Pieces of Time

Ch 6: The Crush

The sound of steps and muffled whispers came from down a cobblestone hallway. Following the path of the steps, the occasional droplet of blood could be spotted along the floor.

"You're still dripping," a voice said.

There was a hostile growl mixed with some unidentifiable words in response.
The response was probably something akin to threats of torture and then death to the girl that had broken Bia's nose in the first place. Styx shook his head as he walked next to his brother ascending the steps to their master's quarters.

"What are we going to tell the master?" Styx whispered, sounding concerned.

They both paused on the steps. Bia held a soaked red cloth to his nose, pulling away occasionally and then dabbing painfully at his face. His nose was now off kilter, the twins' faces no longer identical. It disturbed Styx to not see a spitting image of himself in his brother.

Finally Bia sighed, "We have to tell him the truth."

"The truth about?" a voice suddenly called from a few steps up.

The twins jumped and quickly knelt to the best of their ability on the stone stairs. Styx smashed his knee so hard it started throbbing, and he ground his teeth together to stay silent.

Pallas stood above them, leaning against the railing of the stairs, appearing all too casual. But also displeased with them clearly not having made the girl their captive.

"The girl...." Bia started from his kneeling position.

"Is not with you." Pallas cut him off without asking them to rise. "Why?"

When Bia glanced up, opening his mouth to explain, Pallas held a hand up to silence him. He obeyed.

"Rise." Pallas said impatiently. Bia obeyed once again.

Their master stepped down and took Bia's face roughly with one hand to inspect the injury.

"That....boy again was it?" Pallas growled with a roll of his eyes, and turned to make his way back to his rooms.

"It...was not, my Lord," said Styx, still kneeling.

This gave Pallas pause as he turned his poisonous green gaze on them both, demanding explanation.

"It was.." Bia started, and then sucked in a breath to seeth, "That girl."

There was silence for several moments. Those awful moments felt like an eternity to the twins. They both jumped when raucous laughter filled the stairway and halls nearby.

It was their master, laughing hysterically. He sounded nearly manic with delight, but his eyes....oh his eyes still burned with that awful glow that said they've truly displeased him. They didn't dare say a word against him.

"Then..." started Pallas, trying to catch his breath and rubbing at his eyes to stop the tears of laughter, "I...haha...will not heal you. You can live with the shame of knowing that weak brat wounded you so."

Suddenly the laughter stopped all at once, and the hall felt cold.

"You were followed." Pallas said grimly, "Thankfully, she wasn't able to get through our barriers, but she is a shadow user as well. She can follow you as easily as if you didn't have your worthless powers."

The sorcerer spat and turned his backs on them, sounding bored, "Do not fail me again, or I will punish you next time. Both of you."

▼

In the days following the attack of those men, Kali continued her daily training regimen. Although, in addition to the intense cardio and muscle strengthening exercises she did every day, they began the basics of hand to hand combat.