All I could do was watch and wait. Felix wasn't back from getting
the wine Saturos had called for but the bickering between Alex and him was
enough to keep me occupied for the time being.
"We can't just stand here idly! Those kids will realize soon enough that they can't just stay in their little village while we have their most prized artifacts!" Alex exclaimed, his eyes burning with rage at his fellow Fire Adept.
"If we blow up Sol Sanctum as your suggesting then we'll have more to worry about then a few petty adepts. The blast will effect not only Vale, but the other towns surrounding it as well. We'll have half of Angara after us." Saturos replied coolly, keeping his eye out for Felix. I had the sudden feeling that the man had sent Felix out for more than just a little wine.
"And how would you know that for certain Saturos?" Alex retorted. "If the towns are wiped out than there won't be anyone to go after us than."
"You idiot!" Saturos yelled, letting the his temper get the best of him. "The power that Sol Sanctum holds would wipe out Vale, that's for sure. But the other villages would receive radiation from the blast. Considering that we are currently the strongest adepts in this empire, I doubt that we would go unnoticed. This isn't even taking into consideration that fact that the last Elemental Star resides currently in the walls of Vale!"
Alex tried to hide from the stronger mans temper, but it would help him to no avail. As of yesterday my monthlies had started and Saturos refused to take pleasure in any women when this happened. Of course that didn't mean he would let himself be deprived of his favorite activity. As long as I kept to myself, he barely noticed I was there. But Alex had never the mind to do the same and now he would pay, dearly.
"I'll see you tonight," Saturos breathed, taking hold of Alex by the scruff of his shirt. Pushing the smaller man back, Saturos continued in his waiting. I could see the fear that now resided in Alex's eyes, Saturos rarely forced Alex to bed with him and when he did Alex knew that he would be feeling the lingering pain for days to come.
'No!' I mentally scolded myself. I would not feel pity for him, he never lifted a finger to heal me after the torture and I would repay in kind. The patting of soft leather boots alerted me that Felix had come back. Diverting my gaze to the younger boy, I let my mind forgot the familiar torture that Alex would be put through.
"Felix, you finally decided to return, do you have the 'wine'?" Saturos asked, turning toward him. His eyes sparkling; a hint of intrigue going into the last word.
"Of course," Felix grinned, handing a wrapped package over as long with a bottle of wine. Saturos weighed the package in his hand before nodding to Felix.
"There's a bar called The Safe. I want you all to go there and wait for me. I won't be more than a couple of hours." And with that the Fire Adept walked out of the deserted ally way we had inhabited while we had waited for Felix to return.
"Where will you be?" I asked, deciding to break my vow of silence.
"I have an old friend who lives here in Vault, I've been meaning to check up on her." He distantly replied as he disappeared out of sight. I sat there in shock. I hadn't for the life of me thought they he would give me a response, let alone actually tell me what he was intending on doing!
"You just going to sit there gawking all day at the fact that Saturos treated you as a human being or come with us?" Alex seethed.
"Yeah, I'm coming," I called, jumping down from the boxes I had sat upon. 'Now that Saturos wasn't here I was finally… free…' Letting a smile come cross my face, a habit I hadn't been indulging in for quit while, I hurried my way over to Alex and Felix. The town was alive with energy and happiness, something I hadn't seen in a while.
"Menardi, are you all right,?" Felix asked, slowing down to my pace.
"To tell you the truth Felix, I've never been better! Saturos isn't here for the time being, he isn't going to hurt me tonight and instead Alex will be beaten, I…"
"If you hate Saturos so much why don't you just leave?" Felix asked plainly.
"Because she's the princess of Forlenet and if she comes back without the elemental stars her titles will be taken away. It won't even help her get away from that slut who calls himself a leader, their betrothed." Alex shrugged, opening the door of the bar we had just arrived at. I turned to look at Alex, how had he known that I was betrothed to Saturos? Walking in through the open door I turned to study him.
"Take the kid's advice and leave you bitch" Alex smirked, losing the innocence he had held earlier.
"Whatever you say Alex, I'm not the one sharing a bed with someone of my same sex so I really don't you see it in a position to give me an order." I mocked back, taking a seat at the bar. Motioning for a drink, I could hear Alex muttering curses under his breath.
"I wonder where Saturos could be?" I heard Felix sigh as he took the jug ale that the serving girl has just lain down.
"No idea, but what was in that package you gave him anyway?" I asked, taking some of the ale for myself.
"I'm not exactly sure, Saturos had sent me to a run down shack near the edge of the town. All I had to do was tell the residence, an old man, that Saturos was in town. He handed over the package and now here we are." Felix grinned, swallowing most of his drink. I nodded, staring down at my own, not bothering with drinking it. I never had enjoyed the taste of ale, but it was always comforting to just have something to hold…
"YOU BASTARD!" A voice from across the room. "I told you a never wanted anything to do with you again!" The voice yelled again. By turning my head I was able to see that a young women, about 19 had a sword drawn and was ready to kill. A man, with the unusual blue tint that Saturos had was the women's pray. Come to think about it that man looked a lot like…
"By the gods! That's Saturos!" I whispered. I could tell that the women was furious and obviously knew how to wield a blade.
"Your going to leave right now! And your never going to come back again!" The women cried, letting the sword come down to nick Saturos in his right arm. I couldn't help but let the smile that I already had grow brighter. This day was just getting better and better.
Suddenly though, everything went wrong.
Saturos had taken the girl by her shirt and flung her across the room, her head hitting the side of the bar.
"Do you really think that a little scratch like that would hurt?" He asked the battered girl. Looking around, he suddenly noticed that he had gained a crowed.
"Alex, were going!" Saturos barked, as he headed toward the door, dragging the girl with him.
"We can't just stand here idly! Those kids will realize soon enough that they can't just stay in their little village while we have their most prized artifacts!" Alex exclaimed, his eyes burning with rage at his fellow Fire Adept.
"If we blow up Sol Sanctum as your suggesting then we'll have more to worry about then a few petty adepts. The blast will effect not only Vale, but the other towns surrounding it as well. We'll have half of Angara after us." Saturos replied coolly, keeping his eye out for Felix. I had the sudden feeling that the man had sent Felix out for more than just a little wine.
"And how would you know that for certain Saturos?" Alex retorted. "If the towns are wiped out than there won't be anyone to go after us than."
"You idiot!" Saturos yelled, letting the his temper get the best of him. "The power that Sol Sanctum holds would wipe out Vale, that's for sure. But the other villages would receive radiation from the blast. Considering that we are currently the strongest adepts in this empire, I doubt that we would go unnoticed. This isn't even taking into consideration that fact that the last Elemental Star resides currently in the walls of Vale!"
Alex tried to hide from the stronger mans temper, but it would help him to no avail. As of yesterday my monthlies had started and Saturos refused to take pleasure in any women when this happened. Of course that didn't mean he would let himself be deprived of his favorite activity. As long as I kept to myself, he barely noticed I was there. But Alex had never the mind to do the same and now he would pay, dearly.
"I'll see you tonight," Saturos breathed, taking hold of Alex by the scruff of his shirt. Pushing the smaller man back, Saturos continued in his waiting. I could see the fear that now resided in Alex's eyes, Saturos rarely forced Alex to bed with him and when he did Alex knew that he would be feeling the lingering pain for days to come.
'No!' I mentally scolded myself. I would not feel pity for him, he never lifted a finger to heal me after the torture and I would repay in kind. The patting of soft leather boots alerted me that Felix had come back. Diverting my gaze to the younger boy, I let my mind forgot the familiar torture that Alex would be put through.
"Felix, you finally decided to return, do you have the 'wine'?" Saturos asked, turning toward him. His eyes sparkling; a hint of intrigue going into the last word.
"Of course," Felix grinned, handing a wrapped package over as long with a bottle of wine. Saturos weighed the package in his hand before nodding to Felix.
"There's a bar called The Safe. I want you all to go there and wait for me. I won't be more than a couple of hours." And with that the Fire Adept walked out of the deserted ally way we had inhabited while we had waited for Felix to return.
"Where will you be?" I asked, deciding to break my vow of silence.
"I have an old friend who lives here in Vault, I've been meaning to check up on her." He distantly replied as he disappeared out of sight. I sat there in shock. I hadn't for the life of me thought they he would give me a response, let alone actually tell me what he was intending on doing!
"You just going to sit there gawking all day at the fact that Saturos treated you as a human being or come with us?" Alex seethed.
"Yeah, I'm coming," I called, jumping down from the boxes I had sat upon. 'Now that Saturos wasn't here I was finally… free…' Letting a smile come cross my face, a habit I hadn't been indulging in for quit while, I hurried my way over to Alex and Felix. The town was alive with energy and happiness, something I hadn't seen in a while.
"Menardi, are you all right,?" Felix asked, slowing down to my pace.
"To tell you the truth Felix, I've never been better! Saturos isn't here for the time being, he isn't going to hurt me tonight and instead Alex will be beaten, I…"
"If you hate Saturos so much why don't you just leave?" Felix asked plainly.
"Because she's the princess of Forlenet and if she comes back without the elemental stars her titles will be taken away. It won't even help her get away from that slut who calls himself a leader, their betrothed." Alex shrugged, opening the door of the bar we had just arrived at. I turned to look at Alex, how had he known that I was betrothed to Saturos? Walking in through the open door I turned to study him.
"Take the kid's advice and leave you bitch" Alex smirked, losing the innocence he had held earlier.
"Whatever you say Alex, I'm not the one sharing a bed with someone of my same sex so I really don't you see it in a position to give me an order." I mocked back, taking a seat at the bar. Motioning for a drink, I could hear Alex muttering curses under his breath.
"I wonder where Saturos could be?" I heard Felix sigh as he took the jug ale that the serving girl has just lain down.
"No idea, but what was in that package you gave him anyway?" I asked, taking some of the ale for myself.
"I'm not exactly sure, Saturos had sent me to a run down shack near the edge of the town. All I had to do was tell the residence, an old man, that Saturos was in town. He handed over the package and now here we are." Felix grinned, swallowing most of his drink. I nodded, staring down at my own, not bothering with drinking it. I never had enjoyed the taste of ale, but it was always comforting to just have something to hold…
"YOU BASTARD!" A voice from across the room. "I told you a never wanted anything to do with you again!" The voice yelled again. By turning my head I was able to see that a young women, about 19 had a sword drawn and was ready to kill. A man, with the unusual blue tint that Saturos had was the women's pray. Come to think about it that man looked a lot like…
"By the gods! That's Saturos!" I whispered. I could tell that the women was furious and obviously knew how to wield a blade.
"Your going to leave right now! And your never going to come back again!" The women cried, letting the sword come down to nick Saturos in his right arm. I couldn't help but let the smile that I already had grow brighter. This day was just getting better and better.
Suddenly though, everything went wrong.
Saturos had taken the girl by her shirt and flung her across the room, her head hitting the side of the bar.
"Do you really think that a little scratch like that would hurt?" He asked the battered girl. Looking around, he suddenly noticed that he had gained a crowed.
"Alex, were going!" Saturos barked, as he headed toward the door, dragging the girl with him.
