Page 3 of Glutton for Punishment

His eyes lift to mine.

“I need you to drink one.”

For a moment, I stare at him. Perhaps the years of isolation and relic exposure have finally affected him more than anyone realized.

I unfold the parchment, expecting to see some harmless request. A rare restorative. An enhancement draught. Something strange, perhaps, but within the realm of what I have come to expect from Ellias.

Instead, my eyes move over the ingredients and formulas, and for the first time since entering this cottage, I find myself without a response.

“What...” I begin, my voice catching. “What is this?”

Ellias does not answer but simply watches me.

He has always spoken in half-truths and riddles, buried beneath centuries of knowledge and his obsession with relics. But there has always been a certain harmlessness about him. An eccentric old Councilor who cared more about forgotten artifacts than political games.

This feels different.

“Ellias, do you understand what you are asking?”

I set the parchment down as his expression remains unreadable.

“It would be illegal to have access to a Gluttony power in your faction. Not just illegal. Impossible. The relic might contain it, but…”

I lean forward, lowering my voice, even though we are alone. “What purpose could this possibly serve?”

For a moment, the only sound is the crackling of the fire beside us.

Then Ellias smiles.

A slow, knowing smile that makes something unpleasant twist in my stomach.

I sit back.

“No. This is too much to ask. I won’t do it.”

His smile fades. “No?”

I stand, folding the parchment and placing it back on the table.

“Whatever experiment you are conducting, whatever theory you believe you have uncovered, this has crossed a line. You asked for my help, and I came because despite everything, I consider you a friend. But this? This is not research. This violates Council law.”

A quiet amusement enters his eyes. He lets out a soft laugh, shaking his head.

“You do not see me as a friend, Forest. You only see me as an ally. A useful one.”

My jaw tightens. “That is not true.”

His voice remains calm, but every word lands with precision. “You think I do not know that my vote is the only thing protecting your fragile majority for academy decisions?”

I say nothing as the icy realization that this man knows more than he lets on takes hold.

“Come now, Forest,” he continues. “Are you willing to risk all of that over a few simple potions?”

The confidence drains from me. Losing my influence would not just be an inconvenience. Pride would see weakness. The other Councilors would smell blood. My faction’s position would become vulnerable overnight.

I exhale slowly. “All right. I will do it.”

The words taste bitter in my mouth.