Cover above! Comment if you like! ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑

_______________________________________________________

                                                         CHAPTER 16

  "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

                                                    ― St. Augustine

THE WAVES OVERLAPPED each other, water hitting against the side of the large white ship. Deep and endless, the bottom going on forever and ever. Helene peered over the edge just as she had done once before while they had been going to SwynCrest. The ship they were on now was much different from the one before and much larger in comparison. It had large sail set on a long mast supporting its heavy weight, moving along with the wind. Helene stood on the main deck, her hair flying messily behind her. Other then Legion who was standing on the deck above her, everyone else was below in their rooms, either discussing strategy the last time Helene had seen them or sulking.

She tucked the strands of dirty blond hair behind her ear, gulping in the fresh air that hit her face in quick breezes. She squinted into the horizon , her eyes taking in SwynCrest so far away in the distance as the ship swam further and further away. It was so small that it looked like an ant hill floating on water.

Helene rubbed her tired eyes. They were ticklish from the sand that had made its way into her eyes from the time when they were boarding the ship, and had stubbornly stayed. Her clothes rippled with the air, pushing her back.

"You seem pretty content," came a familiar voice from behind her, making her jolt back in surprise.

Oh, how she hated surprises.

Oh, how she loved them at the same time.

Legion joined her on the main deck, his dark hair tousled by the wind and his black demon eyes glinting dangerously. Helene wondered whether she looked like a painting just as much as he looked like one, with her hair sparkling gold and her demon eyes glowing.

Then she wondered why she cared.

"Yeah," she attempted a casual voice, "the water is really calming."

He looked at her as if he could read through her webbed lies. But he could, couldn't he? He could go into her mind and find everything he wanted to know.

"The last time we were here, you threw your phone into the water," he reminded her as he continued to gaze at her with the same expression.

She managed a small shrug. "Anger management issues."

He nodded, staring at her for a second more as if he was trying to understand her without having to go into her mind. Then, he looked away.

They stood in silence for a while. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he thinking about going into her mind when she wasn't aware? Was he planning to find out what was in her mind?

But she had to ask herself. Why did she care so much about him going into her mind when he had told her he wouldn't?

"I won't," he muttered, "you don't have to worry."

It took her a whole minute to realize what he was talking about. "Did you just-"

"No." He stood up straight, his right hand on the railing of the ship, "No, of course not. You just seemed very tense and cautious. Reading facial expressions kind of comes with mind control."

"So you read that all off of me from my face and my tension?" she asked, genuinely curious.

He shrugged. "Yes."

He looked away from her, but not before she read the hurt in his eyes. It was only a brief flare of it, so swift that it vanished in the blink of an eye, but Helene knew she wasn't just imagining things. Had she hurt him because he though she didn't trust him?

But that was the thing. She did trust him, didn't she? So why was she so cautious, so careful? She knew the answer even before she thought of it. The answer never lied in Legion's power, but in Legion himself. She trusted him enough, trusted him to not cross her privacy, but did she trust him with the rest of her?

She knew what happened when you trusted too much. It hurt, of course, but sometimes it was much worse.

Sometimes it could kill you.

But would Legion?

She looked at him again, watching his eyes travel over the ocean. His expression was carefully neutral, his mouth in a thin line, not smiling, but not not smiling either. It just ...was. He tilted his head away slightly, as if he could feel her stare burn holes. It was as if he was trying to hide his face, hide himself away before he revealed too much.

Legion wasn't the only one adept at reading faces. Helene could do it too. And it looked like Legion knew this.

She bumped her shoulder with his, making him stumble slightly. He turned towards her, making a strange, unreadable face, as if questioning her sanity itself. She laughed at him, trying to release tension from the air.

"Don't look at me like I killed your cat."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you did," he shot back almost immediately.

"I would never. I love cats."

"Do you now?"

And just like that, the electricity in the air vanished, replaced by their usual banter. They stood in silence for a few more moments.

There was a sudden ringing as Party In The USA blasted, which sent Helene into a fit of laughter. Cursing loudly, Legion grabbed for his phone, hitting the talk button before he could be more embarrassed.

"Hello? Mom, hey," he mumbled into the phone, pacing so that he could put some distance between him and Helene. Helene watched him go. She debated whether she should follow him or not, but eventually decided against it. Legion had respected her privacy so she should respect his. Satisfied with her decision, she turned away and pretended to be interested in the moving water.

As it turned out, Helene didn't need to follow Legion to know what he was talking about to the Queen of Belwick. His shouts could be heard ringing across the deck.

"....no, you listen to me, okay? I don't care! I am going and that's final! You can't expect me to abandon the ship half way. What am I supposed to do, swim back to Belwick, huh? You've gone insane! The Creatures aren't about to kidnap me Mom, so stop worrying!" shouted Legion, making jerky hand gestures as he spoke. He ran a hand through his hair aggressively, and Helene felt pity for those poor strands.

Helene watched Legion's expression as he ripped the phone away from his ear, slamming his finger on the phone. He stood there for a moment, watching the ocean, his phone getting crushed in his hand. Suddenly, and without warning, he flew into action, chucking the phone in the ocean.

The two of them watched as the phone made a small plink as it hit the water, slowly sinking. Legion stared at it as it disappeared beneath. Helene began to slowly make her way towards him.

Legion did not look at her as he spoke, "Well, there goes my phone."

"You know," said Helene calmly, as if this was an everyday occurrence, "I did that last time and let me tell you, I regretted it."

"Well," Legion replied, smacking the railing with his clenched fist. "I won't."

Helene looked at him with a careful expression. She could feel his anger radiating off him and she knew how it felt. She would hate pity if their roles were reversed and so she wouldn't do that to him either.

"I think I'll miss it. How am I supposed to annoy you through text now?"

"Buy me a new one, preferably without my mother knowing. Or else she will start bombarding me to come back."

"Your mom wants you to go back to Belwick? I mean, I get it. After all, you are the only heir." Helene said.

Legion turned to her for the first time since throwing his phone into the ocean and gave her a half smile. "Don't pretend you didn't hear me screaming."

"You were very manly about it. I think it would be considered yelling."

"Don't be so sexist. I was screaming."

"Like a banshee?"

"No, I am a man. I do not 'banshee'"

"Oh? Who's being sexist now?"

Helene and Legion looked at each other before they burst out laughing.

"Ugh, you stupid lovebirds." A voice came, cutting their laughter off. "Finish talking and get down below. We have things to talk about or have you forgotten?"

And there stood Brenna, her hands on her hips. She looked like she had just come back from a fight and was ready to pick another one.

It was Helene who spoke. "Uh. Actually, we're just friends, for your information."

Brenna looked at her with a blank stare. "I don't care."

"Okay, well...er...you could at least try to be nice."

"Again. I don't care."

Helene squinted her eyes, ready to blow her head right off. "Say that one more time and I swear to god-"

"Okay!" Raylan cleared his throat as he approached the girls from behind Brenna. "No fighting."

Helene frowned, but didn't argue. "Okay, whatever. Lead the way."

Brenna shrugged as if to say sure-thing and turned around, giving Helene a stinky eye. She rolled her eyes as she followed Brenna down to the berth and into her quarters. As soon as she entered, she was met with a plain room with a bed, a side table and a closet. The walls were made of strong polished wood and the bed was draped in a white cotton sheet.

"Can't we go the small meeting room we walked past instead?"

Brenna turned around to look at Helene. "No. Anyone could hear us."

Surprisingly, Helene didn't argue, something she found hard to believe herself.

Ella, Cas and Raylan where already in the room with Ella and Raylan sitting on Brenna's neatly set up bed with Cas leaning against the wall, waiting for them to start discussing. Brenna moved to the middle and put her hands on her hips.

"Alright. The mortals living in Ethele will not bend to our will so easily-"

Before she could continue with what she was saying, Helene interrupted as swiftly and as casually as possible, "Actually, we can."

Everyone glared at Helene who shrugged back. "I mean, we have Legion right? He can mind control all of them to do as he says."

There must have been some coldness in her voice because Legion sighed, "I thought we were over that. And plus, I can't control a whole country to my will. My brain will explode."

Helene tsked and muttered, "Whatever. Continue."

Brenna ran a pale hand through her jet black hair and gathered her thoughts. "I was saying that the mortals living in Ethele will not bend to our will so easily and do as we tell them to. We must weave into their brains and take over ourselves without powers. It will be hard. It will be complicated. But we must do this or we will stand no chance against the Creatures and we need the mortals help more than I would like to admit."

"As I was saying. They will be very hard to control. Especially since they will be scared of us and will take extra precautions before letting us into their home."

"Like what?" Ella asked, tilting her head to the side.

Brenna let her eyes wander to hers. "Like their evil technology that we do not possess. Scar's trust their powers more then our technology so therefore we haven't focused on making new technologies like the mortals have."

"I really don't understand why the Scar's just don't wipe the entire mortal population off of earth. It will be easier that way," Raylan muttered as he laid down on the bed, flexing his muscles.

Everyone except Cas who was used to his bickering shot him incredulous looks.

"Why don't we wipe you off of earth so we don't have to stare at your ugly face?" Helene shot back.

Raylan laughed, "Ella knows perfectly how handsome it is." With a wink towards her he closed his eyes.

Ella turned red. Getting up she muttered, "Tell me the end plan when your done."

Then she walked out.

Helene caught Legion looking at her with raised eyebrows and she shrugged.

Raylan shifted on the bed. "I know you all are giving each other looks. You can ask her all about it later. I'm sure she'll love to tell you."

They all knew that wasn't possible. Ella would slap them to the moon for even talking about it.

"Alright. Enough of talking." Brenna rubbed her hands together. "Time to talk business."

________________________________________________

VOTE

COMMENT

SHARE

Thank you for reading!