effectively just a building with chairs, tables and barrels of beer that the barkeep would serve drinks out of. Drunks lay around drinking lazily, or passed out on the tables.

The barkeep walked over to the table and extended his hand out, asking for pay. Tetsuo reached out and handed him ten sivs. He left his hand out waiting for more. Tetsuo placed another five. His hand stayed outstretched. Tetsuo placed ten more and he closed his fist, walking over to the barrel. He filled a wooden mug with beer, before returning it to their table slamming it down. Foam spilt over their table, fizzling, as the barkeep walked back to a table to continue drinking.

Bianca paid no mind to the beer and looked at Tetsuo. “Explain. Now.”

Tetsuo sighed. “Every week or so, an Earthen appears in Alvania. It was me a couple months ago, yesterday it was you.”

“Every week?!”

“Give or take. Sometimes it’s sooner, sometimes it’s later. It makes it very hard to predict. Like I said, no one knows why or how this keeps happening.”

Bianca paused for a moment. “But you have an idea?”

Tetsuo watched as a cloaked figure walked into the bar taking a seat two tables behind Bianca. The barkeep approached them but they waved him off, remaining seated facing the two of them. Tetsuo turned his attention back to Bianca who was impatiently waiting for his answer.

“Yes, well… no… I don’t.”

Bianca sighed with a loud exasperation. “So you brought me here, promising answers, just to tell me that there are none. Is that right?”

Tetsuo looked down ashamedly as he looked down at the splintered surface of the table, the spilt beer seeping into the cracks. “Um… Yeah…”

“Fine.” Tetsuo had heard that fine enough times to be absolutely certain that she was now officially pissed. “I’m gonna assume for some reason you can’t tell me directly what’s going on. At least tell me that you’ve got a plan for getting us back?”

Tetsuo spoke quietly. “There’s nothing to be done.”

“Of all the times to keep lying… NOTHING!? AT ALL!?”

Her shouting worried Tetsuo. Some of the people in the bar were beginning to wake, and the barkeep seemed like he was beginning to become agitated. The cloaked figure behind her, continued to watch silently behind their veil.

“Bianca, seriously keep it down…”

“Since when did you start caring about other people!?”

“Please.”

“I can’t believe you…”

“Sorry…”

The bar felt silent. Bianca ran her hand through her hair, angrily tapping her foot rhythmically against the floor. The beer reeked and was starting to make Tetsuo feel sick, at least that’s what he wanted to believe.

“Everyday,” Bianca quietly began. “Everyday, I waited for you to come back home. I thought the worst. I spent everyday wondering what I could have done or said to have made a difference. I know now it wasn’t your fault. For all the days I spent feeling angry at you for just walking out and leaving me behind, for all the days I spent angry at myself thinking I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry. For both of us.

“But if you have any idea how to stop this summoning thing and you won't, I will never forgive you. For the children taken from their families, and the parents taken from their kids. For everyone who had their life taken from them. No one should have to ever feel the way I did when I thought I made you–” She began to choke up. She took in a deep breath and collected her thoughts before ending. “So no one ever has to go through what we went through. This needs to stop.”

The bar fell silent once again. Tetsuo could see she was on the verge of breaking down. One man began to sloppily clap for her speech. Tetsuo subtly looked behind her and could see he was still being watched. He could only look down.

“I’m leaving.” Her seat screeched as she stood up abruptly pushing it out.

“Wait!”

Bianca swiveled, angry but hopeful, tears welling in her eyes.

“At least… Let… Let me take you back…”

Bianca said nothing and turned back, heading to the exit. Tetsuo got up and followed her there, casting a dirty look at the cloaked figure who watched. Outside Lunette had been waiting at the door.

She cleared her throat and stepped between the two of them. “We received a report of a couple disrupting the public. Bianca, I’ll escort you to your temporary residence.”

Tetsuo looked in disbelief as Lunette began to pull Bianca away.

“Wait! You–”

“Sir Tetsuo! You’ve done enough. Allow me.”

Tetsuo knew better than to challenge her. He watched helplessly as Bianca and Lunette began to head towards the capital. Tetsuo fell backwards, sitting in the doorway of the bar, watching. He resented Eleanor, certain she had brought her here for the purpose of threatening him. Even so he couldn’t understand why he felt like somewhere the fault lay with him, or the deep seed of shame that came with it. With her life at risk, all he could do was watch as Bianca was taken from him once again.