Keep It Secret
"What happened?"
"What do you mean?"
Osiris gives Maddox a withering look that, for once, doesn't seem to land. Either Maddox was that far gone that he'd done this and genuinely had no contrition or...
"You're telling me you had nothing to do with this?"
"Why would I have had anything to do with this? How do I know it wasn't you?"
"You can't be serious... I found you standing over this and you are going to accuse me?"
"I got here seconds before you did so fuck you for thinking I did this!"
"Well it's not like you haven't got form."
The hurt in Maddox's eye was easily read. Maybe Osiris had misjudged this. Neither of them spoke a word as they stood over the flayed body at their feet which was already attracting a menagerie of flies. The trees around them seemed to whisper secrets to each other on the sharp winter wind that gusted through the edges of the forest. Osiris pulled his coat tighter around him. Maddox began to shiver, his plaid shirt offering little comfort against the weather. Osiris let out a sigh.
"I apologise. I shouldn't have stooped to that."
"I'm not surprised. You always were an asshole."
"Oh for-"
Osiris cussed under his breath before he took a moment to steady himself.
"You know for someone who was so desperate to work with me, you have been nothing but a constant problem. Tell me why exactly you came here?"
"Because someone, or something, is killing people like us."
"You might have to be more specific as to which part you mean. People who work for the palace? People with magic? People who happen to not be straight? People with mental health issues?"
"In this case, three out of four."
"What?"
Maddox knelt and reached his hand into the remains, plucking out a heart. With a few words muttered, low and guttural in his throat, purple smoke began to billow from its chambers which Maddox inhaled. Osiris grimaced.
"I will never get used to your abilities. They are repulsive."
"Judge all you want, asshole, they're pretty damn useful right now. I have a name and yes, they were a mage."
"Shit. And the fact that the organs were pretty much all left there, I'm going to make a wild assumption and say this wasn't anything to do with blood magic or necromancy."
"That's a good assumption. No, this wasn't a harvesting or a sacrifice or anything like that. If anything, it's a warning."
"Right... do what you need to and get rid of the body. We'll meet up later and go over things. I need to check in on Theodore."
"Just... go careful, okay? I'll do some searching and see what I can dig up."
Osiris nods before turning on his heels and heading back towards the Sandringham estate.
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