The Lores of Lyra - Burning Star [Book III]

Chapter 4 - An Ounce of Fear

Chapter 4 – An Ounce of Fear

Holding the gift tightly in his hand, Eric walked to Amelia’s room for the fifth time that day. He’d lost count at how many times he’d knocked on her door now. After the meeting, yesterday, he’d rushed to her room, trying to get her to talk to him. Yester afternoon and evening, he camped outside her room, waiting for her to open—he even devoured his dinner on the floor.

Alas, he couldn’t stay there forever. Around midnight, Joshua had called at him asking him to come to an unscheduled meeting. They had to leave as soon as possible, which was why he now tried one last time get Amelia to talk to him. It wouldn’t feel right if he left without saying goodbye. Plus, the nightmares still haunted his nights; he needed to see her one more time.

‘Good luck, Mate,” Joshua said in his head. ‘Just make it quick. We’re ready to leave.’

Eric rolled his eyes. He’d learned to live with the bond. It’d proven to be a useful tool in battle, and Joshua wasn’t the worst person to be stuck with. That didn’t mean he didn’t loathe it, though. He hadn’t mastered the skill of shielding his mind yet, and Joshua’s curiosity was a pain in the rear.

‘Thanks,’ he thought back. He was going to need it. Amelia was a headstrong little girl, and currently her mind was that of a teenage girl. Eric wasn’t the most social person in his own adolescent years, but he knew that, on top of the general confusion about girls, puberty had a tendency to make even the sanest girl seem crazy.

Nevertheless, Amelia was his responsibility. Vega had assigned him as her legal guardian, and he took the job extremely seriously. She didn’t make it easy on him, though. In fact, she’d never been skilled at the art of listening. A memory from five years ago made him snicker.

He’d asked her to stay in her room because he needed to fetch something for Joshua. Amelia hadn’t listened, and he’d found her conversing with Garnet ten minutes later. He shouldn’t have been surprised considering their past.

With a heavy heart, he remembered when they were in the realm of the Black Holes. They were about to go to battle against the Dark King. Vega and Joshua had asked Amelia to stay in safety until they came to get it. Of course, the little brat hadn’t listened, and instead, she showed up in the middle of a bloodbath, claiming that she could help. Eric rolled his eyes; it was like that every time. Amelia thought she knew everything, and it was up to others to clean it up afterwards.

He stopped in front of the door, and counted slowly to ten before knocking three times. “Amelia? I need to talk to you,” he said.

If he hadn’t been in his armor already, he’d stuffed his hands in his pockets. Now, his only option was to keep his hands behind his back, respectfully. The gift was still in his hand, and he glanced at it, wondering if she’d like it. He decided to wait another moment before he knocked again, this time louder—maybe she hadn’t heard him.

“I need to talk to you, Amelia,” he repeated.

Still nothing… He groaned. Girls were so darned stubborn. Why couldn’t she behave properly just once? Was that honestly too much to ask?

He checked the shadow on the ground. The sun had already moved, meaning he’d wasted time being here. With a sigh, he knocked again. “Please, open the door and talk to me, Amelia,” he shouted.

When it failed—just like his other attempts—he leaned his forehead against the door. He hadn’t meant to scream at her, but it’d been a chaotic meeting with the Elders yesterday. Having her interfere with her silly ideas wasn’t something he had time for now.