Hi Guys,
Here is Chapter 27, it is a little bit shorter than the previous one but I didn't want you all to have to wait too long and I feel like this Chapter is quite intense anyway.
You guys might not remember some of the Characters that are implied to be present in this Chapter but if you are confused, I recommend re-reading the prologue to this book to refresh your memories :)
As always, love to you all.
Daisy xo
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Chapter 27 | Intentions
'I loved you at your darkest.'
-Romans 5:8
In the middle of the ocean, half a day's sailing from the coast of Balagar two twin peaks jutted out from the ocean, not large enough to be called an island, yet not small enough to pass unnoticed by a seasoned sailor. The rocks almost appeared to form a triangle, a thin slit down the middle of the two halves the only thing keeping the peaks from touching
These peaks were in fact, a source of navigation for the vessels that sought passage to and from Balagar, if one continued sailing in a straight north from the middle of the two peaks, they would eventually reach Balagar's rocky coastline.
So, when the stoic island suddenly appeared to have vanished, many sailors believed that the rocks had finally lost against the ocean and crumbled down to be swallowed by the depths. For the seasoned sailor who was used to the route, the loss of the landmark was a blow, but not a devastating loss, after all at the end of the day it was a navigator's job to set the course, landmark or not. However, it could perhaps account for one or two ships getting lost or delayed, perhaps for a few that didn't show up at all. Although such a thing was rather unusual, then again that landmark had always been there. And otherwise what else could explain the sudden increase in late vessels? Or even stranger, ships that had seemed to inexplicably vanish off very water they called home?
This was the conundrum that met Nathaniel as he ventured down to the docks early that morning to check on his order, Jhaer walking close behind him, silent in her observations.
"I don't know what to tell you."
The owner of the Merchant company Nathaniel was trading through shrugged his shoulders, running a hand through his sparing amount of hair before jamming his cap back on his head. A pipe hung from his lips and he puffed on it heavily, his weathered eyes telling Nathaniel that he wasn't the first one with questions.
"All I can say is that the ship should have arrived three days ago and hasn't arrived yet. Not long enough for cause to worry however, she'd have to be late by a weeks before we would consider sending out a search vessel to cover the surrounding coastline. Anything could have held them up at this time of year I'm afraid, the weather around here tends to get pretty unpredictable at times ..." the old man paused, taking a deep drag on his pipe before turning to meet Nathaniel's eyes.
"The loss of that landmark shouldn't have made a difference to a seasoned sailors, but there is always some young twerp who relies too much on the easy stuff instead of trusting his tools," he shrugged, "like I said, not much we can do. You and your crew are staying at the Lotus in town, right? We'll send someone up to let you know if she comes in."
Nathaniel nodded, realising that was as good as it was going to get for now, "I understand. Thank-you for your time, I'll let Bones know."
The old man frowned, "Make sure you remember to tell Bones he will be compensated generously if the order fails to come through, he's been a loyal customer that boy, I hate to let him down like this."
Nathaniel smiled and clapped the old man on the shoulder, "Duly noted, I'll be sure to pass the message along. I wouldn't worry though, he will understand. And from what I know, we aren't in a hurry to leave."
"Mhn, good, good." The old man turned to eyeball Nathaniel, raising one bushy brow, "We? You're sailing with him?"
"Alongside him," Nathaniel felt the need to make clear, "I am a Captain of my own vessel, but we are currently accompanying him," he laughed, "who did you think I was?"
"I thought you were a messenger," The old man scratched his beard, unaware of Nathaniel's crestfallen expression at the harsh critque. The second eyebrow raised to join the other in surprise. "Sailing alongside him huh?" he muttered, "you'd have to be either incredibly brave then or incredibly stupid. Are you stupid, boy?"
Nathaniel laughed sheepishly, "Well if I am, everyone I've met has been too kind to say it to my face!"
"Hah," Letting out a bark of a laugh, the merchant owner reached out to take Nathaniel's hand and shook it firmly. "The name is Joesph; I've known Bones a while. Keep my name in mind when you're sailing around these shores' lad. I'm sure it'll come in useful."
Nate grinned, reciprocating the handshake, "Nathaniel," he replied, "pleased to meet you."
*
"Happy?" Jhaer raised an eyebrow as Nathaniel approached her in high spirts. "It didn't sound like good news from where I was standing."
"Ah well," Nathaniel fell into stride beside her, his smile easy despite the news of the delay, "there is nothing we can do about it after all. It's out of our hands. I'll head back to the inn after this and report to the others, guess we have no choice but to hang around for a little longer. Not that I think anyone will mind, everyone has been enjoying the hot pools and the break from the outside. It's been a while since we have all had the chance to relax. This place is fairly isolated too, not much chance of finding trouble here." He laughed and then dropped off into thought, "It helps that Bones has connections here of course," he mused, "everything has been surprisingly cheap," he laughed again.
Jhaer raised an eyebrow, "I think you'll find that Obsidian Bones has connections in most places," she said wryly.
"You'd probably be right," Nathaniel replied ruefully.
"Did you have a destination in mind?" She asked as they approached the other end of the pier and turned to head up the side of a bustling main road. Nathaniel had not seen the town this busy before, but from what he had heard, a large amount of other merchant vessels had just recently arrived, it was unlucky for them that the one they were waiting on was not among them. He pointed further up the street to where a large crowd had gathered. Every now and then the light breeze washed an array of good smells down towards them.
"There is a market just up ahead," he pointed towards the crowd, "we could look through if you'd like? I've never seen it this busy, I'm sure the new ships probably brought all sorts of merchandise with them." He looked to the side to see Jhaer looking mildly bemused.
"What?" He laughed, "Don't tell me you've never looked through a market before?"
The strange expression did not leave her face as she replied, "Not for pleasure no," she uttered, seemingly unsure of how to continue.
He smiled gently and sensing her awkwardness, continued smoothly with the conversation, "Back at my hometown, we had the best sea-side markets and stalls, filled with all sorts of treasures. Circe and I used to frequent them every Sunday. She would always find the most amazing treasures." His sister slipped easily into his conversation, never far from his thoughts.
"Sounds lovely," Jhaer replied, a little stiffly, and then in an attempt to continue the conversation, "has it been some time since you were home?"
Nathaniel thought of the last time he had set foot in his town. The emptiness. The stench. The bodies. The loss. Swallowing the memory down, he turned to his companion cheerfully, "Yes unfortunately, however I always find a piece of home in each market I go to! Come now, don't get lost."
They had reached the edge of the crowd, where the people were packed the thinnest and grabbing a hold of Jhaer's hand, Nathaniel tucked it under his arm. He ignored her sharp inhale of breath and before she had a chance to protest, pulled them forward into the fray, allowing the familiar sights and sounds to surround them both.
Calls from store-holders echoed out around them and Nathaniel quickly picked up two cheese and pastry sticks, shoving one into Jhaer's free hand while he crunched down on the other. Eyeing up her bewildered expression, he attempted to swallow his mouthful of pastry before raising his voice to be heard above the crowd.
"Eat it!" he insisted, "It's just cooked pastry with cheese," he shielded her from the bustling crowd as she took a tentative bite, her eyes widening a little, her lips moving the words easy for him to read.
"It's good."
Laughing he took another bite of his own and continued to pull them along. He moved at his own pace, Jhaer not seeming to mind how long they spent at each stall. Noticing that she prefer to stay out of the centre of attention, Nathaniel proceeded from stall to stall, stopping to inspect anything that caught his attention. Jhaer appeared happy to observe him as he eyed up various exotic products with a careful gaze, bartering good naturedly with stall holders for the goods he wanted until they agreed upon a price.
Although he had been wary of her to begin with, and in fact, still was, Nathaniel had been too kind-hearted to ignore her obvious distress when he had stumbled upon her earlier. Still unsure of the reason behind her upset, and entirely unwilling to pry, he chose instead to mind his own business. He couldn't help but make an assessment of her though, as she lingered behind him, seemingly happy to let him take the lead, her arm still tucked in his, although her grasp was a little limp.
As he met her eye fully to ask her her opinion on a particular trinket he was considering for Lacy, he noticed again how the smile she offered him in return for his attention did not fully reach her eyes.
They approached the end of the market, emerging out at the other end of the street, Nathaniel with a now full sack over his back, Jhaer as empty handed as when she had entered.
"Didn't find anything you liked?" Nathaniel asked.
She offered a tight smile, "I'm not really someone who keeps ... things," she said by way of explanation. She seemed to think for a moment before adding, "I did enjoy myself though, my first market," she seemed to consider something and Nathaniel thought he saw her expression lighten slightly, "It was ... pleasant."
"Pleasant huh?" He chuckled, "Guess I can't ask for too much. Thanks for indulging me. Now, wasn't there something you wanted to speak to me about?" He suddenly remembered, "you mentioned something along those lines back at the inn, didn't you?"
"Ah yes," her expression seemed to become closed off once again before she offered him the same smile that didn't reach her eyes, "that's better discussed somewhere else though."
"There is a tavern nearby," Nathaniel suggested, thinking of the busy establishment that he often frequented with Cobalt. It couldn't hurt to be cautious. "Shall we go there?"
She smiled again and although it was more convincing, Nathaniel was not so naive as to take it as genuine. Circe always did tell him he was too trusting after all, and it couldn't hurt to be wary. Just in case. "Lead the way," she replied warmly, and he nodded, doing just that.
*
"It's busy in here," Jhaer observed as they entered the tavern and scouted around for a table.
"Is that a problem?" Nathaniel asked as he spied a free space in a far corner, "here over this way."
Jhaer laughed lightly as they sat, Nathaniel raising a hand for service as he tucked the bag of goods safely under the table. "No, not at all," she said mildly, declining the subtle invitation to elaborate, any question Nathaniel could have asked to further the conversation being cut short by the arrival of two menus. He took one and flipping it open, scanned the options.
"I'll have the fish please," he asked decisively, raising a brow to look across at Jhaer, "are you eating at all? My shout."
She politely declined and he couldn't help but laugh, "Alright then, I'll just have that and two pints of your best please," he added, sending Jhaer a challenging look, "at least say you'll have a drink with me."
"It's the least I can do after you have shown me such hospitality."
He laughed at that, "If you hadn't told me you were enjoying yourself earlier, I would be seriously questioning the sincerity of your words right now," he teased, "any way, what did you want to talk to me about? I assume we can speak about it now. Although it's busy, no-one will overhear us here," he leaned back in his chair comfortably, shrugging his coat the rest of the way off his shoulders and hanging it over the back of his chair, "they're all too busy with their own conversations."
And indeed, they could barely hear each other talk above the hubbub and noise of their surroundings. The merchant vessels had brought in many hungry mouths to feed, as well as cause for celebration as old friends who had been separated by the seas, took the time to reunite once again.
Seemingly aware of this, but cautious none the less, Jhaer appeared on edge and Nathaniel couldn't quite put his finger on why. He supposed to anyone else, the woman would appear to be the epitome of cool, calm, and collected, the way she sat straight in her chair, yet with an easy grace that gave the aura surrounding her a softer feel. She leaned forward slightly now, resting her elbows on the table and her eyes sharpened as she staked Nathaniel under her hawk like gaze. And yet, there below the surface he could sense it again, the tension within each one of her movements, as though she were a spring, coiled and waiting, anticipating his reaction.
"I have information that I believe will be of interest to you," she begun smoothly, "although it may appear rather far-fetched, I hope that you will listen open-mindedly."
Nathaniel studied her carefully and she returned his gaze. "I will try my best," he said sincerely, keeping the doubt within his heart hidden from his voice. From the little he knew of Jhaer, there was almost no information for him to draw a conclusion from. However, he was almost equally as certain that she knew next to nothing about him either and so consequently, the fact that she seemed to have information she considered specifically for him seemed rather unlikely.
Jhaer leaned forward a little further, her eyes glinting as though she had already foreseen the impact her words would have. "Have you ever heard of the saying that, somewhere out there in the world, there exists two people with the exact same face?"
*
In the middle of the ocean, half a day's sailing from the coast of Balagar two twin peaks jutted out from the water, not large enough to be called an island, yet not small enough to pass unnoticed by a seasoned sailor. The rocks almost appeared to form a triangle, a thin slit down the middle of the two halves the only thing keeping the peaks from touching.
Recently, to the human eye, these peaks had appeared to have vanished into the ocean. However, if one were to venture close enough to approach where the peaks had once stood, they would immediately find themselves and their vessel heading in the opposite direction, with no knowledge as to why they had ever considered going in that direction in the first place.
Quite simply, it was magic.
Strong magic.
Dragon magic.
It formed a sort of mirror-like cocoon that reflected the surrounding sea off the outside shell. It was a formidable defence, and much to Aranel's chagrin, it kept shattering.
"He is becoming harder to control," She snapped at Nelonimi as she ducked under a column of flame that was aimed in her direction, "can you not reason with him?"
The magic we have been feeding him in order to sustain his growth, does not extend to mental development Princess, came the inevitable reply, his mind is still that of a child's. The only thing that would be most efficient in subduing him would be-
"The Water Kingdom's pendant, yes I know," Aranel snarled as she spun a cocoon of air that flattened the beast in front of her down onto the rock and trapped it's jaws shut, even as it screamed in animalistic rampage, "but it would be impossible for us to get it now, that opportunity passed us a long time ago. Quick, now that I have him, do it now."
The large female dragon called Nelonimi swooped down from her perch on the rock peak, landing directly in front of the other dragon, a white male that was close to besting her in size. The two beasts locked eyes as the other dragon was held forcibly into the ground, kept still by the force of the wind, flattening it from above.
A long moment passed, and some kind of connection passed within the two. Gradually the feral look faded from the other dragons' eyes, his body relaxing into the dark stone beneath him. He let out a gentle, reptilian clicking from the back of his throat and Nelonimi swung her massive head to look towards Aranel.
Aranel nodded and almost instantly, the wind dissipated, allowing the Dragon to rise from the ground. Although he didn't move very far, just to Nelonimi's front claws where he ducked his head submissively, lying down on his side in an attempt to crawl further underneath her scaled belly. The older female appeared to humour him, her head swinging down to bump against his fondly.
Aranel watched the two and could do nothing but sigh, "Take him to hunt," she ordered, "but make sure you stay under water until you're far enough away. I have an uncanny feeling that my Brother is still close by, I'm sure I sensed his presence."
Nelonimi blinked silently in reply before she hefted her body off the ground and headed for the crack between the two rocks from which the ocean surged. The younger male followed her closely, staring with uncomprehending eyes in Aranel's direction before Nelonimi drew his attention with the metallic reptilian language Aranel had become accustomed to hearing her use to communicate with. The two dragons slipped silently into the ocean without any further hesitation and Aranel stood for a moment, staring at the spot where they had disappeared, watching as the water raged up from the gap, white foam crashing against the rock in venomous delight.
Across the daunting gap to where the other peak stood, around a corner concealed by the blackness of the rock, there was a cave that separated further into two more caves that had been created, not by the ocean, but by the breath of a dragon burning into the rock. Iron bars prevented the two that were captured inside from escaping and had in-fact prevented their escape for such a long time that Aranel still found herself wondering on almost a daily basis, how it was that they were still alive.
Or at least how they hadn't gone insane.
A thin wail bridged the gap between the two peaks, suddenly pitching loud enough to be heard over top of the crashing of the ocean. The wail deteriorated into a crazed cackle of laughter before being drowned out once again by the roaring waves.
Aranel turned away, heading for another door concealed in the rock. Correction. How the other one had managed to stay sane.
"Tobias," she called, opening the door. Stepping into the warm room, she let the door click shut behind her, muffling the sound from outside although the ocean continued to roar in the background, an ever-present hum that was not unpleasant.
The golden-haired boy seated in front of the fire looked up from the book he was reading, the crackling flames momentarily reflected in his blue eyes. For a moment he reminded her uncannily of Nathaniel, his face innocent and open, but the moment passed as his eyes narrowed imperceivably, naivety fading, and all similarity lost. Tobias might have been Nathaniel's twin, but there was an ocean of difference between the two, a fact Aranel knew all too well.
Relaxing back down into the armchair, Tobias flicked open his book once again and Aranel watched as a slender finger traced down the page to locate the paragraph he had been reading. "How is everything progressing?" he asked, tone bored.
She sighed and took a seat opposite him. He looked up from his book again, finger pausing to hold his place amongst the pages. An eyebrow rose on his forehead. "Not good?"
"There are complications."
His eyes dropped down, scanning the page, "I trust you will still be able to hold up our end of the bargain," he said smoothly, his voice turning a little more icy than before, even as the fire raged in the hearth.
Aranel studied the half-human boy from across the small space that divided them. There was nothing particularly imposing about him. He was thin and lacked muscle from how long he had spent, confined on this rock. This rock he had called home for practically his entire life. He definitely needed her, far more than she needed him, a fact she had no doubt he knew. She had wondered time and time again why she felt love for this boy, why she had even let him continue to exist long enough for her to even begin to love him in the first place.
Eventually she decided it was pity. Pity for the child who had been snatched and ripped from the beautiful life he could have had, if the monster known as Zeus Gold hadn't arrived to dictate his existence.
Tobias was delicate, both in mind and body, yet the deep resentment within him simmered like hot coals and it was this part of him which Aranel could relate to most strongly. When he spoke to her, it was without fear because he knew he had nothing left to lose, and Aranel related to that as well.
It was this part of him that had first spoken to her heart in the early days when she had first discovered him here, alone on this rock as much a prisoner as the two men he guarded, it was this part of him that she had first thought she could use.
And yet somehow their positions had twisted and now he was the one using her, and she couldn't bring herself to care. As long as he stayed with her. As long as he continued to be the one person who believed in her, shared in her ambitions and her long-suffering hatred.
"Of course," she finally spoke, offering him a sweet smile that he did not return, "I have sent people to fetch him, you should not have to wait much longer." She rose from her seat, heading for the small kitchen and could not resist pressing a soft kiss to his pallid cheek. He would have returned that kiss a few months ago, out of pretense she knew, but now he knew he did not need to pretend any longer. She was already under his spell.
Tobias' gaze grew more intense and he leaned out of his chair slightly, his eyes following her as she searched for something to eat.
"He won't be hurt, will he? You told them not to hurt him?"
"I did," Aranel replied soothingly, her tone similar to one attempting to calm a kitten whose fur had been stroked in the wrong direction, "you don't need to worry."
"Good," Tobias sunk back into his chair, gaze falling away from hers, "that's good."
"It won't be long now our plan will come to fruition," Aranel said conversationally, "you must be excited."
Book forgotten on his lap, Tobias stared deep into the hearth, seemingly unaware of her words and if it wasn't for the slightly clenching of his fists, she would have been unsure he had even heard her speak. His lips parted as he spoke, and for a moment, something other than the fire seemed to be reflected in his gaze.
"Thrilled."
*
Circe was only mildly surprised to see the town so busy. She had known of the merchant ships arrival from the gossip in the bars but had not been at the port long enough to witness the ensuing ordered chaos that walked alongside their arrival. Suddenly the small winter port seemed to have been brought to life, colours, smells and sounds assaulting her senses as she walked. Although the bustle was not unwelcome, she had somewhere to be and she kept her hood low on over her face, keen to remain unnoticed as she passed silently through the crowds.
Normally she would have been concerned for Anthemin's safety, had she not already known that his hiding place was so obscure, no human could possibly have a chance of finding it unless they had wings and a death wish.
Increasing her pace, she appeared out from the bustling side streets, straight onto the main street that joined with the docks, the smell of market food abruptly replaced by sea air as the wind billowed around her, sweeping directly in off the ocean to tangle salt through her hair and tease her hood back from her face.
With her vision suddenly less obscured she raised her head, intent on pulling the hood back into place. However, as chance would have it, at that particular moment a familiar figure caught her eye, causing her to pause, his name automatically rising to her lips. It was Nathaniel and just as she was about to make her presence known to him, another person entered the scene, causing his name to die on her lips as she swiftly stepped back into the shadows of a side street, simultaneously pulling her hood back over her head and stuffing her long hair back inside.
Jhaer.
For some reason unbeknown to her, Circe's heart was beating irrationally fast. She swallowed as she struggled to understand the emotions that had suddenly threatened to overwhelm her. Was she scared? No, this wasn't fear. Angry? Did she have any reason to be? There was none that she could really think of. Then why did she feel this sense of anticipation? Why were her fingers trembling so?
She grasped the wrist of her right arm in an attempt to calm herself down, her eyes never leaving the tall woman as the two continued to converse. Forget her own emotions. Why on earth was Jhaer here with Nathaniel? She couldn't fathom it. But then she also couldn't seem to muster a reason as to why their being together was such an obscure thought to begin with. But something just ... wasn't right.
Her eyes narrowed as they began to move, heading up to main street that led into town. Before she lost sight of them, she made a split-second decision to follow, Athemin's summons pushed to the back of her mind for the time being. He could wait.
Stealthily she pursued the pair as they approached the busy market. Under normal circumstance, she would have been extremely wary about attempting to tail Jhaer, she most certainly still was. However, Nathaniel provided a good distraction and the amount of people that surged around them provided another. Circe was not tall. With her hood pulled up, she did not stand out in any particular way.
However her brother and Jhaer were both of above average height and the image of the two together, the handsome young man with hair like spun gold and cerulean eyes, accompanied by the lithe, willowy woman with a gaze as sharp as glass attracted enough attention that a small, unconscious space was created about them where-ever they walked. Thus Circe was able to keep tabs on them fairly easily and when the market spat all three of them out at the other end, she continued to follow them to a tavern she knew Nathaniel frequented with Cobalt. She had to be careful, she could be recognised here.
Opting not to enter, she chose instead to wait across the street, down a side alley where the shadows were her ally and her casual position, leaning up against the wall, discouraged any onlookers from approaching or even from really acknowledging her presence at all.
And then she settled down to wait.
She thought she could see them through the window, although the Tavern was busy, and her sight was obscured most of the time. It was too far away to make out any of Nathaniel's expressions and Jhaer had her back to the window, so with her breath frosting in the cold air, Circe resigned herself to waiting.
When they finally exited the tavern, it had just begun to snow. Circe straightened; her eyes sharp as she noticed the imperceivable difference in Nathaniel's body language. Something had happened. Her brothers easy, carefree air from earlier had vanished and his face was set with what Circe could only describe as resolve. The two set out abruptly, heading back the way they had come and this time it was harder to keep up. As they disappeared once again into the market crowd, Circe pursed persistently, her eyes locked on her brothers' golden tresses.
They appeared to be heading back down to the docks and Circe struggled to fathom a reason for the abrupt change of pace. She shortened the distance between them and risked being noticed as her worry intensified.
Where on earth where they going?
Jhaer was leading now and when they arrived back at the same main street Circe had first spotted them in, she expected them to turn back in the same direction. Instead, Jhaer began to go the opposite way, the way that led towards Anthemin's cave.
Circe's stomach swooped momentarily before she shrugged off the thought. There was no possible way Jhaer knew of Anthemin's location. And Nathaniel would never have told her. Still, Circe found her sense of foreboding returning as she followed them silently down the familiar track, her presence becoming harder to conceal, forcing her to fall back even further.
They were still a fair distance away from Anthemin's cave when Circe lost sight of them completely, rounding the next corner to realise that she could no longer hear the heavy human steps of her brother on the rocky track.
Her heart started to beat a little faster and again she resisted the urge to call out her brothers name. Gritting her teeth she ventured forward. They couldn't have gotten far. When she had walked another fifty metres, she was forced to double back and retrace her path. Her eyes scanned her surroundings carefully, a hand slipping inside her coat to clench around the hilt of her knife.
From this point on the track, the ocean could not be seen, hidden by large boulders that lined the path Circe knew eventually did lead down to the water's edge. The coast around Balager was rocky and wild and this track was barely used. It led down to a small, rocky inlet backed by high cliffs and it was in these cliffs that Anthemin currently resided, hidden inside a cave that was positioned halfway up the sheer wall of rock.
The stones that cluttered the barely noticeable track prevented Circe from tracking any footprints, the snow had fallen thinly here, the path sheltered by the rock that surrounded it. It was only on her third time passing that she noticed it. A gap she had not noticed before between two large boulders, just large enough to slip through. A rock on the ground that had been dislodged as someone had stepped over it, their unsteady weight, lifting it from it's home in the ground and exposing the wet, muddy underside to the conditions.
Circe did not even need to decide before passing through the gap. Her heart was beating faster now, adrenaline building up in her veins. Nathaniel had no reason to be out here, yet he had appeared to have gone willingly. Circe did not know Jhaer. Circe did not trust Jhaer. Her grip on her knife tightened.
The previously invisible path beneath her feet was slowly becoming more defined and it became apparent that this track was frequented more often, that someone had thought to conceal the entrance off the main path so that it would not be discovered. Circe's view of the ocean was still blocked by the large boulders surrounding her, but she could hear the waves getting closer and closer and as she began to descend down a gentle slope it seemed inevitable that this path was leading her to the ocean.
Not once during her pursuit had Circe thought of Obsidian, but the man popped into her mind now and she had to resist the urge to laugh aloud. If something happened to her, no matter the outcome, she was never going to live this down. He would tail her for the rest of her life. She sighed and attempted to steady her breath.
However much she wished for independence, it was still in times like these that she yearned for him, for the reassurance that his steady gaze brought her, for his imposing figure leading the way forward, his back strong and undefeatable.
She settled herself with another unnecessary breath, collecting her thoughts.
Obsidian was not here right now and the time in which she could have asked for his assistance had long since passed. However, that did not mean she had to be alone, she realised with sudden clarity, reaching for Anthemin with her mind and feeling instantaneously lighter as the dragon abruptly filled her head with his thoughts.
Where are you, I called for you some time ago.
I got distracted, Circe replied grimly, still venturing down the hidden path, her eyes vigilant. Briefly she gave him an over-view of what had happened and suddenly Anthemin's agitation crashed against her consciousness like a wave of white light, causing her to stumble and clutch her head, her eyes throbbing as everything suddenly became too bright.
Vanima, you need to get out of there. Now.
She gasped, shaking her head to clear her thoughts and dispel the sudden onslaught. Her eyes watered and without realising it she gasped her reply aloud, "Anthemin, why? Just ... calm, calm down."
She could feel Anthemin preparing to leave his cave.
There is no time to explain, you need know only that you are in danger. Go back, go back the way you came. Wait for me, we will find your brother together.
Her vision cleared some-what and Circe shook her head, her feet still moving her stubbornly forward, even as the foreboding feeling in her chest tightened and squeezed her heart.
No Anthemin, tell me what's going on. You say I am in danger, then what of Nathaniel? I can't leave him, what if something has happened to him?
Her brother, her only brother, her steady rock, her guiding light, the one who had and would weather any storm for her. She would never let anything happen to him. She couldn't.
Vanima-
Tell me Anthemin, Circe demanded, breaking into a run, hurry up.
QThe ocean was louder than ever in her ears and she knew she was close. She rounded a particularly large boulder and was immediately blown back by the ocean wind, an arm raising automatically to shield her face against the gale, her hood flung back once more.
It's that woman, the tall one, she is not to be trusted.
I know that already Anthemin, Circe thought impatiently, why do you think I followed them?
And then she saw it almost directly in front of her, down by the shore being tugged by the rising tide was a small boat, it's anchor thrown over the side. On the boat was Nathaniel, his golden hair just visible above the side of the boat. He appeared to be sitting down. Circe was so relieved to see him that she didn't pause to realise he was alone as she left the shelter of the rocky path and made her way swiftly down towards him.
Circe-
Anthemin, it's okay, he's okay, I've found him. Circe thought fervently, the boat now within an arm's reach. Calling out above the crash of the ocean, she attracted Nathaniel's attention, her brothers head turning sharply to meet her gaze, surprise clear in his features. An expression that swiftly turned into one of panic as he yelled out in warning a split second too late.
"Circe, she's behind you!"
She scarcely had the time to turn before something heavy connected with the top of her skull and she felt as though her head had been split in two. Her knees crumpled like paper beneath her and the last thing she saw before she passed out were Jhaer's unreadable eyes, staring coolly down at her.
*