Bloodbound [Werewolf]

Chapter Six

It was easier said than done to just sit and wait. I was never one to be idle, always busy with matters that involved my jurisdiction. So, one could just imagine how frustrated I was — bouncing my leg just to distract myself from the thoughts that kept pestering me to just go and be damned with it. I tried my best not to let those thoughts fill my brain as I looked around the room for what I believed would be the forty-fifth time. Ironically enough, every look had me spotting new items, like how many swords were on one shelf and why dozens of scrolls were placed neatly in a round basket. When I asked out of boredom, Conan said it was so that they could easily pick out the one they needed.

We'd had some conversation; lasting two to three exchanges before trailing off into silence. I didn't mind. I was not there to rekindle a friendship, nor was he. I found myself staring a lot at the mahogany table at the centre of the Den, at the engravings so delicate that not even my sharp gaze could pick out the details. The walls were lined with bookshelves filled with worn tomes, interrupted intermittently by bracketed torches that licked the cobbled walls with golden light. I also noticed the sheepskin rug before an unlit fireplace. I quickly concluded this place was made for people who worked under a different regime; one my father had yet to speak of and now could never tell.

I looked to Conan, almost tempted to ask just what he does in this place, but his subtle agitation held my mouth firmly shut. He was still rummaging frantically through drawers, pulling things out while scribbling notes onto a single parchment. It was curious, but I had pride and would never dare ask for his business. There was more than enough turmoil lingering in the air and one wrong word would add to it much like gasoline to an already fading fire.

And so, I watched, with great boredom and distraught, as he almost flipped the entirety of the place looking god-awful stressed. Other than what had just transpired, I had no idea what caused him to act in such a way. I would have made fun of him were it not for my own grief. I found no strength to do anything or think of anything other than what I could do to stop Cienna. Or replay the scene of my father's death in my head...

Then, the door burst open, giving way to three new silhouettes. I squinted as harsh rays from the hallway slipped into the dimly-lit den, painting it in a light that did not suit the ambiance. A sigh escaped Conan's lips, but his relief was short-lived as he sauntered up to the newcomers, his stature almost intimidating. 

"Where the hell have you guys been? Do you know how worried I was? I was beginning to think you'd died in the attack!" Conan yelled, waving his arms as though that alone would convey his frustrations.

"Calm your horses, Conan. We're here now, so no need to panic," one of them — a dark-skinned girl only an inch shy of my height — teased with an eye roll. I found my eyes lingering on her for a moment longer. It was rare I found other girls almost as tall as me. After all, 5'11 is quite a feat for a woman.

"Yeah, but you should've seen the new explosives Dahlia came up with! They're smokes and we used that to escape to the garden. It was amazing!" Blurted the other guy, who swung his muscular arm around a blushing petite girl — almost knocking her off balance.

The dark-skinned girl chuckled. "To be honest, I should be the one to worry. You were gone so fast I thought you were killed from when that arrogant royal turned into a wolf. I swear if I see her I'll-"

She stopped midway as she caught my figure hidden in the shadowed part of the Den. I saw the change in her look; how her playful scowl turned into a real, disgusted one as she averted her gaze back to Conan.

"Mind explaining what that royal snob is doing over there?" She hissed, pointing exactly in my direction with no regards. I immediately realized royal snob was probably the insult they'd assigned to my name — I'd heard it from Conan once before the ball and it'd stuck ever since.