1. Frozen Shadows |✔

CHAPTER 16: TRAVEL

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                                                         CHAPTER 16

  "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

                                                    ― St. Augustine

THE WAVES OVERLAPPED each other, water hitting against the side of the large white ship. Deep and endless, the bottom going on forever and ever. Helene peered over the edge just as she had done once before while they had been going to SwynCrest. The ship they were on now was much different from the one before and much larger in comparison. It had large sail set on a long mast supporting its heavy weight, moving along with the wind. Helene stood on the main deck, her hair flying messily behind her. Other then Legion who was standing on the deck above her, everyone else was below in their rooms, either discussing strategy the last time Helene had seen them or sulking.

She tucked the strands of dirty blond hair behind her ear, gulping in the fresh air that hit her face in quick breezes. She squinted into the horizon , her eyes taking in SwynCrest so far away in the distance as the ship swam further and further away. It was so small that it looked like an ant hill floating on water.

Helene rubbed her tired eyes. They were ticklish from the sand that had made its way into her eyes from the time when they were boarding the ship, and had stubbornly stayed. Her clothes rippled with the air, pushing her back.

"You seem pretty content," came a familiar voice from behind her, making her jolt back in surprise.

Oh, how she hated surprises.

Oh, how she loved them at the same time.

Legion joined her on the main deck, his dark hair tousled by the wind and his black demon eyes glinting dangerously. Helene wondered whether she looked like a painting just as much as he looked like one, with her hair sparkling gold and her demon eyes glowing.

Then she wondered why she cared.

"Yeah," she attempted a casual voice, "the water is really calming."

He looked at her as if he could read through her webbed lies. But he could, couldn't he? He could go into her mind and find everything he wanted to know.

"The last time we were here, you threw your phone into the water," he reminded her as he continued to gaze at her with the same expression.

She managed a small shrug. "Anger management issues."

He nodded, staring at her for a second more as if he was trying to understand her without having to go into her mind. Then, he looked away.

They stood in silence for a while. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he thinking about going into her mind when she wasn't aware? Was he planning to find out what was in her mind?

But she had to ask herself. Why did she care so much about him going into her mind when he had told her he wouldn't?

"I won't," he muttered, "you don't have to worry."

It took her a whole minute to realize what he was talking about. "Did you just-"

"No." He stood up straight, his right hand on the railing of the ship, "No, of course not. You just seemed very tense and cautious. Reading facial expressions kind of comes with mind control."

"So you read that all off of me from my face and my tension?" she asked, genuinely curious.

He shrugged. "Yes."