Wheat left the sight looking calm and unbothered but nothing could be further from the truth. His brain was pounding in his skull and his eyes got bright and yellower than any other time he got irritated by something. He knew in his dark heart he hated both of them, mostly Pyr because he always questioned him. Granted, he was right, Wheat is a very evil creature, trying his best to kill Cassandra. But still, nothing made him angrier than having other people see through him.
He was so used to doing things his way and others kneeling in front of him without hesitation. He thought trying to act calm, collected, and even charming would give him the upper hand but he understood Cassandra was aware people were after her. So even if he was the best human she met, she would always keep an eye out for Wheat to slip and act according to his true character.
He walked a lot, he scoffed, kicked rocks and he punched every single tree that was in his way but nothing could calm him down. He was angry with himself first and foremost, but he was angrier because of Pyr. It took him time and effort to track Cassandra down and Pyr was that one obstacle on his way to the top. His thinking of Cassandra's blood and how he would be able to drink it once he killed her made him antsy and he felt like he was losing his way.
He knew he had to find Rax and be away from these two for a while. In a way, reclaiming control would help him eliminate further mistakes just like the tarot card incident. Saying yes to a reading by a creature made of Dragonfire was a big mistake, he barely made Pyr not able to read his spread. Wheat was so thankful for the training he had undergone when he was a young soldier. His master decided to teach him how to avoid magical readings and use the cards to his advantage without others noticing.
Wheat was so uninterested in the idea at first, he always disliked anything magical and he never saw the reason for a vampire of his status to learn such empty things. What he couldn't take with his words he would take with his fangs, nothing else made sense to him. He grew up being a feared killer so avoiding magic by using magic was a very far-fetched concept in his opinion.
"Guess that silly master of mine was right, after all, this thing worked...?" he said softly to himself and took his flute from the back of his belt.
He stroked the instrument with his fingers while also holding it rather tightly with his other hand. "Who would have thought I would be so good at playing with this toy... At least it didn't let me down.!" he exclaimed and stopped in front of a big white rock where his pet crow was standing, waiting for him.
"The young and extremely good-looking master returns! What a sight for sore eyes you are, Wheat!" his pet said and flapped around his hand before landing on top of the big rock again.
"I have a feeling you're talking about yourself. Where were you all this time? I thought you would stick around that pond, you know how much I hate searching for you!" he said while flipping one piece of his golden hair back. "The pet should search for the master and not the other way around!" he continued while frowning his eyebrows.
"I am the one that has wings, though. It is more difficult for me to stay in place and your Highness knows that very well!" Rax said in a joking way.
"Yes, the one who has the wings needs to find the one who has none. You just fell into your trap, you fool!" Wheat chuckled and gave a soft pat to Rax's beautiful feathers.
"You look angry even though you are laughing. Are you that angry at me for leaving you alone?"
"It's not you... It's these two stupid kids that are making me lose my head, Especially that brat, Pyr. I hate him with all my power!" Wheat answered before Rax could say anything else. "I can't stand his irritating personality, I can't even think properly when he's around." he continued.
"Is he that bad? But, even if he is all those things, you are so highly trained and ready to manipulate people, it makes me wonder why you felt this way. You just met him, how did he have such a grand impact on you?" Rax asked visibly questioning his master's abilities.
"Again with the smart talk. Even if I just met him, it doesn't negate the fact he is insufferable. He was exactly how I thought he was going to be after I saw him with that little minx!" Wheat was so done with his pet's jokes. All he wanted was to find a place to relax and a human to feed on but the only thing he was getting right now was Rax's humiliation.
"Whatever you think of this situation, Rax, I don't wanna hear it. Not right now at least, I am exhausted and so ready to sink my teeth into something, that if you continue your yapping that something is gonna end up being you. You got that?" his eyes lit up again while uttering these words. Wheat decided to start walking before his pet crow could say anything else. Rax decided not to speak and he mutely followed, flapping behind the vampire's back. Contrary to his master's beliefs he knew when to shut his mouth.
Wheat was very aware of the talk Cassandra and Pyr were going to have about him, that's why he decided to take a step back and leave these two for a while. Pyr was so sure Wheat was not to be trusted that he was trying his best to persuade Cassandra to stake Wheat out. The two were standing in the same place they met Wheat before, bickering with one another.
"I am telling you, yet again, we don't have time to follow this guy and gather information right now, Pyr!"
"You don't get it! He seems much more knowledgeable than he gives away! Following him will be a gain for us, don't you see?"
"Do you want to know what I see? I see you, Mister Pyr, flaking off like a piece of meat pie. You promised to help me if we searched for the White Dragon together." I said while crossing my hands over my chest. "You never, not once, wrote Wheat's name on that contract!"
"Yes, because he was not in my original plan. I do things as I go and he seemed very interesting. A person who can fend off my card-reading abilities must be very unique..." Pyr said while scratching the bottom of his chin.
"How many times do you want to hear this? You are still unable to do such a spread with your cards. These things take time and it is the same for your situation too!"
"Yeah... That's what you think and that's what I let that blonde fairy-like creature believe. My cards are leveled enough that I can fend off attacks just by holding Flow in my hands..." Pyr said with confidence and a small hint of anger in his voice. I was taken aback by his answer and the way he looked off into the distance. I had a gut feeling he was keeping things hidden, things he didn't want to reveal just like I didn't want to reveal I was being hunted for that stupid book my father entrusted me with.
I tried my best to deflect the situation, I did not want him to turn my questions around and ask me something I was uncomfortable with answering. I knew I couldn't give a proper answer and I knew I had to lie in the end so I was avoiding these discussions whenever an opportunity arose.
"Pyr, why the hell would you call Wheat a fairy creature though? What's up with that?" I opted to ask a simpler, lighter question.
"He looks too pretty for a guy, he also looks like he is not human. I have seen a fairy-like creature once, in a carnival my uncle Jova was hosting when I was a young boy. Trust me... They look the same." he scoffed.
"So you think he is pretty? Pyr... I have a feeling you are jealous of Wheat!" I said while laughing shyly.
"Jealous of what? Of his flour-white face? His vacant eyes or his stupidly long hair? Pfft, who is jealous of those things? I think, if I have you know, I am very handsome. Ok?" he pouted and turned his head away from me.
"Some people find those things attractive, you know."
"So what you're saying is you like Wheat's appearance? He looks like a soul reaper, he doesn't even look remotely human, Cassi"
"I wasn't talking about me, you silly! Every person likes something different, it is not weird for someone to like Wheat...And... What is a soul reaper?" I asked and looked at him the same way I looked at my teachers when a certain question was too hard to understand.
"You don't have soul reapers where you came from? They suck a person dry, they live off of blood and they always kill their prey. Nasty creatures and very difficult to hunt down."
"Vampires? You mean to tell me you think Wheat is a vampire?" I laughed. I never heard someone talk about vampires using that word.
"My mother and uncle called them soul reapers. In my culture, blood is very important, it is said to hold the essence of humans, their soul," he explained calmly.
This was information I couldn't argue with. Every place, tribe, house, and coven had its way of explaining things. Giving something a different name didn't take away from its meaning. After I heard his explanation I simply nodded and looked around the pond. Sadly we were still here and the night was not far off from meeting us, we had to agree upon a place of resting and we had to do it quickly.
"So... Do you suppose we move or should we sleep here for the night?"
"Ahh... I think there is a big cave, big enough for the both of us, an hour away from here. If you're ok with reaching a colder climate, then we can choose that." Pyr suggested.
I was not opposed to moving to another place since he was aware of its location. Pyr knowing where we are going and how long it would take eased my mind a bit. We started our journey and walked up the hill, close to the beautiful waterfalls we were previously sitting next to.
The sun was giving away its place to a few puffy clouds and a full starry night. We were walking up higher than I had ever gone before, the moon looked like it was closer to the mountaintops, it shined with a cold white light but it still looked beautiful among the millions of stars adorning the night sky.
My father used to say I got the love for the stars and the night sky from my mother. Even on days when her work would be demanding she would still find a way to take time off and enjoy the sky. She would ask my father to create a magic contraption so she can keep this image forever in her mind, she would nag and nag my father until he caved in and promised her he would.
The thought saddened me, my father couldn't keep his promise after all. He said my mother fell ill after a few months and he wasn't able to work seeing her whither away like that. He would rather spend time with her than with useless gadgets even though she was adamant about him continuing his research. She wanted me to inherit that thing, keep it with me to remind me of her. I never wanted to obtain such a gadget before, It was only after I laid eyes upon this night sky, that I was saddened that I did not possess it. The silver water flowing like an angel's blood through the valleys to the Blue Desert would look amazing if you could just capture it right now.
"Cassi? I think we are getting closer. Do you have a spell for light or a crystal we can use? I think the trees are making the path quite dark for me to see." Pyr informed me with a low tone to his voice. Without hesitation, I took out Jinx and cited something in ancient Artemisian.
"Ejeneton Pháos Epíjios!"
My voice sounded sleepy and a bit different, even to me. After a few seconds of my speaking, a small light, enough for us to see appeared near the tip of my wand.
"There we are. That should do, I guess!" I said with my regular voice this time.
"What was that? Was that a spell? You sounded like an old witch HAHAHA!" Pyr said joyfully and gave me space to walk just a few steps in front of him. He stayed back and gave me the directions I needed. The road was still not easy to navigate and I did not like walking in the front, but at least I had this light. Even his voice telling me to turn here and watch out there would bring a sense of comfort so I just kept walking and tried to only think of how good it would feel when we finally could reach that cave.