Chapter Twelve
Farren
That’s an understatement. If it weren’t for the fact that Rast had told us not to kill them, then I would have definitely taken his head. I may have let the others live if they had decided to run away rather than fight back.
The only reason why I’m not getting rid of him anyway is that it doesn’t seem to be bothering Rast at all.
If anything, Rast seems to be bored with it.
I know that technically they’re supposed to be the good guys, but the ground started vibrating in warning as soon as they got close enough. Actually, it started to warn me moments before Laikynn came to warn us. I just didn’t pick up on it until Laikynn warned us.
I don’t know how to explain it, but I somehow knew that the realm was telling me to be cautious around them, not that they were a direct threat that I needed to get rid of immediately.
This new development is honestly crazy.
I’ll freely admit that, but it’s been incredibly helpful so far, and I will take any help that we can get in this situation.
The help is familiar. Actually, not the help itself, I’ve never had the Void talk to me like this before, and that is what it’s doing, it’s talking to me, but it very definitely feels like the Void, it gives me the same feeling of comfort and familiarity.
It feels like a friend.
It’s because I know that it’s the Void speaking to me, that I trust it, and I will continue to trust it until it proves me wrong to do so.
I am also aware that I’m still calling this place the Void, even though I know that’s not strictly true.
I’m sure that I will get used to calling it by its proper name, Siorraidh, which honestly feels right and like it fits better.
However, for the whole of my life I have known it as the Void, so it’s going to be a hard habit to break.
“The leaders have sent us to make sure you were heading in the right direction,” Ricollio replies.
“We aren’t going back to the compound. There is a time constraint,” Rast replies vaguely.
“They are aware of that,” one of the others replies.
I feel my eyebrows rise.
Why would they want to make sure that we’re heading in the right direction if they weren’t trying to make sure that we were going back to the compound, which was the original plan, and how do they know that we aren’t going back to the compound and that there is a time constraint?
It’s incredibly suspicious.
“It’s a good job we showed up when we did,” one of the others smiles.
He seems to be a lot friendlier than Ricollio, but I’m not buying it.
“You seem to have veered off course. You need to head east. You’re currently going northeast. So you’re only slightly off track, but if we hadn’t caught you in time, then you would have ended up in completely the wrong direction. ”
“Are you certain?” Rast questions.
Ricollio nods, “Unfortunately, as much as I would like to send you in the complete opposite direction, for my own amusement and in the hopes that you would get eaten by something. The fate of the realm relies on you going in the right direction. The seer saw you heading in the wrong one, hence why we were sent to help you.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a compass, handing it to Rast, who reluctantly takes it.
“It has been spelled to send you in the right direction. Just follow east exactly.”
Rast doesn’t look happy, but he nods. “Okay.”
“We’ve been still for too long,” one of the others says quietly. “We need to head back.”
With that, they all simply turn around and then fade into the darkness. We all stay silent, not wanting to be overheard in case they remain within hearing distance to see what we’ll say or do, and follow Rast as he looks down at the compass and heads in the direction that it’s telling him to go.
We just keep walking, and it gives my mind a chance to wander while I make sure that I’m still paying attention to our surroundings. I really didn’t trust them, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they took this opportunity to ambush us.
Although they could have done that before they spoke to us, it would have been more of a surprise.
Admittedly, it’s probably unlikely that they’re going to ambush us. It wouldn’t be a good strategic move, but I don’t trust that they aren’t up to something.
Something just doesn’t seem right.
I mean, they almost completely ignored us, they definitely ignored all of the guys, and only the dick that did most of the talking looked at me for a bit longer than necessary.
Surely, he would have been more interested in us all though?
As far as he should be concerned, we’re responsible for saving the realm. I would be incredibly curious if the roles were reversed. I would be asking questions, introducing myself, trying to find out what kind of people they are and what qualified them to save a realm.
I mean, I’m kind of glad that he didn’t ask that last question, because I’m not sure what qualifies us to save the realm. I actually think that we’re wildly underqualified for the job, but it’s not like we could have just left it and hoped someone else would do it.
Admittedly, the thought hadn’t even occurred to me.
I have to admit that I was hoping that he would say or do something, just so I could see his face when he realised that Reaper was behind me. It would have given me great joy.
Reaper would have liked it to.
That’s something else that I’ve noticed that doesn’t really have anything to do with the current situation but is concerning me nonetheless.
Reaper is still at the forefront, Ryu isn’t.
He’s there, I can feel him, and he’s muttered a couple of things to me, but Reaper is still very much in control, and I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not.
On the one hand, it means that Reaper has more control in his dragon form, on the other hand, does it mean that there is something wrong with Ryu?
I really hope that’s not the case and that they’re just working together better and that Ryu knows that Reaper is more likely to keep his cool in this situation.
I’ll ask him about it when I get the chance, but for the time being we have something more important to discuss. We’ve been walking for at least an hour now, in silence, and I would be surprised if the compound guards are still anywhere near us.
“They have gone,” Laikynn says as he trots out of the darkness and starts to walk beside us. “They stuck around for longer than they needed to and then they veered off and headed back toward the compound.”
“Thanks, Laikynn,” I reply gratefully. I look at the others. “Are we really going to trust them?”
Rast frowns, “I don’t want to, I don’t trust them. To be honest, I never have, but like Ricollio said, what would be the benefit of them lying to us and leading us in the wrong direction?”
“I guess you’re right,” Loki says, although he’s frowning and he doesn’t seem too sure of his own words.
“I’m not saying that they aren’t up to something.
I struggle to believe that they trekked all this way just to tell us that we’re heading in the wrong direction,” Rast replies with a deep frown.
“Having said that, everyone is terrified of the compound leaders and for good reason, so they may have just been following orders.”
“I’m assuming from the way that you phrased that, there are consequences if they don’t follow orders?” Killian asks.
I nod, “Yes. The leaders always know if orders have been disobeyed. I don’t know how, and no one questions it.
There is a lot that no one questions out of fear.
There is no way that anyone would willingly go against the leader's orders. Especially not just to mess with us, and risk the whole realm, including themselves, being sucked into oblivion and ceasing to exist.”
“Fair enough,” Storm replies.
All of us are more than aware that he didn’t exactly answer the question. He didn’t tell us what happened, just that it wouldn’t be worth it, and honestly, that’s fine.
I can definitely understand that.
I kept a lot of things to myself, and at the end of the day, he doesn’t really know us that well.
He feels like he belongs with us. At least he does to me, but that doesn’t mean that he feels the same way. This whole situation is pretty fucking messed up, and his beliefs and things that he has known for his whole life have been flipped on their head.
Even though he suspected some things, it doesn’t make it any easier to come to terms with.
Plus, he didn’t seem that fond of me while we were at the academy.
Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to be treating me the same way anymore. I should let it go, but that’s not really who I am, and I want to know why he was treating me that way in the first place.
Maybe I just pissed him off.
I tend to have that effect on people.
“Okay, so we carry on then?” Storm asks, Rast.
“Yes, as I said, they have nothing to achieve by sending us in the wrong direction,” Rast replies, sounding pretty sure.
“Agreed,” Storm replies. We walk for a bit further before Storm speaks again, “So he’s a dick.”
It’s not question. It’s a statement.
Zev chuckles, “Dude, you have such a way with words.”
“Speaking of a way with words, you have been really quiet. Unusually so, are you okay?” Kill asks with concern.
I don’t know how I didn’t notice, but Kill is right. Zev has only said a few sentences here and there, nothing more, and that is pretty unusual for him.
Zev’s smile drops, “I haven’t had a proper vision since we’ve been here.”
“What?” Storm practically barks. “At all?”
Zev shakes his head, “I didn’t want to worry anyone. We’ve got a lot going on, but this is the longest ever that I haven’t had a vision.”
“That can’t be good,” I mutter.
“No, it probably isn’t. The realm itself could be blocking the visions, or there could be something else going on,” Rival says. “I know that’s pretty obvious, but that’s all I’ve got at the moment.”
“I think that’s a reasonable explanation,” Rast agrees. “Do you feel okay otherwise?”
Zev shrugs, “I don’t like it. It’s uncomfortable. It makes me feel uneasy. I feel like one of my senses has been completely taken from me.”
I speed up so I can walk next to him and wrap my arm around his waist. His arm comes around my shoulders, and he drops a kiss on the top of my head.
“That’s understandable. It is an extra sense for you,” Hades mutters thoughtfully. “If you allow me too, I can use my magic to see if there’s any sort of block on your visions?”
Zev nods, “Yes, please.” He adds, “Can you do it while we’re moving?”
Hades shrugs, “Sure. Just don’t fight my magic when it nudges yours.”
“Got it,” Zev says.
We all stay silent and carry on walking, and I feel Hades' magic grow for a moment and then fade again.
“There’s nothing that I can find that would suggest that your magic is blocked or has been tampered with in any way,” Hades tells him.
“Thanks for checking,” Zev replies, his eyebrows drawn down into a heavy frown.
“It’s quite possible that it’s the realm that’s messing with your visions,” Mayhem says.
“He’s right. You also don’t tend to get too many visions that involve us, so there’s also a chance that’s why,” Rival agrees.
“Thanks, guys. Hopefully, I’ll get one soon or at least know why they’ve disappeared. I never thought I would feel like this if I stopped getting them. In fact, for a long time that’s what I wished for,” Zev replies.
“The magic is still there, they aren’t gone forever,” Hades tells him reassuringly.
“Are you sure?” Zev asks, hope in his voice.
Hades nods, “Absolutely. Whatever is going on, it’s a temporary thing. It won’t last forever.”
“Thank fuck.”
As if the gods, ancients, or whoever it is who is in charge of these kinds of things has heard Zev’s plea and knows the effect that losing his vision is having on him, Zev’s eyes turn white.
He freezes in place.
His arm is holding me so tightly that I can’t move.
The others immediately stop and then surround us, keeping us both safe while Zev has his vision.
“What’s going on?” Rast asks, worry in his tone.
“He’s having a vision,” Loki replies and then adds drily, “which is one hell of a coincidence considering the conversation that we have just been having.”
“I’ll fucking say,” Rast replies. After a few moments, he adds, “Is it normal for it to last this long?”
“No,” I reply somewhat bluntly.