Blood Ties

Chapter 9: Goliath's Thoughts

Goliath had been looking forlornly out the window for about an hour, contemplating what he'd do about the girl. Thinking about his past ties to the Kingdoms, about his childhood. How his mother...when suddenly he heard a piercing scream from the room next door. Bursting through his door into the hall Goliath whipped himself around to face a glowing orange door.

Violently grabbing the handle, Goliath pulled back abruptly glancing at his palm to find seared skin. Desperately he thrust his shoulder into the wood splintering it slightly, removing himself as far as the hall would allow Goliath rammed his body against the heat soaked door. Crushing the center he leaned his weight back once again, and with a front kick split the door. His body tensed with exertion; Goliath plunged into the room to find Trisa violently whacking her burning headboard with her bed's duvet. Panicking Goliath glanced about the room to find something to douse the fire. It was a lavished room like most rooms of the officials of Barbarous, a basin of water for washing one's hand and face stood on the opposite the bed.

Goliath drenched he headboard, after snatching the basin from off the nightstand, the flames refuse to die raging on as if in anarchy, quickly Goliath wrestles the duvet from Trisa's hands and begins maniacally beating the headboard attempting to beat the flames in a fiery whack-a-mole. It seems that the fire's light is blinding filling the room with harsh orange light, then suddenly almost out of nowhere the flames appeared to sputter to a halt, like a demonic sprit banished from this realm. The headboard scorched with angry black marks, but luckily the rest of the room hadn't caught fire. The edges of the velvet curtains abutting the bed were at most singed. Goliath was filled with relief and indignation as he looked at Trisa's guilty befuddled expression. She stood before him holding the ruined covering her silky nightgown top exposing her right shoulder bare, her clavicle protuberant. He stopped himself from looking further downward, and instead drifted his gaze upward again to look at the black smudge on her left cheek, Trisa's fine jet black hair was also quite mussed up. Looking down at her Goliath spoke with what civility he could muster, which was, in fact, none at all.

" What in the gods names are you doing in here woman!" There was a certain venom to Goliath's voice that even though he had hardly spoken above an audible whisper, his words were stinging.

To his surprise, Trisa instead of meekly responding to Goliath, as he'd become accustomed, she straightened and in a most defiant posturing said, " Oh, so somehow I managed to set my room on fire. When there are not torches, nor candles to speak of in this strange place." Looking around the room Goliath had to admit she had a point, all the official's rooms were lit with glow lights. Synergists of Barbarous had discovered how to extract the pigment from Gew-Gew bugs. A type of iridescent caterpillar native to the continent, there was no magic in it really, but the effect of the glow lights bespoke a different story. He shrugged it is not as if the headboard was not replaceable he began to rationalize and soothe his temper.

Just as Trisa lashed out angrily again, " What kind of place is this? Where it's leaders can't stop a little fire?" Heat rose to Goliath's cheeks once again his face was redder than it had been with the heat of the fire. This little Wench was insulting his kingdom. He began to raise his hands in exasperation, for which Trisa mistook as a threat. Suddenly her posture changed she stepped away from him and with a dark look surfaced within her eyes she murmured, " I wouldn't do that if I were you, I know your secret."

That dead serious expression on her sweetly designed face, made this girl appear a walking contradiction. A real piece of work Goliath thought to himself. His anger still the at the forefront of his mind searing his temple, so he did something he'd always considered beneath him. He grabbed Trisa by the low plugging collar of her silky nightgown top bring her to him as if to force his affections on the silly girl.

Brushing his lips close to her right ear for just a hint of intimidation he whispered, " My dear we're simply barbaric."

Before she could even think to quiver at his touch, Goliath pushed her away with the kind of disgust that comes from a man's hurt pride. As he turned to go, Goliath, made the mistake of glancing back over his shoulder at the teen. She was smirking as if she'd gotten the better of him. Her arms crossed in such an indignant and self-defiant manner it was maddening.