Of Silver And Gold (ONC 2023 Honorable Mentions)

Chapter 9

"Fletcher," Yueru smiled, throwing him a huge hug after Mr Threat has stepped away as if to admire the scene where he was almost being suffocated to death by the other. "You always have a way to find me don't you?"

"Hm~ I don't," Herbert answered, patting Yueru's hair and proceeding to point towards Ac who sat by the door. "He did. He has a greater sense of direction than I do."

"You did not tell me that your companion is a legendary vampire!" Mr Green Eyes announced from behind standing close to Mr Threat. "I'm Erix and this is Arwan. It's nice to meet you for real after listening to all the rumours around. Don't let your troubles weigh on you at the moment. Come in."

Herbert willingly followed when Yueru wrapped his grip around his wrists tightly. He watched as Erix and Arwan exchanged words when they were far ahead by the large shelf filled with dried herbs he had not seen of. Ac, being the polite wolf he always was, shut the door with a kick of his hind legs. Herbert sneered at the wolf for its confidence in these people's hospitality. He glanced around the mini-size settlement with several wind chimes of different colours in one tiny corner. There was a large gold wind chime with green dahlias hung by the balcony just above the sitting area which Herbert assumed would be a perfect resting spot in the evening. Their new host had disappeared through the kitchen, leaving them in the spacious living room where Ac had found comfort in the pile of clothes.

"Did you eat anything before heading here?" Yueru asked, breaking the silence as he pat Herbert's palms.

"No," Herbert shrugged and continued. "I rushed out to search for you when you were missing."

"I did not go missing, Fletcher. I left a note," the prince stressed. "Are you feeling better now?"

Herbert shifted his attention to the younger almost holding his breath at the question. There was no fear in those blue eyes only concern. It was a rare sight for someone to be in such calmness after they had witnessed his partial or maybe one teaspoon of transformation. Besides, was that a hint of worry in his voice that he picked up? He merely nodded, offering a smile to the prince.

"Better. Nothing a good rest cannot fix," Herbert said and went ahead to change their topic of conversation. "So, you found your uncle. Do you think he knows about the whereabouts of our next item or maybe the devil mark you were trying to remove?"

"As mom said, my uncle is a walking encyclopedia," Yueru spoke proudly, offering a smile at his Uncle Erix who popped his head out from the opposite room they were in. "He knows where the bougainvillaea is, but our biggest problem now is possessing it in our hands."

"It's a flower, not a walking caterpillar," Herbert expressed. "How—"

"The fact that it is a flower made it harder to be obtained," Arwan declared, heading towards them with a large tray filled with meals in his arms. "It's not as easy as it sounds like, Golden Hands. Well, while we are exchanging pieces of information, why don't we enjoy the meal Grandma dearest had made? Erix is indeed a walking encyclopedia, my dear nephew, but I do not enjoy the idea of putting him in danger when he is being watched by the royal armies."

The delicate carvings of the cutleries no longer deserved his undying attention when Herbert heard that the royal armies were watching over Erix. Did Yueru and him bore major similarance that there were scouts close to his hotel? Or was it just a coincidence that they might be reconnoitring some other possible suspects? Perhaps, there was more resemblance between Roa and Zhea than Herbert speculated. He reached out, grabbing the bowl that Arwan had passed to him, silently thanking him. He would have gobbled the warm noodles hungrily if it wasn't for Erix and Arwan. Herbert swallowed his hunger, sniffing in the scent of chicken, herbs and tomatoes. He watched Erix showing affection towards his long-lost nephew, exchanging news about Roa's progress while Arwan updated them about their current living.