Grim, Speak the Shadows

Part 1

His palisman hid in his pocket as soon as they reached the castle. The key was clenched tightly in his hand. His feet came to a stop as he reached the front doors. It was dark now. He hoped his uncle wasn't furious that he snuck off, but even if he was, after seeing this key--after realizing how helpful Hunter could be--surely he wouldn't be. This self-proclaimed mission came with a false sense of confidence, but now, now he could be useful again! Now Belos would trust him with missions again. This key with titan's blood in it would make up for his last mission's failure. It had to.

It had to because he wasn't sure what he would do otherwise.

So, with a solemn expression on his face, he entered the castle. He ignored the other guards in the hallway, not wanting to waste anymore time before showing his prize to Emperor Belos. If this key worked, he wondered if his uncle would take him to see the rain that didn't boil and trees that were green. That would be amazing; he couldn't even begin to imagine what wonders the human realm held! All Hunter really wanted though, was to not be a disappointment anymore. He didn't need to see the human realm, but he needed to be useful.

He needed to prove that it wasn't a mistake Belos took him in. Belos gave him everything, afterall. A home, his very own room, a place to belong. Not only that, but a job--a position only given to those whom Belos highly trusted. Hunter, he had the greatest position anyone in the Boiling Isles could hope for! He couldn't break all that trust his uncle held in him, he just couldn't. Not when he was needed. Valued.

He...He was valued...right?

"I just hope there's enough titan blood left in the key," he whispered to the palisman currently safely tucked away in his pocket (who's name he only just learned to be Flapjack. What was a flapjack, anyway?). He definitely hadn't planned on the youngest Blight smashing the key and spilling half its contents. It was a smart move on her end, but it could prove disastrous on his. That was probably the point though, wasn't it? After betraying her trust back at Eclipse Lake, it was only natural that she would want to make things harder for him. He could hardly blame her, really.

"Well, here goes nothing!"

He gently knocked on the door to the dome-like room containing the portal door. At this time of night, Belos would most likely be the only one in there. He had been staying late there a lot recently.

"Ex-Excuse me?" he said as he slowly opened the door. He hated how his voice quivered a little. "Emperor Belos?" The lights were on, so he had to be in there.

"Ah, Hunter," came the mild voice of his uncle. "You've returned. I noticed you left the castle today. Didn't I tell you to stay safely inside?" Belos came into full view as Hunter entered the room. A gentle smile was on his face and his voice was so calm, yet somehow it only made the teen more nervous. Some said the emperor was merciless and cruel, and he knew it sometimes seemed that way, but...Well, he hadn't tossed Hunter away yet, right? Not even after his last failure. He was only cruel when his curse acted up.

At least, that's what Hunter wanted to believe.

Even so, even if the emperor was calm now, that didn't mean his displeasure and disappointment couldn't seep through. And sometimes, that hurt worse than the anger.

"Yes, but I--" he paused for a moment, his heart pounding. Ever since he had his little (miniscule, really) breakdown at Eclipse Lake, he'd felt so on-edge, like if he couldn't please Belos by giving him the key, he would be cast aside and done for. So now that it was time to actually present the key, thoughts of 'what if the key doesn't work' or 'what if I did something wrong and just disappointed him even more' ran through his head.

Suddenly, he felt his breath begin to hitch. 'No, NO,' the tired blond told himself. 'I can't panic now. My uncle is counting on me.' He couldn't get distracted by his silly thoughts. Everything was fine, everything was perfect! Just hunky-dory, whoop de-yay. 'But if it is, then why do you feel the need to keep telling yourself that?' Good titan, he wished his inner thoughts would just SHUT UP!

Hunter cleared his throat and attempted a more confident smile. "I brought you something. I know you said to stay in the castle, but I meant it when I said I could do better!" He gripped the key tightly, and then held out his hand, his fingers uncurling around the small object. "It looks like when the human destroyed the portal door, she kept the key to herself. I doubt she knew it had titan blood in it since her little Blight girlfriend was there looking for Eclipse Lake, but luckily I was able to get ahold of it! The Blight cracked it, so some of the blood spilled out, but--"

"Some of the blood spilled out? Give it to me." The emperor took the portal key from Hunter's hand and inspected it. His expression was hard to read; was he upset that it was cracked, or was he glad about it anyway? Luckily, before Hunter had time to panic anymore, a smile came to his uncle's face.

"Very good, nephew." He started walking over towards the portal door and beckoned Hunter to follow him. "I'll admit, it...displeases me that you disobeyed my order to stay in the castle. After all, if you're to carry out the titan's big plans for you, you need to stay safe. The mine tunnels near the lake can be quite...dangerous."

Hunter's eyes widened, an anxious look appearing on his previously collected face. "But I--"

Belos held up a hand and smiled warmly at his nephew. "I'll forgive it this once, if only because you came back with something so precious. Kikimora's operation was a complete failure, so if not for you, we would not have this crucial substance." Though his smile stayed, his gaze seemed to darken. "But you must not make a habit of this. You did well, but any future...misdemeanors...may only cause you harm. Do we have an understanding?"

Hunter had to force his voice to speak out. "Yes, Emperor Belos," he replied quietly, trying to hide the tremble in his words.

"Good." Now right beside the portal door, Belos turned around to look at Hunter. "With this, we are much closer to achieving the Titan's will. Give it time, and soon this portal will be working. You'll be among the first to witness it, I dare say you've earned it."

Despite his nervousness, Hunter couldn't help but grin excitedly. Before he could reply though, he felt a slight squirm in his pocket, where the red cardinal was. He glanced down to gently whack his pocket to get the palisman to be still (Belos absolutely could not find out about it), an annoyed frown on his face, when he suddenly had an idea. His uncle knew about all sorts of things, so maybe--

"Hunter, is something wrong?" his uncle questioned. The blond teen hurriedly looked up and frantically shook his head. Then, after a moment of silence, he raised his head and dared to ask a single question.

"Uncle...Do you know what a flapjack is?"

If Hunter didn't know any better, he would have thought his uncle looked almost surprised by that question.

"It's synonymous to a pancake," Belos replied, looking at his nephew with a strange look in his eyes..

Now Hunter was only more confused. He...wasn't sure what a pancake was either...His sudden interest in his palisman's name momentarily replaced his nerves though, so he continued. "What's a pancake?" His tone was innocent, not unlike a young child voicing their curiosity.

Belos raised an eyebrow. "Wherever did you hear about a 'flapjack', anyway? What brought on this sudden curiosity of yours, Hunter?"

"Oh! I--uh--I heard it from the Owl Lady and I was just wondering what it meant!" Hunter gave a nervous looking smile (which he internally cursed himself for, because surely that only made him look guilty of something), and rubbed the back of his neck. Asking any further could get him into trouble. He needed to back off for now--maybe there was something in the library that could give him the information he wanted?

Anyway, the teen suddenly felt very awkward standing in the same room with Belos, and he'd had a very long day. It was probably time to leave. "I won't keep you any longer, Uncle. Goodnight," he said rather hurriedly, and with that, he left the room. Only as he walked the long halls and many stairs to his room did he notice the invisible weight that lifted off of his chest.

He did well today. For now, Belos was pleased with him, and Hunter planned to keep it that way.

Because no matter what, he couldn't afford to be replaced.