They walked out into the street, for once, Enyo went without her hood. No one batted an eyelash at her. Of course, given the recent string of events, two girls and one guy walking around wasn’t that interesting.
There weren’t many people in the street right now. With the two confirmed dark members and their deaths, a lot of people were staying indoors. It wasn’t everyone as there were still a good few dozen people wandering around. However, there were no longer several hundred-people crowding the walkways.
“Are you ready?” Jacob asked Enyo.
“Ready for what?” Enyo asked in return. Jacob stared at her. Enyo blushed as her eyes went wide. “O-oh. Right. Yes, um, I’m ready.”
“Then let’s do this. Just remember to play it cool.” Jacob offered his arm, which Enyo took after another moment. “Fellis, would you mind following slightly behind us?”
Fellis smiled. “Don’t worry, hero. I’ve been a maid for several years now. I know how to play the part.”
“Right.”
Jacob led Enyo down one of many cobblestone streets, their destination the north gate. His companion had a tight grip on his arm. She felt tense. A glance out of the corner of his eye revealed that she was moving stiffly, like someone who had both of their legs broken and was trying to walk with a pair of splints.
“Relax,” Jacob leaned down and whispered into her ear. “You look like someone who’s been paralyzed from the waist down. Remember, right now you and I are a couple out for a stroll before dinner. You need to be more natural.”
“I’m sorry,” Enyo said. “I guess I’m more tense than I usually am.”
Going off a hunch, Jacob asked, “Is it because of the kiss last night?” Enyo’s cheeks suddenly turned so red he thought her face might catch fire. “So that’s it.”
It was only natural that she would be thinking about last night. He’d been thinking about it as well. The kiss had plagued his mind. In truth, he’d been unable to get his mind off it since it happened.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I know that now’s not really the time.”
“No, now may be the perfect time,” he rebutted. “It might be best if we talk about this right now while we still have the chance.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah…”
He’d been thinking about it while trying to ignore Caslain’s ramblings. As much as he didn’t want to deal with this right now, he knew that they might not get another chance. What’s more, neither of them could afford to be distracted by their own insecurities. While Jacob was worried about how this would change their dynamics, he knew that something needed to be done or their team work would suffer.
“So, um…” Enyo started.
“I want you to know that I do like you,” Jacob decided to go with outright honesty. Seeing Enyo’s blush made his own slight embarrassment worth it. “I’m saying this now because I don’t want you to think that I don’t like you, or that I don’t want to be with you in a more, uh, intimate manner.”
Several meters behind them, Fellis appeared like she was trying to listen in without getting caught. He ignored her. Enyo was gazing at him with an uncertain gleam in her eyes.
“So… you do like me in… that way?”
“Yes,” Jacob confirmed. “However, I think we should wait before doing anything.”
“What?” Enyo blinked, her expression suddenly unsure. “I’m not sure I understand. Not do anything?”
Pausing for a moment, Jacob thought about how best to explain himself. He wasn’t good at expressing his feelings. Rather, he was reluctant to because he’d become so used to holding them in.
Durandal was mercifully silent.
“Right now, you and I are on the run, we’re trying to sneak into Avant Heim and activate the otherworld gate to travel to my world. We have enemies after us from all sides and even a single slip in judgement on our part could mean certain death. We don’t really have the time to be exploring a relationship. We can’t even do the things that most people who are in a relationship do because we’re constantly on the run.”
He’d been thinking about this for a while now. Ever since Fellis had showed him those visions, he’d been trying to think of what he should do, of what his own feelings were, and how he should respond to them. This was the answer that he came up with.
“That’s why I want us to wait,” he continued. “Once we reach my world, you and I will be free to do what we want. We’ll be able to go on dates, have conversations that don’t involve our potential death, and do things that regular couples do. I think that will be the best time for us to explore and deepen our relationship further.”
Jacob waited for a moment, to see if Enyo would say something. When she didn’t, he became worried.
“Is that… okay?”
“Oh! Um, yes. That’s fine.” Enyo smiled at him. “Honestly, I am a little disappointed, but I also understand what you’re getting at. Now’s not the time for us to do anything. We’ve already got our hands full, right?” Enyo hugged his arm a little more tightly and rested her head on his shoulder. “I… don’t mind waiting until the danger has passed.”
Jacob knew that Enyo was disappointed, or maybe he was pushing his own sense of disappointment onto her. He did feel guilty. He’d like to offer her more, but it was neither safe nor healthy to explore a relationship while on the run. If he was going to give this relationship thing a try, then he wanted to be able to give Enyo all of his attention and not just the token attention he could give right now.
They kept moving through the streets.
The north gate was called such because it sat on the northern side of the city. Surrounded by high rising walls made of massive bricks. Two cylindrical towers were situated on either side, connected by an arched bridge that ran over the gate, which was a massive construct made of thick wood. Jacob knew that beyond the gate itself, there was a drawbridge. The only way to drop the drawbridge was to pull the lever located inside one of the towers. He didn’t know which one.
“That’s a lot of guards,” Enyo murmured.
Indeed, there were at least sixteen guards stationed there. He could see two on either tower, two guarding the gate, two more guarding each door making for a total of four, four standing on the arched bridge, and another four patrolling the wall. Who knew how many more were inside of the towers themselves.
“Getting past them isn’t going to be easy,” Jacob said.
The problem, as he saw it, was that they couldn’t knock each guard out one at a time. Everyone would see them. Then it would all be over. Strong as he, Enyo, and Fellis were, they wouldn’t be able to beat that many people without causing unnecessary destruction and death.
Jacob wanted to avoid killing innocent people.
“Maybe we should wait for the lockdown to end?” Enyo suggested.
“If I may intrude,” Fellis said before Jacob could. “Waiting for the lockdown to end could have even more disastrous results. The longer we remain here, the greater the chances of someone catching us are. Even if no one knows exactly what we look like, it’s only a matter of time before we’re found out.”
“We also have to be wary of the Dark Council,” Jacob said. “I don’t know if Darkness and Nemesis reported us to the Dark Council…” he trailed off and glanced at Fellis.
“There’s a chance,” she admitted. “We were technically supposed to contact them once we had apprehended Enyo, but I don’t know how many of them did. Then again, Darkness and Nemesis did find us pretty easily, so the Dark Council may have a way of tracking us.”
Mysterious and elusive, few people knew of the Dark Council even among the Dark Clan itself. Of the few who did know, no one knew who the Dark Council members were, or what powers they possessed. It was perfectly feasible that someone among them was tracking his, Enyo’s, and Fellis’s movements.
“I get what you’re saying,” Enyo said at last. “I’ll admit, I’m not as experienced in these matters as either of you.”
&nbs
p; “That’s probably a good thing,” Durandal said quietly. Jacob tapped the sword on the hilt, a reminder that he needed to keep quiet in public.
“Let’s head back to the inn, we can come up with a plan to open the gate there.”
Still keeping in character, he, Enyo, and Fellis moved off, wandering down the street. As they rounded a corner, they almost ran into Caslain. The man was wearing his armor now. It was easier to see the resemblance between this man and the one who’s drake he and Fellis had stolen back at Deterion.
“Oh, pardon me—ah, Jake! I apologize. I hadn’t realized it was you,” Caslain said, smiling.
Jacob returned the smile with an uneasy one of his own. “It’s fine.”
“Are you out for an evening stroll with your betrothed?” Caslain asked politely.
“That’s right.” Raising his free hand, he gently placed it over one of Enyo’s. It might not have been acting, but the redness that spread across his companion’s cheeks helped add credence to his claim. “I guess you’re on patrol?”
“That is correct,” Caslain said. “Which is why I must apologize again. I’ve not the time to speak now. Please forgive me.”
He waved the man off. “Don’t worry about it. Keep up the good work.”
“I shall do my best.”
Giving a salute, Caslain glanced momentarily at Fellis with furrowed brows, and then he shook his head and left. Jacob tracked the man as he disappeared around the corner of a building.
“Hey,” Fellis started, “isn’t that…”
“Yes,” Jacob said. “That’s the guy we stole the drake from. He’s also the one Enyo and I fought in Altus.”
“Is he really?” Enyo asked. “I never got a good look at him because it was so dark and everything was happening so quickly.”
“Yep, that’s him,” Jacob said dryly. “I’d recognize that manner of speech anywhere.”
“He was very loud,” Durandal added.
The group moved on. As they started walking, Jacob froze as something descended upon him. It was the feeling of eyes watching him. There was someone observing them, and they didn’t feel quite human.
He looked up, toward where he felt the source, but there was no one there.
“Jacob?” Enyo inquired curiously.
Jacob shook his head and smiled. “It’s nothing. Let’s keep going.”
While she still looked unsure, Enyo nodded, and, together with Fellis, they walked back to the inn.
Did I imagine that feeling? he asked himself before shaking it off.
It must have been his imagination.
CHAPTER 6
LUST
After they returned to the inn, Jacob had given Enyo the gate key. His reasoning was that it would be a good idea to keep it on one of them at all times, but he wasn’t responsible enough to hold it. Enyo had protested. Fellis agreed. Since the gate key had been in his bag when it was stolen, they had eventually reached the consensus that Enyo would hold the gate key.
She had not been pleased.
A plan had been concocted to escape from Tallus Caelum. Using Fellis’s Mind Manipulation magic, they would “convince” all the guards to leave. Fellis had told him that she couldn’t use her mind magic for mass manipulation, which meant they needed to get each one alone. Fortunately, Fellis had been trained as a temptress.
Later that night, Jacob, Enyo, and Fellis left their inn through the window, taking to the roofs and going straight for the north gate. The guards were all still there, though they had been shifted out for new guards. As they knelt on the roof of a nearby building, Fellis clicked her teeth.
“Some of those guards are female,” she muttered bitterly.
“Is that a problem?” asked Jacob.
Fellis sent him a flat look. “Yes, that’s a problem. I can’t seduce women.”
“Why not?” asked Enyo.
“What do you mean ‘why not?’” Fellis gave her the flat stare.
“It would be hot if you did,” Durandal said suddenly. “What?” he asked when everyone glared at him. “You all were thinking it, too.”
“Look,” Fellis sighed, “I have no talent at seducing members of the same sex. Darkness might have been able to do that. In fact, I’m sure she could, but I can’t. I don’t have the right mindset.”
“Couldn’t you still use your Mind Manipulation on them?” Jacob asked.
“Maybe.” Fellis bit her lip. “It depends on how strong their will is. There’s a reason I didn’t just manipulate Enyo when I was trying to take her away from all this. If a person has enough willpower, they can resist my manipulation. I can still dominate their mind, but it takes more time. Men are easier to manipulate because I seduce them at the same time. They’re too busy thinking with their dicks instead of their heads. Women are different. Since I have no talent at seducing them, especially if the woman is straight, it takes a lot longer to manipulate them.”
That was troubling, but it was nothing they couldn’t handle either. Even if it would make everything a bit harder, they couldn’t really afford to give up.
He sighed. “All right. Here’s what we’ll do. Enyo, I want you to play the part of an innocent young girl who’s seen a suspicious character lurking around. Go up to them, convince a few of them to follow you. I’ll keep them still while Fellis dominates their mind.”
“I think I can do that,” Enyo said.
With a plan in place, they left the rooftops and snuck up to a corner that was just out of the guard’s sight. Enyo took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and then ran out into the street, her appearance the definition of a frantic young woman.
“Guards! Guards! I found a strange figure over that way! He tried to attack me!” she said, sounding every bit the frightened girl as she pointed in the direction that he and Fellis waited.
“Did you teach her that?” Jacob asked.
“Nope,” Fellis said. “She learned that all on her own. Not bad, right?”
“I give her a five out of ten,” Durandal muttered.
“Quiet you,” Jacob whispered.
“A strange figure?” The guards looked at each other, nodded, and then looked back at her. “Show us where this person is!”
“He’s this way,” Enyo said. “Follow me!”
The guards followed Enyo. Jacob and Fellis disappeared, hiding in the shadows. Enyo appeared around the corner seconds later, and then the guards did. One of them was a female, so Jacob snuck up behind her and captured her in a strong hold. One hand went against her mouth, muffling her screams. The male guard turned at the slight sound, but Fellis was already in front of him.
“Hey there,” she said. “I hadn’t been sure when my colleague told me about how attractive you are in uniform, but now that I’ve seen you, I’m forced to believe her.”
“Uh… what?” The man blinked rapidly several times. His eyes were zeroed in on Fellis’ chest, which was emphasized when she squeezed her arms together.
The woman in Jacob’s grasp tried to shout something, but her voice no longer worked. Jacob was already disrupting the flow of her energy with his Linked Energy Manipulation. Her entire body had been paralyzed.
“Do you think you can do me a favor?” Fellis continued. “I’m in need of a big, strong man like you. I don’t think there’s anyone else who can do the job.”
“W-what do you need?” the man asked. He seemed to have forgotten all about Enyo and the mysterious figure that she had spoken of.
Fellis grinned as her eyes glowed. “I need you to do everything that I tell you to.”
The guard’s face slackened. “Yes, Mistress.”
“Good.” Fellis patted him on the cheek. “Just wait here a moment.”
“Yes… Mistress.”
Fellis walked around the man and went over to Jacob’s prisoner, who stared at her with frightened eyes.
“Don’t worry,” Fellis said, smiling. “This won’t hurt a bit.”
Jacob watched from behind as Fellis’s eyes picked u
p an ethereal glow. He waited, unsure of what he was waiting for. Looking at his prisoner, he saw that her eyes were glazing over. Fellis eventually sighed and straightened back up.
“You can let go of her now.”
Jacob did as instructed. The woman didn’t move.
“Nice job,” Jacob said. “To both of you. Enyo, that was some pretty good acting.”
“Thanks.” Enyo beamed. “I’ve never done that before. It was kind of exhilarating.”
“What should we do with these two?” Fellis asked, hitching a thumb at the two mind-controlled guards.
“Have them return to their posts. We want to keep everyone from getting suspicious.”
After Fellis ordered the two guards back to their post, he and Enyo and the temptress used side streets and alleys to travel to the other tower. Like the first one, there were two guards there. Both of them were male, fortunately.
“We’re counting on you, Fellis,” Jacob said.
“Good luck,” Enyo added.
“Show me sexy times,” Durandal just had to say. “Owch!” the sword muttered when Jacob smacked it on the hilt.
Fellis strolled out from behind the building with a seductive sway of her hips. Jacob and Enyo watched as she waved the two guards down, speaking with them and ensnaring them with her seduction before taking control of their minds. As she worked her magic, Jacob looked up. The guards patrolling the wall had noticed her, and a few had stopped to watch. They could be trouble.
“I didn’t think about how to deal with those ones,” Jacob muttered.
“What?” asked Enyo.
“I was saying we might run into trouble if those guys on top of the wall become suspicious.”
“Oh…”
Fellis returned a few seconds later, having thoroughly dominated the minds of both men. There was a satisfied smile on her face. A contentedness surrounded her. For whatever reason, it reminded him of a kitten after drinking their first bowl of milk.
“Did you find out which tower the lever was in?” Jacob asked.
“It’s in this one,” Fellis answered. “There’s a basement level where the lever is located.”
Journey of a Betrayed Hero- Volume 1 Page 23
