Vathek had volunteered the door - he would keep watch of the entrance tonight - because anyone else might screw it up. For the last fifteen minutes he sharpened a blade past it's limit; a stroke of rock to metal to count each second. He wondered if Cedric would kill him. Three, two, one.. On the hour the clock struck seven, and Vathek paused to listen for it. He started again; slower, meaningful strokes. He could throw it at Lord Cedric. Lord Cedric could die tonight. "My Lord."
"You always did know too much. Who alerted you?" Vathek thumbed at the blade of the dagger; over the smooth surface, rather than the slicing edges. Cedric's voice temperamental; snappy and sneering as always. The Mage had told him: more importantly it had told Caleb, but the she-witch didn't seem to realize that Caleb wasn't here.
"It's a trap. I'm here to kill you." Vathek smirked at Cedric's silence. The snake always hated to admit apprehension. Still. It took several seconds too long for the snake to laugh at the joke, and Vathek threw the dagger up; playfully, more than anything, and caught it at the spear's long wood rather than the blade. He wondered if Cedric would take two jokes. "Caleb is downstairs."
"Oh.. Iss he?" He'd never been subtle, but Vathek had to put it to Cedric, only the slurping of that snake-like 's' revealed any interest. Interesst. "That would be too nice though, wouldn't it?"
"Yes. Though it'd be nicer for you if he was here, I'm sure you'd waste no time in killing him.. Eating him, whatever it is you want with that child."
"That is not a child, Vathek, that is a reincarnation of a man not yet dead.." Vathek raised his eyebrows at that; at the accuracy of Cedric's opinion.. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so judging. Cedric was more intelligent than he seemed, perhaps.. Or it was the prince's opinion he was hearing. He didn't think so though. "It'sss.. Unnatural.."
"You say that as though you aren't morphing into a snake.. How's Miranda?" Vathek watched the seconds in his head; flickering past. There was a rope; a rope that triggered the alarm; an avalanche of rocks to block the rebels in. Vathek had hoped for someone better than Aldarn to be in charge though..
"Quivering, under my sheets." He licked his lips and grinned, and Vathek threw the spear like a dart. Cedric's egotistical expression crumbled with the walls.
...
"Don't you.. Wanna walk Will home?" Caleb strode forward with his eyes ahead as Cornelia turned to him. He did want to walk Will home. But Will wanted him to walk Cornelia home, and he hoped she realized that he wasn't upset that he was.. He was just worried because Will had been so.. Grim. It scared him that Will could be so grown up at times.
"Yes." It was getting cold. He hadn't brought his coat out, and Cornelia's own made ruffling noises in the early evening air as she fidgeted awkwardly; he didn't need to look at her to see it. His voice had been as hard as the air was cold. Bitter. He couldn't seem to make the tone go away, "Sorry. I don't mind walking with you."
"It's okay.. I get it.." She bobbed her head and he slowed down considerably; even with her sniffles, he doubted the icy cold was causing her stilted breath. Will must have been in agony when he'd pulled her along as fast.. "She does.. Y'know.. She likes you.."
"I wish she didn't.." He stopped when he realized his honesty to her, and felt a flush to his cheeks; adding the last word inadequately. "Sometimes."
"Why, I thought yo-"
"She's a lot better than us, Cornelia.." It was the last thing he'd imagined himself doing; revealing his secrets to this, of all the girls, and staring into blue eyes bleakly. "She's so much better than us, and I'm afraid that I'm.."
"You're good enough." He smiled; grimly thankful of the idealism that his facade might actually seem to measure up, but that wasn't what he was afraid off.
"I'm afraid that I've lead you all into this war.. Closer than you should be.." She looked pretty, he noted; it wasn't in any context like Will, but Hay Lin was pretty like this.. When they worried. Cornelia looked much prettier when she let people see her. "Elyon is.."
"Elyon isn't as good as Will." He nodded because it was basically where he was going. It wasn't a favoritism. She was simply acknowledging the fact that Will was the better person. Certainly morally, maybe something more.. To him it was a lot more. He felt closer, in that second, than ever to Cornelia before. Because he could understand her now. She wasn't bad. She was spoilt. But she was growing up, and fairly gracefully at that.. "And Will would've taken us to war anyway. For Elyon."
He wished she hadn't said that. "For Elyon.."
...
"With the City discovered, we've lost the element of surprise.." Drake frowned, as the rubble blew dust around Aldarn, who really was too young to do this.. It was different with Caleb. Caleb wasn't.. Real. "How much food do we have?"
"Enough to last a week." Secott had never been much of an optimist, but Drake didn't doubt the young man's honesty. "Maybe."
"Even if we surface through the other passages.." Drake knew where this was going. Caleb had always counted on honesty. That and discretion. That was why so many liars had been.. Dealt with, when Caleb had first come to power - an overruling vote from the Mage that was assumed when she'd spoken his destiny. Caleb hadn't been able to deal with liars. Snitches. And people had learnt to keep quiet or lose limbs. Until now. "I don't have anywhere to hide thousands of men.."
Drake swallowed and stepped forward; in very few situations had he ever felt nervous in speaking to Aldarn - most of those times being based when Aldarn had smugly walked around, proudly beside his' Caleb; Caleb originally more like a body guard that didn't like the guarded, than an actual friend to Aldarn. Protective, but not so nice.. And Drake had been timid to ask if Caleb would really bite.. He felt even more timid now; even when it had turned out that Caleb was there; in the shadows; creepy.. "We're safe for now though, right?"
"But they'll dig down eventually!" Drake frowned under Aldarn's serious tone. "We need to act soon!"
...
Cornelia Hale smiled, feeling the icy breeze hit her lips, before she tucked her face into her collar. He looked so sad; so tired as they walked along, and Cornelia forced herself out of the warmth of her jacket to smile widely at him again. "You know.. If you think about it.. You and Will will be together all day tomorrow.."
"Not all day, Cornelia. She has school. And we only need to stay until the guards have changed a few-"
"Well, that'll be ages, right?" Cornelia quirked glossy lips and wish she weren't the one giving him advice.. But he wasn't as experienced as he'd seemed; at least, he wasn't letting on if he was, and she wanted him to be happy, again. She wanted Will to be happy. Maybe that was the trick; that was how Will seemed to work. Everyone mattered, except herself.. Will seemed to get everything, and maybe it was because she was too good to take it.. Unless she maybe got a shove in the right direction. "And, hey, I wouldn't say anything if she happened not to be at school again.."
"She has school, and she's going." Cornelia found her smirk becoming realer; did he even know what school was? She doubted it; he never asked.. And he was way too clever and there was a war, and he was busy being rebel leader so she doubted that he had been to school any time soon.. Will might know. Either way: accidentally or not, he'd taken on the pre-parental tone perfectly; that scolding voice her mother used when she'd used to fake sick on sports day. She was good at sports.. She just wasn't good with mud like other people. "You all have to go to school."
"Sheesh Caleb, are you our dad now?" She felt the tension that had coiled around her chest fading; feigned playfulness quickly becoming real as he stared at her strangely.. "Anyway, it's kinda a coincidence, y'know.. That you happen to be spending so much time with Will tomorrow.."
She smiled, when he did; sighing and rolling his eyes. So he could finally see where this was going.. "What would you advise? And how did you find out anyway, I didn't tell yo-"
"Irma Lair has a bigger mouth than Hay Lin." She grinned when his face screwed up with exhaustion for the brunette.. Maybe it would be okay after all.. Maybe she could be his friend.. It was easier than she thought.. "Anyway, you are wise to come to me. I-"
"I didn't come to-!"
"Shush!" Cornelia whammed her palm to his mouth without thinking; wincing when she heard the slapping of her skin on his mouth, and the slight wail of a sound he emitted.. Not particularly manly, she cocked an eyebrow at him. "I am an expert, and you need to kiss her boneless to get her where you want h.."
Cornelia found herself caught; fooled by her own heart which had been non-reactive until she'd met his watching emerald-olive-lime-grassy green eyes that just couldn't settle down on one colour.. At which point that heart had jumped into her throat, and her heart refused to remember that he had wanted to walk Will.. But he walked with you.. "Mmph-mph.."
"Sorry." She dropped her hand; tingles piercing over the surface of her skin as it hung loosely: she willed it to stop, but it seemed to be rebelling with her heart.
"Cornelia.." He was just so.. And she could feel the warmth pulsating from him; his natural body heat only making the bitter cold, colder.
"Caleb.." She really ought to leave it alone, but God he was handsome; especially when he looked at her like that.. Concerned. Apologetic. Confused because he didn't know what he'd done.. "You're really pretty.. In a guy way.."
She scrunched up her face in horror; had she just said that? Apparently so.. She felt the corners of her mouth joining her heart and her hand as he snickered and at least he was laughing, and the words suddenly came back, as she covered her face.
"I meant handsome! Handsome!" Cornelia tried to cover her mouth and then his, as he muttered something of 'really?' and continued to laugh at her; finding her love-struck pain hilarious apparently, though his smile had always been too contagious to be offended by. "Stop! Laughing! It's not funny!"
"I'm sorry, I am sorry.." She pouted; straining back the smile as he desperately attempted to do the same, but he inevitably broke before she did, and cackled at her again. "You, Cornelia.. You're very handsome too.. In a girl way I suppose.."
She licked her icy lips and threw her head back; her best move had always been snootiness. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Oh, you should, you really are very.. Strong and bold.. Heroic.. All in the girl ways..!'
"Oh, fuck off Caleb.."
