[Ren’s POV]
Clara stood between us, her arms still spread as though she could somehow keep Ren from reaching Joseph again. Maren was crouched beside him, one hand hovering near his shoulder, unsure whether moving him would make his injuries worse. Joseph barely moved. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and one of his eyes was already swelling shut.
I stared at Clara. She had already made her choice. She had told me she would come with me, and I hadn’t forgotten. But standing there, with Joseph barely conscious behind her, she looked less like someone who had made a decision and more like someone desperately trying to prevent another one.
"Move, Clara."
She shook her head. "No."
"He’s been interfering with everything since the festival. He involved himself with you, with Maren, and now he’s working for House Vellmore. I’ve asked him questions, and he refuses to give me a single straight answer." I glanced past her at Joseph. "I’m not finished with him."
"Ren, please. Take me with you. Just don’t kill him."
Her voice broke on the last few words. She didn’t step aside, though. If anything, she seemed to plant her feet more firmly, as if she expected me to try to push past her.
I looked at Joseph again. He was struggling to breathe, and Maren had begun telling him to stay still. Even in that condition, his eyes found Clara. He tried to lift a hand, but the movement seemed to hurt too much.
"Clara..." His voice was barely audible.
"Don’t," she said, looking back at him. "Please, don’t make this harder."
Joseph swallowed, wincing. "You shouldn’t..."
He didn’t finish. Perhaps he couldn’t. His expression was difficult to read through the blood and swelling, but there was enough in it to make Clara turn back towards me with even greater desperation.
I wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. Joseph had spent the entire confrontation provoking me, and now Clara was standing in front of him, willing to put herself between us. Whatever his intentions were, he had managed to make her care enough that she was prepared to bargain for his life.
That didn’t make me any less interested in finding out what he was hiding.
"Why him?" I asked her. "After everything that’s happened, why are you protecting him?"
"Because I don’t want you to kill him." She drew a shaky breath. "You want answers. I know that. But killing him won’t give you any."
"Neither will letting him walk away."
"I’m not asking you to let him walk away."
Her answer made me pause. Clara glanced towards Joseph before looking back at me.
"I’ll go with you," she continued. "I’ll leave with you now. You can take me wherever you want, but please, Ren, don’t kill him."
There it was again. Not a new decision, but the price she was asking me to accept for it.
I had several reasons to refuse. Joseph was an unknown variable, one that had repeatedly managed to interfere with events I expected to unfold. He knew things he shouldn’t, including terms that belonged to a world I had thought was entirely my own. I still wanted to know how he had learned about the festival attack, what he was doing with House Vellmore, and how much he knew about me.
Letting him go meant leaving those questions unanswered.
But I didn’t have to forgive him, and I certainly didn’t have to stop investigating him. Joseph was still here. He would have to recover eventually, and there would be other opportunities to get answers. Clara, on the other hand, was offering to come with me willingly. My System had already identified her as someone important, and I had wanted to get closer to her long before this confrontation.
It wasn’t an ideal arrangement, but it was an opportunity.
I looked at Joseph. "You’d better understand something. This isn’t over."
His good eye remained fixed on me. He didn’t answer, and I wasn’t expecting him to.
"If I find out you’ve been using her, or if you interfere with her again, I won’t stop next time."
"Ren," Clara whispered.
I raised a hand slightly, letting her know I had heard her. Then I looked back at her.
"Fine. I’ll leave him alive."
Her shoulders dropped, and for a moment she looked as though the tension had finally left her body. She glanced down at Joseph, then back at me.
"Thank you."
"Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t forgiven him, and I haven’t forgotten what happened here."
"I understand."
Maren shifted beside Joseph, looking between us. "He needs a healer."
I turned towards the people who had gathered near the entrance of The Lantern. A few were still watching from a distance, while others had begun whispering among themselves. The scene had attracted more attention than I wanted, and I was in no mood to explain myself to strangers.
"You," I called to one of the bystanders. "Go and get a healer. Now."
The man hesitated before hurrying off.
Maren carefully adjusted Joseph’s position, trying to keep him comfortable without aggravating his injuries. She looked up at me, her expression difficult to read.
"You’re really taking her?"
"She’s made her choice."
Maren looked at Clara. "And you’re certain?"
Clara nodded. "I am."
There was a brief silence. Maren didn’t seem happy about it, but she didn’t argue either. Her attention returned to Joseph, who was still conscious, though only barely.
I waited for Clara to join me. She hesitated before taking one last look at Joseph.
"Stay with him," she told Maren. "Please."
"I will."
Clara finally turned away. I didn’t reach for her or try to hurry her along. She had made her decision, and I wasn’t going to treat her as though she needed to be dragged into it.
As we started towards the street, I glanced back once.
Maren was still beside Joseph. The crowd had begun to disperse, but a few people remained, watching as the healer arrived. Joseph hadn’t moved much. Even from a distance, I could see that he was in no condition to follow us.
I had walked away without the answers I wanted, and I wasn’t particularly pleased about it. Still, Clara was coming with me, and Joseph was alive. For now, that would have to be enough.
Whatever game he was playing, I intended to find out how it worked. And next time, I would make sure he had nowhere to hide.