The Heartwood and i pray to god you dont come back here anymore

<3 skipping per noki!

long ago caiaphas had learned the art of scrying liar from truth-teller. she had seen vercingetorix dead himself -- she had known of his entrails, and how they colluded with water, turning it toxic, turning it brown.. either merrick had done the deed as he said he had, or he was a remarkable storyteller, intrepid in piecing together what he believed his audience wished to hear.

hinging her bets on the fact he was indeed vercingetorix's end (for how else could one explain the intimacy in the details?), caiaphas nodded as the boy spoke of vercingetorix's final minutes. "did he suffer?" the crone hummed, hopeful --

vercingetorix had left her to die.

any suffering he had endured, would not be enough to redeem that final betrayal.

she kept one ear -- the untorn one -- focused behind her, where vengeance stalked like a panther. she did not like his silence, but she would address him later. he was packmate, from what she could tell -- perhaps he served as dutiful guard, if she turned hostile.

"so young to be a killer.." caiaphas marveled, having caught the need that danced in merrick's singular eye, screamed from the way he hedged himself close, and spoke readily of crimes many good folk would blanch in horror from. "a shame you were not one of my own". the comment may have seemed saccharine, but caiaphas had often lamented the softness of her children -- only she did what ought to be done.

"did you kill his kid?" here caiaphas drew her hoping gaze upon the kill-monger, breath baited -- and in that vein, while she waited his answer she spoke again. "his name was vercingetorix. you should remember the names of the lives you steal. he was my enemy once -- then packmate, but never stopped being my enemy."