Hey Guys!
This Chapter actually ended up being over 12,000 words, (be proud of me please I worked so haaard uwuwuwu (T_T), so I split it into two parts. I'm currently editing the second part and should post it later tonight.
I hope you're ready for a wild ride!
Happy Easter <3
Love Daisy xx
___________________________________
Chapter 38 | Time
*
'I assure you,
that when this life ends
and the dust settles,
I will find you
in the n e x t.'
- R. H. Sin
*
CIRCE
Later that night, after a long, drawn out day of planning, discussing theories, and plotting countermeasures, she found him standing on the small deck off her room, hidden at the back of the ship. The wind off the ocean disturbed his stillness, ruffling the collar of his black cloak and tugging at the hem.
"Obsidian."
He didn't respond immediately, which was unlike him, but she gave him time, leaning against the door frame with a sigh. Her gaze roamed carelessly over his silhouette and she thought; as she had many times before, just how well he suited the darkness. Volcanic glass. That was what obsidian was in its raw form. The beautiful aftermath of a destructive, deadly explosion. Even his very name encompassed the shadows.
At some point he had turned to her, but she could not read his expression. One of her eyebrows raised in question.
"What?"
He dragged a hand through his hair, looking away from her and then looking back. She smiled softly and beckoned him towards her, her heart twisting with possessive pleasure when he walked forward easily into reach.
She had not always had such feelings towards him, feeling of wanting to covet and keep him for her eyes alone, but ever since he had come back to her, such thoughts had entered her mind more frequently. She had always seen such emotions in his eyes whenever he looked at her, and she supposed that in a way he had cultivated the same desire inside her as well.
Reaching up, she gently touched the side of his face, her palm unfurling to lay flat against his skin. She smoothed her hand up and into his hair, dragging through the black strands and tugging gently at the ends. His hair was straighter now that it was longer, the weight removing some of the curl. It fell about his shoulders, soft and glossy, like the wing of a raven. She hadn't thought initially that it would suit him, but as it grew longer, he only seemed to become more handsome, the black curtain accentuating his strong jawline.
"Circe," his voice jerked her out of her inner thoughts, he had reached up to catch her wrists, halting her hands in their ministrations. He gathered her wrists together, placing a gentle kiss on the underside. Her heart fluttered unfairly as she watched the purse of his lips and the way his thick eyelashes brushed against his skin as his eyes cast down, before flicking back up to stake her with that golden gaze.
"What's wrong," she whispered, "you can tell me."
He looked torn and she acknowledged that if she had asked him the same question half a year ago he wouldn't have even graced it with a change in expression. Never before had she seen him so unsure of himself. Did his Father really weigh that heavily on his mind?
"You know that nothing will make my feelings for you change," she felt it necessary to say, "or did you take my words from before so lightly?" She teased gently, referring to the moment they had spent together earlier.
"Circe," he sighed, lifting her hands a little higher so that he could kiss her wrist once more before letting go, "the things that I've done ..."
She looked at him incredulously, "You don't think I've seen the worst of them?"
"It's not that," he started, frustrated, "well. It is, but-"
"But what," she demanded, "what are you trying to say?" She could see his emotions raging just under the surface of his skin, but he was holding back, for her. And it angered her not only because she had never asked him to hold any of himself back for her sake, but also because she couldn't pin-point exactly when he had decided to do so. "Tell me," she stated, with a tone that was almost a command, knowing that such a way of asking would incite a reaction from him.
As she had expected, his eyes flashed dangerously with the provocation and he descended upon her in a way that was nostalgic in its forcefulness, pushing her back against the wall and boxing her in with his arms.
"Are you ordering me?" He snarled out softly, voracious eyes burning into her skin.
"Yes," she affirmed, meeting his gaze with defiance. She felt as though she had come face to face with a big cat, he was always so devious in his ferociousness. But where that once would have alarmed her and left her trembling, now she only felt the hot burn of adrenaline. It was as though she had placed her hand in the tiger's mouth, daring it to bite.
He leaned in closer still, his breath fanning across her face, "You have some guts," he growled, his voice dangerously low, "ordering me around."
"You have some guts, to think you're allowed to keep things from me," she rebuked fiercely.
He laughed at that, a deep chuckle that vibrated down her spine. His head dipped so that he could nuzzle into her neck, the tip of his nose dragging along her jawline. "Feisty little kitten," he breathed into her skin.
"Don't change the subject," she groused, even as she tilted her head to the side to allow him better access, desire distracting her slightly.
He pulled away from her and considered her carefully. Slowly he leaned back in, until his nose brushed against her own with the lightest of touches. He leant forward a little more, bumping their foreheads together and breathed out, eyes sliding closed. Her eyes closed too, but she could still feel him there, so completely in her space.
"These hands don't deserve to touch you," he whispered, and she was surprised by the pain in his voice, even as his fingers dragged greedily up the skin of her waist, his large palms spreading across her ribcage to press against her spine, drawing her to him. She let herself be pulled forward, her body pliant under his touch.
He dusted a kiss across her lips, "The blood that stains them will never wash clean," he murmured, "but I still want you. You are mine. And although I have no right to keep you, I cannot let you go."
Her eyes were deep with her desire for him and she drew him to her mouth, "I will never understand why you think me to be so perfect," she said against his lips with a languid smile, "you corrupted me a long time ago."
*
NATHANIEL
Nathaniel was losing track of time. He didn't know how long it had been since they had ventured outside and were faced with the horrifying truth of Tobias's reality. Enough time had passed certainly, that he no longer felt that piercing gaze from beyond the door, boring into his skull.
He was currently sitting, with a cup of tea in hand and a book in another, while his brother sat opposite, doing the same. Nathaniel swore he had reread the same paragraph at least six times though and he raised his head again, to glance at Tobias over the rim of his cup.
His brother did seem to follow a regular sleep pattern, but Nathaniel had been unable to sleep for more than a few hours at a time and the tiredness was beginning to wear on him, even as it kept him more awake.
So, it was with a jolt of surprise, that he accidently split half his tea down his front, when Tobias suddenly rose from his seat abruptly, eyes focused on the door beyond.
"They're back."
"Sorry who?" Nathaniel mumbled, confused as he tried to wipe the tea off his shirt.
"Who else." Tobias made for the door and Nathaniel scrambled to his feet, hastily following after him.
"Aranel?" He asked, taking Tobias's lack of reply as affirmative.
His brother did not waste anytime opening the door and stepping out into the cool air beyond, Nate hot on his heels. Nathaniel looked apprehensively towards the last place he had seen the water ghoul, but Tobias negated his concern immediately. "It's gone," he said shortly, "it disappears back into the ocean after some time."
Nathaniel took his word for it and followed after as Tobias headed in the other direction, towards two planks hammered into the stone that served as a rather rickety bridge, connecting the two halves of the rock floor together.
"Where are we going?"
He did not get a reply, but instead a reptilian clicking made him look up, his breath stuttering as he found the source. A large white dragon was perched in the stone, high above his head. Bright white eyes observed him carefully, long neck extending down towards him.
Tobias was already across the bridge, seeming not to care whether or not Nathaniel was following. Not wanting to lose sight of him Nate hurried across the bridge, but he now that he knew it was there, he could not stop glancing up towards the dragon who was watching their every move.
He inhaled sharply as another pair of eyes joined the first. The second one's gaze seemed more intelligent, and the beast watched him just as carefully as the first as he proceeded forward. He realised then, that one of them had to be Nelonimi, the dragon that accompanied Aranel, however the presence of another ... Certainly, neither dragon could rival Unabonan in size, so at least Zalas was not here to side with his sister, as Nathaniel had suspected he might, despite Circe protesting his involvement.
Did that mean then, that Aranel had been joined by another ally from her Kingdom?
The first dragon clicked rapidly, lurching forward in a motion that made Nathaniel recoil. Rock and debris crumbled down from it's perch and a yank at his arm pulled him out of the way just in time, as a large boulder smashed into the ground where he had been standing.
"Nelonimi!" Tobias rebuked, addressing the second dragon, "Tell Lorcán to control himself."
The second dragon, the one Nate had thought to look more intelligent narrowed its eyes slightly in reply before extending her neck to butt at the first, pushing him back and out of sight. It seemed there was a cave up there.
"Hurry up," Tobias commanded, pulling at Nathaniel's arm impatiently "don't get left behind."
Nathaniel could only nod, swallowing his apprehension as he was pulled along, into a tunnel concealed in the rock face. Immediately the surrounding world became pitch black, but Tobias seemed to know the way as he led Nathaniel surefootedly over the uneven ground.
A sharp left turn revealed an abrupt end to the tunnel as the path widened out to reveal a large space that had been hollowed out inside the rock. The shape of the cavern was strangely similar to the formation of the room they had just left but Nathaniel did not have time to dwell on it as two figures turned towards them immediately upon their arrival.
"What is he doing here Tobias," Aranel was hostile, her pale hair and skin almost luminescent in the dim light of the room. A single lantern was lit at the back of the cavern, casting strange shadows that danced a distorted parade across the walls.
"I heard you come back," was all Tobias said as he paused in the mouth of the tunnel, still holding Nathaniel firmly by the arm.
Above them, the clattering of stone could be heard once more and glancing up, Nathaniel saw one of the dragons from before appearing out of the wall. So, there was a cave up there.
Eyes darting back to Aranel, he took in her appearance slowly. She seemed more on edge than usual, her eyes jumping between Tobias and himself without pause. At her side stood Katarina. The water sprite seemed ... restless. No, that wasn't the right word. She was almost excited. Confusion formed in his chest as Nathaniel tried to gather more information from the scenario before him. What was going on?
Aranel lifted her hand unconsciously to touch at an item hung on a chain around her neck and Nathaniel zeroed in on the movement, his eyes growing wide as he comprehended exactly what it was she held in her grasp.
"That's-" he began, starting forward without realising.
"What do you think you're doing," Katarina had acted before he could even comprehend the thought fully, her arm whipping out to fling an arc of water towards him. The liquid froze rapidly as it approached, and on impact with Nathaniel, forced him backwards into the wall where it solidified entirely, trapping his arms against his sides and freezing his torso to the wall.
The air huffed out of him and his head cracked back against the stone painfully. His vision went black for a moment, but he came to almost immediately. Dazedly he heard Tobias's raised voice as his brother condemned Katarina for her overreaction, the nymph brushing him off disdainfully.
"Oh get over it," she sneered, "he needs to be tied down anyway. I can't keep an eye on all of them you know."
It took a moment for Nathaniel to realise who she was referring to, but slowly he realised he was not the only person stuck in this position. Beside him was the figure of a woman, her head slumped low over her chest. Her blond curly hair covered most of her face, but still Nathaniel felt as though he recognised her. However, although he tried, he couldn't remember where he had seen her before. The throbbing at the back of his head increased and he winced.
Looking back towards Aranel, he found the Air Sprite still staring at him. Upon meeting his gaze, she looked away swiftly, her hand still clasping the pendant at her neck, hiding it from his view. He had only seen it for a second, but he was certain that it was similar to the one Circe had used to wear, only it was a different colour.
There had been three of them, Circe had told him that much. And from what else he knew; those three pendants were meant joined and in the hands of one of the Kingdoms Ruler's. He didn't know what the three combined looked like, or if Aranel only had the one, but he was sure that even seeing a sign of them here was not a good thing.
As much as he wanted to speak out, Nathaniel could tell that if he didn't want to end up unconscious like the woman next time him, now was not the time. Even if Tobias was present, Nathaniel could not trust him enough to rely on his brother to keep him safe. So, frustrated at his own incapability, he wisely held his tongue, choosing instead to more carefully observe his surroundings.
He hadn't realised before, but behind Aranel there were two more caves carved into the rock, with thick bars at the entrance. Cells. It was towards these cells Aranel turned now and when she moved, Nathaniel was suddenly able to distinguish a figure sitting near the bars of the cell on the left, his appearance ragged and dirty. However, through the layer of grim, Nathaniel could clearly see the man's appearance was similar to that of Aranel, with pale skin and even fairer hair. An Air Sprite?
The man had seen Nathaniel as Nate had seen him, and the two locked eye contact. As though he had been branded, the man's eyes suddenly widened and he leaned forward towards Nate, familiarity burning in his gaze. Not a moment later the man seemed to realise the abnormity of his actions and he quietly moved back to where he had been before, his eyes darting towards Aranel, apparently to see if she had noticed. She hadn't. The man's eyes swiftly found Nathaniel's once more and Nate found himself at a loss. Did he know this person? Surely not.
It seemed however that their interaction had indeed been noticed by someone because Katarina cackled and stepped in front of Nathaniel's line of vision, her eyes swooping between him and the man in the cell.
"Ahh yes," She laughed, "I forgot that you would recognise him Zephyr." She yanked Tobias over, grinning cruelly, "Doesn't he look familiar to our very own little psychopath?"
Suddenly Nathaniel was furious. "Let him go," he snarled. His eyes focused on her hand, crushing the skin of Tobias's upper arm, "Don't talk about him like that." He didn't know from where this unexpected feeling of protectiveness had come from, but after what he had seen ... a fierce desire to defend his brother welled within him. Tobias had suffered enough.
Katarina laughed scathingly, shoving Tobias back away from her, "Ooo so scary," she taunted as she looked between the two eagerly before laughing again, her next jibe aimed towards the caged man. "Give it up old man. That boy is just further proof that our precious Queen was not as faithful as you thought she was."
"You are Circe's brother." The voice was rough, but strong. The man was staring keenly at Nathaniel through the bars, uncaring of Katarina's words, "You were with Circe, before this?"
Nathaniel stared at him before giving a confused nod, "Yes," he began, "but how do you know who –"
"Did you hear me?" Katarina seemed annoyed that she was being ignored, "I said give it up."
Nate's eyes snapped to Katarina, gauging her mood before darting back to the man she called Zephyr. He was looking at Nathaniel with a complicated expression. The back of Nate's head was throbbing more profusely now, but he could tell there was a connection he was missing and that it was hidden in Katarina's words.
"Enough," Aranel snapped, "you would do well to remember who you are talking to. He may have chosen to remain behind bars, but that man is still my Uncle and therefore Air Sprite Royalty. You will address him as such!"
Nathaniel's eyes widened as Aranel's words fell into place. Uncle. Royalty. Hadn't his Mother loved ...? Then, that man ... Nathaniel shot him another glance. Wasn't he dead? What is he doing here?
"Whatever," Katarina sneered. "Let's get on with it already."
"You are walking a fine line," Aranel warned, her eyes narrowing, "remember who you work for."
From high above Nate heard the deadly sound of talons scratching on rock echoing, followed by the sound of reptilian clicking. The beasts seemed to settle again, and silence fell upon the alcove, as the two women stared each other down.
Katarina's eyes were bright with fury, but before she could speak a chilling laugh broke the quiet first, drawing the attention of all five people present.
Nathaniel knew instantly that the sound had come from the second cell, which, until now, had remained quietly unassuming. He had initially thought it to be empty, but as the chuckle began again, creeping up his spine and worming into his ears, he realised just how wrong he had been.
*
ARANEL
"So, you were listening after all," Aranel turned to face the bars, momentarily casting aside her rising annoyance at Katarina. She could feel Nathaniel's eyes burning into her back and she ignored him studiously. It was a hassle, having him present, but if things went according to plan, it was nothing she couldn't fix later on.
She felt Katarina come to stand beside her and upon receiving no reply from the owner of the cell, Katarina sauntered forward to laugh through the bars provokingly. "I guess the big bad Kronos doesn't want to play today," she laughed.
Aranel's eyes narrowed. This woman honestly had a death wish.
"Move back," Aranel warned, but the warning came late for in the next second Katarina screeched and recoiled from the entity that had rammed up against the iron bars of the cell, one clawed hand swiping through the gap, aiming to chisel a path straight through her face.
Katarina hissed out a string of expletives as the owner of the hand chuckled lowly, slowing withdrawing the appendage from between the bars. Aranel eyeballed her arrogantly. "I told you to move back."
"Shut-up," The Sprite hissed, her hand pressed firmly against the cheek that had narrowly missed a gouging. She cast Aranel a look and seemed to think twice about her next words, "Alright, fine. Have it your way." She spat out.
"Tch." Aranel narrowed her eyes. The other woman was only bitter that she did not hold the amount of power she believed herself to hold. Katarina was stupid in that sense, ridiculously over-confident, a side effect from having lived so long under the protection of those stronger than herself, but Aranel hadn't called her out on it yet because she still needed her. This ... thing, in the cell. He might be insane, but he was most definitely not stupid. If anything, Katarina was the insane one for even daring to underestimate him.
From within the cell, the laughter was still continuing. It grated against her skin, but she could not let him see that. She had to remain composed or she knew he would begin to pull her apart, piece by piece, until she disintegrated into fragmented madness, right alongside him.
"Are you going to let me out, bitch?"
At some point he had come to the front of the cell, his hands wrapping tightly around the iron bars that kept him prisoner. She studied the place where his skin touched the smooth metal, watching as it began to redden and burn.
"Perhaps," she replied, non- committedly, "we brought you something."
"Oh goody," came the reply, "am I supposed to be grateful?"
The skin of his hands was starting to blister now, but he showed no sign of discomfort. Suddenly Tobias appeared beside Aranel, holding the solitary lantern he had taken from the entrance to the cavern. He swung the light towards the cell, casting the persons face into sharp relief. The man recoiled from the bright flame, golden eyes flaring, pupils shrinking.
"Are you trying to blind me, brat?!"
"Talk to her with respect," Tobias demanded steadily, his face unflinching. Aranel still could not help but admire him in times like this. But then, she supposed he had grown up alongside it. She sighed.
"Look who's talking spawn. You seem to have forgotten your place while I've been locked away."
"Be quiet," Aranel yanked the pendant forward, holding it away from her skin, "I told you I had brought someone to visit you, well here he is." She chose her words carefully and could not help the slow burn of satisfaction she felt when she realised, she had rendered him speechless.
"Oh ... you have been busy haven't you," he said finally.
The man moved forward slowly, rising out of the shadows and into the light of Tobias's lantern like a growing flame. He towered above her, his form hulking and intimidating. She knew it well; she had seen it often enough in her nightmares.
"So, you have him. Now what will you do I wonder?"
She didn't like the way his tone made her feel small, as though he was speaking to a child who had been wronged; as though her anger was a petty thing that she was merely flaunting, like it was hollow, like it had no substance.
"Have my revenge," she said simply.
His laugh was a harsh bark, "You are extremely stupid, girl, if you think that this is going to be easy as you're making it seem." He leaned towards her, further into the lamp light, one hand reaching out to twine around the iron bars of his cage. His golden eyes caught the flame and they burned like the fiery pits of hell, ruthless and all consuming. He was definitely more collected today, but she knew that his insanity was there, lingering under the surface. Kronos Gold was a man of many faces.
"I've always wondered," she mused, "why your skin burns when you touch iron." Her change of subject caught him off guard and he withdrew his hand. His expression did not change as he looked down at her and she loathed how in that moment, it felt as though he could read every thought running through her mind.
"You will not be able to kill him."
She ignored him. "Perhaps you and your brother were as dishonest about your heritage as you were about the rest of your life." She said instead. It had never escaped her attention that Kronos' cell was made from iron. In-fact, iron bars lined his entire cage. Her Uncle, however, was held in a prison reminiscent of the cells underneath her Palace. They had obviously been designed with their prisoners in mind, and as far as she knew, iron had no detrimental effects against Elves. There were other creatures though, ones her Father had told her stories of, ones that had lived, ruled, and fell before her time.
Kronos wasn't going to give her answers, however. He sneered and spat at her feet. "Think what you like. You know neither of us."
Her hands were trembling, despite her best efforts to remain calm, "I don't need to know," she forced out from between gritted teeth, trading her curiosity for her pride, "anything, about him. Or you for that matter."
He stared at her. "You might find yourself regretting that statement, girl."
"I do not need false wisdom from someone like you," She replied coldly.
"Then let your arrogance be your demise."
"I would have thought that you'd be pleased," she said, "at the chance to see him again."
Her words were like a key, unlocking his true emotion. His previously unchanged expression disintegrated rapidly, into a wild and ravenous smile. He leered at her, eyes dancing with madness.
"Oh Princess," he breathed, "whoever said I wasn't?"
*
NATHANIEL
Nathaniel was not comfortable with the current situation. As he watched Aranel paint a large, increasingly complex symbol on the ground, he felt more and more as though whatever he was about to witness, would ensure he could never leave this place without consequence.
Circe, he thought fervently, where are you?
Gingerly, he tested the strength of the ice that was holding him to the wall. It was slowly melting, the coldness seeping into Nathaniel's skin. It had been some time since he had been able to stop shivering.
Aranel dipped her large brush into the chalice once more, the red liquid inside becoming her ink. Nathaniel closed his eyes and tried not to think about the source of that ink, but it was hard not to remember the way that man, Kronos had grinned as Aranel had sliced his wrist, drawing blood from his veins to fill the glass.
She had taken blood from all of them it seemed, Kronos, the woman at Nate's side – still unconscious, and Katarina, before finally piercing her own skin and adding her blood to the mix as well. Nathaniel had been unable to make the connection between the offerings – why not Tobias, Zephyr, and himself? It added to his frustration, he felt so useless.
Nathaniel's eyes drifted from Aranel to the two prisoners in the cells opposite. The man Katarina called Zephyr was standing now, his face severe with rage. His eyes were trained on Aranel and every time her drawing caused her to pass him, he would speak to her, words Nate could not hear. She ignored him each time, continuing on as her symbol grew in its complexity.
Nathaniel looked from Zephyr to the other cell, where Kronos was pacing behind the bars, his gait slow and unhurried, his attention focused on Aranel, as she moved towards the centre of her creation. That beast like gaze was suddenly directed at Nate, as though Kronos could tell he was being watched. The man did not look at him for long however, before his interest was once again drawn to Aranel.
Nathaniel shivered. There was something wrong with that man. Nate couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but the memory of that deranged laughter from before still echoed through his mind. Although Kronos seemed to be collected currently, Nathaniel could tell it was nothing more than a mask. With every step that man took, Nate could not help but hold his breath in horrible anticipation for the next. He had not missed either, the staggering familiarity of the golden eyes set in the man's face. There were not many people with eyes like those. He didn't know for certain yet, exactly who Kronos was, but he was starting to get an idea. And so far, the idea did not bode well, for anyone.
"Are you alright?" Tobias had appeared beside him, "I am sorry, I can't release you, but if we wait long enough the ice should melt on its own." Like the rest of the people present, his eyes were locked on Aranel, but he spared a glance for Nate and Nathaniel thought he saw a touch of concern in his brother's eyes. That or he had hit his head harder than he had thought.
"I'm okay, I think," Nathaniel twisted a little in his bonds, the ice had become smoother where it had melted. "I should be able to get free soon if I need to."
Tobias nodded, "Good. Don't let them know," he whispered carefully.
"Tobias, do you know what's going to happen?"
Nathaniel could see his brother's eyes gleaming in the reflective lamp light. He waited for an answer, but didn't receive one, so instead he turned back to watch, trying to pay as much attention as he could to what was happening. Aranel clearly had her own agenda, and they had known nothing, nothing, about any of this. A fleeting thought passed through his mind, that even if Circe and the others were to turn up now, they would not have an easy battle. I'm scared, he realised with piercing accuracy. Fear coiled like a snake, low in his gut. He did not have a weapon. He had no certain allies. He was alone here. Alone and unarmed.
Suddenly his sisters face appeared in the forefront of his mind, as though someone had placed it there, her smile radiating out at him through the darkness. He felt the tension release from his shoulders a little. Suddenly the cold was more bearable, the dull throb in his skull aching a little less. She gave him courage.
He breathed out evenly and forced himself to focus. Even if he was only a human in this realm of monsters, he still had eyes and ears. He could watch, he could listen. And he would remember. When he escaped or when they came for him, whatever happened first, he would remember and tell them what happened here. He thought this as he looked towards the centre of the symbol that sprawled over the rock floor and it was then he realised that Aranel had stopped painting.
There seemed to be a collective breath of expectation in the room as Aranel straightened, turning her pale face to look upwards, seeking out the Dragons that lurked there, hidden by the rock.
"Nelonimi," she called, "it is complete."
The female Dragon appeared above Nathaniel and off to the side. Her head vanished for a moment before reappearing, accompanied by the other one Tobias had called Lorcán. Together, the two beasts descended downwards, manoeuvring through the small cavern like liquid moonlight, their bodies smooth and fluid, until they prowled around the edge of the symbol Aranel had crafted, nose to tail, like an unbreakable ring of diamond.
Nathaniel watched Aranel bend to lift the delicate chain from around her neck, placing the pendant on the ground where it pooled in the centre of the painting, pulsing gently as though it were alive. She drew back then, slipping out under a scaled tail until she stood on the other side like the rest of them, looking in.
"It's up to you now," She said.
Beside him Tobias was leaning forward in anticipation and out of the corner of his eye, Nate could see Kronos had paused in his pacing, and was now standing still at the mouth of his cave.
The two Dragons in the centre continued their orbit and Nathaniel found the longer he watched, the more mesmerising they became. It was as though they drew in all of the light from the space, his surroundings growing darker, even as their white scales shone brighter, their light creating a halo that encompassed their bodies. A circle, within another, and then another.
So smoothly, as thought it had been orchestrated, the dragons halted, turning to face each other instead. They were exact mirror images of each other, poised like great statues on opposing sides of the symbol on the floor. Slowly, their wings began to rise in unison, until the white capes were stretched to their fullest, blocking half the cavern from Nathaniel's view. Right at the top, the dragon wings touched, connecting them delicately.
Nathaniel felt the room heat up and then their colossal jaws opened, unleashing a column of flame that filled the cavern with an intense light. He cried out as the heat impact seared his skin, melting through the ice in front of him as though it hadn't been an obstacle to begin with. As soon as he was free, he felt a body push him to the ground to shield him from the heat, the cool stone beneath his fingers a blessed relief.
Tobias rose off him slightly and Nathaniel could see that although the dragon flame was still pouring forth, it had become mostly contained within the painted symbol.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes," Nathaniel struggled to catch his breath and Tobias dragged him up to sit against the wall, hands on his shoulders holding him steady. "Sorry," he couldn't help but say with a shaky smile, "I've been a bit of a burden, haven't I?"
Tobias looked at him oddly. "I don't think you are a burden."
Nathaniel open and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. Instead the two of them looked back towards the dragons silently.
"It's burning away," Nate suddenly realised with amazement.
Aranel's work was slowly igniting under the flame, the fire spreading out from the source and along the lines of blood as though it were hungry for it. The fire flared higher but could not escape the dragon wings encasing it. So instead it burned more intensely, seeking out each painted path until inevitably, it reached the core of the circle where the pendant lay waiting.
It happened in a split second. Nathaniel saw the dragon flame swallow the feebly pulsing gemstone, and then a blast of colour invaded the cave, so intense that Nate was forced to throw up a hand to shield his eyes, even as he stared in wonder.
It was as though the flames had suddenly become clear and he could see all of the colours dancing inside, colours that he had never imagined fire to contain before this moment. Vibrant hues of green entwined with saturation's of blue and yellow across the rocky walls. Magenta, indigo, and a violent shade of orange rebounded off shimmering white dragon scales, causing speckles of multifaceted light to spin frantically around the cave.
It was the most enchanting, captivating sight Nathaniel had ever seen.
Abruptly, the rainbow of light dimmed, once, twice, and then it was snuffed out like a weak flame and the cavern was plunged into darkness.
"Tobias?" Nathaniel breathed. The silence was so absolute that for a moment he doubted his ability to hear.
"I'm here," came the calm confirmation. "Look."
Nathaniel wasn't sure where he was looking – he couldn't even see the dragons anymore, but as he searched, he suddenly became aware of a dim glow that was becoming more pronounced.
"What is that?" He whispered, straining his eyes harder.
There was colour, although not as dominant as before. A shift in the darkness made his eyes jump to Aranel's silhouette as she walked forward through the shadow to the source of the light. She crouched, gathering something from the ground carefully before straightening.
Nathaniel held his breath as she paused, before raising her arm to study the three pendants that hung from her hand. He recognised the blue one instantly, and immediately jerked forward, held back only by Tobias's firm grasp on his shoulder.
"That's Circe's," he snarled, drawing Aranel's attention. It was still too dark to see her face, but Nathaniel knew she had turned towards him.
"Now, now," another voice echoed through the blackness, "don't get all excited just because you got a taste of freedom." Katarina appeared in front of them suddenly, her blue hair and vividly azure eyes luminous in the darkness.
He gritted his teeth but forced his anger back down. She was right, being free was far better than being trapped against the wall.
Katarina laughed lightly, a soft sound that reminded him of pins falling to the ground.
"There's a good boy."
Nathaniel did not often hate people. But he decided then and there that he despised this woman.
He watched, silently fuming as Aranel tucked the blue pendant into her dress, along with another he had not seen before. The colour of the other one was a muted, thick sort of red, that reminded him of coagulated blood. Especially alongside his sisters' one, it seemed particularly insidious.
Although it was still too dark to see fully, certain shapes were beginning to shift and reform from within the shadows. He could feel the dragons still present, their lithe bodies flowing around the cavern as they assumed new positions in places he could not pinpoint. Their white scales, once a shining beacon, now seemed to refract any and all light, although he did not understand how this could be.
"It drained their colour," Tobias spoke up quietly from beside him and Nate turned to him, confused.
"What?"
"Nelonimi and Lorcán," Tobias whispered, "their colours are gone. The pendants drained them. I've seen it happen before, only once though."
Nate was still confused, "I don't understand," he began, but suddenly one of the beasts rushed past them in the dark and suddenly he did.
The dragon was close enough to him that if he had reached out an arm, his fingers would have brushed the ink black scales. No longer did they glisten with the crystal iridescent of their diamond palaces in the sky. Instead they had been inverted, dusted with a cloak of shadow.
An image of a black dragon appeared in his mind's eye, rising out of the water to go head to head with an angry pirate Captain as he had watched from the deck of the opposite ship. Tobias's words replayed in his head.
I've seen it happen before, only once though.
Then that would mean, Nathaniel thought, with growing horror, that he was there.
At the far end of the cavern, the bars of the cells were slowly coming into light, thrown into relief by the deeper shadow of prison beyond. Nathaniel could pick out the rough silhouette of Kronos, standing silent as he waited for Aranel to approach.
"And so, it begins," Tobias breathed from beside him.
Nathaniel turned to look at his brother silently. Tobias was shivering, his eyes eager with an emotion that Nathaniel couldn't comprehend. What do you know? The question was heavy on his tongue. He couldn't bring himself to speak the words, scared of the answer he would be given. What is going to happen to us?
*
____________________________________
Zephyr (Meaning: Gentle Wind) – Yes, he is who you think he is. I can't remember if I had given him a name previously, but if I did, too bad, this is his name now xD
Lorcán (Meaning: Little Fierce One) – The Dragon hatched from the stolen egg.