Chapter 183: 183
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"That was meant for you, girl," Areen sneers, baring her teeth with a snarky, shark-like smile, her fingers cutting through the air with an obvious irritation. If I had looked a little closer at her gestures then, I might have deduced that they were slightly overly impatient, her movements almost buzzing, as though not impatient, but nervous.
But why?
"Hurry up and get on with things, landwalker Queen. You have got your entrance, I am not going to stick around to tell you how to use it if that is what you are staring at me for."
Staunchly, I purse my lips, contorting my mouth with a techy, tight-lipped smile.
Fantastic, I think inwardly, my mouth turning sour. Barely a day into being Queen of Sezeria and I am already being mocked by a species that isn't even of vampire heritage. What other wonderous feats of mockery am I going to be subject to in the coming months?
Then I cackle inwardly, averting my gaze from the icy Siren who stands before me, musing over facts and fiction that I delight to play in my head. Perhaps this is why Areen is so close to Azrael, why she seems so protective over him, the fact they seem to just... 'click'- their personality points are practically interchangeable. Surprising in fact, that Azrael has not found a wife in her, instead- the two of them would be much more compatible- aside from the fact that siren women have a rather nasty habit of eating their husbands if they aren't fulfilling to the needs of matrimony. Of course those cases are rare, but considering Areen's lack of a male figure in her life and how well she has managed to keep those pointed teeth sharped to a point, one can only presume the absolute worst.
Not that Azrael would care about Areen anyway, he is fixated to me like a moth to a lamp, obsessed with having me as his- as if I would ever let that happen. I would rather die than become part of his fraudulent little game, not to mention the terrifying prominence of his plan to 'reshape the world', which I can only take to assume means exactly as it sounds- boiling down the world and reforging it into a monstrosity of his own creation. It's not like I know the details behind this plan, but if someone says 'I am going to put cookies in the oven'- while you might not know what type of cookies they are, you know for certain they will be baked. In this sense, those cookies just so happen to be the end of the world.
Truly, a terrific thought.
"Are you okay?" whispers Delina next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder whilst Areen is busy assessing the slender dragon boy across from her with a series of unimpressed looks, her eyes as icy and unforgiving as ever. It is clear from the stale expression on her face that Kal doesn't leave much of an impression on her- except for his wings, which she flickers over with a rather vehement interest, perhaps planning to form some for herself.
Or steal them to put in her next stew. I can't really decide which.
"Yeah, sorry, I got distracted. I am just a smidgen worried about, well, everything at the moment," I apologise lowly, raking my hand through the backs of my hair as I make my way back over towards the hatch with a deliberate slowness. Delina shakes her head fervently, the jangle of gold bangles around her neck ringing out softly into the glowing half light of the room.
"There is no need for you to apologise. I know I haven't exactly been the nicest to you over the past few weeks of your stay here, but you are a good person, Serena, I see that now. You care about Soren a lot, and strangely you seem to care about my people, though I can't figure out why, all they seem to do is treat you like shit," she laughs half heartedly, possibly in an attempt to lighten the already dampened mood, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. Gratefully, I lean a hand on her shoulder, causing her to cease up slightly, unused to physical contact from me.
"Thank you, Delina."
She nods affirmatively.
"Anytime."
A rather encroaching cough grabs us both to attention. Kal has since backed up further against one of the crystal spiked cave walls, looking despairingly between us and Areen, obviously in need of backup from the Siren's ruthless stare. From across the room, Kal whispers into his cupped palm:
"Serena, please can we go, she looks like she wants to eat me,"
My eyes flicker towards Kal once more, tracing the obvious desperation in his face and the little squeak of terror as Areen rolls her eyes and traipses over to the hatch in the middle of the room, eager for us to be gone. In response Kal slides along the room towards us, huddling next to me with a series of glancing looks.
Areen herself, as expected, does not care, merely dragging her foot over to the hatch on the floor, banging it three times, before it opens up, filling the room with a black and ever rising smoke.
All holding in our coughs, we crowd round the entrance, peering down into the darkness below- a darkness that unlike the other entrances is not a free fall, but a stairway down into an unforeseeable end. Kal seems to share the same dumbfounded expression, looking over the abyssal emptiness with a stutter of wordless syllables, as though half expecting that we would both need to tumble down a monumental drop in an unknown expanse below. Between the two of us, we both expected to be obtaining a fair number of cuts and bruises from the next fall- proof of our journey, battle scars if you will. Stairs now seem like a luxury, even a privilege.
"Alright, in you get," Areen instructs, pointing a clawed nail down into the murky blackness of the space below, flicking it instantly, obviously tiring of having us in her palace. But her motions are forced- if not forceful, a glitter residing in the back of her eyes that I could have sworn wasn't there before. A chill runs down my spine.
Apprehensively, I glance down into the stairwell, all at once feeling that something is terribly off.
"I want you two out of my sight, before you can think about causing any more trouble for me."
Two? I think to myself, straining to glance round at Delina, whose distaste at the words is evident from the bitter expression that mottles her pretty features. Now, why on earth would Areen not let her own granddaughter save her King- the love of her life for countless, if not hundred, of years? Unless of course...
Glancing down at the entrance, I take a step away. Areen's form goes rigid.
"I was under the impression," I retort rigidly, trying my best to keep the irritation out of my voice- I have had just about the last straw with Areen, cannibal siren or not. "That Delina would be coming with us? She has just as much a stake in the matters as we do, after all. Soren and Azrael are very close to her- would you honestly deny her the right to save them?"
Areen's answer is immediate.
"She will not be going, she is going to stay here, where it is safe. Now down you go, you two, and don't come back. Go on. Now."
This time, Kal is the one to answer.
"Why so forceful?" he queries, stepping away for the hatch as well, eyeing up the entrance with a renewed suspicion. His eyes meet mine, and it at that moment that I feel it. The tingle of magic in the air, numbing the tips of my fingers, the cold breath of an illusion.
"Back away Kal," I instruct, which he does so without question, his hands raised as he lets me take a step towards the entrance. Beside him, Delina whips her head round, puzzled.
"What are you-"
Slamming my hand towards the entrance, I cast a ball of fire rocketing down towards it. But instead of going down into the stairwell and tumbling into the dark, it hits an invisible wall with a light click, and the room rumbles into animation. The contraption triggers into life, snapping shut as a huge, box like cage forms up around the trap, snapping shut before disappearing as promptly as it came.
Next to us, Delina is as white as a sheet.
"You know," I say slowly, dusting off my hands. "That looked an awful lot like a trap, Areen. Care to explain?"
"Standard protocol for trespassers," she says quickly- almost a little too quickly. Doubtfully, I narrow my eyes. It doesn't take a genius to realise that illusion was purely for us. Where it would have taken us is another matter, the fact remains- there was no friendly intention in it.
Suspiciously, I peer at her, taking a few steps closer while the others hold their ground around me, muscles tense, bodies rigid, ready to bend into action at the next given opportunity. The way Areen says those words seems practised, almost… robotic, without feeling. From my understanding, siren's are creatures very devoted to their people and their family, and while they may have a distinct distaste for landwalkers, and occasionally feast on mortal flesh, that does not make them cold, unfeeling murder machines. And perhaps I am very wrong on my assumption but…
"Don't play games with me, Areen. What did he threaten you with?"
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"That was meant for you, girl," Areen sneers, baring her teeth with a snarky, shark-like smile, her fingers cutting through the air with an obvious irritation. If I had looked a little closer at her gestures then, I might have deduced that they were slightly overly impatient, her movements almost buzzing, as though not impatient, but nervous.
But why?
"Hurry up and get on with things, landwalker Queen. You have got your entrance, I am not going to stick around to tell you how to use it if that is what you are staring at me for."
Staunchly, I purse my lips, contorting my mouth with a techy, tight-lipped smile.
Fantastic, I think inwardly, my mouth turning sour. Barely a day into being Queen of Sezeria and I am already being mocked by a species that isn't even of vampire heritage. What other wonderous feats of mockery am I going to be subject to in the coming months?
Then I cackle inwardly, averting my gaze from the icy Siren who stands before me, musing over facts and fiction that I delight to play in my head. Perhaps this is why Areen is so close to Azrael, why she seems so protective over him, the fact they seem to just... 'click'- their personality points are practically interchangeable. Surprising in fact, that Azrael has not found a wife in her, instead- the two of them would be much more compatible- aside from the fact that siren women have a rather nasty habit of eating their husbands if they aren't fulfilling to the needs of matrimony. Of course those cases are rare, but considering Areen's lack of a male figure in her life and how well she has managed to keep those pointed teeth sharped to a point, one can only presume the absolute worst.
Not that Azrael would care about Areen anyway, he is fixated to me like a moth to a lamp, obsessed with having me as his- as if I would ever let that happen. I would rather die than become part of his fraudulent little game, not to mention the terrifying prominence of his plan to 'reshape the world', which I can only take to assume means exactly as it sounds- boiling down the world and reforging it into a monstrosity of his own creation. It's not like I know the details behind this plan, but if someone says 'I am going to put cookies in the oven'- while you might not know what type of cookies they are, you know for certain they will be baked. In this sense, those cookies just so happen to be the end of the world.
Truly, a terrific thought.
"Are you okay?" whispers Delina next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder whilst Areen is busy assessing the slender dragon boy across from her with a series of unimpressed looks, her eyes as icy and unforgiving as ever. It is clear from the stale expression on her face that Kal doesn't leave much of an impression on her- except for his wings, which she flickers over with a rather vehement interest, perhaps planning to form some for herself.
Or steal them to put in her next stew. I can't really decide which.
"Yeah, sorry, I got distracted. I am just a smidgen worried about, well, everything at the moment," I apologise lowly, raking my hand through the backs of my hair as I make my way back over towards the hatch with a deliberate slowness. Delina shakes her head fervently, the jangle of gold bangles around her neck ringing out softly into the glowing half light of the room.
"There is no need for you to apologise. I know I haven't exactly been the nicest to you over the past few weeks of your stay here, but you are a good person, Serena, I see that now. You care about Soren a lot, and strangely you seem to care about my people, though I can't figure out why, all they seem to do is treat you like shit," she laughs half heartedly, possibly in an attempt to lighten the already dampened mood, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. Gratefully, I lean a hand on her shoulder, causing her to cease up slightly, unused to physical contact from me.
"Thank you, Delina."
She nods affirmatively.
"Anytime."
A rather encroaching cough grabs us both to attention. Kal has since backed up further against one of the crystal spiked cave walls, looking despairingly between us and Areen, obviously in need of backup from the Siren's ruthless stare. From across the room, Kal whispers into his cupped palm:
"Serena, please can we go, she looks like she wants to eat me,"
My eyes flicker towards Kal once more, tracing the obvious desperation in his face and the little squeak of terror as Areen rolls her eyes and traipses over to the hatch in the middle of the room, eager for us to be gone. In response Kal slides along the room towards us, huddling next to me with a series of glancing looks.
Areen herself, as expected, does not care, merely dragging her foot over to the hatch on the floor, banging it three times, before it opens up, filling the room with a black and ever rising smoke.
All holding in our coughs, we crowd round the entrance, peering down into the darkness below- a darkness that unlike the other entrances is not a free fall, but a stairway down into an unforeseeable end. Kal seems to share the same dumbfounded expression, looking over the abyssal emptiness with a stutter of wordless syllables, as though half expecting that we would both need to tumble down a monumental drop in an unknown expanse below. Between the two of us, we both expected to be obtaining a fair number of cuts and bruises from the next fall- proof of our journey, battle scars if you will. Stairs now seem like a luxury, even a privilege.
"Alright, in you get," Areen instructs, pointing a clawed nail down into the murky blackness of the space below, flicking it instantly, obviously tiring of having us in her palace. But her motions are forced- if not forceful, a glitter residing in the back of her eyes that I could have sworn wasn't there before. A chill runs down my spine.
Apprehensively, I glance down into the stairwell, all at once feeling that something is terribly off.
"I want you two out of my sight, before you can think about causing any more trouble for me."
Two? I think to myself, straining to glance round at Delina, whose distaste at the words is evident from the bitter expression that mottles her pretty features. Now, why on earth would Areen not let her own granddaughter save her King- the love of her life for countless, if not hundred, of years? Unless of course...
Glancing down at the entrance, I take a step away. Areen's form goes rigid.
"I was under the impression," I retort rigidly, trying my best to keep the irritation out of my voice- I have had just about the last straw with Areen, cannibal siren or not. "That Delina would be coming with us? She has just as much a stake in the matters as we do, after all. Soren and Azrael are very close to her- would you honestly deny her the right to save them?"
Areen's answer is immediate.
"She will not be going, she is going to stay here, where it is safe. Now down you go, you two, and don't come back. Go on. Now."
This time, Kal is the one to answer.
"Why so forceful?" he queries, stepping away for the hatch as well, eyeing up the entrance with a renewed suspicion. His eyes meet mine, and it at that moment that I feel it. The tingle of magic in the air, numbing the tips of my fingers, the cold breath of an illusion.
"Back away Kal," I instruct, which he does so without question, his hands raised as he lets me take a step towards the entrance. Beside him, Delina whips her head round, puzzled.
"What are you-"
Slamming my hand towards the entrance, I cast a ball of fire rocketing down towards it. But instead of going down into the stairwell and tumbling into the dark, it hits an invisible wall with a light click, and the room rumbles into animation. The contraption triggers into life, snapping shut as a huge, box like cage forms up around the trap, snapping shut before disappearing as promptly as it came.
Next to us, Delina is as white as a sheet.
"You know," I say slowly, dusting off my hands. "That looked an awful lot like a trap, Areen. Care to explain?"
"Standard protocol for trespassers," she says quickly- almost a little too quickly. Doubtfully, I narrow my eyes. It doesn't take a genius to realise that illusion was purely for us. Where it would have taken us is another matter, the fact remains- there was no friendly intention in it.
Suspiciously, I peer at her, taking a few steps closer while the others hold their ground around me, muscles tense, bodies rigid, ready to bend into action at the next given opportunity. The way Areen says those words seems practised, almost… robotic, without feeling. From my understanding, siren's are creatures very devoted to their people and their family, and while they may have a distinct distaste for landwalkers, and occasionally feast on mortal flesh, that does not make them cold, unfeeling murder machines. And perhaps I am very wrong on my assumption but…
"Don't play games with me, Areen. What did he threaten you with?"
"That was meant for you, girl," Areen sneers, baring her teeth with a snarky, shark-like smile, her fingers cutting through the air with an obvious irritation. If I had looked a little closer at her gestures then, I might have deduced that they were slightly overly impatient, her movements almost buzzing, as though not impatient, but nervous.But why?"Hurry up and get on with things, landwalker Queen. You have got your entrance, I am not going to stick around to tell you how to use it if that is what you are staring at me for."Staunchly, I purse my lips, contorting my mouth with a techy, tight-lipped smile.Fantastic, I think inwardly, my mouth turning sour. Barely a day into being Queen of Sezeria and I am already being mocked by a species that isn't even of vampire heritage. What other wonderous feats of mockery am I going to be subject to in the coming months?Then I cackle inwardly, averting my gaze from the icy Siren who stands before me, musing over facts and fiction that I delight to play in my head. Perhaps this is why Areen is so close to Azrael, why she seems so protective over him, the fact they seem to just... 'click'- their personality points are practically interchangeable. Surprising in fact, that Azrael has not found a wife in her, instead- the two of them would be much more compatible- aside from the fact that siren women have a rather nasty habit of eating their husbands if they aren't fulfilling to the needs of matrimony. Of course those cases are rare, but considering Areen's lack of a male figure in her life and how well she has managed to keep those pointed teeth sharped to a point, one can only presume the absolute worst.Not that Azrael would care about Areen anyway, he is fixated to me like a moth to a lamp, obsessed with having me as his- as if I would ever let that happen. I would rather die than become part of his fraudulent little game, not to mention the terrifying prominence of his plan to 'reshape the world', which I can only take to assume means exactly as it sounds- boiling down the world and reforging it into a monstrosity of his own creation. It's not like I know the details behind this plan, but if someone says 'I am going to put cookies in the oven'- while you might not know what type of cookies they are, you know for certain they will be baked. In this sense, those cookies just so happen to be the end of the world.Truly, a terrific thought."Are you okay?" whispers Delina next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder whilst Areen is busy assessing the slender dragon boy across from her with a series of unimpressed looks, her eyes as icy and unforgiving as ever. It is clear from the stale expression on her face that Kal doesn't leave much of an impression on her- except for his wings, which she flickers over with a rather vehement interest, perhaps planning to form some for herself.Or steal them to put in her next stew. I can't really decide which."Yeah, sorry, I got distracted. I am just a smidgen worried about, well, everything at the moment," I apologise lowly, raking my hand through the backs of my hair as I make my way back over towards the hatch with a deliberate slowness. Delina shakes her head fervently, the jangle of gold bangles around her neck ringing out softly into the glowing half light of the room. "There is no need for you to apologise. I know I haven't exactly been the nicest to you over the past few weeks of your stay here, but you are a good person, Serena, I see that now. You care about Soren a lot, and strangely you seem to care about my people, though I can't figure out why, all they seem to do is treat you like shit," she laughs half heartedly, possibly in an attempt to lighten the already dampened mood, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. Gratefully, I lean a hand on her shoulder, causing her to cease up slightly, unused to physical contact from me."Thank you, Delina."She nods affirmatively."Anytime."A rather encroaching cough grabs us both to attention. Kal has since backed up further against one of the crystal spiked cave walls, looking despairingly between us and Areen, obviously in need of backup from the Siren's ruthless stare. From across the room, Kal whispers into his cupped palm:"Serena, please can we go, she looks like she wants to eat me,"My eyes flicker towards Kal once more, tracing the obvious desperation in his face and the little squeak of terror as Areen rolls her eyes and traipses over to the hatch in the middle of the room, eager for us to be gone. In response Kal slides along the room towards us, huddling next to me with a series of glancing looks.Areen herself, as expected, does not care, merely dragging her foot over to the hatch on the floor, banging it three times, before it opens up, filling the room with a black and ever rising smoke.All holding in our coughs, we crowd round the entrance, peering down into the darkness below- a darkness that unlike the other entrances is not a free fall, but a stairway down into an unforeseeable end. Kal seems to share the same dumbfounded expression, looking over the abyssal emptiness with a stutter of wordless syllables, as though half expecting that we would both need to tumble down a monumental drop in an unknown expanse below. Between the two of us, we both expected to be obtaining a fair number of cuts and bruises from the next fall- proof of our journey, battle scars if you will. Stairs now seem like a luxury, even a privilege."Alright, in you get," Areen instructs, pointing a clawed nail down into the murky blackness of the space below, flicking it instantly, obviously tiring of having us in her palace. But her motions are forced- if not forceful, a glitter residing in the back of her eyes that I could have sworn wasn't there before. A chill runs down my spine.Apprehensively, I glance down into the stairwell, all at once feeling that something is terribly off."I want you two out of my sight, before you can think about causing any more trouble for me."Two? I think to myself, straining to glance round at Delina, whose distaste at the words is evident from the bitter expression that mottles her pretty features. Now, why on earth would Areen not let her own granddaughter save her King- the love of her life for countless, if not hundred, of years? Unless of course...Glancing down at the entrance, I take a step away. Areen's form goes rigid."I was under the impression," I retort rigidly, trying my best to keep the irritation out of my voice- I have had just about the last straw with Areen, cannibal siren or not. "That Delina would be coming with us? She has just as much a stake in the matters as we do, after all. Soren and Azrael are very close to her- would you honestly deny her the right to save them?"Areen's answer is immediate."She will not be going, she is going to stay here, where it is safe. Now down you go, you two, and don't come back. Go on. Now." This time, Kal is the one to answer."Why so forceful?" he queries, stepping away for the hatch as well, eyeing up the entrance with a renewed suspicion. His eyes meet mine, and it at that moment that I feel it. The tingle of magic in the air, numbing the tips of my fingers, the cold breath of an illusion."Back away Kal," I instruct, which he does so without question, his hands raised as he lets me take a step towards the entrance. Beside him, Delina whips her head round, puzzled."What are you-"Slamming my hand towards the entrance, I cast a ball of fire rocketing down towards it. But instead of going down into the stairwell and tumbling into the dark, it hits an invisible wall with a light click, and the room rumbles into animation. The contraption triggers into life, snapping shut as a huge, box like cage forms up around the trap, snapping shut before disappearing as promptly as it came.Next to us, Delina is as white as a sheet."You know," I say slowly, dusting off my hands. "That looked an awful lot like a trap, Areen. Care to explain?""Standard protocol for trespassers," she says quickly- almost a little too quickly. Doubtfully, I narrow my eyes. It doesn't take a genius to realise that illusion was purely for us. Where it would have taken us is another matter, the fact remains- there was no friendly intention in it.Suspiciously, I peer at her, taking a few steps closer while the others hold their ground around me, muscles tense, bodies rigid, ready to bend into action at the next given opportunity. The way Areen says those words seems practised, almost robotic, without feeling. From my understanding, siren's are creatures very devoted to their people and their family, and while they may have a distinct distaste for landwalkers, and occasionally feast on mortal flesh, that does not make them cold, unfeeling murder machines. And perhaps I am very wrong on my assumption but"Don't play games with me, Areen. What did he threaten you with?"
