Obsidian's Reign ¹

∷ Chapter 41 ∷

CLARA FIDGETED UNEASILY where she stood, alternating her glances between the Cain brothers. The two had stumbled into the forest not a moment ago, and despite her relief upon seeing them, her feelings were ultimately short-lived, for the brothers had brought with them some troubling news.

"What do you mean someone's following us?" Jae asked, unable to stop the mild irritation from seeping into his voice.

He'd been so careful with his plans, and though he had an inkling of the possibility of betrayal amongst their midst, he assumed the probability was slim at best. Knowing that his assumptions might be proven true was alarming and caused immense discomfort to grow within him.

"We caught hints of someone lurking about the portal in the Underworld," Adric said, unenthused.

"It could be nothing."

"Still, it's too coincidental," Celdric said, pausing before adding, "How did the king know we had plans to leave the Underworld unless someone disclosed them to him? It could very well be the same person tailing us."

Jae frowned, lips pressed into a thin line as he considered Celdric's explanation. Despite his urges to deny the truth, he could not disregard the probability of the drawn conclusion.

"Did you see them pass through the portal?" he asked. And to his dismay, the brothers nodded.

With a heavy exhale, Jae continued, "We should keep a lookout for him in case he comes by this way."

"We'll patrol the surrounding area," Adric offered. "The two of you can stay here until the others arrive."

They set off soon after, the sweltering heat from the sun doing little to help in their search for the intruder as they trudged aimlessly through the dense forest. No words were exchanged between them, both preoccupied with keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings to engage in any form of conversation.

Nothing amiss caught either of their attention, their trek becoming a rather dull one until something brought Celdric to an abrupt halt. Adric, who had been duly trailing after his brother, did not anticipate the sudden cessation of motion and ended up slamming into the latter's back.

"Why did you stop?" he grumbled.

Celdric whirled around and clamped a hand firmly over his brother's mouth. He frowned and brought a finger to his lips, signalling for silence. It was only after Adric had nodded in understanding, did Celdric release him from his hold.

The trees beyond seemed normal, with nothing out of the ordinary except for the way the leaves were disturbed by the tiniest of tremors. The movement was barely noticeable, though it did not escape the brothers' keen sense of perception. The leaves rustled once more, confirming their speculations on the presence of another amongst them.

Celdric caught his brother's eyes, silently instructing him to close in from the left while he took the right, all in hopes of trapping their target with a lesser chance of escape. Adric nodded, initiating a countdown with his hands as they started creeping closer from both sides. They were nearly upon their target when Celdric tripped over an exposed root, falling on all fours as he released an unintended groan of pain.

A second was all it took afterwards for the supposed intruder to emerge from his hiding spot and bolt in the opposite direction, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the brothers. He didn't get far, however, before Adric lunged forward, his reflexes kicking in as he grabbed the runaway by the back of his shirt, causing them both to hurtle backwards.

The prince grabbed fistfuls of the intruder's hair, slamming his face onto the moss-covered ground to keep him silent despite his clear acceptance of his current situation. Celdric struggled to his feet and muttered an embarrassed apology to his brother as he made his way over to them.