Obsidian's Reign ¹

∷ Chapter 16 ∷

ZEPHYR RESISTED THE urge to portray any form of annoyance he might be experiencing as he held Clara against him, agitated that it was he who had been chosen to carry her. He would have outwardly retaliated against the decision had it not been his own stupidity that got him there in the first place. When asked for a means to come to a decision, he had opted for the supposedly fair game of—scissors paper stone—in which he had inadvertently lost.

Cursing his luck, he chose to accept defeat as he carried the unconscious girl in his arms, reminding himself never to indulge in the petty games humans resort to when a decision had to be made.

"What are we doing here?" he asked, taking a moment to survey the empty field they were in.

"We've been here before, haven't we?" Rylan noted, glancing around them with a keen eye.

The distant sound of vehicles could be heard amongst the deafening racket of the cicadas, confirming that they were, indeed, at the field a little ways off the main road; the same one where Clara had signed her contract with Jae.

"You still haven't figured it out?" the latter asked.

Rylan frowned as he exchanged confused looks with Zephyr. The two had no idea what their superior was on about, and hadn't a clue as to the reason he brought them there in the first place.

"We really shouldn't be wasting time here," Rylan said. "The king is expecting us. We shouldn't delay our arrival any more than necessary."

Ignoring Rylan completely, Jae carried on with his agenda as he made his way across the field to an area further down. Despite their mumbles of annoyance and clear disgruntlement, Zephyr and Rylan followed their superior closely, with the former's struggle evident in the way he lagged behind the group.

It was only after another few minutes of walking did Jae finally stop, oddly covering his face with his hands for a minute before he lowered them to survey the length of the arc encircling him. With a last check for confirmation, he turned towards the others with a triumphant smile on his face.

"I found it," he declared, waiting for a reaction from his subordinates but getting none in return.

The two remained expressionless, drawing out the awkwardness of the situation until Zephyr asked in a rather blunt manner, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Though the extreme unvarnished way he spoke no longer came as a surprise to anyone, Rylan still felt the need to add, "Zeph meant that with all due respect."

Jae, on the other hand, was too exasperated by their lack of wit to care about the frivolities that worried them. Instead, he gestured irritably for them to step forward. If they weren't standing within the area surrounded by the arc, how were they to understand what he was getting at?

"Come here," he said in a voice laced with fatigue.

The two did as they were told and unknowingly stepped over the arc. In a split second, they were blinded by a sudden flash of light. Rylan instinctively shielded his face with his arms, while Zephyr was left cursing and swearing—squeezing his eyes shut against the intrusive light.

"It's alright now, Zeph," Jae said when the light had dulled enough not to pierce their vision.

Zephyr opened his eyes, his thoughts interrupted by Rylan's calm observation.

"It's a portal," he said, glancing at the inscriptions surrounding them. "How long has it been here?"

Jae shrugged.

"I sensed it the first time we were here. But it must have been drawn a lot earlier than that."

"This looks pretty legit to me," Rylan said, crouching to trace the inscriptions nearest to him.