I sensed Felix moving away from me as he said, "Nothing."
Caleb sighed. "How long are you going to sulk?"
Oh, is Felix sulking?
"He escaped, you know," Felix said. "Just when I was about to crush him, that bitch had to show up and save his ass again."
"Well, we did steal his beloved," Caleb said. "Of course he'll be coming after us."
"What, going so low as to start a riot and kill hundreds of citizens? That's pretty sick for payback after all these years."
Caleb sighed. "Geoffrey said we're having a meeting with the others to deliberate on the matter when we get back. It appears it's not just Acaedien that has shit stirring up. Ethan contacted Aslan, and the matter will be discussed during the international conference. It's in the Wulin Kingdom. We're all attending. Apparently, it's important."
"I'm looking forward to that, then," Felix said. He sounded sarcastic, though.
Caleb asked, "How's Alfie?"
"Not awake yet," Felix replied.
"You didn't just suck his qi again? He hardly has anything left in him after he fired that gun, you know."
Felix said in that sarcastic voice of his, "Thank you for doubting my self-restraint, Caleb." I felt him stroking my hair. Oddly enough, he was gentle. "Like I'd put his life in danger."
"But you kissed him."
"Because I wanted to." I sensed him rise from the bed. Then I heard his footsteps walking away and his voice become faint as he said, "Come on. Let's help pack up before Geoffrey returns."
Once they were gone, I open my eyes and stared blindly at the ceiling of the tent. Tentatively, I brought my finger to touch my lips where Felix had kissed me.
He had kissed me because he wanted to and not because he wanted to suck my qi. God, my mind was reeling in confusion. I had thought that my pure qi had been suppressed and masked, so those with dark qi wouldn't be attracted to me. But why would Felix still kiss me?
Brenna arrived sometime later with a bowl of chicken soup and some freshly baked bread. God, but it smelled divine, and I devoured the whole lot in no time. It sure did feel wonderful to have my starving tummy filled and warm again. After drinking and taking a green glowing pill that Brenna told me was a sort of energy booster, kind of like a vitamin or something, I thanked Brenna gratefully.
Some two hours later, I was feeling a whole lot better, and Brenna came to get me again. She was rather excited as she was dragging me out.
"The ships are here. The ships are here," she kept chanting in excitement.
Once outside, I stared in awe as I gazed at the six massive airships elegantly gliding in the air, heading our way. Needless to say, I was floored. The sight was majestic and breathtakingly beautiful.
Very soon, the airships landed, and soldiers started packing up and transporting what was in the camp into the ships. Injured soldiers, too, were being lifted into the aircraft, along with military trucks and whatnot.
Brenna and I rushed down the hill toward where one of the bigger airships was parked, where Aria and Leona were. As we came close, I noticed that the girls were talking to the blond-haired lord in white clothing who had put a spell on me. Next to him stood another blond-haired lord in a dark warrior's garment. If I remembered correctly, he was the one who rode a winged lion like Felix and Caleb and was beating the crap out of the enemy during the rescue mission.
Once we came to a stop in front of them, Brenna curtsied low while I stared wide-eyed at the two men, wondering what I should do. Should I curtsy as well? But then I thought that I was supposed to be a boy and that meant I should salute instead.
Hence, I did just that and saluted the two lords like a marine soldier.
The slightly younger blond lord started chuckling like he couldn't help himself, while the older one who'd put a spell on me simply smiled. He reached his hand out and tousled my hair.
I raised my head to look at him. Suddenly, he leaned his face toward mine and asked, "How are you feeling, Alfie? You've been unconscious for three days, which quite worried me."
A loud voice said, "That's because you bloody went and sealed his qi. So of course he'd be unconscious for three days."
It was Felix, and the moment he was right behind me, he pulled me away from the blond lord and wrapped his arms tightly around my shoulders.
The blond lord said, "It's for his protection. But it's already worn off now, which is faster than I expected. It usually lasts around a week or so."
So that spell wasn't meant to last forever until it was lifted again, then? It just wore off by itself.
Caleb, who suddenly appeared beside me, said, "I understand you mean well, Geoffrey, but Alfie's qi is already low as it is. Sealing it even more will only weaken his body and mind. So please don't do that again. Luckily, Aria used her blue qi to heal and revive Alfie's diminishing pure qi."
Geoffrey? This blond lord was Lord Geoffrey Lancaster? As in the main king of the kingdom? The father figure of the Acaedien citizens?
I was dumbfounded. Well, he damn well didn't look like one, at least according to the image I had of him in my head anyway—that fatherly figure, appearance, and demeanor. Yes, I had no doubt that this man had wisdom, intelligence, power, and influence. I could sense plenty of that within him, but...
But he just didn't look like a president of the kingdom; that was all. He looked more like a hot model in his early thirties, with long blond hair and even with that mask covering most of his face.
I blushed suddenly, remembering his lips against mine when he was sealing the spell on me.