Deliverance [malexmale]

Chapter Nineteen

"Here's your breakfast. If you'd like, you can take it into Lord Atlan's quarters. His view of the sea is always best," she added with a smile. I tried not to grimace at the suggestion. The idea of looking at the ocean made me sick. Instead, I offered her my best attempt at a smile as I took the plate.

"Thanks. Where is Atlan, by the way?" I asked. Diana wiped her hands off on her apron, averting her eyes and moving to stand in front of the plate.

"He's, uhm, entertaining a guest at the moment. He'll be with you later tonight, possibly after dinner," she explained. I frowned, curious.

"A guest? A real guest or is that what you call prisoners?" I asked. Diana's eyes flitted to mine for a split second before she looked away, picking up the plate and moving away from me.

"A real guest, Menoetius."

"I want to see Atlan."

"And he also wishes to see you, Menoetius, but he must deal with his guest first. He promises you will meet again tonight. In the meantime, please, don't tax yourself," and I started to assure her I wasn't when she turned on me, poking me in the chest, making the necklace around my neck jingle, "And before you try to lie to me, I know you were out late in the arena." I stared at her, mouth open.

"A mother can smell a lie from miles away," she added, then gave me a wink and disappeared from the kitchen. I watched her go, confused for a moment by her words until I remembered that she was a mother for a while there and while I wanted to reminder her I wasn't her child, I don't think she needed that. I was started out of the kitchen with the intent to follow her to wherever she was taking that plate, but when I came out of the kitchen, she was gone and there was no trace of her.

I sighed, frustrated, but really, what could I do? While I could figure the castle out by now, I had no idea where Atlan was, where his guest was, or where he even kept them. If not in this castle, was there another one on this island? I had no idea. Come to think of it, I didn't know too much about the castle, yet I'd become so comfortable with the parts I knew that I didn't care.

Disturbed by that thought, I took my breakfast on the balcony in Atlan's room, but kept my back to the view, watching the door to Atlan's room, waiting to see if he'd decide to show up early, but no such luck. Bored out of my mind, I left Atlan's room and wandered the castle for a bit.

I should be trying to figure a way out. That had been my intent in the beginning. That and trying to figure out Atlan's weaknesses so I could report back to Hannibal with my findings. However, I had yet to accomplish any of this. Oh sure, Atlan had given me weaknesses, but nothing valuable to use on the battlefield, nothing to use in combat. Even when we sparred, I could pick up on nothing that would give us a leg up on him in the coming war.

And he hadn't brought up his offer again, his offer to take my life if I helped him up to a certain point. He probably figured it was no use. While death sounded tempting, knowing that Amenti was alive, that she could get caught in the crossfire of power hungry idiots... That didn't sit well with me. I may not want to involve myself in her life, to avoid hurting her further, but that didn't mean I wanted her to be completely on her own. She needed someone to protect her, even from a distance, and while I was sure Akin and Hannibal would take care of her, I wasn't entirely sure how long that would last.

Hannibal hated children. Having grown up with my brothers and I, it was no wonder he hated children. Logically, he knew Amenti wasn't Atlas or the twins, but there was still that irrational what if hiding in the back of his mind. One I knew all too well.

I wiped a hand down my face, trying not to get stressed out all over again about the situation, but really, it was impossible. Running away from it all and pretending it wasn't happening wasn't going to help the situation. It just made things worse, if anything. I needed to sit down and look at my options.