Thirteen Rings

Chapter Eight

"I'll be surprised if this actually works." Griffin muttered as he marched Darius towards the Sanctuary.

"Just focus on doing your part." Darius hissed back at him, fidgeting with his restraints. "These are too tight."

"Well it's too late to fix that not." The other man retorted, a faint smile playing with his lips.

"You did them like that on purpose."

"You know me too well." He purred. "You never seemed to have any problems with it in the past."

"Back then we weren't doing something this stupid." Groaning, he looked up into the hollow eyes of Griiz for the second time, a hollow feeling immediately began to prickle his body.

"Back then you would have told me you intended to fake your death." Griffin retorted, watching him for any effect his words might have. "You trusted me completely, remember?"

"Something happened." Darius began. "I had to think fast, I couldn't rely on anyone from that life to help me, not even you."

"Was she worth it?"

"Don't tell me your jealous."

"Jealous?" He scoffed. "Of that little whelp? No." A faint chuckle flowed over Darius as they crossed the threshold of the dilapidated temple. "She barely put up a fight when they took her."

"How do you know that?" Darius questioned, his pace slowing as they walked towards the centre of the holy place, where an ancient dais lay in disary. Moonlight poured in through the shattered windows and rained down from the broken roof, illuminating random patches of the stone floor with a silvery light as their voices seemed to carry throughout the entire structure.

"I was there when they confronted her." He replied hesitantly, realising there was no way he could spin it to his advantage.

"You helped them kidnap my sister?" Darius spat incredulously.

"I thought she was your new lover." Griffin admitted as they reached the platform.

"You can't even deny being jealous anymore." Darius grinned. It's good to see him again. He thought to himself. I didn't realise just how much I've missed him.

"So did you find someone to keep you warm at night?" Griffin asked, embarrassment and curiosity plainly decorated his voice.

"Do you honestly want me to answer that?" He smirked, casting a playful look over his shoulder.

"No, I don't suppose I do." His reply came with a slight hint of amusement. Moving in front of him, he fiddled with the centre of the dias. Faint clicking noises resounded around the temple moments before a heavy clunk indicated that the structure beneath the platform had been set in motion. "I hope that woman is still following us."

"I saw her a few streets back." Darius replied as an opening appeared in the floor opposite them with a distant rumble. "Remember not to close this so we can make our escape."

"I'm not as stupid as I used to be." Griffin joked, and Darius lead the way down into the depths.

"Has much changed in my absence?" He carefully asked as they descended into the shadows.

"A few new members have joined us." His reply reverberated throughout the stone, spiraling staircase. "And Phoenix passed."

"Shame." Darius murmured. "He was always rather kind to us."

"Maybe to you." Griffin began. "He saw a lot of potential in you, after you left, he wasn't quite the same. It's a pity that he died thinking you'd been lost to us."