Oath of Steel

24 |And They Became Four|

He'd been way to calm, calmer than her even, but his body? That'd betrayed him, and had thrown her off guard completely.

It'd happened in the blink of an eye: the news regarding the Seekers had come crashing over them like a silent wave, tearing their minds apart before throwing them into a vast oblivion of the mind.

Impulsive reactions varied with expectational knowledge possessed by one soul, and could not be mimicked by others.

She'd witnessed something out of character coming from him, something out of tune, something that'd with singular elegance had broken the melody he'd taught her into hearing.

His eerie and unusual silence, followed by a broken sight leaving his soul. He had history, Cleia had been able to gather some intel on his past before opening the back, but it hadn't been enough for her to draw a precise conclusion.

More, she needed more time to analyze, more intent to tear apart with her reasoning before drawing to the only right conclusion.

"What are you waiting for now? A charming prince to come and sweep you away to a faraway land?"

His voice felt like clear water rushing down a stream, making her thoughts slip between the folds of her mind as she flipped him off with a feline smile reaching her eyes.

"Waiting for you to get out of my face." She replied grinning with cold trepidation, stretching her arms to roll off the stiffness brought with rest her body had forced on itself.

"Are you able to get there without dropping dead or do I have to carry you?" He mused after her, his usual tone back into place.

"Then I suggest we start going. The road we're going to take isn't exactly amicable." Both Apostle IV and Apostle IX turned around as Cleia's golden hair seemed to entrap the light coming from the multiple chandeliers hanging over their heads.

The informant passed beside Grey, who taking a step backwards crossed his hands together in an obvious sign of displeasure.

Rosalynde too got closer, biting her inner left cheek as she kept on schooling her smile. She was anything but pleased by her informant coming with them, that made her wonder if the final day for her investment had finally arrived.

"I won't come to your rescue this time," Steel reminded her Tilting her head aside as she watched as Cleia's eyes narrowed, a humorous smile gracing her young visage full of vigor.

Her cheeks had gained color too since entering the warm rooms of the palace, a charming shade of light-pink highlighting her face in the same way a master craftsman would have done while working on the last touches of their last piece. A brush here, a stroke there, and a new light would have started unfolding. Life blooming from those colors like a dandelion taking off into the wind aided by a gentle spring breeze.

Surprisingly, or maybe not, Cleia kept her ground, never lowering her chin in front of the life-debtor she was bound with.

"I'll come," it wasn't a cordial suggestion this time, but a groundbreaking statement.

Rosalynde chuckled with unexpected delight at that display of authority. If the circumstances had been different she would have loved whipping that grin from her face.

But alas, that was something she had to keep for later. As Cleia herself had expressed just now - the Seekers didn't like being waited upon.

"If things go the way I expect them to go - you'll have to get out of there by yourself," Rosalynde's lips moved on their own. With Cleia nodding in understanding as reply - a silent deal between them now carved into the back of their minds.