Stricklander swallowed, pushing the fear down, down into the pit of his belly, letting it smoulder there.
He remembered the lesson his other face had taught him. The Code of the Troll. Of Doe, Fawn, and Stag.
He had taken this family as his own, and it was his horns that would stand sharp between them and this Other, this cold, unthinking ancient thing that sneered down at them with eyes like frozen mercury.
It won’t hurt. He thought to himself, and there was a small comfort in that.
“Take care of them, Arch. All of them.” Not just Jim and Barbara, but the entirety of their strange and makeshift herd.
Kodanth. Nomura. Otto. Not-Enrqiue. Krax. It was clear that Strickler was not just trusting his protege with the Lakes, but with the entirety of what remained of the Janus Order.
The younger changeling looked at him, yellow eyes flicking toward the ice titan towering before them like a living Tarot card.
“You’ve got it, boss.” Archuero whispered, setting a hand on Strickler’s shoulder.
The Spymaster smiled, and lifted his claws to cup Archuero’s cheek for a moment. There was terror in the faint quiver of his talons, the terror of all agents before they take the field. But also peace. A horrible, certain peace that had smoothed Strickler’s face into the mask of a martyr.
“You’re ready.” Strickler reassured him.
“Yeah.” Archuro smiled, feeling something wet prickling the corners of his eyes. “I am.”
The his hand rose to grab Strickler’s ear, wrenching his head to one side so that he could hook his other arm around the Spymasters neck.
“What are you doing!?” Strickler choked out.
“What you told me, to, boss.” Archuero’s wiry muscles bunched, held taut until he felt the body in his arms go limp.
Archuero smiled, letting the tears freeze on his cheeks as he set Strickler down onto the snow, turning him over to breathe more freely.
His entire life, he wanted to be seen as worthy by the head of his Janus Order. An entire life of quiet desperation, begging for someone to recognize him, to give him purpose.
And now that he’d had his moment in the sun, he would very much like to enjoy it for a while...
but not at the cost of an empty place at the Lake’s dinner table. Not at the cost of his master.
“Sorry, boss.” Archuero whispered, slinging the grenades over his shoulder like a wreathe.
And then, flexing his claws, he leaped onto the ice titan’s leg and started climbing.
