The Forgotten Prophecy

Chapter 20

Ines and Matthew were standing at the deserted city port, gazing at the still water of the lake. The moonlight reflected on its surface, like a path of light into the darkness.

'You should thank me for saving your ass down there,' Matthew broke the silence.

'Oh, beloved companion, I thank thee for risking thy life for me. Thou—'

'Alright. I think that's enough.'

They chuckled quietly.

'Oh God. I'm dying!' he whined, wincing with every tiny move he made. He yawned and slapped his cheeks in an effort to stay awake.

Ines looked at his tired face. His eyes were red, with dark circles under them.

'You look terrible.'

'Thanks.' He turned to her with a smirk, which vanished when he saw her abdomen. 'Let me look at your wound.'

'No, thanks,' she swatted his hands away.

'Peter, don't act all tough.'

'I said no. I'll go to the medic later,' she said with finality, avoiding eye contact, her hands fidgeting with her belt. When she heard Matthew's deep sigh she instantly regretted being so snappish. 'Sorry. I'm just exhausted. And very confused,' she mumbled.

'Tell me.'

'I don't know. I went to get answers, and I ended up having even more questions.'

'Did he actually have such a medallion?'

'Yes, it was exactly the same.'

'So...nothing else?' he raised his brows quizzically.

'Yeah. That old one went crazy, and I lost control of the situation.'

'What do you mean crazy?'

'He became obsessed with how I knew about it. He did some weird stuff to me with his brain and started saying things like, 'We came to find you' and 'You are the one' and other things that didn't even make sense. And in the end, they claimed to have been imprisoned on purpose, because they waited for me to find them.'

Matthew abruptly stood up and started pacing back and forth. His jaw was clenched, his nostrils flaring in anger. 'Those bastards. It was all a part of their plan,' he seethed.

Ines knew better than interfere in his mental breakdown, so she was content with watching him in curiosity. He was still freaking out when the elves appeared. Here we go, she thought, and wearily stood up to keep a close eye on Matthew.

'You have the nerve to show up all calm and cool after everything that has happened?' he snarled at them.

'Do not stress out. Everything was under control,' the old elf said with a blank stare.

'With dozens of people wounded or dead?'

'A small price to pay for something greater.'

'Those humans were so pitiful for thinking that they could take on us,' Landos wrinkled his nose.

Upon hearing his arrogant talking, Matthew completely lost it, and charged towards Landos. Things would have escalated if Ines hadn't thrown her arms around his broad shoulders to thwart his blind furiousness.

'Let me go, Peter!'

'No!'

'I want to punch his disgusting face.'

'Calm down! You know you can't take them. They have magic, for God's sake!' she glared at him.

Matthew took deep breaths. He slowly started to calm down, and Ines released him after he nodded in reassurance. The elves smiled in satisfaction; they didn't want to break a sweat.

'I'm fed-up with your arrogance,' Ines glowered at them. 'Leave this city and never come back, or else I will make sure you are thrown back to prison. And remain there.'

Matthew pulled her by the arm before she completely lost her temper.

'Wait!' the old elf said.

'Leave us be, old man,' she replied.

The old elf sighed. He knew he could not dissuade her. 'I understand your distrust,' he went on. 'It is hard to break the wall between us, but...if you change your mind, you can find us where the River meets the Lake.'

'Yeah, yeah. That will never happen,' Matthew said.

They turned around and walked away. It was a long day, and they both felt drained.

'You know the saying turn the other cheek?' she said.

'Didn't you hear that idiot? I couldn't hold back!' Matthew ran a hand through his hair in indignation. They had almost reached Ines' place.

'Pay no mind. We got out safe. Isn't that more important?'

'Yes, it is.'

They stood outside the inn, waiting for someone to make a move. Ines was worried what the next day would bring, if they would discover who crept in the prison cells and freed the elves. Ines was sure no one had recognised her since her helmet had concealed her face. Matthew had also claimed that they hadn't had time to identify him until she had found him. They had put him in a cell, waiting for the morning to come.

She still doubted it would be that easy to get away with it; sooner or later they would discover who he was. For the time being, they would stay low and hope they would make an exception. She couldn't let anything happen to him. Besides, they had an investigation to conduct.

'Go rest. You will need it,' he advised her.

'You, too. Tomorrow is lazy Monday.'

'Oh, man.'

Ines sighed in defeat and watched Matthew's tall figure disappear around the corner. She entered the inn and went to her room. She took her clothes off, and tended to her wounds, the new additions to her collection. She was so tired she barely managed to properly put on new bandages around her torso.

She lied down and watched the full moon in the starless sky before sleep came. Whatever tomorrow brought, Ines at least had a friend she could trust and rely on. The feeling of loneliness that used to weigh her down at night didn't come that time; it had become a thing of the past.

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A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for reading. Leave your beautiful comments below!

Phrase of chapter: ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα / I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance - Socrates