The Time of the Titans

Chapter 26: Götterdämmerung

As I came running to the corridor, followed by Pablo, I saw they had caught Brynhilde. Secretly I felt a strange disappointment that the girl had not managed to escape. She had almost made it – the door which would have let her slip into the night was only a hand's reach away. The attempt to open that door had probably slowed her down decisively, leaving her in the hands of the boys.

Max twisted Brynhilde's hands behind her back and held her wrists tightly. The girl struggled but could not summon enough strength to resist them. When I showed up, she made a look like she was suffering great pain, releasing a pained moan.

"Don't hurt her!" I shouted, without thinking about it twice.

"Look who's talking now!" cried Pablo behind me, and seized in turn me, apparently in order to prevent me from rushing to the girl's aid.

"You don't give orders here", Max snapped at me sharply. He was agitated, angry. And he tried to look like he had no difficulty holding the girl, which was not fully true.

"He isn't hurting me, you fool!" snapped Brynhilde and cast a defiant look at me. She threw her red hair straight on the face of her captor, but apart from that she ceased to put up any major resistance.

Emilio had taken the straps from his belt and tied up Brynhilde's wrists. Max handed the girl over to him and then stepped in front of me, blocking my way and looking sharply into my eyes. I noticed Emilio was evading my look. I felt bad about that because I appreciated him. He didn't say anything. He worked on the girl promptly, and she no longer struggled but a little when Emilio frogmarched her to the door of her room. Roland opened the door and the girl was locked up.

Max was still staring at me, requiring my attention, so I had no time to be puzzled by the girl's swings of mood. The Prince Master's look was not angry, but he made me nervous. I tried to pull my hands free from Pablo's grip, but when I did so, he tightened the hold, forcing me to give up.

"Should I lock him up too?" I heard Pablo's voice behind me. He sounded vengeful.

Max studied my face, looking straight into my eyes like a hypnotizer.

"How is it, Mikael?" he asked. "Should he?"

"No need", I said. "But if that's what you want, I will go voluntarily."

Roland and Emilio returned from the girl's door. Max turned his eyes from me to the others, then to Pablo.

"You're wounded, Pablo", he said, ignoring my words. "Go, find Marou, if he isn't already with Casper. Get to Casper, fast. We'll handle this guy and join you soon."

I didn't like the tone of the words 'we'll handle this guy', but I didn't protest. Pablo released me and left the house. It was only now that Ferdinand showed up in the corridor, floating from the shadows like a nosferatu.

Max again stared at me intensively, until I agreed to look into his eyes. Instinctively I glanced at his skull ring and recalled how also Brynhilde had stared at it, spellbound.

"We're under attack, so we must go and defend the Base", Max told at my face. "I just needed to know if you're with us or with her?"

"Sorry, Max", I said. "Truly. I don't know what went into me. I thought for a moment you hurt her."

"Oh, I know what went into you", said Max. "The same went into you that's gone to many. The girl!"

"Have I missed something?" wondered Ferdinand. The others paid no attention on him.

Emilio grabbed my lapels and pushed me against the wall.

"Why did you stop me?" he demanded, staring into my eyes in anger. "I'd have stopped her right there." He looked like he was going to hit me but changed his mind.