Chapter 14
The home of the Bellus Morte. Pulchra. Cascadia wanted to hate the place. She really did, but it was beautiful. Surrounded by mountains, the air was crisp and clear. It smelled fresh, even to her sensitive nose. She ran to catch up with Ice. The streets were paved with cobblestone and the homes were constructed out of some type of wood. She was no expert, so she had no idea what wood that would be. There were people moving about their business, paying no attention to Cascadia or Ice. She thought that was a bit strange, but she supposed the town could be large enough that not everyone knew each other. That was certainly the case in Magnolia, she had quickly discovered.
Ice suddenly stopped, causing Cascadia to bump into him. She looked past him to see another wall, but this one was clearly manmade. "Why are we stopped?" She asked. Ice said nothing, but instead put a hand on the wall. It shook a little before completely disappearing. He stepped inside and motioned for her to follow him. What she saw nearly took her breath away. She was inside a mansion with white marble floors and a large spiraling stair case leading to several floors. Where were they?
Ice led her to a small room, clearly a waiting room. It was furnished lightly with a black sofa and recliner. It had red carpeting. A lone desk sat against the wall, showing no sign of recent usage. "Wait here." Was all Ice said as he left the room. Cascadia waited in that room for what seemed like hours. There was no clock in the room to keep track, though. After spending awhile sitting on the sofa in hopes someone would come soon, she stood up and began to explore the room. She examined the desk for a long time, looking through drawers and the few papers on the desk. She was lying on her back under the desk when the man came in. She could smell him and hear him but assumed he wasn't coming in. She wished she had, then she wouldn't look dumb to the man who just walked in.
He coughed softly, not knowing she could smell him. The sound still startled her into hitting her head, though. "Ow." She said with feeling. She looked at the newcomer and could see amusement in his eyes. Great. Now no one would take her seriously.
She took her time examining the man. He looked nothing like Ice. Ice, she had noticed once daylight began to creep on them, had black hair and his eyes were an electric blue. He wasn't particularly short or tall. This man was a presence. He was tall. Really tall. Cascadia was short by most standards, but rarely felt short. She didn't just feel short in this room. She felt small. She knew some of it was who he was. He just exuded power. He had auburn hair that reached his waist, even tied back. His eyes were bright red. His skin was a caramel color. In a word? He was beautiful.
His amusement grew from his eyes to his mouth. The cursed man knew what she was thinking. She bet women fell over themselves for him. That was enough to bring her to her senses. This man pissed her off immediately. He clearly saw that too which turned his amusement into delight. "I'm called Fire around here. I'm the leader of the Bellus Morte. Ice has told me everything you told me. Now what I want to know is why you're lying."
"What?" Cascadia tried to look hurt at his words.
"It's a gift. I can tell when someone is lying. Tell me why you're really here." The amusement left his eyes, replaced by something more threatening.
"I-" Cascadia choked, "I can't say anything. This stupid thing does work."
"Can you tell me who sent you?"
"B-" More choking.
He stepped towards Cascadia and looked at the silver choker. "This thing is full of dark magic. What's a pretty little thing like you doing with a dark guild."
Cascadia paused. Maybe this choker wouldn't prevent her from talking about Broken Wing if the name doesn't come it. It's not about her mission here too, so maybe… "I was kidnapped…" She choked, "I can't say from whom, but you have it correct with your statement. They wanted me for my magic abilities."
"What did they think you could do here?"
"It won't let me say. If you're so skilled that you can tell what kind of magic this choker is, can't you get it off?" Cascadia asked irritably.
Fire shook his head, "It's not possible for me. Possibly anyone but the one who put it on you. But I can ask Sky to look at it for you." He opened the door, motioning for Cascadia to follow. He stopped after a few moments of walking and looked behind him, "You're a dragon slayer, aren't you?" He didn't wait for an answer and just began walking toward the exit once again.