Thirteen Rings

Chapter Nine

"Darius?" A woman's voice questioned as consciousness found its way back to him. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked around the familiar room. "They said you'd wake up after a day." Sylvia began to explain, looking at him with tearstruck eyes, her face red and puffy. "You've been asleep for three."

"Give him this." Griffon appeared to his left, handing her a tankard. "He'll need it." Sylvia fixed him with a hateful glare as she snatched it from his grasp. "It's just water." He explained, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'll get him some fresh water." She seethed, standing and exiting the room quickly.

"She still doesn't trust me." Griffin muttered, crouching down next to him. "I'm surprised I got any response from her at all." Darius opened his mouth to reply and was interrupted by the assassin holding up his hand. "Just wait till you've had something to drink before you speak." He smiled sadly. "They assured us that you would wake up and told me that I'm to follow your orders once you woke."

"Here." Sylvia said as she entered the room with a fresh tankard, closely followed by Lyria, who seemed somewhat relieved at the sight of him fully conscious.

Smiling weakly, he sat up before taking a long draught, feeling the cool liquid trickle down his throat. "Thank you." He croaked, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. "So what have I missed?"

"Lucien sent you a letter." Sylvia began. "We didn't know when you'd wake up so we read it without you."

"What did it say?" He asked, voice becoming stronger.

"One of his colleagues believes that they have tracked down another artifact." Lyria added as Griffin looked at the three of them with a confused expression.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?"

"You haven't told him the situation yet?" Darius asked, slightly taken aback.

"Isn't it on a need-to-know basis?" Sylvia questioned, giving Griffin a dirty look.

"Well I'd say he has a need to know, seeing as how he's going to be joining us."

"You're not serious about that, right?" She argued. "He's an assassin!"

"He's also someone I would trust my life with." Darius retorted, fixing her with an unflinching stare.

"So you do know each other. I thought he was just making that up."

"We used to be close friends." Griffin supplied, which resulted in a deathly stare from Sylvia.

"You don't get to speak." She spat at him.

"Why?" He pushed. "Because I helped kidnap you?"

"That's exactly why." Seething, she frowned at him. "You're in my house, so shut. The. Fuck. Up."

"Technically it's my house." Darius cut in, clutching at his stomach as it complained loudly and he suddenly realised how hungry and weak he felt. "Can we please settle this another time? I need food."

"I'll get it." Lyria volunteered, quickly fleeing the room.

"Thank you." He called after her, before focussing his attention back on Sylvia and Griffin, who were glaring at each other venomously. "You're acting like children."

"She is a child." Griffin stated.

"Griffin." Darius muttered flatly. "Please be the mature one here."

"You don't think I can be mature?" Sylvia asked as if she'd been insulted.

"I didn't say that." He sighed, closing his eyes with exasperation. "Look, you don't have to like each other, but please try your best to be civil."