The Amulet Of Nicmir (The Scripts Of Neptune, Book 1)

Chapter 27

Chad waited, sitting on the edge of his wardrobe, staring at the door that separated his and Lillian's rooms, for a good five minutes before deciding to knock.

With a sigh, he hoisted himself up wearily and raised his hand to rap his knuckles on the door. And then he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

With a groan, he closed his eyes and leaned forward until his forehead thumped against the wood. It hurt, but he was too tired to care.

He hadn't even bothered counting how many hours of sleep he'd gotten the night before. Most of his evening and early morning had been spent tossing and turning, trying to sleep, but only succeeding in dropping into blissful oblivion as a result of sheer exhaustion.

Craventi had been uncharacteristically lacking in correspondence lately. Not one time since that last night in the cave had the old mage bothered to summon him. And it was strange, and, quite frankly, a little worrying, because the man didn't strike Chad as the type to do as he was asked and leave the kid he thought was going to save the world alone.

All right, it was more than a little worrying. Especially after what the old man had shown him last time around. What if he regretted it? What if he'd discovered he was wrong about Chad being the one from the prophecy? What if—

All right, Chad, he told himself. You need to stop. Start freaking out again when you've had enough sleep to deal with it without driving yourself insane.

Because he obviously wasn't insane already, traipsing all over the realm with a necklace.

He nearly fell on his face when the door opened and revealed Lillian standing there, still dressed in damp traveling clothes. Her cheeks were a little pinker than usual, like a crimson blush was just fading, but the rest of her looked as bound and determined as ever. The air around her smelled the same, like smoke on a cold night. And that scowl, that was definitely ordinary and real.

"What?" she snapped, eyes fierce.

Chad glowered right back at her. He'd never had that glare directed at him before, and he didn't know why he was getting it now. "What do you mean, what? What's the plan?"

"You're not coming, Chad," she said, turning away and stalking to her own wardrobe. "I need you to stay here."

Chad narrowed his eyes and stepped into her room. "Why?"

Lillian didn't deign that worthy of an answer. Instead of responding, she concentrated on twisting her long, dark mane into a loose bun at the nape of her neck.

"Lillian," Chad tried again. "Why?"

Her palms slammed down on the surface of the wardrobe so hard and fast it nearly made Chad jump out of his skin. She hissed an exhalation through her teeth, eyes pressed shut in frustration. "Because I'm going to look for Sam and Crynia. If I get caught and you're with me, you'll be stuck, too. I'm not letting anyone else get hurt on account of me. You're staying here."

Chad stared at her for a moment. And then he did what every cowardly cell in his body was screaming at him not to do. One word. "No."

Lillian opened her eyes and turned her head to glare at him. A part of him wanted to flinch at the fire in her green eyes.

He spoke again before she had the chance. "I'm not going to listen to you, whether you like it or not. I'm sick of sitting things out because you want me safe, or because you think I can't fight properly. You're not my mother, Lillian. I know how to use a bloody sword, and I can protect myself. They're my friends, too."