Usually, when walking side by side with Jane was not a strenuous task for Haytham. But when he has a pair of eyes watching him like an eagle, any task which gives someone joy will be pure torture from hell itself. And it adds to the agony when that pair of eyes had once borne the desire to extinguish his life force.
"Could you please divert your intense gaze away from my back, Mr. Reed?" Haytham requested in a quiet voice, not wanting to stir up any more trouble which would end up killing him.
"Intense gaze? I was merely looking at your directional prowess, Mr. Blackwell"
Was that comment laced with sarcasm?
"Perhaps, this way of travelling is not used to your liking?"
"I never had to travel at such a slow pace"
"Except when he was travelling with me, of course" interjected Jane. She then continued,
"You men should just go on ahead while I hang back."
Clearly she was getting frustrated.
"Ah, but you see Miss Summers, when such a gentleman like Mr. Blackwell is walking beside you, abandoning you is not an option" said Alastair with a smirk on his face.
Was he trying to provoke me?
Haytham merely brushed off his comment with indifference as they proceeded to Arcanecia, the last city standing in his way of reaching the Rebels' camp.
Finally, I can complete my mission!
Arcanecia- the city of greenery, wealth and fertility. Even the grass growing on the sides of the paved path were filled with lustre and life. Butterflies of a spectrum of colours flew about from flower to flower. The trees looked like an archway, shutting out sunlight but occasionally letting a few streams of sunlight in. This dappled light of the sun shone on the clustered flower bushes which enhanced their beauty. The paved path had been carpeted by brown leaves which produced a pleasant crunch when stepped on. The birds cooed, announcing their presence over the treetops. The whole place looked like it was lifted from one of the beautiful paintings Jane had seen in the castle.
"We must be close to Arcanecia, I smell it in the air" said Haytham, looking up at the tall trees. He was right; the odour of greenery intoxicated the place.
"This place is beautiful!" gasped Jane in awe as she looked at the marvels of nature.
"That is indeed what you can expect from the Food Capital of the country" added Alastair with an air of dignified knowledge.
"You almost let it burn to crisp though" Haytham retorted in a barely audible whisper.
"Did I hear something?"
"Probably the bees' buzz. We are close, let's keep moving"
By nightfall, they had reached the fields of corn and maize. After walking through the numerous fields, they reached an old inn and checked themselves in. The first thing Jane did after checking in was to take a hot bath in the bathtub. It was typical of her, you could say. But only a woman who had been denied this luxury will understand its true value. As for Alastair, he sat at the tavern across the inn and had an ale- well, a couple of them. He needed to relax his nerves after his fight with the fire conjurers. That fight took a nasty toll on him. His nerves were on edge and he was alarmed for every single thing. He really needed that. It was also a way to relieve the dark troubles lurking behind in his mind. Feeling slightly intoxicated by the alcohol, he stuttered a thank you and paid three coppers to the bartender. While leaving the tavern, he saw Haytham walking into a dark street. He wouldn't have minded Haytham, but he was too intoxicated to suppress his curiosity.
Trying his best to walk as stealthily as possible which was proving to be difficult, he managed to somehow avoid detection by Haytham. This was not because of Alastair's stealth prowess, but rather because of Haytham's pre-occupied mind. Finally, he crouched behind a few barrels and crates and watched Haytham. It looked like he was talking to someone- a person wearing a dark hood covering most of his face. They seemed to be talking something in an intense manner.
What could they be talking about?
Unable to suppress his overflowing curiosity, he retraced his steps and found a lanky ladder to climb onto the roof. Peeking from the rooftop, he could hear their muffled low voices.
"And she's with me. I'm taking her there as soon as possible..."
That voice is unmistakably Haytham's!
"Don't delay any longer, the leader's getting antsy."
"I won't, prepare everyone at the Rebel's camp for our arrival!"
The Rebel's camp?!
Alastair was too shocked to hear anything any more. So many questions loomed on his mind which desperately needed an answer. And the only one who can answer him would be Haytham. He looked down to see and hear more only to find that he was missing! He had lost him when he was preoccupied with his own thoughts. He could do nothing more but to head back to the inn.
As soon as he entered the inn, he saw Haytham sitting on a chair beside a window. He was staring into space. Rage and fury consumed Alastair.
Why is he taking Jane to the Rebel's camp? Perhaps I was right the whole time? He is not to be trusted!
His fists clenched at the sight of Haytham. But he knew he was not fit for a fight right now and the decisions which he makes may not be right due to the alcoholic influence and it would affect his ability to fight.
Why did I have to be so drunk now?
He stuttered slowly towards his room, climbing those dizzying stairs onto the next floor. Passing countless rooms along the corridor, he halted at one door. It was Jane's.
Should I tell her? Will she even believe me?
Slowly raising his clenched fist, he knocked gently on the door. There was a muffled voice speaking something incoherent, a crash, the sound of metal rolling and a thud. Alastair could not suppress his laughter and as soon as he saw Jane with her dishevelled hair, he burst out laughing at her. It was not hard to imagine what could have happened when someone looked at the room and at her current state.
She must have tripped on her own clothes!
And, Alastair was right. She had indeed tripped on her own clothes, crashed into a metal vase, and also, crashed herself into a wall trying to stop the vase from rolling away.
"Don't laugh!" she said, her cheeks flushed the colour of ember.
Alastair stifled his laughter with tremendous effort which took about five minutes. He then looked at her with a conflict of emotion and mind.
Should I tell her?
"Jane." his voice trailed off. Her puzzled and blank look aggravated his conflict further.
"Do you believe that Haytham won't lead you astray?"
Jane pondered for a moment. Then, hesitatingly, she replied,
"I don't trust him, but I will go with him till he shows me that he is trustworthy. I am giving him a chance."
"I don't think he is trustworthy."
"Who is not trustworthy?" came a voice from the end of the hallway. It was Haytham.
Speak of the devil and he appears.
"T-the innkeeper is not trustworthy" stammered Jane.
The innkeeper? If you're going to lie, do it right!
"Oh you're right! We should check out as soon as possible tomorrow! Anyway, have a good night!"
He bowed and left. To Alastair, it looked like he was in a great hurry to go away from Arcanecia. What if he didn't let that happen? An evil smirk crossed Alastair's face as he bid Jane goodnight.
Just you wait, Haytham Blackwell!
YOU ARE READING
Mage of Eden
Fantasy"There's a power in this world that no one has seen before. It is gentle and sweet; but brutal and devastating. Maybe, if it could be seen, everyone would fight over it. That's why no one has ever seen it. The universe hid it so that no one could ge...
