-Chapter 17-
The night sky was peaceful as it had always been. Moonlight enveloped the land and not a single cloud covered the stars above. The ninth dimension slept soundly, unaware of the horrid act being committed as they dreamed their sweet dreams.
Just outside the castle grounds, a young man by the name of Axel Brodie made his way around the back wall, looking for the perfect blind spot between the stationed guards for him to make his entrance to the castle. His orders had been simple. Infiltrate the castle, and bring the little prince back with him to the sixth dimension, where he would remain the prisoner of Lord Viper himself until such time as he was either released or rescued, though the former was certainly a highly unlikely option. Such an act like that, Axel was sure it would no doubt be the final straw in the generations lasting feud between the two opposing dimensions. Taking out a grappling hook from his utility belt, Axel made ready to scale the wall, knowing he would have to be quick once he got inside. The prince's quarters were heavily guarded, and not too easy to get to from the outside. To reach the little one, Axel would have to execute some impressive parkour skills to get to the small balcony outside the boy's chamber. And even then, he would have to reach one of the higher levels of the castle. It wasn't going to be a particularly fun trip, but he couldn't risk sneaking around on the inside with all the guards roaming around. So, he figured the best course of action would be to sneak in from the outside.
"Nothing personal, highness. It's just business."
Inside the palace however, Syrus sat rather dejected in his chamber, still feeling terrible for upsetting his brother and causing such a fuss for everyone. He knew it was wrong, but he just couldn't bear the thought of Jaden being out there by himself. Of course, he had to face the consequences of his actions, disobeying not only his brother, but the regulations put in place by their parents before they passed away.
"Come on." Syrus spoke to himself, tired of sitting around feeling sorry for himself. "That's enough of that. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, it's pathetic." Frustrated still, Syrus shook his head at himself, ashamed of his childish behavior. It was unbecoming for someone of his distinguished station after all. Standing from his seat at his desk he found himself pacing about his room, the skirt of his ensemble as well as the short little veil like cape of sorts about his back fluttering behind him as his tiny body created a small breeze while he paced, trying to keep his thoughts away from Jaden for now. If he kept thinking about his friend, he would only bum himself out again, and right now that was the last thing he wanted to do. Especially now that Zane and Aster had more or less confined him to his room for the next week or so, only allowing him to leave if it was necessary. And as such, he had been denied the option to accompany his brother and Aster to the dimensional council as well, an event their father had told them was a privilege to attend. So being alone -save for the abundance of guards patrolling around his quarters- in his room with upsetting thoughts for a week wasn't exactly something little Syrus wanted to do. Sighing quietly to himself again, Syrus took a seat on the edge of the large bed in the upper center of the room, turning his back to the balcony. Something about the night didn't agree with him then, it almost felt to him like there was something lurking out there.
Climbing his way up the castle walls, Axel made sure he kept within the blind spots of each guard he came across, silently sneaking past. He hated how easy it was to make it so far, only another balcony to scale before he had made it. However, the easy entry wouldn't carry over to his exit. He knew it would be far harder to get the little prince out of the castle than it was for him to get in. He was a master of stealth as well as combat, so breaking in hadn't been at all an issue. But as soon as he tried to grab the boy, Axel knew the guards would no doubt be alerted and come after them. And on top of that, he couldn't count on using little Syrus's portal powers to escape either, meaning he would have to make his escape the hard way. Continuing his ascent, Axel finally managed to reach the prince's balcony, carefully making sure he didn't make too much noise as not to alert the prince to his presence. Quickly pulling himself up and over the banister he landed softly and as silently as he could on the marble floor of the balcony, swiftly moving out of the light cast through the glass door separating the balcony from the bedroom back into the shadows to avoid potentially being seen.
"Here we go." Axel thought to himself. Glancing into the large room, he could see the little prince inside, his back turned to the balcony door as he sat still on the rather large bed. Truth be told, he had never actually seen the prince before, though being from the sixth dimension it wasn't too uncommon a thing, but still, seeing just how small and fragile looking he was now, Axel almost felt bad about what he was about to do. Quickly shaking off the feeling, he crouched down along the outer edge of the balcony, slowly sneaking his way up to the glass door while he kept to one side, making sure to stay out of sight as long as possible. Taking a moment to prepare himself for the next few minutes, he slowly pushed the glass door open just a crack, only leaving enough room for him to be able to fit through. Slipping through as hastily and silently as he could, he entered the bedroom, concealing himself behind the bed before he could be seen. Axel listened as Syrus quickly stood from his spot on the bed, the wedged heels of his boots clicking on the marble floor as he moved directly over to the slightly cracked open balcony door, his dainty body somehow even smaller than Axel had thought now that he was seeing him at his full height. Syrus hesitated for a moment. A worried look overtaking his adorable boyish face, he gingerly placed his little hand on the door, sticking his head out just a little to see if anyone was there.
"Sorry, kid." Axel thought again, quietly rising from his hiding place, Axel crossed behind the little prince, preparing for the chaos that was no doubt to come from this nefarious deed. Standing tall and resolute, he towered over Syrus, watching as the little bluenette realized no one was outside. Closing the balcony door, Syrus sighed quietly to himself, lowering his head for a moment before turning back into the room. The moment Syrus turned his eyes back from the floor, he saw a new shadow behind him, out of place for where he was standing in the room. Anxiously turning on his heel he gasped, his hands raising to his mouth as his eyes found the source of the unfamiliar figure towering over him. His adorable grey eyes widened in fear at the sight of the intruder. Slowly backing away, Syrus's back almost immediately hit the glass door behind him, leaving him with few options for what to do next.
"W-Who are you…?" The little one dared to ask, lowering his right hand to search for the door handle behind his back. If he could manage to get outside, he could buy himself enough time to get a portal open so he could escape and find his brother at the dimensional council. If he could manage that, he was sure everything would be okay.
"Sorry, your highness." Axel answered, ignoring Syrus's question he took a step forward, grabbing Syrus's tiny wrist in his rough grip he pulled him away from the door. "But you're coming with me now." yanking Syrus further away from the door, holding the boy's arms behind his back, the small boy struggled against Axel's grasp, but to no avail. His small, weak body proving to be powerless against his far stronger abductor. Keeping up his struggles, Syrus wasn't about to let himself be taken without a fight. With his hands restrained Syrus knew he wouldn't be able to activate his portal powers correctly, meaning he had to think of a way to get out of Axel's grasp for just long enough to get a portal open so he could escape.
"Let me go…!" Syrus demanded as he continued to struggle. Desperately trying to think of a way to get himself out of this situation, he remembered a crucial detail about himself that he was honestly a little apt to forget from time to time. Alongside being born with the ability to open dimensional portals wherever he pleased, Syrus was also quite adept at the practice of the mystic arts. Though, since he rarely had any use for it, sometimes he would forget he could even use it at all for short periods of time. If it were less of a hazard to summon something from his deck indoors, he would have preferred that approach, but given the circumstances he didn't really even have enough use of his hands at the moment to do it anyway. Concentrating for a moment, Syrus waved his fingers around, charging up a spell in an attempt to buy himself even just a few seconds to try and escape.
"Just quit squirming and hold still!" Axel commanded, starting to get annoyed with the little one. Keeping a hold on the prince, Axel went to pull some rope from his belt to keep the little one restrained for the return trip to the sixth dimension, not about to give little Syrus any chance to thwart the plan and alert his brother. If he failed, Axel was honestly starting to worry about what Viper would do to punish him for it. Sure he wasn't going to have much issue with the remainder of the plan, Axel let his guard down for just barely long enough to make all the difference in helping Syrus's own plan.
"I said, let me go!" Syrus cried out, a thick beam of sparkling light firing from the soft magical glow that had built up between his hands, shooting directly into Axel's left leg the mercenary let out a slight shout, releasing his hold on Syrus just enough for the bluenette to pull himself away, freeing himself from Axel's grasp. A slight bit of adrenaline rushing through his small, frail body, Syrus scampered to the other side of the room, a light blue glow coming over his body as he summoned the blue orb his portals formed from. Pouring every thought of the dimensional council he had into the portal, Syrus took every precaution he could to be sure it would lead to the right place. Doing the best he could to be quick and get away, Syrus failed to notice Axel recover from his attack. Returning to his feet, Axel glared at the young prince, storming over and grabbing the boy's arm he yanked the boy closer to his side, the portal orb vanishing with Syrus's concentration broken.
"Come here, you little runt!" Axel growled, dragging Syrus from his place by the walk-in closet across from the bed. Whirling around, Axel threw Syrus onto the bed, a high pitched cry escaping Syrus's lips as his fragile body collided with the firm mattress. "It's nothing personal, highness." he said, grabbing a few lengths of rope from his belt as he forced Syrus's arms behind his back, binding them before Syrus had a chance to try and get away again. "But Lord Viper requests your presence at his fortress. And he doesn't take kindly to his invitations being rejected."
"N-No!" Syrus cried, squirming in Axel's grasp, Syrus pulled against the ropes binding his arms while Axel fed another length of rope under the tiny boy's chest, wrapping it around his slim frame about five times before tying it tightly to secure the young prince. Struggling as best he could, Syrus cried out again, hoping to catch the attention of the multitude of guards on patrol outside before it was too late now that that was his only hope of escape. He could try magic again, but tied up like that, it wouldn't exactly do him much good.
"Stop squirming!" Axel commanded, hastily tying the prince's ankles together he heard the clanging of metal armor outside in the hall as the guards approached, alerted by the prince's distressed screams.
"Brother!" Syrus shouted in a moment of desperation. Zane wouldn't come, he knew that. He had gone to the dimensional council, so no matter how loud he cried for his brother's help, he wouldn't hear. But in that moment, he couldn't think of anything else to do that would do him any good. The guards outside converged by the door, barking orders to secure the area and preparing to storm inside. Frustrated by Syrus's high pitched whining, Axel grabbed a thick cloth from the bag on his belt, hastily placing it over Syrus's mouth and tying it tightly to quiet the little one, reducing his fearful cries to a much quieter muffled mess. Shooting his head up at the sound of the bedroom door slamming open, Axel watched as the guards filed into the large bedroom, weapons at the ready to rescue their beloved prince.
"Your highness!" The captain shouted, horrified by the scene unfolding before him, as well as ashamed that a sixth dimension degenerate had been able to not only sneak his way into the castle, but get his hands on the young prince as well. Drawing his sword, the captain turned the blade to Axel, determined to save their little, defenseless prince. "In the name of his majesty, King Zane, I demand you release the prince at once!"
"Pathetic." Axel scoffed, rolling his eyes he grabbed Syrus, spinning him around and effortlessly throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of flour, the little one squirming in his best attempt to free himself but to no avail. "Sorry, but his highness has been summoned by Lord Viper. Tell your king if he wants to see his little brother again, he won't."
Syrus cried out as loudly as he could through the thick gag over his mouth. Fear ever present in his eyes he struggled as hard as he could despite Axel's tight hold on his child sized frame making it next to impossible to squirm effectively. Taking only a second in pause, Axel turned back to the balcony, throwing himself at the glass door, shattering the thin glass with ease as Syrus let out another muffled scream, becoming more and more afraid by the second. Barking orders at the guards, the captain rushed forward in a desperate attempt to retrieve the boy before he was out of reach. Retrieving his grappling hook from his utility belt again, Axel tightened his hold on the little bluenette, backing up one step, Axel took a deep breath before hurling his body forward, sprinting the short distance he propelled his body upwards with all the strength he could muster in his legs, leaping off the side of the balcony. The cold night breeze accelerating to a complete whirlwind as the two fell through the air, the horribly powerful gusts completely drowning out Syrus's already muffled cries of terror.
"Make this shot count, Axel!" He thought to himself, aiming his grappling hook he fired, the hard metal latching to the side of the castle Axel used all of their combined weight to swing himself towards the outer wall of the grounds, releasing the hook's grip on the stone wall as soon as he was sure they were far enough down to land on the wall's walkway without sustaining any serious injuries. Coming into contact with the ground, Axel found himself rolling across the upper walkway of the wall, dropping Syrus in the process, the bluenette's consciousness fading quickly as his body made hard contact with the stonework, rolling a short distance as well not having the use of his arms to try and stop himself.
"Dammit!" Axel hissed under his breath, swiftly rising to his feet he looked around, watching as the guards stationed on the wall ran towards them from both directions, shouting and waving their weapons in a sad attempt to intimidate him. Scoffing quietly he scooped up Syrus's now unconscious form, he held the small boy in his arms for a moment before deciding how to proceed. In the heat of the moment Axel hadn't realized just how tiny and light Syrus was, beginning to understand why the boy was so protected. On top of his extremely rare power, he was like a child, so small and helpless on his own even with the small amount of magic he was able to do, and even unconscious, Axel could see the fear on his face. It almost felt wrong to him, everything that he was doing. But there was no time to dwell on it now. Giving himself another running start he leaped from the wall, holding Syrus tighter so he wouldn't drop him this time. Landing on the proper ground with a thud, Axel took a moment to recover, quickly scanning the prince over for any wounds from the first fall, he was relieved to see that despite being knocked out, the bluenette seemed to be okay if not for a few small scrapes from their little tumble. After all, he was ordered to kidnap Syrus, not to harm him.
"Time to go." Axel muttered quietly to himself, scurrying behind a group of trees as the commotion the guards had been making grew louder, desperate to find their stolen prince. Clutching the small boy closer, Axel ran from the castle, making his way ever closer to the portal point he had arrived at. The shouting and scrambling of the guards grew quieter as he furthered the distance between himself and the grand castle, slowing down only when he knew that he had gone far enough that they wouldn't be catching up within him before he reached the portal point, taking their precious prince far out of their reach. Keeping his firm grip on the bluenette, Axel was honestly thankful he had been knocked unconscious from the more than ungraceful landing. That way he wouldn't have to listen to the boy's annoyingly pitiful cries, even with the thick gag over his mouth muffling them significantly. Also he wouldn't have to go through the effort of trying to keep the little one from struggling and squirming up a storm. Honestly, Axel preferred it this way. Quiet and easy, and without the boy's innocent fear making him feel those annoying little emotions called guilt and uncertainty. He hated feeling that way, it was distracting and overall just a nuisance. Shaking his head he did his best to ignore those feelings. After all in his line of work, there was no place for guilt, especially in the employ of Lord Viper. The man was a tyrant who would do anything and everything to obtain power and expand his influence. Axel had worked for him for many years now, committing one dastardly deed after another in Viper's name, dirtying his own hands where the cruel man would not.
"Almost there." He thought, focusing on the task at hand. Approaching the hidden portal point, Axel tightened his grip on the bound prince just slightly, adjusting his hold on the little one a soft, muffled moan escaped the bluenette's lips, his tiny body trying naturally to shift his position though both the tight ropes binding him and Axel's grip as well making it next to impossible for the unconscious prince. Walking up the slight incline in the wooded path Axel set the small boy down on the ground, propping him up against one of the many trees surrounding them he turned to the portal point, more than ready to leave. Walking up to the point Axel raised his hands up to the empty air in front of him, flicking his wrists he parted the air around him, a swirling blue portal appearing as he moved his hands along the otherwise empty space before him. Satisfied with the opened portal he moseyed back over to the bound prince, scooping him back up from the ground he sighed at the sight of the bluenette's fearful face. Not wanting to look his slowly rising guilt in the face anymore he threw the little boy over his shoulder, a muffled groan escaping Syrus's lips once more as his chin collided with Axel's strong back. Sighing quietly to himself Axel approached the portal, more than ready to put the whole thing behind him.
"Like I said highness." Axel thought to himself, shifting the little prince on his shoulder as he made his way through the portal, sealing his fate as an undisputed enemy of the ninth dimension. "Nothing personal."
Meanwhile, in the neutral grounds of the first dimension, the dimensional council had already been in full swing for quite some time. Although just as Alexis had surmised, as soon as Lord Viper arrived and reared his maniacal head, any talks of actual inter-dimensional politics or interference with internal dimensional affairs had quickly devolved into nothing but baseless accusations and petty squabbles between the various dimensional leaders, leaving Crowler, Atticus, and Sheppard to do most if not all of the actual work that needed to be done. Although with Aster there to keep him from letting his intense hatred for Viper get out of control in his presence Zane also made a genuine effort to participate as well, completely unaware of the disaster that had befallen his little brother back at home.
"Well, now that that matter is settled, I suppose we've earned a moment's reprieve." Crowler declared, taking the documents he had been fussing with and placing them into a folder, handing it politely to his aid to have filed for the remainder of the arguing leaders they had left for Viper to deal with. Bowing politely for the royalty in attendance the young, redheaded girl quickly took the documents away as she had been instructed. Clapping his hands together Crowler turned back to the others in his company. "Now Sheppard, is it true? Are you certain young Jaden is a celestial being…?"
"As I said when I first divulged this to you all, it is true." Sheppard nodded, completely understanding of Crowler's slight skepticism. The man had studied the celestials for so long, and having never discovered anything like Jaden in recorded history he was having a little bit of a hard time believing it. He knew the celestials had something to do with Jaden, that much had been clear, though having actually been created by them, it was a lot for all of them to wrap their heads around.
"It's so strange to think…" Atticus thought aloud, thinking back to what little time he had spent with the younger brunette. He was more than a little odd, that was for sure, but he was just a regular kid who risked his own life to help Alexis save him when he hadn't needed to. Selfless and kind, thinking back Atticus could only smile. It was foolish of him to not have seen it before, just how special the boy truly was. Glancing over to Zane the man didn't say a single word on the matter. He almost seemed annoyed by Jaden's identity, like he was hoping he was just some nobody for some reason. Though to be fair, the man was irritated by almost everything being the kind of guy he was, being fairly short with anyone and everyone aside from Aster and his brother. And even with them he wasn't the nicest guy either.
"Indeed." Crowler agreed, eyeing the bandage wrapped around Atticus' forehead, slightly obscured by his bangs and interwoven with the rest of his gorgeous hair as well as the last fading remnants of the bruises and wounds that had distorted his fair skin. The young, soon to be king had hidden his wounds well when and where he could, but he couldn't hide the fact that he was still healing from them all. No matter how much he wished he could. "But Atticus, your highness, are you certain you're ready to be back with us?" he asked, concerned for the young ruler's well-being as the caring man he was. "If you're still in pain it would be more than acceptable for you to return home."
"I'm alright, Crowler, don't worry." Atticus reassured, offering the kind and fatherly chancellor a gentle smile, greatly appreciative of his concern. "My wounds hardly hurt anymore. Though I appreciate your concern."
"We've all been concerned for you, my boy." Sheppard added, feeling a great deal of guilt for having known what the young man would have to endure. It was times like that he almost wished someone else had been the grand maester instead, so he wouldn't have to watch as people suffered, knowing it was going to happen, but not being able to speak a single word. But it was the burden each grand maester had always had to bear. "In fact, I'm sure you know it was Zane who sent Jaden to your dimension. I wouldn't be surprised if he intended for the boy to help you."
"Yes, I do." Atticus nodded, turning his head back to his friend, more than grateful for his indirect interference. "I've been waiting for the chance to properly thank you for that."
"You hardly need to." Zane dismissed, his tone as cold and distant as ever, not at all one for pleasantries or sentimentality. "I did only what every ruler should have done. Nothing more."
"Alright, sure." Atticus chuckled. He had known Zane long enough to know exactly what he meant when he spoke like that. Besides, he could feel it from him just as he could from everyone else there. The concern they held in their hearts was the one thing they couldn't possibly even hope to hide from him, smiling softly at his oldest friend. "Thank you anyway."
"Well now, I suppose it's time we get back to business then." Crowler announced, happy it seemed that for once in a blue moon all was well. "Shall we?"
"Very well." Sheppard nodded, eager to get as much done in the current session as was possible. Still, he knew deep down that wasn't going to be possible. He knew far too much about the near future to allow himself the pleasure of proceeding with any normalcy. He could feign blissful ignorance all he wanted, but nothing could prepare him for the guilt he would feel when all was said and done. Even so the four continued with what affairs they could without the entire council getting involved, though the usual childish bickering phase of the council would doubtless be nearly finished by now. Standing back a short ways, taking notes on his perpetually equipped clipboard Aster stood by silently, concerning himself only with archiving the council meeting in his notes to file once they were able to return home. If he was completely honest with himself, he would have preferred Syrus not to have been left back home without them. Zane of course had been adamant that he remain confined to his chambers as punishment for having both used his powers without his permission and leaving the dimension without any escort or guard of any kind. But even so, though he was loath to admit it, Aster disagreed with Zane's decision if only just this once. Perhaps he was just getting a little paranoid being in the same building as Viper, he knew they were both a little more wary being so close to their dimension's most hated enemy, but still Aster found that he couldn't help but worry about the little prince's safety while they were away. Sighing almost silently under his breath Aster heard the door to the large office they had convened in open behind him. Turning his sapphire eyes in the door's direction he saw Crowler's aid enter, her deep green eyes wide as she tried to collect herself, compulsively brushing some natural dust from her skirt she quietly scurried over to Aster, clearly having something extremely pressing to relay.
"I-I apologize for disturbing you, sir." She stuttered out in a hushed yet almost frantic whisper, not wanting to catch the attention of the busy dimensional leaders. "But one of your soldiers is in the great hall, he had a message for you and the king." taking a deep breath she finally seemed to calm down if only just a little, though Aster still had a terribly bad feeling about what she was going to say. "Security wouldn't let him through to see you s-so I offered to tell you."
"Yes?" Aster questioned, his tone equally as quiet as not to disturb Zane and the others, at least not until he had a reason to. Which judging by her face and tone, he would soon have one. "What is it?"
"It's about Prince Syrus." She whispered warily, hoping to the gods Zane wouldn't hear her. She knew he was going to find out within the next few minutes, but for the love of all that was good and holy in the universe she did not want to be the one he heard it from because to be honest, she was a little afraid of the man. "H-He's been taken."
Aster's eyes widened when the words reached his ears. Quickly covering his mouth with his hand sans clipboard to muffle the gasp involuntarily ejecting itself from his lips he stared the redhead straight in the eyes, needing to know as many of the facts as she could give.
"Is this true?"
"Yes, it's true!" She confirmed, wishing to the heavens what she was about to say wasn't true too. "The soldier said he was on the scene when it happened. He claims the prince was abducted by um… by a sixth dimension mercenary… possibly one of Viper's men…"
"Dammit!" Aster cursed quietly, taking a deep and heavy breath he straightened his tie as he took a moment to calm himself, urging her to return to Crowler's side he turned back to Zane, not looking forward to how his majesty would react to the information. Taking a step forward he tapped Zane on the shoulder, prepared to share what he had learned. "Your majesty, I have an urgent message from the castle."
Sensing Zane's mood drop exponentially, though as well Aster could tell the man was starting to feel concerned, knowing by him saying the message was urgent that it couldn't have been anything good. Ushering Zane over to one side Aster took another deep breath, worried how bad the fallout of this revelation could end up being if Zane couldn't keep his temper in control.
"Well?" Zane questioned, beckoning the silver headed advisor to speak, not really sure how much patience he could muster with the thoughts swirling around in his mind at the moment. No matter what Aster had to say if it was important enough to be considered 'urgent' then it had to be something bad, or at least something that even if it wasn't bad it required his attention right now. Still, Zane had a sinking feeling that it would be the former.
"Aster's worried." Atticus said, his voice hushed though still loud enough for Crowler and Sheppard to hear standing next to him. The three watched carefully as the two spoke to one side, Aster's voice too hushed and low for them to hear, but the immediate change in Zane's body language and the pure rage coming over his face told them more than they needed to know.
"WHAT!?" Zane roared, leaning in slightly he seemed to tower over Aster even more than he normally would, his fists clenching so tight his knuckles were completely white from the tension he held within. Aster backed away from the enraged king, fearing this would be how he would react to the urgent news. "THAT BASTARD!"
"Oh my..!" Crowler gasped, taken aback by Zane's overwhelming fury. Catching a glimpse of Atticus out of the corner of his eye he could see the brunette's body trembling, Zane's pure rage overwhelming his senses. Worried for the young ruler, Crowler placed his hands on Atticus's shoulders, trying his best to offer him some support. "Atticus, are you alright?" nodding, the brunette took a few deep breaths, doing what he could to keep himself stable. Being able to feel the emotions of the people around him, he had always been particularly susceptible to the negative ones, a surplus of them making him exponentially weaker than he would be otherwise. Worriedly glancing from one member of the group to another, Crowler's eyes landed on Aster, desperate for any kind of explanation. "What the devil is going on?"
"Well, Crowler," Sheppard spoke, regretfully knowing full well what the problem was. "I'm afraid our dear Prince Syrus has been abducted. On Lord Viper's orders."
"A-Are you certain?" Crowler gasped, hardly able to believe such a thing could be possible. The little prince was under nearly constant guard, and he had always thought Zane's castle to be impenetrable. It was a little more than shocking to hear.
"Regrettably, I foresaw this some time ago.." Sheppard sighed, preparing himself for Zane's inevitable hatred for him having kept such a detail from him. But such was the grand maester's burden.
"You what!?" Zane growled, taking heavy steps towards the esteemed maester, his eyes narrowed in pure rage he felt bad for the discomfort his anger was causing Atticus, but given the circumstances he was sure the brunette wouldn't fault him for it in the end. "You knew. And said nothing to me!?"
"You know full well that such things are forbidden to me, Zane." Sheppard asserted, hardly batting an eye at Zane's growing frustration. "Place your anger elsewhere. It was Viper who violated the sanctions put in place by the councils of old. He took your brother, not I."
"C-Calm down, Zane.." Atticus spoke up, completely overwhelmed by the anger, hatred, worry, and confusion swirling around him he leaned more into Crowler's hold, feeling himself slowly sink back into the early stages of the almost comatose state Jaden and Alexis had found him in. Of course it wasn't nearly as bad as how that had been, but there was a reason they separated themselves from the rest of the council when the bickering started each gathering. And still not being at his full strength again was certainly not helping him stave off the effects that his enhanced empathy had on him. "Please… anger won't help…"
Scoffing under his breath, Zane turned his back to the rest of the group. Taking a moment to breathe he tried to think of something he could do, but as soon as he thought about his defenseless brother in the hands of their dimension's most hated enemy, all he could do was rage even more. On the outside he appeared to have calmed in comparison to his previous outbursts, but on the inside a fire raged on that only vengeance could extinguish. Pushing past Aster, Zane made his way to the office door, throwing it open as he tried not to lose himself in his anger. Viper had violated more than one of the laws imposed onto his despicable dimension with this act. And Zane was determined to wreak his vengeance, one way or another.