Celestia's Tales: The Lybiria Scales
Page 23
On the ship everyone maintained their own silence as they had done on the journey back to the Crux, each deep in their own thoughts as to what had been said.
Bri tried to keep her head clear and told herself that being alone for so long had driven the princess mad and she had told her nothing but jealous lies. Although she could see by the others’ faces that whatever she had told them were working their ways under each of their skins. Could she ignore it? There clearly was a warning, but Bri was never good at being told what to do.
The weather had now started to calm and whilst they waited for the sea to settle, Bri decided to sit alone in her cabin. She closed her eyes and tried to will the tension from her body. A knock on the door disturbed her and she opened her eyes to see Xander standing watching her.
'Is it OK for me to come in?' he asked.
She had noticed that the past couple of days he had not even attempted to use charm on her and she now saw nothing but respect in his eyes. He was changing in front of her and instead of the vain pompous prince she had taken upon her ship, he was now a man, a man who could equal any of her own crew. His hair had grown windswept and was no longer coiffed perfectly and her father’s clothes looked as though they belonged on his body. She indicated for him to sit down and he did, next to her.
'I want to ask you about the Trio,' he said bluntly and she smiled at him. 'You said you would tell me. Is he really the child of Hecate?'
'So they say, that is why I found him,' Bri said.
She watched as Xander settled into the bench and she began. 'I had heard, during my travels with my father about a great killer called the Trio, three men in one, the so called child of Hecate and the last god in Celestia. So, once my father had built the Crux I took her to find him, using merchant trading as a cover, of course. Father would have killed me himself if he had known. Anyway, I heard a rumour whilst travelling the islands on the very edge of Celestia called Warrend that I would find him on the next island.'
'Wait a minute,' Xander interrupted, sitting up. 'You have been to the land that is neither Zolar nor Zilva?'
'Are you gonna let me finish?' Xander nodded and settled back. 'Well it was in a town called Picicis, we found him and I convinced him to join us.'
'How did you get a god to join you?' Xander asked.
Bri smiled a knowing smile. 'Convince two and the third has to follow.'
Realising that was all she was going to spill he decided to change the subject.
'Did Alaina mention to you about our future?'
Bri thought for a moment, she had not actually mentioned her marriage to Xander, just about the curses, how strange, she thought to herself.
'No she didn't,' she said. 'Did she to you?'
Xander shook his head. 'No,' he lied.
He had no idea why he was lying. What did he have to hide? Nothing.
They sat together in silence for a moment longer and then Xander getting to his feet grabbed two cups and a jug of ale.
‘You know this is the first time we’ve had a fully civilised conversation,’ he pointed out.
Bri smiled as she took the cup. ‘I think we should drink to that. Who knows, we may make this marriage thing work.’
They clinked cups. ‘Yeah, maybe,’ Xander smiled.
Chapter Twenty