What Lies Between ✔

Hunting Time Again

7.

"You heard the Lord!" Stone barked at us all. "Get to your rooms, grab your weapons and get to the Center immediately!" Then he too stalked out of the room, but with not nearly the same grace as Father.

There was quiet mumbling as the Seekers filed out of the Council Chamber into the lit halls that would lead us to our rooms.

"Be quick everyone, we must advance on the situation as soon as possible,"Pyralis ordered us.

"Master, aren't you kind of irritated that Lord Cyril won't give us any information to go by?" Eris asked, "I mean, I don't know how I should attack her if I find her."

"No one will be attacking Nameless. She is under the status of being forcibly taken, not willingly becoming a Ghost. If any of you indeed do find her, keep at a distance and wait for the rest of the group,understand?" Pyralis asked looking behind at us as we all walked down the narrow hall. "We shall not act without consent from our Lord."

"Yes, Master," we all responded automatically.

"This had better not take long," Ciro groaned. "We just got back from an inspection, of course this would happen."

"We are Seekers, Ciro, this is what we do," Pyralis reminded. "Paradise is the reward."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he grunted before turning down another hall that would take him to his room.

"I'm with him. It's always one thing after another!" Eris complained, then stomped off down the hallway to our right. "Come on, Deo! We only have a few minutes together before we have to leave!"

"You poor man,you," I said sympathetically when Eris was out of ear-shot.

He gave me a wan smile before turning down the hallway after her. It sucked that he was cursed with the room next to hers, but deep inside I was a little cheerful that not all was perfect for Mr. Godlike.

That left Pyralis and I.

"Stone did not seem too pleased with you," he spoke after a while.

"When is Stone ever pleased with me?" 

"What do you think of the girl, Nameless?"

His random question startled me. "What do I think of her, Master?"

"She must mean something to you if you dare to defend her to your father."

"I've known her since I was a kid, is all. I grew up here just like she did. Plus, we both didn't get to meet our mothers, so I can sympathize with her that way, I guess." I shrugged off his question.

I hadn't really thought of why Nameless meant so much to me before really,other than our similar upbringings and the fact that I had known her for forever.

Pyralis nodded. "I see."

Then, without warning, he came to a halt, turning around to place a hand on my shoulder. I stood still, not knowing what he was doing.

He was stone-faced when he spoke next. "Thorne, sometimes things are not as they appear."

"Huh?"

"Stone may be right. We don't know the whole story, so we must be cautious around her. She could be evil," he continued.

I pulled out of his grip, frustrated. "She's not evil. I know it."

He stared at me for so long that I started to shift uncomfortably. Seriously, why couldn't everyone just leave Nameless alone?

He nodded again to himself and then continued down the hall silently. I was grateful my room was off in the upcoming hallway so I no longer had to walk with him.