A/N: Above is the photo of Hubert, but with no facial hair and with much longer hair :D

***

"Holy cow in--"

"Ty!" Krista hissed and glared at the boy in a hood.

Ty shuffled away from the girl while cradling his bow, nibbling it as the silence stretched between the group.

For a moment, all the attention was on Darcy, but his straight expression didn't give a hint if he was bereft of speech. His eyes bore on the General as though choosing the right words to say. But unlike everyone else, Zoe's jaw was hanging in the air. Her hand frozen at the back of Arlette, unaware of the perspiration now moistening her palm.

The revelation rendered her confused that she could not decide which form of reaction she should take. She wanted to doubt and question all of them, especially the young Prince who was the root cause of this accidental errand. And now, her long awaited freedom and adventure was taken away from her just like that. However, it was clear that he too wasn't aware of this.

Zoe dragged her vision on the small figure of Arlette, who was back on her staring session with the ground. She could see nothing but a frail girl who couldn't even defend herself, much more a whole realm. Judging others was something she loathed the most, yet she too was not perfect. She clenched her teeth, thinking that the future and friends she dreamed of were stolen from her by the very girl she saved. It was just too cruel that her heart struggled for its emotion as regret bloomed deep within.

Was fate playing with her?

"General Collosul," Darcy finally spoke, his cold gaze fixed on the anxious man. "I want to know who made this claim."

The knight's armor creaked as he shifted uncomfortably, scanning the lower and upper alley. "It's your brother, King Spero."

His eyes narrowed to slits, making the older man sweat drop. "How did he find her?"

He hesitated. "Prince Jao, it would be best if we continue this in the palace. It's too dangerous for her to be out here."

"Damn it! Can't you just spat it out?" Krista blurted and Hubert nodded in the corner.

"We don't know the weight of the situation," Nox explained, adjusting his glasses. "I think it would be best if we don't talk about it here. Also, don't forget that he's still the General of Lumiresia, pay him some respect."

"And now you're preaching?!"

His expression hardened. "I'm only stating the best logical action to take."

"You're obviously siding with them!" she pointed.

"That's not--"

"Guys," Darcy interrupted and the two looked away from each other. The young Prince walked to Zoe and grabbed her by the wrist, swiftly marching past the General. "Let's move."

The scent of mixed spices and the hearty aroma of beef was slowly overpowered by the damp-earth and the refreshing early spring breeze. Zoe peeked over her shoulder, meeting different faces of emotion. They hadn't even cleared a lot of things about how Darcy found her and now they were faced with yet another riddle. She could clearly tell that they were as confused as she was, with the same hunger for answers in their eyes.

She glimpsed at Arlette's direction before looking forward, feeling the poison of annoyance coursed through her veins. She must believe that this situation would be resolved. She shouldn't jump to conclusions and detest the girl, yet she felt so powerless over her own evil.

Was hatred really the right feeling?

She pushed down the ardor of darkness, slipping with other concerns. Just then she realized that for some weird reasons, she didn't have the urge to pull away from his grip. Even though he mentioned not to trust anyone, including him, he was the only one she could depend on right now. Deep down inside she could see the light of hope, although faintly glowing, she wanted to hold on to it.

"It's gonna be fine," he whispered, calling her attention.

For a split second, their gazes met--blue against gold--and Zoe swore that there was something in his gaze that wasn't there before. She might be mistaken, yet her instinct was telling her that she was right. Still, she didn't know him enough to read his expressions.

But what was he afraid of?

The group made a few turns that Zoe lose track of where they came from. The sound of the lively crowd grew softer as they gained distance, accompanied by the fading fragrance of mint and chocolate, that it made Zoe wonder if all the alley always smelled that good. Suddenly, the young bodyguard made a left turn and they were greeted by the enormous stone wall.

"A dead end?" Zoe perked her brow and looked up at him.

"Krista," Darcy called and regarded the girl in greenish robe. "Here should be fine."

The sorceress nodded. She approached the solid concrete and placed her hand on its rough surface. The channel of wind changed and began to stir around her. Krista began muttering inaudible words under her breath and unknown words emitting faint purple glow slowly appeared around her, following the flow of air like a dancing cloud of fireflies.

She stepped back from the wall and allowed the words to fly away from her, as though attracted to the concrete. When the last incantation was fixed on the wall, a broad spiral was formed. The whole circle began to rotate, each line spinning towards the other direction. The wind violently whipped around them as the circle revolved faster like a huge elesi. Its motion was quickly followed by a clicking sound as each line stopped.

"It's ready," Krista announced, chin high up as she watched their stunned faces.

"As expected from the family of Nightshades," the General commented with awe but received no sign of recognition from the sorceress.

"Thank you, Krista," Darcy said and received a nod.

Zoe was frozen in amazement, she thought her mind was prepared for this, but herself betrayed her. She was unable to distinguish the right words for the girl's wondrous skill. And even though she wanted to commend her, her tongue simply wouldn't allow her, too shy to do a few flips. Seeing a real sorceress in action made her wonder how she looked like in battle, just thinking about it gave her more reasons to befriend the girl.

Before Zoe could do more sightseeing, the young Prince pulled her straight to the wall.

***

Dedicated to EndooYamazaki

***

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider voting :D

XOXO