Hi lovelies,
This one is a bit short considering the wait. It's more of a filler, and kind of only half of the Chapter, but I wanted to get something up. I'm planning to do more writing this weekend.
Much love,
Daisy
P.S
Here is a Character Aesthetic I made for Obsidian. (All images aren't not my own and are sourced from the inter webs) More of these are on the face-book group page so join us and check them out :) I will be posting more with each Chapter.
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Chapter 47 | A Matter of Pride
*
"And I'd choose you,
in a hundred lifetimes,
in a hundred worlds,
in any version of reality,
I'd find you and
I'd choose y o u."
- The Chaos of Stars
*
CIRCE
She looked at the crisp, white folded piece of paper that sat unassumingly on the table. Her fingers floated over it, hovering.
"If you want to leave, it needs to be now."
Her blue eyes remained fixated on the note, her hand freezing in place. As though she did not want him to see her hesitating, she turned quickly, her hands clenching behind her back instead.
"I know," she said indifferently, walking forward to stand by his side.
Ambrose glanced over her cursorily, "Are you sure-
"Yes, I am sure," her eyes were sharp as she focused on him and she felt her heart harden a little more at the scepticism in his face.
"It would be more beneficial to remain here until we hear about the outcome of the battle," he reminded her diplomatically.
She could not help the sneer that curled her lips. It was an expression she did not wear often, but his words, coupled with her current situation, teased it out of her. "He will win," She uttered haughtily, "And when he returns, do you really think it will be so easy for us to leave?"
Ambrose stared at her for a moment and then his eyes flickered down and away. "Very well," he agreed smoothly, "it is as you say, Princess."
"Then lets' go," she said coldly, "I want this over with as soon as possible."
He inclined his head civilly, but his posture was a little stiff. She forced herself to ignore it. If she was going to do this, she had to be completely resolute in her decision. Ambrose was just one person amongst the sea of those she would be disappointing soon. She could not allow herself to falter this early on.
Sweeping through the door he opened for her, she made for the edge of the ship and with the stars her only witness, she slipped gracefully into the water below. And although her body left, striking out powerfully towards her goal, her heart remained behind, folded tightly within a small square of parchment, engraved delicately with his name.
Obsidian.
*
OBSIDIAN
He would have been lying if he said the flight back to the ship was easy.
His muscles burned with fatigue, and each beat of his wings felt heavy and strained. More than once, his grip on Zalas's limp body slackened and he ground his teeth together, forcing his claws to curl back around the other man, holding him secure as he flew. His broken front foot throbbed, but the pain was bearable now that he was in the air. He could feel it mending slowly, so he endured it for now, after all, a broken wrist was the least of his worries.
He was losing blood from somewhere, he was sure. He could feel it in the darkness that crept like a greying vignette on the corners of his vision. A dull ache around his ribcage gave suggestion to the location, but he could not stop. Not now. Not when he was so close.
His instincts powered him forwards, leading him in the direction that he knew they would approach from and he calculated vaguely, the time that it would take for him to arrive. They could not have been too far behind, not with Cobalt at the helm, surely. But as the sun began its slow descent into the ocean, turning the shifting water crimson, he resigned himself to the fact that he would not reach them tonight.
So instead his path deviated slightly and an hour later under the cover of darkness, his massive, exhausted body ploughed into the sand of an unknown coast, chest heaving with exertion. He had twisted as he landed in order to protect Zalas from the ungraceful descent and now he let out a quiet groan of relief as his claws uncurled stiffly from around the Prince's body. He dragged them both a little higher up the beach, just enough to ensure the tide would not reach them in the night, and then flopped back down.
Too drained to consider transforming back, Obsidian shifted in the sand until it gave way for him and settled down for the night. The earth beneath his scales radiated heat from the day and he felt it soak into his tired limbs gratefully. The last of the bones in his wrist clicked into place as he closed his eyes and he felt the weight of one less worry
That night, when he slept, his dreams were full of stone monsters, deadly golden eyes, and the image of a knife protruding from a white scaled back; a scene that replayed itself over, and over again.
*
The morning brought little relief as Obsidian heaved his body back into the air, but despite the deep ache that had settled in his bones, the crisp ocean wind washed the last vestiges of his dark dreams from his mind and cleared his head slightly.
The day was grim and cloudy and the fog that lingered on the ocean did not lift until the midday sun burnt it away with a heat that was too weak to truly warm Obsidian as he flew. It was around this time that he knew he was drawing nearer. He began to probe outwards with what was left of his mental strength, searching for a reply that would guide him more accurately.
A little over an hour after the sun had reached its peak, he got a reply.
This way.
The draconian presence that swept into his mind was not unfamiliar, but it was unexpected. He did not linger over it for too long however, simply replying as he changed his course slightly.
Anthemin. I am not far away.
Is Zeus-
He is dead. Your Prince killed him. Obsidian thought of Zalas's reaction if the Prince ever found out Obsidian had willingly given him credit for something and shuddered. For a moment he was glad the other was unconscious.
The young dragon was silent for a moment, and then- understood.
This time Obsidian frowned. Anthemin never sounded particularly pleased when conversing with him, but this time there was a distinct emotion present that Obsidian couldn't quite pinpoint. He spared a quick glance down at the motionless body gripped within his claws. Surely the Dragons weren't already aware ...?
He grimaced. Who was he kidding? The bond that linked Zalas and Unabonan together was abnormal. There was no way Unabonan was unaware things had gone awry. He wondered briefly if he should be preparing himself to go back into battle. Would the Dragon Prince already be waiting for his arrival? Was the emotion he sensed in Anthemin's voice, discontent due to the unknown?
Should he speak in advance to defend himself?
Such a thought had never occurred to him before and almost immediately he shook it off, scowling. He had nothing to hide and he had done nothing wrong. But he couldn't help but grip Zalas a little tighter, cursing the Air Sprite internally.
I told you there was no way they were going to accept this, he thought frustratedly in Zalas's direction, even though he knew the Prince could not hear him, what would have happened if you had actually died you idiot?
But in saying that ... he still wasn't entirely sure that Zalas wasn't dead. He didn't know enough about the Air Kingdom gemstone to say for certain, and even if he did, the pulse he felt beating so very faintly was like a shaking candle with its wick running low; it was as though the slightest of breezes could snuff it out.
Circe is there though, he thought determinedly, as he powered in the direction of Anthemin's presence, she might be able to do something until we can get him to the Air Kingdom. Especially now we have those ...
Those being the two pendants, gold and blue, that were stowed safely within the sword sheath Obsidian had wrapped around Zalas before they had departed from the mountain top. With the sword now a designated grave marker, Obsidian had seen no reason to burn the bejewelled sheath also, instead tucking the other two pendants securely away inside it.
Circe could use her pendant, like he had seen her do before. He was sure of it. And if she couldn't ... his stomach twisted uncomfortably. Well he hadn't asked Zalas to jump in front of him, had he?
But even as the thought passed through his mind, he silently dismissed it. Perhaps once, and certainly not so long ago, he would have delighted at the sight of the almighty Dragon Prince, fallen and on the brink of death. But now ... under these circumstances ...
He cursed internally, his expression growing darker by the second.
I never wanted to win like this.
He swore an oath in his heart then. Once he had paid Zalas back for this, once the Prince had returned to his usual arrogant self, Obsidian was going to beat him into a pulp, just to teach him a lesson.
Don't think I like you, just because you decided to take the high road for once, he thought to Zalas pettily, we both know your real motives were as selfish as they come.
His spiteful critique was met with silence of course and his eyes narrowed in annoyance. He could practically hear Zalas's contemptuous voice echoing in his head, but under the current circumstances, it just wasn't the same. And this annoyed him more than it should have.
You are close, Anthemin's voice jolted Obsidian from his thoughts and he peered sharply through the cloud, searching below, you should see the ships soon. Drop below the cloud.
Obsidian forced himself to ignore the unease that came with this statement. It could well be a trap. If he dropped below cloud level now, while Anthemin was aware of his location, it would be easy for him to be ambushed from above.
After a moment's hesitation, he dropped in altitude anyway and probed the surrounding area as he did so. He felt nothing. No noteworthy presence. If Unabonan was indeed here, alerted by his brother precarious state, then the massive Dragon Prince would be unable to conceal his aura at such a close range.
So that left only one question remaining ... what had occurred while Obsidian had been absent, to put Anthemin so on edge?
Diving beneath the last sheet of cloud, the ocean loomed up to greet him, cold and dark. With effort, he snapped his wings back open, catching himself on the updraft as he hovered just above the waves. The surf below roiled and sprayed from the wind he produced, and he lifted forward, eyes searching ... seeking ...
There.
He veered North, in the direction of the faint outline of a vessel, rolling on the waves. As he approached, one ship became two, the second vessel appearing over the crest of a wave. The ocean was choppy here, churning uneasily, as though voicing Obsidian's unrest. He could not see Anthemin, but he supposed the Dragon was lurking somewhere beneath the surface of the waves- he was too big to rest aboard the deck of either ship now.
I'm here, Obsidian had time to think, before he felt his body give out and he collided with the ocean, just far enough away to avoid capsizing the ships. As his body shrunk in size, he heard the shouts ringing out from the vessels, but in the next moment he had lost hold of Zalas and in a moment of slight panic, tried to grab the other man with his foot, only to realise that his claws had vanished back into perfectly useless human feet.
He swore and swallowed a gulp of air before dropping below the surface to snag Zalas's hand before he drifted too far out of reach. His fingers, clumsy with exhaustion, fumbled and snatched as he tried to haul the dead weight back up to the surface.
And then there was a flash of white that did not belong to the Prince in front of him and suddenly the two of them were weightless as another force hefted them towards the surface, pushing them out into the cold open air. Obsidian sucked in a breath and found that his arm was loosely draped over one large back spine. He adjusted into a firmer grip, heaving Zalas up with him in one last ditch effort, so that the Prince lay across the young dragons back.
"Good timing," he coughed out.
Anthemin's large head snaked around to take stock of the two people clinging pitifully to his back. His white eyes observed Zalas's motionless form and his pupils contracted into vertical slits.
What is wrong with him? His inner voice was urgent and if Dragon's could look distressed, Obsidian imagined that this was what they would look like. At least Anthemin's reaction confirmed that the dragon had been unaware of Zalas's current state until now.
"I don't know," he rasped out, "but I don't think he's dead at least. We need to get him to Circe. Quickly."
Anthemin stared at him blankly. Obsidian stared back. He could feel it again, the uneasiness, humming inside the other Dragons body like a current of energy. And then he had a sudden thought.
There was only one person Anthemin cared about. One person who could agitate the usually unflappable dragon to this extent.
With his expression as dark as thunder and a profound sense of apprehension rising in his chest, Obsidian asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to.
"Where is Circe?"
*
It wasn't that he expected anything less, he thought as he slammed into the Captain's quarters with rage oozing out of his every pore, his golden eyes thunderous as he scanned the room, taking note of those who were present, but just for once, it would be nice to leave her alone and not have anything happen to her while I'm gone.
He didn't think that was too much to ask.
I'll lock her up, he thought vindictively, when I get her back, I'll bloody well lock her up.
"Bones," Cobalt had stepped towards him and it was fortunate it was him and no one else. There wasn't anyone else who could survive his anger right now, "you're back. Is Father ...?"
"He's dead." Obsidian took in Cobalt's relieved expression and resisted the urge to punch him in the face. "However, that should be the least of your worries," he continued, "are you going to tell me exactly what happened while I was gone?"
He watched the other Pirate's expression change from relieved, to confused, to understanding, and finally guilty. Obsidian felt his rage peak. Guilty. He was so guilty.
"Brother," Cobalt began, his tone appeasing as he stepped forward slowly. His mouth twisted unhappily, "I can explain. Why don't you first tell us what happened with Father – "
"Brother?" Obsidian snarled viciously, "You still have the balls to call me that when you couldn't even keep her safe?"
His fingers found purchase in the collar of Cobalt's shirt as he dragged the other man towards him, and he twisted and bunched the material in his hands. There was a ripping sound.
"You had one fucking job!" Obsidian unleashed all of his pent-up rage without hesitation, "you should have kicked that fucking piece of crap off my god damn ship the moment he set foot on it! Here I am, risking my life to kill our beast of a Father to keep you all fucking safe – but there is no fucking point is there?! Because you can't even get your shit together enough to know who our fucking enemy is!"
"Ambrose is not our enemy," Cobalt said quietly, his expression far too composed for Obsidian's liking.
"Oh really," he hissed, chest heaving, "then why don't you tell me what the fuck he is doing, blackmailing my Princess into leaving to go to the one place I know she has no desire to return to?"
Cobalt opened his mouth but couldn't seem to find a reply.
"Exactly," Obsidian spat bitterly, shoving him away. He eyeballed the rest of the room and the collection of people gathered there, "I cannot believe that none of you saw this coming," he said venomously staring straight at Nathaniel, "after what she has done for you, and you just let her go to face this on her own."
"Hold on a second," Cobalt interrupted angrily, rising to Nathaniel's defence even as the other's blue eyes grew more downcast, "you can't say it like that. That isn't fair-"
"You want to talk to me about fair?" Obsidian stared imperiously down at his brother, his hands trembling unconsciously, "Me?" He confirmed, "you want to talk to me about what isn't fair?"
Cobalt frowned and looked away, his jaw set in anger, "You know that's not what I meant," he ground out.
"Well by all means then," Obsidian replied scathingly, "please clarify."
"She didn't tell us she was leaving," Lacy said quietly from in the corner. The younger girl looked devastated, her eyes rimmed red from crying, "it was the middle of the night. She knew we would have tried to stop her," the younger girl turned her pleading gaze towards Obsidian, "we don't have Hobbson here at the moment, and with you and Zalas gone, there was no one left that would have been able to catch up to her."
"Lacy's right," Leonardo added, "Captain, with all due respect- with yourself and Prince Zalas gone, the rest of us are only human. We know she is heading to the Water Kingdom, and we could have turned the ships around to pursue her, but we would have had no hope of catching up to her."
"That's right," Cobalt's silver eyes flashed as he rounded back to stand nose to nose with Obsidian, "and I for one, felt the priority was to continue sailing forward to meet you. We didn't know if you were alive or dead. Circe, however, is absolutely alive." Cobalt's gaze turned challenging, "Perhaps if you had let someone know you had a plan," he continued, "then we could have considered alternate options."
Obsidian studiously ignored the logic in their words. "She should never have been left alone with Ambrose," he growled instead, and Lacy flinched, as though the words were aimed at her directly. Obsidian frowned, sensing that she was hiding something but before he had a chance to say anything further, Samson interrupted.
Stepping forward from his position beside Leonardo, the big man also looked uncomfortable with the current situation. "Captain," he said slowly, "we are all to blame. With Hobbson gone, we assumed that the presence of Ambrose meant news of his whereabouts. The Sprite requested an audience with Circe, which she accepted despite our misgivings, but we never imagined that she would actually leave with him." Samson frowned, his deep brown eyes unhappy as he rubbed a hand uneasily over his smooth, shaved head, "You know what the little lady is like when she gets something stuck in her head," he continued, "she's stubborn Bones. But she wouldn't have allowed herself to be blackmailed."
Obsidian's anger was simmering on a low burn as he nodded tersely in reply. "I know," he growled, "I know exactly what she's like. What is disappointing me currently is that all of you know exactly what she is like too, and yet here we are."
He levelled the room with his glare and this time no one returned his gaze.
Because he did know. God he knew so well. Circe was no longer the sheltered Princess he had kidnapped from her tower under the cover of darkness. She knew how to fight, how to defend, and she used the skills she had so painstakingly cultivated, to fiercely protect the ones that she loved.
And now, all that he could think of was the conversation they had had, not so long ago, in a snug little room where it had been just them two and a white bandage wrapped thickly around Circe's leg and shoulder – the awkwardly present third party that Obsidian had wished fervently, he could make disappear.
And he had told her,
Even now that you are strong enough to fight on your own, please continue to let me shield you.
And she had told him,
Before now, I did not have the strength of body, or mind, to fight for those who I wished to protect. Now that I can, I will not hold back any longer.
So yes, he knew. Knew that the only thing that could have pulled her from him, was her love for him, and the others she desired to protect. And he hated it. He never thought he could ever hate such a thing, but here it was – swelling up inside of his throat and sticking there. A constant reminder.
She would have gone back to settle things with her Mother. Of this he was certain. He did not forget Ambrose's cameo appearance on that unknown beach shortly after his resurrection. And the means of persuasion that the Water Sprite had used in a cheap attempt to get Circe to follow him back to the Watery Kingdom Ambrose called home.
Although he had not expected the issue to simply vanish, Obsidian was ashamed to admit that it had slipped his mind. He felt a brief flash of self-loathing. He had been so caught up in his own affairs with Jhaer, and with Zeus, that it hadn't even occurred to him that such a thing might be weighing on her mind. Had she been thinking about it all this time?
If we had talked about it, would she have still left?
He couldn't stop himself from thinking it.
He had so desperately sought out his Father because he felt that, in a sense, defeating Zeus was the final mountain he had to scale on the path to redemption. To becoming worthy of her. And if he could just get there, then finally, finally that would be the last obstacle, gone. But now this.
Will we ever be allowed to just ... be? He thought desperately, looking at the room full of faces before him, faces that were all still looking away. A muscle in his jaw twitched and his expression became thunderous.
"Fine."
The single word was scarily quiet but resounded through the room as though he had shouted. His eyes narrowed.
"What is done, is done." He sounded calmer than he had expected. He wondered how long it would last. "Turn the ships around and chart a course for the Water Kingdom," his eyes landed on Nathaniel and he lifted a hand to point at him stonily. "You," he uttered, drawing Nathaniel's attention.
Nathaniel's head snapped up instantly and he met Obsidian's gaze apprehensively.
"Don't you have your own ship?" Obsidian uttered coldly, ignoring Lacy's sharp intake of breath.
"He's still recovering," she began, but Obsidian interrupted her before she could finish.
"I was not speaking to you," he raised his voice slightly, golden eyes flashing in warning. Looking back at Nathaniel, he asked again. "Do you, or do you not, have your own god damn ship?" He commanded.
Nathaniel held his gaze and a moment passed. The other man's blue eyes hardened. He rose to his feet. "Yessir." He replied firmly.
"Then what the fuck are you still doing here?" Obsidian snarled, flinging a hand towards Cobalt. "He is not your Captain. I, most certainly, am not your Captain. We agreed that you would sail alongside us, not under us. You are Captain of your own goddamn vessel. If you had decided to, you could have turned your ship around to go after your Sister the same way she went after you when you vanished; unhesitatingly, and relentlessly." He swept a glare in Lacy's direction, "Injured or not."
Obsidian could feel Cobalt glaring daggers in his direction- which he ignored. He knew he was being harsh. But there was something that was irritating him immensely in this moment and he was not afraid to voice it.
"All of you idiots, seem to think that you being 'human' is some sort of excuse for sitting back and doing sweet fuck all," he met Cobalt's outrage expression head on, continuing before his brother found a chance to speak, "but what you seem to be forgetting, is that before we all got caught up in this mess, we had another reputation to uphold, one that stands even now. And probably," he scoffed derisively, "would be snatched away in a second if the rest of the world could see how pathetic you all are right now. Do any one of you even remember who you are anymore? Who you were before all of this shit hit the fan?"
His burning gaze landed on Samson and he watched as the realisation dawned on the mans face. The big man clenched his fist, raising his head to meet his Captain's eyes. His fist hammered down over his heart with a solid thud. "We are the crew of the Pirate King," his voice was deep and resolute.
"That's right," Obsidian snarled with satisfaction, "did you forget why they crowned us with that title? Or do you think it was just simply inherited from my Father?" He looked around fiercely at his crew.
Again, it was Samson who spoke first. "Because we are the Rulers of the Sea," he replied, his head nodding as the words he spoke roused the others in the room also. Slowly, gazes were lifting until Obsidian felt the weight of the room on him once more. "I am sorry Captain, I-"
"Why the fuck are you apologising?" Obsidian roared, "Just don't make me say it again! What the fuck is wrong with you people? You are all Pirates for fucksake. Have you gone so soft that you need to be coaxed at every turn?"
"No Captain."
The unison of voices was like music to his ears. He swung a hand around to point at Nathaniel. "You," he uttered gruffly, "get back on your ship and do your goddamn job."
"Yessir," Nathaniel replied swiftly, heading for the door.
"Don't fucking call me 'Sir'" Obsidian muttered crossly, "who am I? Your Father?"
"Bones," Leonardo had appeared in front of him, "permission to follow Nathaniel aboard to advise him."
Obsidian waved his hand, "permission granted," he grunted.
Lacy followed Leonardo and Nathaniel out without a word and Samson was close behind them, the door banging shut in their wake. On the deck outside, Obsidian heard Samson's deep base voice bellow out as the Pirate began issuing orders. There was a flurry and scramble of feet as everyone began to move to their stations and not long after Obsidian felt the ship shift as they changed course.
In the room there was a moment of silence and then-
"Bones,"
He glared at Cobalt. "Don't talk to me, you're not forgiven."
Cobalt's face was flushed with anger. "If you'd just let me talk, she left you a letter."
Obsidian glanced down at his brother's hand which was extended out towards him. Between his fingers, a small square of folded parchment lay nestled between. He reached out and snagged it, frowning.
Flipping it over, he read the single word scripted on the front and felt his chest tighten.
Obsidian.
Impatiently, he flicked the letter open, his golden eyes scanning the contents hungrily. There was only a single sentence however, and although he re-read it desperately, the words in front of his eyes did not change. Slowly, his expression hardened, jaw clenching tightly as the letter crumpled in his bunched fist. With burning eyes, he rounded on Cobalt.
"What did it say?" Cobalt looked at the letter, and then back to him.
Obsidian growled at him.
"Bones!" Cobalt protested defensively, "She acted on her own! There was nothing any of us could do."
"I don't want to hear any more excuses," Obsidian looked at him coldly, "I will fix this. And only once she is back, will you be forgiven. If anything happens to her Cobalt, anything at all ... so help me. I don't care what you say. I will hold you responsible."
"And how are you going to fix this exactly?" Cobalt spat out, "In case you've forgotten, neither of us are welcome at the Water Kingdom. I doubt we will even get through the gates.
Obsidian stared at him in disbelief. "Do you really think I was going to ask?" He said incredulously.
Cobalt threw his hands up in despair, "Bones you can't just-"
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do," Obsidian sneered, "unlike you, I discarded any thoughts of limitation a long time ago. However," he eyeballed his brother studiously, "this time you are right. I have a different plan. So, you can just sit back and watch how a real Pirate deals with things," he uttered imperiously as he swept towards the door, "make sure you take notes."
The door clicked open and Cobalt scoffed behind him as he followed Obsidian out onto the deck. "Oh really," he retorted scathingly, "and I don't suppose you're actually going to tell me what the plan is this time?"
For a moment, the two of them stood motionless on the worn wooden deck. All around them, people were rushing back and forth, but they parted around the two brothers seamlessly, like water off the ship's bow.
"And the other thing," Cobalt frowned, glancing around, "not that I care particularly, but where is that arrogant shit head? I thought he went with you. Unless it was a coincidence and he went back home," Cobalt scoffed, "wouldn't put it past him, coward."
"Don't say that." The words escaped Obsidian's mouth before he could pull them back. He grimaced and rolled his eyes at the look of shock on Cobalt's face.
"What did you just say?" Cobalt asked, aghast. "Where is he?"
Obsidian cursed under his breath, running a hand roughly through his hair. "Let's just say that if my plan doesn't work, it won't matter where he is- we will both be dead."
Cobalt stared at him for a long moment, his face slowly paling. "Bones, what happened?" He hissed, voice dropping to a whisper. "Is he ... is Zalas dead?"
There was a moment's pause before Obsidian decided the conversation was unavoidable. "Right now, he might as well be," he said curtly.
"Shit," Cobalt swore, his silver eyes wild, "Shit, Bones! What the fuck happened?"
"It doesn't matter," Obsidian growled, "I have a plan."
"It doesn't matter if you have a plan," Cobalt's expression was stricken, "we're fucked."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Obsidian retorted. "And anyway, the bastard owes me that much."
Climbing up onto the railing of the ship, Obsidian turned slightly to meet his brother's frustrated gaze. "Meet me at the entrance to the Water Kingdom."
"Where are you going?" Cobalt gripped the edge of the railing, "Don't tell me you're actually taking him back home in person? They'll kill you!"
"They will not kill me," Obsidian said darkly, "I'll make sure of that. I'll meet you at the Water Kingdom. Wait for me at the entrance."
Cobalt swore, "Oh fantastic," he uttered scathingly, "and if you don't come?"
Obsidian felt his lips curl upwards at the corners, even as his heart raged within his chest. "I will come. She is waiting for me."
*
Cobalt watched the draconic silhouette of his brother fade into the clouds above and tried to wrangle his emotions back under control. It was difficult though, considering the flood of information that had suddenly been dumped at his feet.
Zeus was dead. That news had brought him immeasurable relief – but the celebration was overshadowed by Circe's departure. Cobalt refused to use the word 'disappearance,' it wasn't accurate.
Despite what his brother might think, Cobalt was certain that Circe would not have left unless she wanted to. And while he deeply regretted not having a chance to make her stay, he was sure that she was safe.
And Circe would have known, surely, she would have known, that as soon as Obsidian found out, he would come for her. Cobalt highly doubted that Circe had forgotten to factor in Obsidian's deadly temper when she made her choice.
As if that hadn't been enough to send his emotions reeling, Obsidian just had to casually mention that the most annoying, pretentious, pain in the ass Prince, that Cobalt had ever had the misfortune of meeting, might possibly be dead. And if that wasn't outlandish enough, Obsidian didn't even sound happy about it.
He didn't sound happy at all, Cobalt mused, agitatedly running a hand through his hair. He drummed his finger on the ships railing for a moment before spinning around. The crew were still hard at work, a tailwind had picked up and they were adjusting the sails accordingly. Cobalt made for the Captain's quarters, a thought suddenly coming to mind. He clapped Samson on the shoulder on the way past.
"Make sure we don't lose Nathaniel, he has Leo aboard, but Nate is still green."
"Aye, Captain." Samson lowered his head, his voice noticeably quieter, "Where did Bones go?"
Cobalt grimaced, "To the Air Kingdom."
Samson jerked with surprise, his deep brown eyes meeting Cobalt's own. "Is Zalas ..."
"I don't know," Cobalt gave him a sharp look, "it didn't sound good, but Obsidian wasn't exactly forthcoming with his information," he sneered in annoyance. "Let's continue onwards to the Water Kingdom for now. Obsidian has ordered us to wait at the entrance."
"Understood," Samson straightened, his voice firm – but Cobalt could see worry lingering in his normally steady gaze.
"Don't forget," Cobalt reminded him, "what Bones said to us in the room just now."
Samson's eyes hardened and he nodded firmly. "Yes."
"Good. You know where to find me if you need me."
"Yes Captain."
Cobalt spied what he was looking for as soon as soon as he stepped through the door. If he was honest, he was genuinely surprised that Obsidian did not take it with him.
Now read by the recipient, and left, crumpled on the table, Cobalt had no qualms about walking over to unfold the note Circe had left behind.
Obsidian's expression while reading it, had been enough to raise the hairs on Cobalt's arms, his skin prickling uncomfortably with the sensation. He felt the goose-bumps return now as he scanned the single sentence, reading it twice over.
Briefly, his brothers face flashed into view once again – lips pressed into a thin line, jaw clenched in fury, eyes burning with determination. And under it all, an insatiable, burning, hunger.
Cobalt wondered vaguely if Circe really understood what she was instigating when she wrote this. Surely, she didn't hate her Mother enough to want to destroy the entire Kingdom ... right? He glanced down to read one more time, his fingers skimming lightly over the words. He sighed. "Just what are you thinking," he murmured.
I will be waiting for you.
*