Chapter 19

'So, did you find him,' it was the first time since she'd met up with False again she'd thought to ask about Arados.

For a few moments False just stared blankly at her, then a look a realisation flushed across his face.

'We're not sure,' he gave a nervous laugh and half averted his gaze. 'We think we might have found the place he's hiding out, but he's being protected.'

'Protected by who,' she frowned.

'Well if you don't believe that much, you're never going to believe this, but Arc Archer and Talc Talon. We encountered both of them whilst we were trying to get to him and even though they didn't say in so many words that it was Ara they were hiding, what they did say pointed towards only that conclusion.'

For a few moments Kisara just stared at him. She knew he was more than aware of what her thoughts must be, because his own thoughts must have struck upon it at about the same time. His story was plausible or would have been if not for one minor flaw.

'The last Arc and Talc died when their tribe's civil war wiped out their people,' Kisara she shook her head, 'you couldn't have spoken to them.'

'I know,' he sighed heavily, 'and if I hadn't been stood their talking to the Honest Swordsman myself I might have reconsidered telling you the story. But the whole time I was there I forgot Talc and Arc should have been dead; I'm not sure why, maybe it was because they were standing before me and it's pretty hard to deny what your eyes are telling you, even if you know it shouldn't be possible. Or maybe they just had a way of making me forget somehow, I don't know.'

'Couldn't you have been imagining it?'

'Only if I was sharing the exact same delusion as Lus,' he shook his head. 'We both spoke with the Honest Swordsman, who looked exactly like Talc Talon is supposed to.'

'So somebody mimicked the sketch, that doesn't mean…'

'Oh no,' he shook his head, 'this wasn't some mimicked sketch. This was the real thing.'

'How can you be so sure? You yourself just admitted they could have done something to make you forget they were dead whilst you were talking to them.'

'The Amulet.'

'What about the Amulet?'

'Even someone who was completely underdeveloped could have sensed it wasn't an imitation and it wasn't being used to deceive. It looked exactly as it was supposed to look and the power coming off of it…' he trailed musefully off for a moment. 'You know how our text books always described the power oozing off of both the Amulet of Claw and the Amulet of Feathers feels like the wings of a bird of prey hovering over you?'

'I remember we always thought the analogy was probably exaggerated or romanticized,' Kisara couldn't help but agree.

'Well we were wrong,' a strange sounding laugh escaped him. 'Whoever wrote it felt like that got it one hundred percent spot on.'

'But that doesn't make any sense,' she frowned, 'how could they still be alive when…?'

'I know,' he cut her off. 'Like I said at the time I either couldn't or didn't think about it, but I wish now I'd been able to ask.'

'Maybe their whole tribe wasn't wiped out after all.'

'I think most of them must have been though.'

'Why,' she tilted her head curiously.

'Well if we were in their homeland, which I'm pretty certain we were, then it was much too deserted for there to have been anyone living there.'

'Their tribe lived underground you know.'

'I know, but there was something in the silence…'

As his words trailed off, Kisara allowed a different kind of silence to surround them. She knew she should be feeling mad at False for what he did, even though it wasn't entirely his fault, but she couldn't seem to bring herself to, not anymore at least. The silence around them developed a strange kind of stillness as Kisara found herself studying her old friend. She could see the devil in his features now, things that had always been inexplicably there which finally made sense. Little things which akined him both to her and Ni in different ways.

'Ni wants to keep us apart, doesn't he?'

'How did you guess,' he carefully met her gaze as he frowned at the sudden change in conversation. 'I think that's why he got me to do what he did, in the hopes you'd never forgive me for it.'

'And in the hopes that maybe you'd fall for Ara,' Kisara shot him a sad half smile, 'or if not fall for him, then at least develop a taste for conquests.'

'I could never develop a taste for that,' he turned his gaze away from her, 'there's no loyalty in it. And you know me Kissy, I'm about as loyal as they come.'

'I know and that's why your betrayal cut so deep.'

'I'm sorry.'

'I know you are,' she placed a hand on his cheek, forcing his gaze up to meet hers. 'But because of what you've done and because of Ni's influence on this whole situation I have to be sure of something.'

'What?' False's eyes were wide with a hurt kind of surprise.

'Lus.'

'What about him?'

'I have to be sure of my feelings for him before…'

'Before what?'

'Before I allow myself to be with you,' she knew full well her statement had probably crushed him.

'H-how,' False eventually breathed out, 'how are you planning to become sure?'

'I'm not sure yet, I need to spend a little more time with him… alone.'

'I… oh…'

'I'm sorry False, but if it wasn't for…'

'You can't say that. You can't say that one mistake…'

'I'm not saying that this is just about that one mistake False,' she cut him off. 'I'd have had feelings for Lus either way. I owe it to myself and I owe it to you to be sure that it is you I want and not him. Because else there's no future for us.'

'You can't do this.'

'I have to.'

For a few moments False glared sulkily at her, then he got to his feet and began walking away.

'Where are you going?'

He didn't reply, instead he ignored her and kept walking.

'False,' she sprang to her own feet and snatched a hand out towards him to prevent him from Jumping, 'answer me, where are you going?'

'Where I'm wanted,' forced to stop, he glance back. 'Now let me leave.'

'Not until you tell me where you're going.'

'I told you, I'm going to a place where I'm wanted.'

'False you're not being fair.'

'Well I can't help that,' there was genuine anger in his voice, 'because I'm sure of how I feel about you. And I'm certain what you're planning to do to me hurts worse than any betrayal I could do against you.'

'I'm not planning to do anything other than find out my true feelings, I swear.'

'Well maybe I have some feelings of my own I need to work out,' he glared. 'Now let me leave.'

'False…'

'Kisara,' he cut her off, 'let me leave.'