The City Of Death

Before Skye Disappeared- Part Three

"Is the King coming?" 

"No. It's just him." Skye's eyebrow rose at that. What was Atlas meeting her for, then? What did he have to say that was so private that even the King wasn't coming? Technically, such a meeting wasn't supposed to happen. Skye was only supposed to be summoned down to the tunnels if the King was coming. Whatever Atlas had to say, it must be important. "He said normal time, normal place." 

"Alright. I'll see what he wants. May I ask what your name is?" Skye asked, and the girl smiled. 

"I'm Taryn." 

"How old are you?" 

"16." So the girl, Taryn, was just a teenager. It wasn't odd for there to be Messengers so young. Messengers had one of the shortest apprenticeships of any profession. "Do you need me to come in and watch Macy for a bit?" 

"That'd be great," Skye said, and Taryn let herself into the apartment. Skye dug around in her bag for the proper amount of money, a small portion for the delivery of the message, and a hefty extra for watching Macy. Taryn didn't say another word as Skye left, locking the door behind her and making her way to the tunnels. 

Because she knew the journey so well, she let her mind wander as she ran through the streets. There were a thousand different reasons Atlas would call a meeting for just the two of them, and none of them were good. The fact that the King wasn't going to be in attendance made Skye fear that something had happened to him. If something were to happen to him, who would he pass his crown down to? What would happen to everyone then? 

That was the thought burning through her mind as she descended into the tunnel. As she pulled the trap door shut and turned around, she was surprised to find that the tunnel was already lit. Sure enough, there was Atlas about ten feet from her, torch in one hand, leaning carelessly against the wall. It made her heart skip a beat, seeing him so at ease with the torch casting shadows on his face. She wished she could see him more often, but certain circumstances made it impossible to arrange. 

"Atlas," she said, and he turned to her, smiling at her fondly. "What's happening?" 

"Who says anything is happening?" he answered, running a hand through his hair. Normally, she would say it needed cutting, but the long hair looked good on him. Just another thing that looked good on him. "Who says I didn't just want to see you?" 

"So, wait, that's what this is about?" she asked with a laugh. "You drag me down here at nigh two in the morning, just to see me?" It wouldn't surprise her. Atlas was the kind of person to do just that. And she could complain all she wanted about having to descend into the tunnels in the wee hours of the morning, but she knew that his trek had been longer. Atlas would do it, though, just for an opportunity to see her. It was the main reason he was always with the King when he called a meeting.

"Does that surprise you?" 

"Not a bit," she said, closing the distance between them. "Does the King know about this?" 

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, if he knew I was coming, he would have wanted to come. And some things are better left between the two of us," he answered as he placed a hand on the back of her neck. She laughed softly, playfully smacking his chest. 

"Hey now, mister, if you think you're going to drag me down here just so you can-" Her words were cut off by his fingers burying themselves in her hair. She gasped softly as he took that one last step to her, closing the distance between them. This close, she could feel the heat of the torch he held, but more than that, she could feel the heat between them. The heat that had built every time they had seen each other. It built in those few minutes before the King arrived and they shared as many kisses as they could. It built in those seconds after the King left when Atlas stole one more kiss before he was called to leave.