OUR SPOT // SkepHalo

Chapter 24

Warning: Mention of death, mention of violence, strong language

     After Schlatt's execution, the entire world seemed to be talking about it. People couldn't believe that one of the King's most trusted allies would betray him. Not to mention his final words were not exactly the most charming. And he'd killed one of the King's favorite servants! Everyone worried for the King's health with the stress of it all. But overall, the King appeared to be recovering much faster with the weight off his shoulders.

     Two days passed quicker than one might hope, and Zak was busy packing the saddlebag on his horse when Darryl walked out the door. The two stood in front of the peasant's house, while Zak's mother fretted over every little detail of the trip. The brunette seemed worn out from all the questions.

     Finally, they mounted their horses, curtesy of Darryl's mysterious brother, and bid farewell to Zak's mom. With a click of their tongues, they were off. It was about thirty minutes in, when they were further into the forest than the raven-haired man had ever been, that it began to resonate with him. " I still can't believe I'm doing this!"

     " Why? Do you want to go back? Are you feeling nervous, sickly, nauseous?!" Darryl spouted nonsense until Zak assured him that he was fine. " It's nerve wracking to go so far from home, I get it. Just... no chickening out on me, okay?"

     " Of course, I'll always be right here," Zak agreed. " What do you know about this General guy?"

     " Supposedly, he's one of the best in the army. We'll have to rely on sneak attacks and coordination to take him down successfully," Darryl said. " He's going to be difficult, but he doesn't know why we're really here, which should work in our advantage."

     " Why does he think we're coming," Zak asked. " I don't want to say something I shouldn't and screw this up."

     " As far as he knows, we're two inspectors from the Castle here to make sure everything's in order," said Darryl. It was a cliché excuse, but it was the best they could come up with. The brunette had never met this general personally, and knew that he wouldn't recognize him as the prince. " Just let me do the talking."

     " That's probably for the best," Zak laughed sheepishly.

~~~~

     " It's been 2 hours, my ass is killing me," the raven-haired male complained. " I think I'd be fine if I never rode a horse again!"

     Darryl laughed, " At least we didn't have to walk, just getting to this point would've taken us days!"

     " I know," Zak sighed. They'd been walking through the same endless forest for ages, it was a wonder the trees hadn't parted at all the entire way. " Are you sure we're not walking in circles?"

     " Positive."

     Darryl kept the conversation to a minimum, which made Zak bored to death. When they first started, the younger man was beyond excited. He would get to spend hours alone with Darryl! That seemed like the kind of fantasy a teenage, love-struck girl would have. Zak glanced at his friend and thought for a moment. What could he say that would start a conversation?

     " So, how'd you meet Clay," Zak asked quietly. Darryl was surprised by the sudden noise. " If you're okay with telling me, I mean."

     " Yeah, it's no problem," Darryl began. " Technically, I met him when I went to his potion shop for the first time. God, it was so long ago, I must've been 18. That was the first interaction we had, but I was just a customer. When I first began training to be a hitman, one of my teachers also had another student, and that was Clay."