Glistening Lantern (Gazellian Series #7)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Witch and a Prince

Yes, maybe Caleb Lancelot Gazellian has the upper hand with our relationship, with my blood and heart oath that symbolizes my life. I am literally his slave.

Ganoon na lang ang takot ng mga Attero na magbitaw ng mga pangako para sa isang nilalang. The promise could become a threat and a chain to your neck. He could command me as he pleases and demands it as a part of the journey that would lead to his map. At wala akong magagawa kundi sumunod sa kanya sa paraang iyon dahil nakatali roon ang aking pangako; to lead him to his map. 

Blood and heart oath is loyalty. Una'y nais ko lamang sundin ang misyong iniwan sa akin ng aking ninuno. I shouldn't let her down, and as the chosen one, I should know the value of her promise. Ako ang pinili niya upang ipagpatuloy ang kanyang pangako at bilang isang Attero buong puso ko iyong tinanggap.

But I didn't expect that it would be this hard...

My mission was to fulfill Anastacia's oath for Caleb's father... a passed oath, a continued journey, but I didn't realize that we're already making our own paths.

A very dangerous path...

I planned to be submissive, with my dangerous oath tied to my heart. Ganoon naman talaga dalasan ang nangyayari sa tuwing nagkakaroon ng pangako ang isang Callista. I am also aware that some powerful Atteros were being forced to swear an oath to serve the royalties.

Attero's oath is too powerful... at lahat kami ay kinatatakutan iyon.

But I couldn't just let this oath make me kneel. Buong buhay ko'y wala na akong ginawa kundi yumuko dahil sa abilidad ko, lagi na akong nakatago at handang magsunud-sunuran sa lahat dahil sa kakulangan ko.

But now that I'm free... and has her own path to trail without my clan's judgement eyes, should I allow this vampire to trample me? Hahayaan ko na naman ba ang sarili kong yumuko, magsunud-sunuran na lang sa lahat? At hindi na muling bibigyan ng halaga emosyon at nararamdaman ko?

I've been restricting myself for years because of my lack of mana, hinayaan kong ikubli ako at hindi pakinggan ng lahat. Walang karapatan ang emosyon ko noon pa mang lumabas, but now... should I restrict myself again?

Paulit-ulit na umikot sa isipan ko ang sarili kong katanungan. Restricting myself means, making myself weaker. Kung itatago ko na naman ang nararamdaman ko, ang mga emosyon ko at yuyuko na naman ako... ipapakita ko na naman sa sarili ko kung gaano ako kahina.

The huge rocks continued to move before my eyes, and I didn't realize that we were inside the sacred shrine. The small rocks piled up like powerful walls around a royal castle. 

I secretly released a talisman with a spell that could hold noise and attention. Sa pasilyo kung saan naglaho kami nang parang bula'y tila walang nangyari. It's just a normal hallway without a vampire and witch trying to figure out who's going to kneel.   

While the brown rocks served as the barrier around us, the huge black rocks stood still and started to emit white steam that made the whole shrine reach the unusual heat. The smoke around us suddenly looked like lingering white curtains and strings.

I could feel the beaded sweats on my forehead, the heaviness of my breath, the wobbling of my knees, and Caleb's all active senses behind me. We're suddenly both dazed at each other as I slowly tilted my head sideward to meet his red eyes looking down on me.

How could those red dangerous eyes...looked so...so hot with the steam around us. Patuloy ang pag-usok ng malalaking itim na bato sa paligid, ang lalong pagtaas ng temperatura at ang unti-unting pagpungay ng kanyang pulang mga mata.