Marked for Murder

twenty: happy in your hope

I laughed genuinely for the first time in weeks. "Why? Afraid of heights, are you?" I ask, elbowing him.

Matthew puffs out his chest indignantly. "Scared of heights? Pfft! What absolute nonsense. I just don't like being at places where I can fall to my death from."

"That's actually just being scared of heights, you know."

"Really? I think my version was fancier."

We laugh together before he pulls his legs up and wraps his arms around his knees. "But seriously, why here? We always have the common area for breaks, you know. Plus, it offers an advantage called 'no death in sight' zone."

I shake my head, thinking of Lake Astral back home. The thought makes me incredibly sad but I push those emotions back inside. "Nothing interesting. Being around nature centers me is all."

"Understandable. It is quite calming." He turns his head back to look at the cave entrance in the daylight. "Five years and I've never once bothered to sit outside." He exhales noiselessly. "It really is breathtaking."

I know what he means. The hills stretch endlessly around us, covered with sparkling trees, bushes and miles of dew-covered grass. Random flowers sprout from the ground, adding variety to the dominating green tones. 

The chasm below drops over a river, running swiftly down. The water looks extremely serene from up here, with its little waves bumping into each other. Chittering squirrels, badgers and birds mill about the place, almost making it look like paradise. 

In the gentle sunlight, the cave entrance glows with magic. Its usual fiery aura is replaced with a honey-like tone, warm and inviting. If I let the magic churn my mind enough, it shows me my home back on Avernus.

Then, just as quickly, the sight would change back to being just a cave opening and my heart would free fall like a stone into my stomach. I wrapped my arms around my shoulders, squeezing the overtly tensed muscles into relaxation.

"Yeah. We'll be leaving again in less than twenty four hours. It would have been a shame if I had to miss this." I tip my head in the direction of the hills. 

"I guess I owe you my thanks."

I furrowed my eyebrows, turning to glance at him. His clear eyes, as blue as the open sky, twinkled. Even the strongest of wills would crumble at the sight of those unearthly ocean eyes.

"For what?" I ask.

"For not letting me miss this."

I tear my gaze away from his hypnotising pupils, resting it on my sneakers instead. "Actually, I didn't really call you."

"Ouch, Meyers, that hurt," he laughs, his voice ringing over the silence enveloping us.

"You know my last name?" I ask, quizzically.

Matthew falls silent, but quickly recovers himself. "You told us the first day you came here, Cynthia, don't you remember?"

I am pretty sure I revealed nothing of my last name, fearing that I might be turned away if my family name was brought up. I was only afraid Katrina would spill the beans but when she didn't, I hadn't bothered with making it a point of discussion.

However, I think it would be best to not pick up that debate right away. I get up from the ground and dust my jeans. "Alright, I think I'll get to packing for tomorrow," I say to no one in particular.

That does not stop Matthew from hurrying over to stand next to me. He towers a good few feet over my small frame and I wonder how the world looks from that height. I want to make a joke out of it but something stops me.

"What's the hurry?" He asks. "We've got all day. Let's at least catch the sunset."

That makes me laugh. "You'd like to wait till then? Matthew, it's another three hours away!"

A lopsided grin brightens up his face, which reminds me of purity and innocence so much so that I can nearly picture it on another face I know. 

Before I can make the connection, Matthew says, "Why not? We'll be leaving on a weird suicide mission tomorrow. Who knows when I'll get a fresh chance to see a sunset without death hanging over my head?"

I press my lips into a smile. "Alright, stay here. I'll call the others and get us something to eat."

"Already got that covered." Matthew pats his pockets, mischievously, and pulls out a few bars of chocolate.

"You've got our friends in there, too?" I wiggle my eyebrows at him and pat my pockets, mocking jim.

He laughs again and I feel my heart flutter inside my chest. "Quit it, Meyers. Just sit down."

I happily oblige. I had always found the phrase, the more the merrier, maddeningly confusing. More people meant more opinions, more words, more confusion. It certainly didn't seem to look merry when a bunch of people talked over each other without actually listening. 

"If you could ask for one thing right now," Matthew breaks the silence between us, "what would it be?" He opens a bar and breaks off a large chunk of chocolate, passing it to me.

I roll my eyes. "You mean, other than not wishing to travel a 'flawed pathway', rescuing an immortal, and having a daughter older than I am? What kind of a crazy question is that?"

Matthew slaps his hand over his forehead. "Be serious for a second."

I click my tongue. "Fine." Wringing my fingers together, I say, "I wish I could protect everyone. My family, my friends, you guys, just, you know, all of you. I would gladly take all the bloodshed and pain if someone could guarantee everyone else's safety."

He nods, his expression earnest. "I'd ask for another lifetime with my family. We were cut apart too fast, too soon." I can literally see the walls building up around him so, I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, as soon as this is over, I'll make sure your parents get to see you. Can you tell me who they are?" I ask in a vain attempt to fixate on his identity.

Suddenly, carefree Matthew seems to have jumped off the cliff. In his place, a broken boy, whose eyes have now turned a stormy shade of blue, looks at me. "Don't make promises you might not be able to keep, Cynthia. A heart torn by a forgotten oath hurts more than one not promised an ounce of anything."

A line from the Flawed Pathway burns through my mind and I suck in a shaky breath.

Beware of the oaths the close ones take.

Had I made a mistake before the quest had even begun? I cannot shake off the feeling try as I might, Matthew's eyes still boring into mine. I finally look away and the tension seems to fall away.

He clears his throat, refusing to acknowledge the part of him that he had involuntarily showed me. What was he hiding? Why was he trying so hard to hide it?

"Let's just watch the sunset." He peers over at me before averting his gaze with a heavy sigh. "One last time."

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