The Golden Chalice

✰✦✰ Chapter 12 ✰✦✰

✰✦✰ Chapter 12 ✰✦✰
" Plotting "

I HUFFED A little as I snuck under the cool, clean covers of my bed. We'd gotten to our rooms and luckily, Miles, Jacks and Darius had decided to stay in the other one we'd been given.

Though I'd thought Miles's comment about us being separated rather childish, I couldn't help but agree with it.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Luna asked us, brushing her silky hair while she stared at her reflection in the mirror, dressed in a pretty pink nightgown that flowed in the cool breeze from the open windows. I wondered what it must be like to grow up that beautiful.

I sighed. "Well, The Shielder brought us here for a reason, didn't he? He told us his explorers want us to start here."

"And what makes us trust him so suddenly?"

"It's a bit late for doubt now, I think."

Luna hummed to herself and then crept into bed. Soon after, Sarinne joined us and I turned off the lamp, listening to the howls of wolves in the mountains beyond us.

Anxiety clutched my heart and didn't release it all night. I slept terribly, dozing off every now and then only to wake to the churning realisation that I was back to fighting for a nation I'[d never wanted to lead in the first place.

The next morning we found ourselves downstairs in the dining area for breakfast. We were the only ones here, making it slightly more ominous than I wanted it to be. Nonetheless, I wasn't prepared for the amount of people that would gradually start to realise who I was and then bombard me with questions, so it was nice to be here alone. I was having a bacon sandwich and sipping orange juice with the girls when the boys came downstairs, all looking even more exhausted than they had going to bed last night.

Well, at least Miles and Darius did. Jacks actually looked better than ever, his hair shiny and his face flawless, as if he'd never even gone to bed. Then again, all that came with being a Lyra. I could've sworn I noted a hint of yearning in Rinne's gaze before she cleared her throat and snorted,

"What's happened to you lot?"

"You know," said Miles, dragging out a chair beside Jacks, "why don't you just choke on your lovely bacon there?"

"Bit moody, aren't you?"

"Bit fucking unbearable, aren't you?"

I clenched my jaw so hard it began to hurt. I had zero patience when it came to people insulting those I loved. "Why don't you just thank me for having had somewhere to sleep last night?"

Miles pinched the bridge of his nose. "You girls can all shut up, okay? We hardly slept."

"Clearly," Sarinne nudged me.

"And why not?" Luna queried with a raised eyebrow.

"Because numerous morons above us couldn't stop playing horrendous music until way past three in the morning," Darius cursed. He ran a hand through his hair and added, "Can't believe we were on the other side of the damned inn."

"I know," I replied with a smile so far from authentic. "We got so lucky."

"So what's our plan for today?" Luna quickly cut in before Darius could even think about retorting. She gave us all a look that said she was eager to get moving instead of arguing all morning. Fair enough, I s'pose. Still—Miles deserved our being-a-nuisance, and so did Darius.

"I say we go into town," I suggested. I had been feeling rather rubbish for having let Sarinne do most of the leading ever since we'd boarded our ship and now I was finally taking a stand. Okay, I was suggesting an idea I wasn't even sure they were all going to agree to but whatever. No matter how small, every little step had to count for something, right?

"I think so too," Jacks agreed and I could feel my spirits lift almost instantly. "In fact, I looked up the nearest town on our map yesterday"—He pulled it out of his pocket, stretching the material onto the table, forcing us to move our cups and cutlery—"and turns out, Clopduv is only a twenty minute walk away."

"Walk?" I asked.

"Yes," Darius said, "it's when you get off your arse—I wouldn't know if you'd know what that is—and start moving your legs forward—"

"Go die in a ditch, Ambers."

His eyes flashed as he leaned back in his chair and hugged his arms over himself, flexing the fabric of his black shirt with his muscles. I blushed and tore my gaze from his.

"Alright," Luna clapped her hands together, "but the city's big. We don't even know where to look."

"That'd be true," Jacks nodded, "if I didn't already know we have to look for something concerning the Olympians. Back when they ruled—all thirteen of them—they each possessed roughly the same powers. However it was their traits that made them so diverse."

"How does that help us?" Miles asked.

"Well," Jacks continued, then reached into his other pocket and pulled out three other papers. I frowned at them, unsure of what exactly they were until he began handing them to us. I glanced over Sarinne's shoulder to study hers. "Not only were their traits individual, but they held unique symbols too. I tried my best to draw all of them as well as I could but these"—He pointed to them—"are the symbols of the Olympians. And hopefully whatever we're looking for will somehow represent them."

"You know a lot about this kind of stuff," Darius said warily. "Since when?"

Jacks shrugged. "I was well educated."

"Do you know that word, Ambers?" I asked Darius teasingly. "Or is it too big for you?"

"Oh, Princess, I'm going to—"

"I'm guessing we're going in groups of two considering we've only got three of these?" Sarinne said, ignoring Darius and I as best she could.

"Precisely what I had in mind," Jacks leaned back. "I don't know who wants to go with who—"

"I'm not going with you," Sarinne decided firmly, "or Miles."

Darius smiled. "Sorry, boys."

"No problem," Miles said with a dry chuckle. "Keep her. Forever. Far, far away for the rest of our lives—"

"I'll go with you," I told Jacks. He seemed to be the smartest but I knew he wasn't all that when it came to defence and physical combat. Plus, I really didn't want to go with Miles either.

"That leaves us," Luna nudged Miles.

"Yay," he said flatly.

She winced. "Isn't Clopduv dangerous?"

Jacks shook his head. "It's probably the only town the Olympians ever managed to salvage from the Shadow Stealers in the war back then."

"I thought the Olympians were the most powerful beings?" I asked in confusion.

"You try saving the world when fighting millions of soul-eating monsters," Jacks said, "and tell me how you get on with attempting to save them all."