A few weeks later...

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“O? Thea Clar’s interrogation? How come? Why?” Taj was surprised. 

They were together at his apartment. 

It was a small place; it would be more appropriate to call it a room with an attached bathroom and a kitchen counter. There was one armchair in the room, a round table, and that was it. Taj slept on the floor, spreading a mat. 

He didn’t complain. The place he rented was his; he was free to do what he wanted.

Rowan had been there before; she relaxed because she was no longer afraid of fainting. Taj observed her when she slowly walked to the armchair and sank into it.

“So, apparently, I have seduced her son,” Rowan said quietly.

“How come?” Taj asked again but stopped. 

She was tired; she was scared. Taj decided to ease the tension within her a bit, so he tried to joke. 

“Let’s be honest, I am probably the only man you spend most of your time with, so how come? And let’s be honest again, you are out of my league,” he said.

It made her smile, but not for long. 

“Fucking Clar,” Taj added out of nowhere. 

Rowan said nothing; Taj then focused on something else. He was trying to keep an eye on her while making her a drink, searching for a blanket and pillows, and thinking about what else to do to ease her pain. He needed to check her state, but how exactly to do it?

Only after a while, she commented on what Taj had said before.

“You sounded like Riley, you know?” she said and added. “Speaking of which, Riley is Clar. He is Clar. He is the grandson. Did you know? We met occasionally, and it was enough to accuse me of seducing him. And it was he who approached me!” Rowan complained. 

What Rowan said surprised Taj even more. But, he thought, it made perfect sense. 

Riley, this kid, he behaved as Clar would behave. Arrogant. Certain of his money. Certain of himself. Naive and not that bright. O? That didn’t fit. Taj always thought that Hannen Clar’s grandson would be smart.

“I wonder if it was only about this,” Rowan said, as if she had something on her mind.

“What do you mean? You suspect another reason?” Taj asked.

“My mom.” Rowan simply added.

“This.” Taj knew; she told him more than once. “I think it was more likely Thea Clar’s idea. If it was about something other than her son, then I think the whole situation would look different. Her interrogations are known, and they are always related to her son. Hannen Clar’s interrogations are of a different type. If it had been something connected to your mother, in the sense of a business connection, trouble, or whatever, it would have been a different questioning.”

“Probably makes sense. So, what to do? What do you think?” Rowan’s voice was uncertain. “They expelled me. I even have a mark, you know. The mark. I cannot stay here. I cannot attend the University anymore. Not only that, but I will not find any normal job. They also took away my grant, so I have no money.” She stopped.

Taj noticed—she was almost crying. He wanted to say something, but she decided to continue.

“And what else? I do not have the City ID; my ID is revoked, as I am officially, or soon to be, expelled. Taj? I need to go somewhere. Thea Clar was, ha-ha, gracious. She had given me a one-way ticket. I can go to the airports or docks and, with this sheet of paper, buy a ticket somewhere, no worries about the price. But where to go? It is a cruel joke.”

“Perhaps you will take your mother’s stuff and go there?” Taj suggested. 

He had already covered her, so she should feel warm, gave her matcha, as she always liked his matcha, and was thinking about how to check her, what to check exactly, and what they did to her. 

“To the Sect?” Rowan asked, but she looked as if she had already thought about it. “I guess. I will still need to think about how to find her. I do not believe my mom is dead. Why is it so complicated? I wanted to study and work. Finding my mom was supposed to be my main goal, and now?” 

She looked miserable.

“I can only say that I am sorry. It is what it is, though.” Taj was calm; he knew saying that everything was going to be all right wouldn’t help her—she was a very practical person.

There was silence for a moment.

“Riley Clar. So, this is why he was able to offer me money,” Taj had to say it out loud.

“Oh, you cannot let it go.” Rowan grimaced. “You need to be careful. If his mother finds out that her son, whoa, one, likes men; two, got humiliated; and three, tried to buy you but was rejected? So, when she finds out about you, Taj, then it won’t be nice. I’m telling you.” 

“I am not afraid of Clar’s interrogation,” Taj said. He started to feel his usual anger. 

“I am sure, but what do you need it for in the first place?” Rowan asked and grimaced again. “Taj, I need you to help me up. I need to go to the bathroom… you know, they have a Healer there? They beat you, heal you, beat you, and heal you. Thea Clar is crazy.”

“You need to go to the Sect.” Taj calmed down. “Let me tell you what to expect at the Gate.”

Rowan smiled slightly. “So, the Sect it is. I will go. Truly, it would be great if you could join me later,” she said. 

Taj looked at her and nodded. 

Clar. This boy was Clar. 

It explained everything. Taj felt fury rising in his heart. Not only was his life ruined by the Clar family, but also his friend suffered because of them. The reason for it? Because the boy wanted something and didn't get it. 

How to get even?

Taj sighed and then helped Rowan with everything she said she needed.