Chapter 13

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The small party moved quickly through the Lhant countryside, and by midday, they were on board a ship that would take them to Barona. It was a trip that Sophie had taken many times, but despite the good weather and calm seas, she felt a heavy sense of trepidation pressing in on her. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she knew exactly what was the cause.

Lambda stood with her at the bow of the ship, arms folded and looking as stony as usual, if a little cross, completely oblivious to his surroundings. They hadn't spoken more than a few words to each other since the day began- in fact, Lambda had hardly spoken at all. It was as if, caught up in his thoughts, he had closed himself off from everyone around him.

Thus, when he had come up to her but a few minutes ago, she wondered what it was that he wanted. They had been standing like a couple of statues since then, each reluctant to speak. Her surprise only grew when he broke the silence first.

"Asbel thinks we should... talk," he said, gazing out towards the city port off in a distance. For a moment, she thought she heard his voice falter, but as he turned to fix his stony gaze at her, she dismissed it as her imagination.

"We should," she acknowledged, trying to keep her voice neutral as she turned to him. For years, they had been at complete ease with each other, comfortable and friendly. Yet, the way things were now, it felt as if she had only just met him in the flower meadow but a day before- his gaze inscrutible, and his thoughts even less so. He stood but a few feet away, but it felt as if there was a giant gulf in between them.

"I-" he began, then stopped. He ran a hand through his hair, his brows creasing in frustration. It seemed odd to see such organic actions come from a mechanical body, she thought. "You think I've changed. For the worse."

She nodded slowly. "Did you ever really trust me, Lambda?" she asked softly.

She noticed the way his eyes flicked to the side as if he were thinking, the way his frown seemed deeper. The way his original surprise was replaced by a sudden melancholy. "Did you?"

Did she? Yes, she wanted to say, of course- yes. But when she opened her mouth, something stopped her. She scrutinized the sentience. Where once she found it easy to judge his thoughts from his eyes, now it felt as if his gaze was guarded, afraid.

Unconsciously, she found herself pressing a hand against her chest, trying to assuage the dull throb she felt there.

She didn't know why. He wasn't angry, watching her with the calm gaze that was almost human. This was how she always wanted to remember him- gentle, present. He was here, standing right next to her.

So why couldn't she respond? Why did she entertain these thoughts that she had thought she had buried and destroyed years ago?

Why couldn't she tell him what they both needed to hear?

He stayed silent for a long while, waiting, before he let out a soft, muted sigh. "Forget it," he murmured as he turned away, his eyes downcast. "That was a foolish question."

She wanted to stop him from leaving. But when he turned and fixed her with his ruby gaze, she froze. Suddenly, she saw a flash of her memories- of a monstrous shadow with his claws outstretched, waiting to pierce through her like spears, his roar like a vengeful beast-

She froze, unable to move as she watched him turn and walk away from her. And as his white-robed form slipped beneath decks, she couldn't help but wonder how long this horrible feeling would last.

The capitol of Windor was a beautiful place- straight streets paved with stone, with the Valkines towering nearby, a beacon that symbolized order and protection to all who glimpsed it. Yet, today, Lambda found the city to be confining, restrictive. It reminded him too much about the world that was outside of Lhant, of the threats that lurked all around him. For a brief moment, he found himself scanning the eleth of the nooks and crannies of the city, as if expecting there to be enemies lurking within them. Then he reminded himself that nobody would dare attack him here, out in the open, with Asbel just a few feet away and Richard in the castle nearby.

Unconsciously, he found his gaze drawn towards the structure off in the horizon, Castle Windor. Undoubtedly, the other lords would gather there- Olbrick among them. He felt a small sliver of fear then, one that he pushed away and stomped out as viciously as he could. Olbrick wouldn't do anything- he couldn't, not with guards and all the other nobles lurking around. Besides, based on what he knew, the Strahtan researchers had yet to finish deciphering Cornell's texts anyways.

The thought did little to reassure him.

"Should we go to the castle?" Sophie asked suddenly as they entered the city proper. She stood at the front of the group, by Asbel's side. Lambda had tried to avoid the girl for the majority of the trip, yet, somehow, he always found his gaze drawn towards her. She looked more muted today, with less of her usual exuberance. When she glanced at him, her gaze always looked troubled- and he knew that, at least partially, he was the cause. They had not spoken- not properly- and somehow, the sentience found himself lacking in courage when he thought of talking to her.

He wasn't sure what hurt worse- the knowledge that what she said would confirm his worse fears, or the stubbornly held hope that he was wrong.

"Probably," Asbel replied, his gaze flicking over first to him, then to Sophie. Lambda could see there was a thought in his eyes. Abruptly, he continued, "I'll go. It'll take some time to sort through all the pleasantries. Maybe you'd like to look around the city for a bit?"

Asbel's blue eyes landed on him. Lambda found himself slightly surprised- still, any opportunity to stay away from the nobles, from Brind was a godsend. Quietly, he rumbled in reply, "I would not mind."

The lord nodded and turned to the girl by his side. "Sophie?" he asked gently.

She hesitated. Self-consciously, she glanced at Lambda, and he felt a lump settle in his throat as she lowered her gaze. "Alright," she acquiesced.

Asbel looked satisfied with the answer. He clasped each of their shoulders, and with a gentle smile that was so infuriatingly quintessential Asbel, he murmured softly, "Take care of each other, alright?"

"Of course," they echoed in unison. Lambda locked eyes with her then, startled- and in her violet pupils, he saw a reflection of his own surprise. But then quickly, quietly, it faded, and she looked down and away, biting her lip all the while.

Asbel seemed to understand that there was nothing else more to say. With that, he nodded and waved his soldiers to follow.

Together, they stood and watched as the lord and his small retinue climbed up the city steps towards the castle. Lambda felt the isolation press in around him then. Here he was, in this vast city, with his enemy possibly sitting in the very castle that overlooked it. And there was the worry he couldn't quite shake- would Richard's plan actually work? Would he really be safe?

"Let's go." Sophie's voice pulled him from his thoughts. She stood nearby, watching him with her dimmed, violet eyes. Things between them were still strange. Yet, knowing that she was still there with him seemed to ease the tension that he felt.

Quietly, he followed her lead down the streets of Barona, for the moment content with the slight bond of camaraderie that still existed between them.

The streets were familiar to Sophie, having crossed the numerous paths millions of times before. Sometimes, on a whim, she would come to the capitol solely to stare at the shops and the likes, entertaining the brief idea of maybe sneaking into the castle to see Richard. She always wondered whether Lambda would have joined her in her numerous excursions, but there were always other things to do, and he was always reluctant to leave Lhant. She had never expected for them to have come here under these circumstances.

Yet, in spite of the tense atmosphere in between them, Lambda seemed more relaxed now, less wary. If she didn't think too hard, it would almost have seemed as if it were a normal day for both of them, enjoying the peace of each other's presence. Hesitantly at first, she brought him through the various shops and cafes that lined the city streets. And with each passing smile Lambda showed, she felt her own spirits lift slightly.

At least, until she caught sight of someone familiar tailing them.

It was but a glimpse, but Sophie knew what she saw. Reaching out with her senses, she could feel them- eleth signatures that were rougher, far more coarse than the refined signatures of the Baronian citizens. With a start, she realized that they had completely flanked their position, and that Lambda, unaware and still recovering his lost eleth, was unable to pinpoint the difference in eleth around him when he wasn't actually trying.

He had no idea that Gern and his bandits had them completely surrounded.

There was no doubt what they wanted, she thought. Her body tensed at the thought. Even though she was lightly garbed in her work shift and hardly armed with her usual gear, she knew that she was more than prepared for a fight if it came down to it. And these bandits had showed little to no respect for innocent life before. Out here, in the middle of the streets- how many people would be wounded before the guards arrived?

She refused to acknowledge the darker whisper that she knew that they weren't here for a fight- that they were here for another, more sinister reason.

She could not involve Lambda. Her eyes flicked over to the mechanical boy, who was now observing a contraption in a nearby toy store. If he realized what was going on- she could only imagine what would happen. What he would do.

Dark claws, striking at her. Thin, needle like tips piercing her body. A gleeful laugh that was so familiar and yet not-

She swallowed, trying to force away the memories. And suddenly, it dawned on her what exactly she had been so afraid of. There, watching Lambda admire a child's toy with such rapt fascination, with such a human expression- she knew. And while that knowledge did nothing to ease the fear she felt, she knew that it only strengthened her resolve.

He was momentarily distracted for now. And when she glanced over her shoulder, she could see the bandit leader standing at a nearby alleyway, watching them both with a smirk.

Quietly, she stepped away from Lambda, away from the light and sanctuary of the Barona streets. There was a brief moment where she wondered whether she was doing the right thing, but when she glanced at sentience only a few metres away, she knew that if she could protect that smile on his face, that gentle look in his eyes- it would all be worthwhile.

Gern grinned at her as he slipped beyond the corner. She didn't hesitate as she followed.

She chased the bandit down the familiar path, following him to a stately looking building some distance away from the city center. The eleth signatures she had been tracking had, instead of homing in on Lambda, abruptly followed Gern as he moved towards the nearby catacombs. Sophie knew that there were at least half a dozen men waiting for her, including the bandit leader, and in a small moment of thought, she wondered if she was too far in over her head.

But there was no doubt that Gern had intentionally singled them out, intentionally led her here. There had to be a reason, she thought. And besides, she wouldn't fall easily to half a dozen men. Lambda may have been weakened, but she- she was still the Hero of Ephinea.

Or, at least, that's what she told herself as she steeled herself and descended down the steps of the catacombs.

Damp, chilly air greeted her. Dressed only in light clothes meant for the outdoor heat, she couldn't suppress a shiver as she stepped into the darkness. The eleth here felt old and dark, and the structures around her that once would have looked noble in the light now stood crumbling and forboding. Faint light streamed in from the cracks around the cave, but even so, the interior of the secret passage was dimly lit, with plenty of shadows for her attackers to hide in. Lucky for her that she could track them, she thought with a thin smile. And lucky for her that Gern was standing out in the open, waiting for her.

"What do you want with Lambda?" she asked as she approached him.

The bandit leader's grin looked wolfish on his scarred visage. "Why do yer think it was him I wanted?"

She slid into a battle stance, keeping well aware of the movements of the eleth signatures around her. As she had originally suspected, Gern had backup waiting in the proverbial wings, lurking behind the crumbling pillars around them. At any single time, they could launch an attack. Judging by the distance, she guessed that there were at least five archers or spell-casters, and ten men armed to the teeth ringed around her.

"Tell me," she said sharply.

"Same reason as always, girl," Gern said with a wide, predatory smile. "Profit." He waved an arm and took a step back. All around her, the men she had been sensing moved out from the shadows, their blades glinting dangerously in the faint light.

She stepped back, placing her back towards where she sensed the least men. "I won't let you take him," she snapped.

The bandit leader arched an eyebrow. "Who says I'll have to?" he smirked. "Who says it ain't what he wants?"

It was a momentary falter in her concentration, a slight surprise- but it was all the bandits needed. Immediately, Gern gave the signal, and they ran towards her, swords and hammers leading. Gritting her teeth, she shoved her fears and thoughts to the back of her mind and let instinct take over.

It was a blur- she blocked and spun and kicked, dancing in between men twice her size as she tried to nail a hit that would put them out of commission. Yet, every time she thought she was getting the upper hand, there would be the sound of a whistling arrow cutting through the air, the feeling of eleth gathering nearby that harked the beginnings of an arte. They couldn't touch her, but against such numbers, neither could she do any lasting damage.

"Don't kill 'er," Gern yelled over the commotion. "But don't go easy on 'er either!" The bandit leader stood some distance away, grinning as he watched the spectacle. Their eyes met- and the unfettered bloodlust in the other man's eyes sparked a tinder of fury in her.

This was the man that wouldn't dirty his hands as people died by his orders, the man that wanted to destroy everything she held dear. This was the man that wanted to take Lambda away- and Sophie knew, in that moment, that she was beholding the eyes of a true monster.

She yelled, eleth bursting from her fingertips as she flung herself at Gern, leaping over his henchmen. She saw a spark of surprise, and then, relatively fast for a human, the bandit dodged her initial strike. When she turned to look, he had slid behind her, sword drawn. His men were but a few feet away, and she suddenly found her back to a wall.

"Make this easy fer yerself and surrender," Gern suggested. "Yer no use to me if yer dead."

She tensed, her fists clenching tight. What could they possibly want with her? To use her as a hostage against Asbel? Against Lambda? Either way, she couldn't allow that. Yet, she knew that the odds of her making out of this tussle unscathed were slim as it were.

And then, the eleth around them exploded.

There were screams from the dark- terrified, all-too-human screams. And then, as the bandits looked warily for the new attacker, dark eleth snaked out of the shadows to her left, striking the gathered bandits as they looked on in surprise. Several of them were taken down before they could even react, and the others started to move apart, forgetting about her presence entirely.

And in the shadows, she sensed it- that familiar, unmistakable presence. But the original joy she felt soon dissipated as soon as she saw Lambda step out from his hiding place, an aura of pitch black eleth swirling around him. And his eyes- they were so cold, so angry.

"Lambda." Gern didn't look surprised- in fact, if anything, his grin had only grown wider.

"I've taken out the rest of them hiding in the shadows." He didn't look when he addressed her, even as he stepped to her side. "All that's left is this pitiable bunch."

Perhaps sensing that they were outmatched, the bandits glanced at each other warily, before turning to Gern for instructions.

The bandit didn't seem to have his men's reservations. "Take 'em out, boys."

Either out of loyalty or fear, they charged.

Lambda attacked first, lashing out with his rage as the bandits charged. Dark sparks flew through the air, sizzling as they struck his unfortunate victims. The few that had escaped his initial attack soon found themselves within range of her own strikes. Scattered and disorganized by the sentience's shadowy tendrils lashing at them, men who once were capable of keeping her on her edge suddenly seemed to have openings everywhere, and within a few minutes, at least half of the bandits that had originally attacked her had crumpled onto the cavern floor.

The sound of sudden footsteps caught her attention- when she looked, she could make out Gern's form running away from the opening, towards the exit of the catacombs. Catching Lambda's eye, she knew he saw it too.

But three bandits still stood, and she knew they would have to take care of them first. Almost instinctively, she found herself back-to-back with her once-foe. Lambda caught her glance, and even without any spoken words, she knew what was going on through his mind. With more room to maneuver, the remaining bandits had spaced themselves out so as to not get caught by their own attacks. Yet, she knew that the odds had already turned.

They moved together, striking one bandit down before he even knew what hit him. As the other two lunged at them, Lambda backpedaled, slamming his elbow into a man's face as she grabbed hold of his arm and flipped him into his compatriot, sending them both crashing to the ground.

As the dust cleared, they were the only two left standing. Yet, as soon as the battle ended, the easy camaraderie between them in battle vanished as Lambda marched up to her and snarled, "What did you think you were doing?"

She was taken aback by his sudden fury. But after everything that had happened- after he had been avoiding her, and she didn't even know why- after the strained silence that had existed between them all day long, the last thing she needed was for him to lash out at her.

"Stopping bandits," she replied sharply, lifting her chin defiantly.

"You ran into a trap! If I didn't follow-"

"I didn't want you to follow!" she retorted. "I didn't want you involved with any of this!"

He looked shocked. For a moment, he froze, and then he narrowed his eyes. "Why?" he asked, his voice low. The angry waves of eleth around him flared. "Did you honestly think I'd listen to men like that?"

She locked eyes with him then. "You would," she said fiercely, stepping up to him. "You'd listen- and I was afraid-"

"That I'd betray you?" His voice was dangerously low, his red eyes glowing with an intensity that scared her. "That I am nothing more than a monster?" He looked away in disgust.

"No!" she protested, grabbing hold of his arm as he turned.

"Then what?" he roared, fixing her with the harshest look she had ever seen upon his face- and in that moment, she understood. All his rage, borne from hurt, from fear. Because he didn't want to be hurt again, didn't want to be scared again.

The question that had been bothering her the whole time- she finally knew the answer. "Don't you get it, Lambda?" she asked quietly, stepping close enough that she was directly under his gaze. "You're doing this for yourself, not for us. Not for anyone else. You're so caught up in your own fear and anger that you can't trust anyone!"

"That's-" He seemed at a loss for words, and she could see the confusion dawn in his eyes.

"That's exactly how you were before," she spat. "You turn away from everyone around you-"

He flinched. Brusquely, he said, "I'm not."

"Aren't you?" She could see that he was conflicted, confused. "You won't tell me what's wrong. You run off on your own-"

"You're one to talk," he rumbled as he turned away.

"Please. I don't want to lose you."

He was close enough still that she could hear his breath stopped for a moment. It always surprised her how someone like him, who never needed to breathe, could react in such miniscule, human ways.

For a moment, she expected him to turn, to come back to her and lay her fears at ease. But then he continued moving away, refusing to respond because he was afraid of acknowledging that maybe, just maybe he was wrong.

"Lambda!" He paused at her cry, and glanced over his shoulder. There was no anger there- only a guarded pain, a wall between them that he refused to let down.

"Gern went to the castle," he said. "I-" He faltered, his gaze lowered. "I have to go."

She should have ran after him. She should have forced him to stay put. But instead, she only watched. Because she knew he wasn't going to listen, that he was already too far gone from her reach.

Because despite everything he was, the one thing she knew best was that Lambda was a coward- and he was afraid; so terribly afraid, of watching everything crash down all around him again that he couldn't even bear to let anyone know his fear.

And in the silence of the catacombs, she felt a single tear run down her cheek.