The Black Lotus | Vol.1, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

26.

After breakfast the following morning, Sebastian and the others were escorted out of the mess hall by Catherine, Ajax, and a trio of huge, bearded men-Wallace, Hannibal, and Ulysses Washington, Ajax's older brothers.

They traveled down a path leading away from the main village and out into the dense woods surrounding Hodvekt. Pine trees jutted out the coarse soil like skyscrapers, their leafy canopies stretching out like a dragon's spindly wing. Birds flocked overhead, their cries echoing through the early afternoon air. The smell of pine needles met Sebastian's nose as he followed behind the battlemages.

Achilles was waiting for them in a windowless structure staring down at them from the top of the hill up ahead.

Like every other building in Hodvekt, the meeting hall was constructed out of dark wood topped with a slanted, triangular roof curved into sharp points at the ends. Support beams held up the ends of the roof, runes growing with verdant light carved into the wood. A set of iron statues were huddled together outside the doors, each one pointing a sword in the air.

Sebastian pulled at the loose threads inside the pockets of his pants. Unlike the others, he opted to wash his original outfit and re-wear it. House Brynjir's Nordic-like fashion wasn't his style.

He took a shaky breath.

So many thoughts bogged down his clouded mind. What if Achilles turned them away after he told them about the Order? What if House Brynjir refused to fight back? He wouldn't have been surprised; even the fiercest warriors couldn't measure up to the Black Lotus.

No, they had to help them. They had to.

Their world was doomed if they didn't.

A hand slipped into his own, pulling out of his thoughts. Makaela was at his side, dressed in a green shirt and shorts that showed off her smooth legs. Her unruly hair had been tamed for the time being; about a dozen plaited braids intertwined with golden twine fell down her back. A pair of young girls spent the entire morning braiding it for her.

She looked amazing. Then again, she always did.

"It'll be alright." She smiled at him.

He nodded. "I hope so."

Despite his doubt doing its best to weigh him down, the memory of last night was more than enough to keep his spirits up. It felt like a dream. But when he looked into Makaela's eyes, he knew it wasn't.

Their kiss happened. It was real.

He ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to ground himself. Since last night, he felt like he was walking on a cloud. He hoped that feeling never went away.

For once, things were starting to look up.

Behind them, he spotted Imogen staring at their intertwined hands. Scowling, she looked away.

After a couple more minutes of traveling through the forest, the trees gave way to the large clearing at the top of the hill holding the meeting hall. As they got closer, Sebastian spotted the flagpoles boasting House Brynjir's famous insignia. A rocking chair was placed near the entrance of the building. An aging, silver-haired man sat on it with a cane laid across his lap. Despite his age, Sebastian could see the muscles beneath his green flannel. A stoic expression covered his rugged features like a shadow from the trees above.

He rose from his seat gingerly as the group approached him.

"You didn't have to get up dear, dear," Catherine told him as she rushed over to help her husband up.

"I'm fine, Cat," he said with a grunt. He was about Ajax's height of six-foot-four, but his hunched shoulders and slightly curved back suggested he might've been taller in his youth. When his vermillion eyes landed on Makaela, he sucked in a breath. "Well, I'll be damned."