Also, I need to come out and say that I'll be on hiatus, probably until after Christmas or New Years. I need time to battle a cold and reconnect with my family so, while I will be working, the Chronicles of the Frozen Shade will continue in 2013. See ya then.
Chapter
9: Absence
"Mina? Mina! It's time to get up!"
Squirming under her thick covers, Mina turned over and
let out a short groan.
"Celiiiiii...I don wanna!"
"If you don't, the old man's gonna keep you cooped
up in here for another coupla days," Celine said. Mina felt the bed shudder as her friend took
a seat near the edge. "I know you
don't want that. Personally, though, I'd
rather you stayed in bed, considering Aeon brought you to us unconscious,
sopping wet, and covered in sand."
Sitting up and blinking her eyes, Mina glanced over at
Celine's reproachful look and sighed.
"Sorry. I bet you were
worried."
"Just a little," Celine snorted, lightly
buffeting Mina on the back of the head.
"The ocean, Mina?!
Really?! I mean...what were you
thinking-?!"
Lowering her eyes, Mina said, "Celi, I-"
"Going without me?!" Celine finished and
flashed Mina a grin.
Stifling a giggle, Mina leaned into Celine's back. "Next time. I promise.
The aquillans said I can come back.
They might even show me their home." Slowly, Mina's eyes widened and she kicked
back her covers. "Celi, the last
thing I remember was walking with Aeon and Miss Kinana to meet you. How did you find out about my trip to the
ocean?!"
"Aeon told me and Daryl everything," Celine
blew air out of the side of her mouth.
"I swear...what did you think you were doing?!"
"Huh?!"
"Going to the ocean, fine, I get it, but..."
Holding out her hand, Celine began to count off on her fingers. "You nearly drowned trying to help a
bunch of people who almost killed you.
You beat the tar out of a fire wizard.
Turned down a reward from royalty.
And...had a party without me!"
A smirk climbed to Mina's lips and she shook her
head. "I was just as surprised as
you were."
"Oh, I'll bet!" Celine grabbed Mina's head and
rubbed her knuckle into the fourteen year old girl's scalp. Mina squealed and giggled as she tried to
wriggle free from her friend's grasp.
When Celine released her, Mina put her hand over her
chest and caught her breath. Her heartbeat
was a little fast, but steady. Glancing
down at her feet, which were devoid of even a grain of sand, Mina stumbled out
of bed. She pulled out her leather work
dress and shoes, both of which were clean, freshly oiled, and without a speck
of dirt on them. "Who-" she
started to say.
"Echidna. Aeon
brought you to her cave to meet us and the second she saw you, she scooped you
up, stripped you down, and scrubbed you clean.
Dakon helped her clean up your clothes.
The man's surprisingly good at leatherworking."
Mina froze in place for a moment. "They...they gave me a bath?"
"We helped, a little," Celine smiled and
crossed her legs.
Slowly, blood flowed into Mina's face and she turned a
deep shade of red. "I...I don't
remember any of it."
"Well, you were
out like a light. Aeon said that
considering everything you'd been through, it wasn't surprising. I can't even imagine how tired you must have
been."
"Umm...were...Aeon and...Miss Kinana there
too?" Mina squeaked.
"Dunno what you'd be embarrassed about," Celine
shrugged. "They've seen you naked
before, haven't they?"
"CELI!" Mina squealed.
"Girls!
Everything all right up there?!" Kano pounded on the attic door. Before they had a chance to respond, he threw
the door open and leapt into the attic.
"Uncle!" Mina yelled, holding her clean dress
in front of her nightgown. "I'm not
dressed yet!"
The orange haired
man glanced from Celine, to Mina, before his lips split into a smile. "Lookit ya!" he called, scooping
Mina up in his arms and rubbing his beard against her cheek.
"Uncle! That
tickles!" Mina giggled, trying and failing to wriggle free of the burly
innkeeper's hug.
"You were so thin and pale yesterday, but...lookit
ya," Kano
mumbled, setting Mina down and lifting her chin with his hand. "Got a much better color...ya even look
a little meatier."
Still sitting on Mina's bed, Celine stifled a chuckle
while Mina bowed her head and blushed.
"I told you I'd be fine. I
just needed some rest."
"Haha, well, this time I'm glad to be wrong," Kano said, ruffling
Mina's hair before retreating downstairs.
"If ya feel up to it, how about helpin out today?"
"Sure! We'll
be down in a few, uncle!" Mina called after him. When the large man had left, Mina let out a
sigh. "He must have really been
worried about me..."
"He wasn't the only one," Celine murmured,
getting to her feet and putting a hand on Mina's shoulder. "But...you're not really all better, are
you? Aeon said you had some chest pain
last night. Sure it's wise to push
yourself?"
Lowering her eyes, Mina brushed past Celine and took a
seat on her bed. She slowly pulled off
her nightgown, stuffed her leather work dress over her head, and stepped into
her shoes. "Celi..." Celine
plopped down next to her on the bed and put her tan arm around Mina's
shoulders.
"This isn't the sickness from before, is it?"
Celine said, pulling Mina's head against her shoulder. "What's wrong, Mina? You know you can tell me."
"Well..." Mina let out a nervous, half hearted
laugh and looked away. "See...I'm
not...actually sick. I...I lied to Aeon."
For a moment, there was complete silence in the attic, only
broken by the sounds of the diners downstairs.
Celine gingerly flipped Mina around and stared straight at her. "You what?"
"I...I couldn't help it!" Mina stammered. "We...after last night, I was never
going to see him again and...I..."
"Came up with a reason..." Celine sighed. "Not sure what surprises me more. You lying to a lich or you actually wanting to go back to him."
"He...he's different, Celi. Different from The Molten Zombie. From...Agni," she spat out the last
word, as if saying it was like swallowing a needle. "I want to know more about him. I want..." she stopped and balled her
hands into fists. "I want to know
why he was there the night those flaming monsters attacked."
Celine digested this information for a moment before
furrowing her brow. "He said you
were to return tonight."
"Will you come with me?"
"Well...I wouldn't mind having another look
around," Celine rubbed her chin.
"I was so stuck on Yuka being a Neeg...she's not a bad sort, after
all, but..."
"Maybe Daryl will come too," Mina said,
brightening.
"Right...cause that's all we need," Celine
groaned.
"Oh, don't be like that," Mina smiled and
pulled the attic door open. "It'll
be fun! Especially now that we know
they're good people."
"Yeah, yeah..." Celine grunted, following her
downstairs.
As the pair passed the kitchen, they both picked up trays
that Kano had
left out for them. Once inside the
tavern proper, the two girls made their way over to several large tables full
of men in dirt encrusted white and blue uniforms, occasionally tinted with a
little bit of frost. The girls began to
pass out trays of food and mugs of drink to the weary border guards.
“Wooh,
Celine! Boy are you a sight for sore
eyes!” one of the guards called and raised his hand to slap her butt.
“Here’s your
food!” Mina sprinted in behind Celine and forced a tray into the guard’s
hand. “We pride ourselves on
punctuality!” she smiled warmly as the bemused man looked down at her.
“Y-yeah…thanks
Mina,” he mumbled.
"Shouldn't you keep your men on a tighter leash,
Sergeant Thedan?" Celine snorted at a gaunt looking man who was missing the
smallest two fingers on his right hand and a chunk of his left ear.
"Nope," Thedan said with a smirk, downing his
mead in a single sip. "If they
cause trouble, I jus leave it up to you, Mina, or Kano to discipline em for me. Saves time."
"Sides, at least those beatings are off
record," one of the guards laughed.
"Captain Morak turns a blind eye to em, so no bad marks." The border guards all laughed heartily and
the two girls scooted back to the kitchen.
Narrowing her eyes at the raucous group, Celine
snorted. "Idiots." A small grunt escaped Celine's lips as Kano banged an empty tray
on her head.
“They may be
loud, but they’re brave men and good business,” Kano said, handing a fresh set of trays to
each girl. "Show em respect."
"Uncle, I
didn't see Wrec today. Is he
alright?" Mina asked.
"Ah, right...ya
missed him. Morak took him and the
others up to the Keval
Pass last night. Won't be down for a bit, I wager. Though, that might not bother him too
much. Therians tend to be hot blooded. Come to think of it, he ain't the only one
we're missin. Kinana ain't here
either."
Celine
chuckled while color rose to Mina's cheeks.
"Honestly, old man. Isn't
she a bit young for ya?"
Kano replied by banging
his empty tray on Celine's head again.
"Don't be stupid. She still
owes me money. That room of hers is
reserved for four more days, but she only paid me half up front."
"Heh, sure that's all there is?"
With a sigh of relief, Mina slunk away from the kitchen,
hearing Kano smack
Celine's head one more time as she went.
Dropping food off to several patrons along the way, Mina headed for
Nivtenc, who was seated in the very back corner of the tavern.
Dropping the tray off in front of him, Mina saw Nivtenc
filling his cup from a flask which he tucked inside his sand strewn white cloak
when he saw her looking. "Something
the matter?" he asked.
"Not really.
Just wondering why you always pour that into your cup. What is that stuff, anyway?"
"Just a little spiced wine. Add it to anything to keep the blood warm all
night," Nivtenc replied pulling out the flask again and pouring more of
the ruddy crimson fluid into his cup.
"The days are hot, but the nights are cold in Aridia. This wine can chase the chill from anything. Even ice."
A short laugh escaped Mina's mouth, but the second she
got a whiff of the wine, she wrinkled her nose.
It smelt like sweat and iron.
"Are you well?" Nivtenc said. "You seem...distracted."
"Huh?
Oh...it's nothing, I've just got a lot on my mind these days."
"Worried about Wrec, are you?" the Aridian
murmured, his red eyes seeing straight through her.
“I guess
there’s no point in hiding it from you, huh?" Mina chuckled, scratching
the back of her head. "Do you think
he’ll be okay?”
“Probably. Things have been pretty quiet since the
attack five days ago. The priests and border
guards forced back the few errant Telnumbrans who broke through the Keval pass,
so it seems unlikely they’ll try again so soon,” Nivtenc replied. “You have nothing to fear."
A smile
crossed Mina's lips and she bowed her head to Nivtenc. "Thank you."
"Mina! Get back here! I got an errand for ya!" Kano called from the
kitchen.
"Guess I
can't dawdle any longer. Enjoy your
meal!" she called, leaving Nivtenc to his food and wine. The Aridian waved goodbye to her as she made
her way back to the kitchen.
"I need
ya to pick up ten pounds of aurox meat from Devan and his son. The larder's runnin a bit low and we'll need
more for the evening shift," Kano
said, putting five pieces of silver into Mina's hands. "Think ya can handle it?"
"No
problem, uncle."
"Good. Just...don't overdue it. If you can't carry it all, get Aegle to
help."
Bobbing her
head up and down, Mina headed for the door.
Passing Celine, she caught her arm for a second and whispered,
"When the shift is over, we need to talk." Before Celine could reply, Mina had departed.
Near the door
leading outside, Mina spied Daryl going over a few drawings with Angelo. “So, am I correct in assuming that the
structure of a Metronian is similar to that of neeg machinery?” Daryl mumbled
without noticing that Mina was peering over her shoulder.
“That’s an interesting comparison,” Angelo murmured,
running his fingers along a careful sketch of the metal body of a
Metronian. "The legion of Metron
are beings of order and they reflect that through their pristine metallic
forms. Though, I suppose if you look
closely, you could see their orderly
demeanor as mechanical,” Angelo stroked his chin as he outlined a wing that
resembled a bundle of swords. “Still,
where did you get the idea that they were akin to neeg machinery?”
"I was studying late last night and hit upon the
idea," Daryl said, without missing a beat.
She wiped her bleary eyes and stifled a yawn.
"You ought not to do that. Priests need rest just like everyone else,"
Angelo muttered, rubbing his chin.
"Still...this is an interesting line of thought. May I keep these?" he held up the
drawings. "This information could
prove to have some practical uses."
"Certainly," Daryl smiled, before flinching
when she noticed Mina standing behind her.
"You! You're up!"
"Don't go out with the priests," Mina whispered
in her ear. "Need to talk
later. Meet me and Celi in about
twenty." Before Daryl could
protest, Mina skipped out the door and into the brisk morning air.
The ground was littered with snow, however the morning
sun seemed to have thinned it out greatly since the previous night. All around her, Mina heard the tell tale
drips of icicles melting above her.
Standing in the sun, Mina took a deep breath and basked in the warmth
for a moment before heading towards the outskirts of town.
Passing by a few children wrapped in thick, woolen
cloaks, Mina dodged some errant snowballs and side stepped a fallen child in a
snow drift. She smiled as she looked
back at children half her age and was so distracted she tripped over a stray
root. Rather than falling hard, however,
a spindly man in a thick coat caught her and hauled her upright.
"Day dreaming again, eh, Mina?" Underneath the
coat, a man with a droopy nose, short ears, and blackened teeth gave her a
smile.
"Hehe, thanks for the save, Devan."
"I heard you were abed...feelin better are ya?"
the man muttered, spitting and leaving a black stain on the snow. Pulling out a tin case, he dumped a few brown
leaves into his mouth and began to chew.
"Ugh...Devan that's gross," Mina wrinkled her
nose.
"Hehe, if ya can still complain, ya must not be that
sick," Devan laughed. "Sides...my wife'll have my head if I go
back to smokin. Hates that I light my
pipe using my finger," he added, holding out his finger. A tiny flame sparked to life on it.
Mina watched the flame dance on his finger for a moment
before clearing her throat and saying, "Devan, there's something I need
from you."
"I'm off to get some onions and potatoes for the
evenin broth. If meat's whatcha need,
then Aegle's tendin the storehouse. Just
pay him and I'll sort it out later."
Spitting on the snow again, Devan nodded to Mina before heading further into
town.
A little ways off from the northern side of town was a
large fenced off area, with apocra running around inside. They were large and hairy creature's, with
cloven hooves and five muscular legs.
Their heads were longer than a humans and jutted forward, with three
curved horns coming out of the right, left, and back parts of the skull.
One of the apocra saw Mina and lazily sauntered over to
her. Though the creature was easily two
heads taller than her, it didn't even touch the fence which kept it
trapped. It merely eyed Mina for a
moment, snorted on the snow, and chewed on a patch of frozen grass.
Following the edge of the fence, Mina eventually came to
a small cottage with a large barn attached to the fence. Pushing the door of the barn open, Mina called
out, "Hello? Aegle? You here?"
Inside the dim, musty barn, hooks were hung up on all
sides. Salted bits of meat were hanging
from the ends of the hooks, however, several freshly slaughtered pieces were
also among them. They were frozen in ice,
with a distinct tint of red near the bottom and a cleaver embedded in a beam. A tiny
gout of flame from the back of the barn shot into the air and lit an oil lamp
hanging above her. Mina inhaled sharply
and put her hand over her chest.
"Aegle!
You're going to burn the barn down if you keep doing that!"
Hurrying towards the very back of the barn, Mina saw a
lanky young man with ruddy blonde hair and more than a few muscles holding his
hands close together. He breathed on
them and his breath turned visible.
Holding his hands apart, Mina could see a few drops of water and what
looked like a miniature tornado swirling in the palms of his hands.
"C'mon, ya ruddy bastard!" the youth snorted,
clasping them together again. Closing
his eyes in concentration, he let out a grunt and pulled his hands apart. Cold air seemed to waft out of his hands, and
a tint of frost crept up his fingers.
Quickly grasping a hunk of bloody meat, he held tightly and ice began to
creep over it. When the meat was
completely frozen, the youth pulled back and blew on his hands, rubbing them
together to warm them.
"Huh...thought you were a dab hand with magic,
Aegle," Mina said, glancing over his shoulder.
"S'not as easy as it seems," Aegle murmured,
shoving his hands under his arm pits for warmth. "Pops showed me how, but s'trial and
error. I can freeze the meat, but I don
practice enough to really control the ice."
"Still," Mina said, touching the ice,
"What you do is amazing..."
"I guess," Aegle shrugged. "Y'can do it too y'know. Anybody can.
Least, that's what pops told me."
For a moment, Mina
glanced down at the bloody ice and her heart began to beat faster. A vision of Aeon with six frozen wings
jutting out of his back flashed before her eyes and she stifled a gasp.
"Anyway...whatcha here for?" Aegle muttered.
Taking Aegle's still cold hand, Mina dropped the silver
into it. "Uncle Kano asked for ten
pounds of aurox meat."
Aegle looked down at the pieces of silver and
shrugged. "Ow fresh does he wan
it?"
"Ummm...fresh enough to eat today and probably
tomorrow?"
For a moment, Aegle seemed to be deep in thought, then
shrugged, retreated behind a small curtain of carcasses and came out with a
large rack of ribs.
"Aegle, when he said ten pounds, I think he meant
meat. Uncle Kano won't be happy if half
the weight is bones."
Aegle looked down at the meat, then to Mina, then tossed
it behind him and vanished again. He
came back with his arms full of salted strips of meat. "This alright?" he grunted.
Taking one of the strips, Mina quickly examined it. Finding no bones, she nodded and opened the
barn door. "That'll be fine. I'll need some help getting back to the
tavern though. Can you give me a
hand?"
Passing half the bundle of meat strips to Mina, Aegle led
the way into town, with Mina trotting close behind. "Hey...Aegle..." Mina stammered,
"Do you...think you might be able to teach me magic?"
A snort broke lose
from Aegle's throat and he began to laugh.
He only stopped when he realized that Mina wasn't laughing with
him. Blushing slightly, the blond haired
young man, said, "Nah. Too
hard. Gotta train every day and feel the
Leyline and...well, pops taught me from when I was a little kid. Took me eight years to spark my first
flame. It's a whole lotta effort for
nothin, Mina. Ya're better off without
it"
"But...you can do anything with your magic, can't
you?"
"Ummm...s'lighting lamps and freezing meat
anything? I guess I can make kites fly
too, but-"
"Nevermind," Mina sighed as they approached the
tavern.
Celine met them at the door and took the bundles of meat
from Aegle. "How's the old freezer
business going?" she smirked.
"Same old," Aegle shrugged and began to head
back to his home.
The two girls stepped inside and Celine jerked her head
in the direction of a table that was empty save for Daryl. The tavern had thinned out and save for
Nivtenc and a few of the border guards, they were the only ones left.
"Your breakfast is ready," Kano said, handing three trays to the girls
in exchange for the strips of meat.
"Ya ought to get some rest till-"
"I think we'll be out and about after breakfast,
uncle," Mina quickly cut him off.
"I've been in bed too long as is." Kano
nodded and let out a dejected sigh before retreating into the kitchen.
Mina and Celine dropped their trays down next to Daryl
and slid one over to her. The grease on
the aurox meat and cockatrice eggs hadn't yet congealed and the oatmeal
porridge next to them smelled vaguely of honey.
The three girls wordlessly tucked into their meal.
After several minutes, Celine smacked her lips and pushed
her empty tray back. "So...what did
you need to talk about?"
"Considering what the vagabond's told me...I can
harbor a guess," Daryl grunted, narrowing her eyes at Mina. "You really are crazy, you know
that?"
"Yeah, like you weren't hanging on Nerise and Yuka's
every word..." Celine snorted.
"That's...different!" Daryl snapped, brushing
strands of purple hair out of her face.
"I mean...I like them, but...they ARE Telnumbrans!"
"So am I, technically," Mina shrugged.
A long sigh escaped Daryl's lips. "When do we leave?"
"After breakfast.
We just need to be back before the evening shift," Mina said.
"Fine...it beats skulking around in the dead of
night, I suppose."
Celine turned to Mina and began to drum her fingers on
her upper lip. "What happens if Aeon
discovers you're lying?"
"I...don't know," Mina replied, lowering her
eyes. "But he needs us alive. He won't hurt us."
"Well..." Daryl ran her fingers through her
hair and slumped in her seat.
"That's reassuring."
"Promise me you won't do anything dangerous this
time," Celine muttered, putting her hand over Mina's. "Even if Aeon needs us, I don't want
anything bad to happen to-"
"Celi, I'm not a little girl," Mina
sighed. Looking up at Celine, Mina saw
concern etched on every pore of her tan skinned friend's face.
"No, but you are reckless," Celine frowned,
gripping Mina's hand tighter. "Who
else threatens fully grown and armed men while serving them breakfast?"
"To be fair, she has a mean right hook," Daryl
interjected.
"Not helping, princess..." Celine said through
gritted teeth.
Silence overtook the girls as Mina and Celine were locked
in a wordless struggle. Minutes ticked
by slowly. Kano poked his head out of the kitchen, but
Daryl rose to her feet, held up her hands, and shook her head. The burly innkeeper retreated without a
word. Finally, Mina sighed and said,
"I'm sorry..."
"What?" Celine mumbled.
"I've been very selfish lately. Even asking you two to go with me has been...very
selfish of me." Mina glanced over at Daryl, who seemed out of her
depth. "I just...I need to know who
Aeon really is. But I didn't want to go
alone. Even after all that's happened,
he still scares me, a little."
"If we had any sense, we'd be telling Angelo and
Morak about this," Daryl muttered, glancing from Celine to Mina. "But seeing as we don't...le's just go. There's still more I want to learn. And I am fond of Nerise."
"Promise me," Celine repeated, loosening her
hold on Mina. "I'm going with you
either way, but-"
"I'll try, Celi," Mina said. "I'll try and not be so reckless."
Celine and Daryl exchanged a glance. "I give her a week," Daryl smirked.
"Thanks for the vote of support," Mina snorted,
rising from the table. The three of them
headed outside, careful to make sure no one was watching them.
Mina almost tripped over twins who were playing in the
snow near the tavern, but Daryl and Celine steadied her as they made their way
towards the exit of Gesthal in relative silence. The houses began to thin out as they walked
and they soon left the sounds of farmers working, artisans at their craft, and
children at play behind.
Clearing her throat, Daryl pulled a few pieces of paper
out of her fur lined purple cloak. Some
had sketches of Metronians on them, while others had similar shapes but were
full of crudely drawn neeg machines.
"Wonder what Yuka might think if I showed these to her..."
"Neeg can't conjure, I don't think," Mina said,
"So I don't think she'll know much about the Legion of Metron."
"That or she'll ask how far up your butt you'd stuck
your head last night," Celine snorted.
Without even looking up from her sketches, Daryl quipped,
"Well, you're as surely as ever.
For some reason, I think that was more aimed at Yuka than me,
though."
"Celi, are you sure you're..." Mina touched her
friend's arm.
"I'm fine..." Celine sighed. "Yuka's...she's really an alright
gal. But I ain't about to forget what
happened to me overnight." Feeling
her scarred ears, Celine's face twisted into a scowl.
"But she did save you. Isn't that-" Mina stopped when Daryl
touched her shoulder.
"You fear liches.
Celine hates neeg. I don't trust
Telnumbrans. You can't force someone to
act against their nature. They have to
do it themselves."
"That's really good, Daryl. So...where'd you read it from?"
Daryl rolled her eyes and shook her head. "The Leyline Arcanum. The first Lord Prophet said something to that
effect in her book of Comrades."
"I should have paid more attention when my mother
read it to me," Mina said, as they approached the forest on the outskirts
of Gesthal. "I got bored after the
chapter on how the Lord Prophet met Shanadia and saw how the universe was
formed."
"I never paid attention to any of that. Even when Angelo was trying to teach the
kiddies about Shanadia," Celine shrugged.
"She's the goddess, we're the people...ain't that enough?"
"Your ignorance is legendary, vagabond," Daryl
snorted.
"You shouldn't eat so much, princess," Celine
retorted, "You're fulla crap."
"Ummm...girls?" Mina mumbled, as they
approached the smooth hill which concealed Acacia.
"I'm not the one making dirty jokes," Daryl
spat.
"Girls!" Mina called out after knocking on the
hill three times.
"Clean it up however ya want, but crap is
still-" Celine started to say.
"GIRLS!" Celine and Daryl stopped and turned to
Mina.
"You three have not yet mastered the art of stealth,
have you?" Vincent smirked at them, leaning against the doorway. He was garbed in a black and red tunic,
matching pants, and a long cloak draped over his shoulders. "Aeon said you'd be back. Though, this is earlier than I was
expecting."
"Best not to risk slinking around at night...it
tends to make people...suspicious," Daryl furrowed her brow at the
teythen.
"Makes more sense to be gone when people expect us
to be gone," Celine said.
"Though, I don't look forward to the old man getting it in his head
that we've all found lovers."
Color rose to Mina's cheeks. Clearing her throat, she said, "Is Aeon
busy? I...was hoping I might get a
chance to talk with him about-"
"He is absent, I fear," Vincent said, without
blinking his crimson eyes.
"Oh! Well...I
guess we could come by tonight, if-" Mina started to say.
"He will be gone until the morrow at least,"
Vincent said, "Emergency meetings tend to last at least a day or two."
"What do you mean by 'emergency meetings?'"
Daryl crossed her arms, but took a step behind Celine when Vincent fixed his
gaze on her.
An amused look passed over Vincent's face and he smiled,
showing off his fangs. "It would
seem there was an incident in the Bay
of Bendak," he winked
at Mina. "Those involved discussed
it with their guardian, Marina, the Drowned Maiden. She called an emergency meeting of the
Telnumbran Elder Council to order in regards to this and other pressing issues
which require the council's immediate attention. As a member, Aeon was required to attend."
"Ah..." Mina let out a small grunt and lowered
her eyes. "I hope he's not in
trouble."
Vincent shrugged.
"Liches, merchants, mages, and kings all sit upon the council and often
disagree. Yet somehow, they hold
Telnumbra together, despite perpetually arguing. As such, I doubt this is anything to worry
about."
“Well that
stinks,” Mina sighed, her shoulders slumping as she walked. “I was hoping to see him.” Noticing Vincent's attentive stare, she
clutched her chest and added, "So he could treat me, I mean."
“I heard about
your relapse,” Vincent said, furrowing his brow and kneeling down next to
Mina. “Are you well?" he put a cold
hand over Mina's forehead and she shivered. "You do not seem to be in any
pain..."
"Are we
going to stand here all day or are you going to let us in?" Celine put her
hands on her hips. "Even if Mina
came here for treatment, Daryl and I came her to see our friends."
"Friends..."
Vincent said the word slowly, as if savoring every syllable.
"Umm...so
is it okay for us to come in for a visit?" Mina squeaked.
"Of
course," Vincent said, with a warm smile.
Ushering the three girls inside, he pulled the door shut behind them and
led them into Acacia.
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