"How did you find this place?" Zia asked the King, speaking for the first time since entering the tent.
"I've been searching for the location of your Headquarters for months- years, really." Donathan admitted. "We only found it when we got wind that...
Finally, Ike could hold back no longer and burst into laughter. He clutched his stomach, which drew some very odd glances from passing servants.
"Did I say something?" Heath asked, thoroughly confused.
Ike was laughing too hard to answer, but he did shake his head. Finally, he calmed himself down enough to say, "You didn't have to say anything. Your face said it all."
"Said what all?"
Ike stopped laughing and gave Heath a look- and with the look all of what Ike was saying came crashing down on Heath. At first he felt stupid for not realizing sooner, but then he felt himself turning beet red from the tip of his head to where his neck met his tunic collar from embarrassment.
"You haven't told her how you feel about her, have you?" Ike asked, though it wasn't really a question.
Heath shook his head, avoiding Ike's gaze and trying to stop the color rushing to his cheeks. His face was so hot he could have sworn it had instantly become summer.
Ike chuckled again and placed a brotherly hand on Heath's shoulder. "Believe me, Heath, if you don't tell her soon, you'll lose her."
"But..." Heath started, but he couldn't finish. There were so many reasons why he should just keep his mouth shut, but he couldn't name any of them, because he knew Ike would tell him that he was being silly and that he worried too much.
Ike smiled at him, as if he knew exactly what Heath had been thinking. "Look," he said, "You've fancied her for years- ever since I can remember. So when are you going to do something about it?"
Heath said nothing as he thought of Ike's words. Perhaps he was right. Maybe he should tell Zia...
Ike could see in Heath's eyes that he had almost convinced him- almost. He just needed one last little push.
"You know," Ike said casually, "with the uncertain future ahead of us, I don't think there'd be a greater time to tell her because, let's be honest about this, the chances of us all making it out of here alive are slim to none. Do you really want to risk her never knowing how you felt?"
Ike then walked away, leaving Heath in a stupor of thought.
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Zia couldn't stop thinking. What she was thinking about, she couldn't be sure. Her mind would only focus on one topic for a few moments, and then quickly be distracted by some other unrelated thought. But one thing that seemed to come up consistently was hearing William Borton's last words to her: Love is the key.
The key. The key to what? Zia thought. What was it that was locked that she needed a key for? And why was love the key? The key to happiness? No. Borton seemed very intent on getting her out of the Skilaen army camp. He wouldn't have wasted time just to tell her something as cliché as that. It must have been important, or else he would have left it unsaid. Unfortunately, there was no point to a key if it did not have a lock to go with it. So Zia sat there wondering and wondering what the lock was, where it was, and what it was keeping inside.
