Ethra Graham looked at his reflection in the mirror. The wounds he got inflicted during the opening were no longer visible, now healed under the use of potions and medical care.
At least Velvet didn’t target his face. He could give her that.
Of course, she didn’t extend the same ‘mercy’ to his brother, Cornelius.
Not that that was too unusual in mage society. Every day, mages disappeared, and every day, new mages popped out. Whether by murder or corruption, it was a common occurrence.
But, unlike with corruption, murder usually left behind someone to blame.
His mother blamed the Siberettis more than she blamed Velvet, even when she was the one that dealt the killing blow.
Not that that was without reason, since the ones that gave her the opportunity were the Siberettis, and not Velvet’s own skills. The same way that Cornelius used Siberina to kill Iren in his place, but now being Siberina using Velvet to kill Cornelius in her place.
Siberina Siberetti. The true culprit of Cornelius’ death.
Now, Ethra didn’t know much about her; even when the Siberetti family was part of the Charlampian mage families, they were isolated from the rest, due to their infamy.
Yes, he could ask Alrai, who would surely answer any question, but he liked to keep Alrai’s matters and his family’s matters separated.
Even when his mother didn’t exactly like that idea, to Ethra, even when Alrai was a Siberetti, not all Siberettis were Alrai, which made them different things.
That was his personal opinion, thought, shared only by him. Even Alrai laughed at him when he told him the same thing.
Not that he cared about his reaction. He was too prideful to let someone else’s opinions change his.
After all, Pride was the Graham’s Paradigm, shown on the way they behaved themselves, their magic and their looks, which made people lower their heads in awe and envy.
Golden hair that shone under the sun, almost making a halo, and red eyes that even gems couldn’t match in intensity. As he had said previously, even Velvet had avoided damaging his face, which was telling on its own.
If there was some kind of complaint anyone could make about the Grahams, it was the inexpressiveness that characterized them, the lack of emotions they showed at all times.
But that was because they were too prideful to react to anyone’s stimuli, whenever those were good or bad.
Even after Cornelius’ Graham murder, neither him nor his mother Adeline had shown too much reaction, all due to their pride.
They were too prideful to feel sadness, and too prideful to show grief.
After the notice came, one of Adeline’s reactions had been to put Ethra in Cornelius' place, as to make him the future heir of the Grahams.
And that was the reason why today he was dressing up neater than usual.
To welcome the Pioneer Tree’s arrival, the third of the ships that formed the float of the Snowbreak Project, one of the few things that made all mages drop their enmities without issues.
It should have been Cornelius’ responsibility, but now it was his.
Ethra grabbed a glass bottle of cologne, from a row filled with them. Spraying a bit of it on his wrist, he smelled it, before clearing his hands and grabbing another.
Two of those cologne bottles were presents from Cornelius’. His brother had always been awful at giving presents, so their smell wasn't of Ethra’s taste, which made him put them in the furthest place possible.
Picking another bottle, this time one he approved of, he sprayed some on his neck and wrists, before putting it down and looking at his reflection again.
Perfect. Perfect enough for him to make heads turn, without the need for lust spells or similars, only with-
Staring at the sides of his face, Ethra almost frowned, opening a drawer where rows of golden and crimson red earrings rested; the colors that suited him better.
Passing over them, his fingers touched ones gifted by Alrai, stopping. Now, they weren’t the best choice to compliment his clothes, maybe the third one, but Ethra still liked them.
Like his other accessories, this one also was enchanted, as Alrai had said:
“These are made with the blood inside a Gambler’s index finger, so they will bring luck. Maybe even the good kind!”
Now, even when he hadn’t asked Alrai about his family, he had asked about the Gambler Paradigm once, while they were on the airship to the Mergifari, on one of the open air platforms from where passengers could enjoy fresh air, with railings going from side to side as security measures.
Back then, Ethra was enjoying some wine, leaning over the railings, with Alrai tossing paper projectiles towards the sky next to him.
“Ah, it’s quite simple, actually.” Was what Alrai had said. “It is about fate, yes, but it’s not about winning over it, or even benefiting from it.”
“It’s the Gambling Paradigm, not the Prophet Paradigm, haha!”
“There is no Prophet Paradigm.” Ethra had corrected.
Alrai had turned around, pressing his lower back against the railings, his upper body bending into dangerous levels, hanging outside the airship.
Ethra didn’t pull him in, sipping from his glass with calm.
“What I mean is, gambling isn’t about winning. For example… Do you know the game of Crouper’s Roulette?”
“Yes.” It was a game that consisted of filling a revolver with less than six bullets, usually one, with each participant shooting themselves at least once in their own heads.
A stupid game, in Ethra’s opinion.
“Well, then, if the Prophet Paradigm is about who the bullet hits…”
“There is no Prophe-”
“Shh, lemme speak. If the Prophet Paradigm is about who the bullet hits, the Gambler Paradigm is about the thrill of the situation…”
Alrai made a gun with his fingers, pointing at Ethra’s head from outside the airship.
“Of the instants before the Bang.”
“You can always make things more interesting before the bullet hits. Like pointing the gun at the person in front of you, or giving it to the person next to you, so that she can be the one to deal the killing blow.”
Ethra’s brows almost furrowed, the meaning behind the words clear. Siberina giving Velvet the chance of killing Cornelius’ wasn’t fate, but it made that future more interesting for the Gambler.
Cornelius’ death was decided, since defeating Siberina was an idiot’s wish. But Siberina changed the way his death went, just to make the after-bang more interesting for her.
“Is that so.” Ethra finally had said, his expression unchanging.
“We should play Crouper’s Roulette sometime.”
“I am not doing that.”
Ending his reminiscences, Ethra clipped the earrings with a click, moving his head side to side to look at them. They were small, golden with a red, round jewel inside,
Not perfect, but will do.
Taking a step back from the mirror, Ethra left his bathroom, his room, and the Graham’s house, leaving the pocket dimension.
He appeared on top of the stairways from the First Tower, before starting to go down them.
And right before coming across Velvet, who was going up.
“It can even be the good type of luck!” Alrai’s voice resonated in his mind.
Cursing the earrings, his heart tightened, pressured by the presence of someone with a Bloody Esca.
It was even worse than the previous time he had seen Velvet, when they fought on the Opening.
He knew that she had been the one that killed the mages who became the Devil’s Portal, tainting her own Esca even more.
Mages with normal Escas didn’t like the presence of the ones with bloody ones in an instinctual manner. Even when he usually was with Alrai, who also had a bloody one, Velvet’s felt worse, more asphyxiating than his.
Of course, some of the blood covering her Esca was his brother’s, so that probably affected it in some way.
“Oh.” Velvet said, smiling at him, showing some teeth. “If it isn’t Count Graham,” He didn’t miss the lowkey mockery, the lingering threat under her words. “Ready for taking a stroll, I see.”
“Indeed.” Ethra didn’t fall into her game, the stairway being plenty ample for both, crossing her and continuing walking down.
Even when he had to force his steps so as to not rush.
