DH AN: Okay, I have another chapter of Powers Revealed up. I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty Eight: Broken Barriers. Please Review.


Chapter Twenty Eight: Broken Barriers

The torchlight illuminated the pallor on Arlomhe's face. She was afraid, terrified even. The R.H. waited for a verbal answer to his inquiry, but the paled face and, apparently unnoticed, shaking of the girl's figure answered him enough. He gave thought to stroking the frightened face once more, but decided against it; he was already torn as it was… adding to that stress would be foolish, as well as only frighten her further.

"Slightly…only slightly." Her soft voice shook, despite her attempts to control it. The R.H. calmly studied those words, replaying them in his mind, taking note that there was a touch of, unfortunately useless, courage that lingered in the frightened voice of the girl who stood before him. Again, promising thoughts ran through his head. She was not exactly fearless, but she was better at hiding it than some…he smirked inwardly; it could be hereditary.

"The proposition?" Arlomhe's voice interrupted The R.H.'s musing, almost inaudible with fright. Some color had returned to her face. "Sir?" She quietly added out of a last minute need for a respectful address. The R.H. gently rose his brows out of surprise at this.

He turned away from her, voice somewhat softly somber, and still holding its icy timbre. "The proposition…" The R.H. drawled, backtracking to recall his proposal. "Yes…the proposition…" The R.H. swiftly turned to face Arlomhe. "Your discipline, as I said before, is quite an admirable quality; one that, as I am sure you saw in the other room, is highly stressed." The R.H. slowly started stepping around her. "What intrigues me the most is that you were so very calm in a situation where others would be visibly squirming." He closed the small gap between them, the eerie whisper undertone once more audible in his voice. "Once more, I repeat that you would be a fool to refuse this proposition." He leaned his hooded head onto his shoulders, an idea had suddenly occurred to him. If Arlomhe was where she was supposed to be; the kitchen; she wouldn't have been here now.

He went on with this process. "What were you doing in the adjacent room? If I am not mistaken, your duties are in the kitchen…and the room where you were is definitely not the kitchen." He waited for any sign of nervousness to betray the girl. He knew why she had been there; he saw both Yagasawi and Nashin hiding as he came in. "You don't have to protect them…I know that you wanted to keep them from getting caught…in doing so, you only got caught yourself. That really doesn't seem fair, does it?" He asked suavely with a voice that was far too soft for comfort, pacing once more.

"No, but you don't understand…I-" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"You…what?" The R.H. pressed, tone cold.

"It's nothing." Arlomhe declined, but the answer only made things worse.

"You can't bear to see Yagasawi captured because of his surrender to the pressure of someone else." He watched her, eyes piercing the façade so poorly placed there. "If I were to examine your mind that is what your thoughts would tell me, and I'd rather not do that."

"The proposition." Arlomhe pressed, voice bolder since arrival. The R.H. was correctly answering the questions he asked, and that made her feel uneasily furious.

The R.H. swiftly closed the gap between them. "The proposition will wait." He said icily. "Did they want you to do this? You wanted to ensure that they didn't find themselves in the situation that you now find yourself in." He leaned in closer to her. "They were the risk takers…the ones who should be here…but instead you are behind the wall, and it should be the other way around…" He paused "Shouldn't it?"

"If you're trying to turn me against them; it isn't working." Arlomhe almost hissed.

"No, Arlomhe….no. I am merely trying to comprehend why you would do something like that. Even if I fail to do so; the loyalty needed to do what you have grants you something more in your favor." The R.H.'s voice was soft, and persuasive.

"In my favor…for what?" The hesitance and fear returned to Arlomhe's voice.

"All in good time Arlomhe." The R.H had sidled over to the wall. Arlomhe shut her eyes; it was simply too much. She almost opened them, and started shaking, as a voice entered her mind, gently hypnotizing. "Keep your eyes closed, Arlomhe, and come to me." She felt her feet gently step toward the R.H., a gentle hand on her shoulder, and then that same vertigo sensation. All barriers were gone; they were on the other side of the wall.


DH: Well, that's a chapter down. I hope you like this. Phantom Duelists will be updated next. Also please vote on my poll. Please Review.