Swords of Gilded Crimson

Chapter 22 | Hate |

'We accept,' were Adrien's next words, and however unexpected they were, his answer stood true. I tried to maintain a steady heartbeat as he went on, so as to not allow any scepticism of my offer from their side.

'Seeing as you are asking for us to refrain from any sort of post-war army attack on Tenebrae, the bargain will have to be made with our General.' He motioned to Nikolai, who had returned to stand beside him, except now, his face was wholly serious and intent on what was to be done. Adrien's justification seemed reasonable enough, since it was the General of Luxandria who exerted control over the militant actions of the entirety of their armies and war tribes.

I gave an affirmative nod as my only response.

Nikolai proceeded to unlatch the lock on my cell and stepped through. I remained in the same place as I was and watched as the effect of the faebane-laced chamber prickled him under first encounter, reddening the exposed skin his black tunic let show. He made no further spectacle of it, keeping the rigidity of his demeanour intact as he gestured for my hand.

I supposed the same black bands Odeir had on his forearm from his bargain with Eleodor would show up on ours, as he then rolled up one sleeve. I'd never made a formal bargain before, let alone with any Luxandrian, so I simply followed him.

We repeated the lines of the deal I had proposed, and then took each other's hands. The clasp of his grip was surprisingly gentle and yet firm, unlike the callous, rough touch I'd been anticipating. I wondered if he felt the pulsing heat of my body when the deep hues of his eyes darted towards me, even if only for a split second. Though even if he did, I doubt it mattered- it didn't affect our deal.

Once it appeared complete, I began to break out of the hold of his hand, but he gripped harder. 'You have to wait until the tattoo of a band appears,' a soft mutter as he gestured to the forearm he'd let bare.

I furrowed my brows, but nodded.

The time that we held each other's hands was coming awkwardly close to surpassing half a minute. Adrien cleared his throat in an effort to voice the question we all had brimming. Why hadn't the tattoos appeared yet?

'Are you sure we said it right?' Nikolai asked.

'It was in the complete form of any bargain in the Court of Day. The tattoos should have appeared by now,' the Spymaster ascertained. He stepped closer towards my cell to gain a closer look. 'Kalena, pull down the shoulder of your jacket.'

'No.' My tone was flat.

He only gave a groan and continued, 'To show what I think looks like from here- black ink.'

I kept one hand in the hold of Nikolai's, as I used the other to pull down the sleeve of my fighting leathers from the shoulder. There it was. Not the black band, as we'd been expecting, but in its stead, a tattoo of the Luxandrian army's crest, interwoven with an intricate swirl of black ink, etched from my collarbone to chest. Nikolai's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the unique tattoo. 'You're sure you haven't had that tattooed before?'

I snapped at his dumb question, 'Why would I tattoo on myself the crest of your army?'

He rolled his eyes but went on to also pull down the shoulder of his black tunic. Again, there it was. Except, on him it wasn't the Luxandrian symbol, but the crest of the Tenebrian legion. My army. The swirl woven around it however, was identical to the one on mine; etched from his collarbone to chest. Adrien took yet another step forwards, now practically at the bars of my cell, to examine our tattoos from a closer distance.

I glanced down at our hands again to see them still intertwined, and Nikolai's attention went to the same sight. We quickly drew back from one another and stepped further apart. The bargain was complete, and it's respective tattoos shown, but...