THEN I FOUND YOU [mcd]

chapter ten

"I assume the horses are ready?" I ask, placing my hand on Garroth's arm to stop him. He looks up at me and nods his head. "Alright, good. We'll leave in a matter of minutes."

Garroth and I haven't spoken of anything that happened last night. Instead, it's almost like it didn't happen. I know it happened, and I refuse to pretend that it didn't. Though, I do think that Garroth doesn't want to bring up the contents of the nightmare in case it upsets me again.

I walk over to my horse and gently glide my hand over her soft hair. My hand stays on the side of her neck as I look over to her. She's a beautiful and calm horse. I do not know how I had gotten so lucky with being given her for this journey.

I hear footsteps behind me. My mind goes to believing that it's Garroth, and he's ready to go now. Though, when the voice speaks, it isn't Garroth.

"Zvahl." My head turns back to the voice. My breath hitches. I didn't expect to see Vincent, and I didn't expect him to speak to me. We never often spoke in the past. It doesn't surprise me that he has already forgotten my name. "Where's Laurance?"

I look around for Garroth. He appears to still be out of eye range, leaving Vincent and me alone. It's always when I'm by myself that these types of situations happen.

"I'm not sure. He's been missing for weeks. I. . . I haven't seen, nor heard, from him since then."

He lets out a quick hum. Vincent appears to be thinking to himself before looking at me once more. He lets out a harsh chuckle, "It appears he must've answered The Calling. About time."

I look at him in shock. I can't believe he would speak so ill about my brother and in such a manner. I don't know much about The Calling. Frankly, the idea of The Calling lights up my anger, for it took my brother away. It caused Laurance to act so. . . So vile towards me. So vile to everyone around him.

"You seem as though you already know. I'm surprised."

I glare at him. We've never fought in the past. We haven't done anything for bridges to be crossed. He protects my sister, and I respect that, but how he speaks of my brother makes me feel sick. "Not from the help of a Shadow Knight. In fact, quite the opposite."

"You're being very hostile. Very much like Laurance was before he left." I look around for Garroth once more, ready to jump onto my horse at his command. I'm ready to leave when he tells me to. I don't wish to continue this conversation any longer. "I'm assuming even your brother didn't tell you about The Calling. If not, who did?"

I feel my nose flair in anger. I begin to consider running off to find Garroth. When I take a step away, Vincent stops my retreating figure. I'm urged to answer his question as he is a friend instead of a foe. He continues to try to convince me how he tried to help Laurance.

Vylad tried to help Laurance, and he failed. How much help could Vincent have given him? He was in a completely different village.

I give in and say Garroth's name. It's then I'm forced to explain why I didn't know until everyone else had. Why I know so little compared to the others.

I'm still hurt from it. My own best friend refused to tell me what was happening to my brother. For the longest time, I didn't know Vylad was a Shadow Knight. He never spoke of it, so it made my declarations of love quite frustrating. Looking back, I understand why they were frustrating. There was information I was given.

But Laurance. . . He never once told me. Instead, he fell into fits of anger and spit out words of venom. He'd distance himself from me, but yet it was like he didn't care about that. He confused me. I'm still confused.

"He spoke about you often in the few talks we had together. Cadenza speaks highly of you," he says, glancing around. "They shelter you from a world of hurt."

"They can't do that anymore. They can't team up against me with him. . . gone."

"You speak of him as though he were completely dead," Vincent says, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's in the nether. His fits of anger were caused because he refused to go to the Nether. Did you know that? He was a fresh Shadow Knight. He was staying out for far too long that it called him back. He refused to cut out all emotions that The Calling messed with them. Soon, The Calling probably consumed every waking thought."

I take a step back, stumbling slightly. My walls fall down around me. No one told me any of this information. And what Garroth did tell me wasn't to this extent.

When I ask him why he's telling me this, he shrugs. He insists I have the right to know, but in my mind it seems like the others didn't think so. They hid it from me for so long.

Garroth comes out of the house, starting to speak, before he notices Vincent's presence. He awkwardly stopped and shuffled over to his horse. He tells us to continue and to ignore him. Vincent ensured the conversation was coming to an end.

"Alex, don't blame yourself for what happened," he tells me. I grow surprised by the usage of my name. I suppose they truly do often speak of me. "There was nothing you could've done about it."

I curtly nod my head and watch as Garroth gets into his horse. I take a few steps to mine and prepare myself to mount her. "Thank you, Vincent. I appreciate your words. I just apologize for how I went about the conversation."

"It's understandable. You're hurt. Angered. You have every right to be," he says before taking a few steps back. "Travel safely. Write to Cadenza telling her you arrived back safely."