Unanimous

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Gail watched silently as Kenneth wrapped the bandage around her left wrist. While the neko had carefully cleaned out her wounds and had wiped away the blood, the white material was already turning red. Now and then Gail would feel a stinging pain go through her hand, but she wouldn't even so much as wince. She wouldn't give Kobe, who she knew was watching, the satisfaction of seeing her suffer because of him.

Once Kenneth was done he took a step back and said : "The wounds should be able to heal now, master Kobe."

Gail frowned, not liking the formality her best friend used to address their former classmate. In her opinion it just wasn't right.

"It seems to be in order," Kobe said curtly," You're dismissed."

Kenneth immediately left the room, not once looking back.

"Now," Kobe said, dragging on the word while staring Gail intently in the eyes. "It's five pm and I honestly have better things to do than converse with a low-life fairy. Which means that we better find you a place to stay where you don't get those stupid panic attacks."

Gail averted her look. It wasn't even his harsh words that got to her. No, it was the time. Five pm. The last thing she could remember before she woke up in the dungeon was that she had been walking to school on Monday morning.

Did that mean it was now Monday evening?

"It's Tuesday evening, actually," Kobe suddenly said, an amused look plastered on his face.

Gail gasped. Did she say that out loud?

"No, you didn't."

Then, how?

'I'm more powerful than any other creature you will every encounter, little fairy. Never forget that.'

Gail screamed out in fear. She had just heard Kobe's voice, but he hadn't spoken. It had been inside her head.

"Get out of my head!" she yelled, covering both her ears with her hands as if she could keep him out of her mind that way.

Kobe's amused look vanished like frost under the morning sun.

"Don't ever scream at me again," he snapped.

"Now, come with me."

Gail quietly followed her captor, not daring to test his temper any further.

After having walked around the huge castle for about five minutes Kobe opened a large door and pushed her through.

Immediately Gail was struck by a cold gush of wind. She looked around her and saw that they were outside. It seemed to be some sort of garden, seeing as there was a lot of grass. But while a normal person would have decorated it with some nice flowers, Kobe had apparently found it prettier to plant thorn-bushes everywhere.

Confused as to why they had come here, Gail glanced at Kobe, who was already staring back at her with a look full of malicious delight.

"This, my dearest guest, is where you will be sleeping from now on."

--

"It's so hot," Amber complained, fanning herself with her hands. "How can it be so hot?"

Vic had already opened his mouth to say something when she interrupted him.

"If you dare to make another joke about how you're the cause of this heat I'm going to strangle you," she said darkly and Vic chuckled nervously.

"Amber, chill out, will you. We're all warm and tired," Jaron said and looked at the blond girl who was walking next to him. "Poor Nina over here is practically dying."

Nina looked up. "This temperature does not work for me," she said while panting for breath.

The younglings had been walking for more than three hours under the burning sun with no trees for shelter. Seeing how Fortania didn't really have the best climate, they were used to a much colder environment than Agmardor's.

The reason why Nina was suffering from the heat even more was that she was a she-dragon and that her body temperature was already a lot higher than another person's.

Liesa suddenly stopped walking.

"Wouldn't it be smart to stop here and prepare for the night? I just checked my watch and we have about half an hour until it gets dark," the nixie said.

Matthieu nodded. "Good idea."

He opened his bag and took out the foldable tent they had found in Gail's room earlier that day. It would get a bit tight if they were all to fit in, but it would have to work. The alternative was making someone sleep on the ground and no one was really up for that.

The others started emptying their bags too. In no time at all, the tent had been set up properly, thanks to Amandine's and Jaron's obvious experience. They had brought three blankets, of which one now functioned as a mattress. They hadn't taken any more of them so they still had room for water and food.

"Would someone like a piece of chocolate?" Amandine asked, taking out the large chocolate bar she had apparently decided to take.

"Ooh, I want some!" Vic piped up.

Amandine nodded happily and handed him a piece.

"Can I have some too, Amine?" Nina asked eagerly.

Soon enough the seven younglings were all munching on a piece of chocolate.

In the meantime the sun had set and they sat around their only source of light, besides the moon and stars of course, that came from an old flashlight.

"What do you think the witches of the Interval meant when they said we only had to worry about Gail?" Amandine suddenly asked.

The younglings looked up, clearly startled by her question.

"I don't know," Jaron said," They said something about Kobe's mind being beyond repair. What did they say about Kenneth again?"

"They told us not to worry about him," Vic answered, frowning at his own words. "How can we not worry about him? He's our friend and he's been kidnapped!"

A silence followed.

"I'm scared."

It was Liesa who had voiced everyone's thoughts. They maybe didn't want to admit it, but everyone remembered what the witches had said before they left.

'The only one who is truly in danger is the fairy, Gail, who doesn't realise what trouble she is in. You have to get her away from there as soon as possible, before it is too late.'

Those words frightened the younglings. They didn't know what or who they were dealing with, but if it was now in the castle Gail's life could already be in danger.

--

Four hours.

That's how long the fairy had been lying outside in the cold grass.

It had taken Gail a while to give up the yelling and realise that Kobe wouldn't come back. That bastard had just locked her out.

"Don't even think about running. You'll wish you hadn't, if you come across the creatures that live in my kingdom," was what he had said before closing the door and locking it.

Now she was sleeping soundly, shivering from the cold and arms wrapped around herself.

From high in the castle Kobe looked down at her. It was only because of his extraordinary eyesight that he could see how Gail's lips were slowly turning blue.