Hunter: Crossroads

Chapter 2

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, I need to present you looking as fierce, and delicious as this version of yourself." He steps into my personal space, and I know I am not about to like what he says, not missing the golden wreath like crown that now appears on his head as I feel something now sitting on mine. "We need to appear to be the image of power and-"

"I get it." The Dark King and Queen. "Why?"

"That will be who he is expecting."

"But we aren't." I protest. "Pretending to be what-"

"Who says we are pretending?" Again I open my mouth to argue but he shakes his head. "Formalities won't matter here, they are beyond all of that. The only thing that does, is who you are. I didn't go into it before we came because to be honest, the less you know the better and I wasn't sure you'd agree to how they are expecting us to appear."

"That does nothing to make me feel better about any of this. Will your ego survive if I say just take me to Rumpels and just forget all of this?"

"Possibly, but just trust me. Please?" He held out his hand, and I felt myself hesitate. After what felt like an eternity, I put my hand in his. "Thank you."

"He's going to be mighty disappointed when he finds out the truth." I mumble, as we continue our walk down the impressive corridor.

Considering Kara was only, who knows how many miles away, as Queen of the kingdom I knew we were still very much in, it wouldn't be hard to work out we were no rulers of any kind if news hadn't already made it here.

"I told you, it won't matter. Whoever actually sits on the throne means little here. The last time I saw him was at the arena, and it was also the first time he saw you. That is who we enter as."

I tried to work out what he meant and realised when that would have been. "You were still banished then and I'm not the God Killer, or your Queen.."

"No, but you are mine." He raised my hand, kissing it. "As I am yours. That is all that needs to be known."

I let it go, realising nothing I said was going to impact his decision so I decided to do as he asked and trust him.  "So, who are we seeing exactly?"

"Depends on who you ask. He's a collector of sorts, a hoarder. Though all that comes into his possession is apparently for a reason. He was one of the few I was able to maintain contact with during my banishment."

"So he's your friend?" It still wasn't making sense to me. "If he could also go to the Arena, why couldn't he just help you get home?"

"Not a friend. He doesn't have those and he is cursed with his own banishment. He is limited in where he can go within this realm. I heard rumours the arena is connected to this place, which is how he could access it too. Guess Zeus forgot to keep him out or just didn't know any of them existed." He motions around us. "This will take us to the Gorgos Caves, which is where he prefers to live. That back there is to keep out the pixies and whatever else might come through not deemed suitable for entry."

I stop, seeing deep scratches in the floor, and slowly start to notice more within the metal and marble as we keep moving.

"I have no idea what any of this means, and I don't think I want to know." I stop, reaching out to place my fingers at the start of the marks.

Why would someone have scratched these walls like this and a horrible image of being dragged to wherever we were going to hit me. I stepped back, closer to Cain and I couldn't stop the shiver that suddenly ran up my spine or a sense of dread for what we were approaching.