Hi Guys, 

It's been far too long again, I hope you are all doing well. I told those of you on the Facebook page that this would be up by Sunday, but I re-read what I had written and decided it needed some adding to, so it's a bit late sorry xx 
That and I found the last part super hard to write because it calls for Circe to be a bit out of character, so apologies in advance for the POV change, (you can read my little note when you reach that part.)

This Chapter is extra super long, (I couldn't seem to find a good spot to finish,) and I'm not super happy with it but I definitely owed you guys an update. 

Much love!

Daisy xx

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CIRCE

I hurried quickly through the snow and pulled my furs tighter around my body. A wisp of blonde hair sneaked out from under my hood and I pushed it back impatiently. I paused for a moment to glance over my shoulder before continuing on. I was being followed, I could tell, but the pursuer was concealing themselves well and I was unable to glimpse them.
The small dagger concealed in my sleeve gave me some semblance of security, that and the fact that I had not yet been attacked and was only minutes away from reaching my destination.

My breath hung like a white cloud in the air as I paused once again under the pretence of rearranging my cloak. Straining my ears I was able to pick up the soft compaction of snow as feet trod upon the white surface, not too far behind me. I chanced another look over my shoulder.
The night was quiet and the snow was untouched aside from the footprints I left behind me. High in the sky, the moon pierced the still black night, its bloated roundness casting light down onto the rooftops. Any pursuer would have a tough time concealing themselves and this one would have to be skilled to have done so thus far.
I loosened the knife that was tucked into my belt and continued on. Whoever they were, they currently held the upper hand and there was nothing I could do until they revealed themselves.

It had been two months since we had last set foot on solid ground and although we had arrived safely at Cobalt's chosen destination, it seemed that our extended stay at sea had put us out of touch with the goings on back on land.
Balgar was a winter city, known for its hot springs and bustling trade port. A lot of people moved through the city and it was a hub of information for most of the year, however we had made port during the coldest of the four winter seasons and most of the tourism that brought the town to life wasn't currently present. Only the locals remained behind, the harsh conditions nothing new to the people who had lived here their whole lives.

Normally information of the outside world would be scarce in such isolating conditions, but it seemed that the town had a thriving underworld that lurked beneath the surface of the flashy tourist industry and a steady trickle of knowledge could be found for the right price or, in as was in our case, if you knew the right people.

Right people being Obsidian and Cobalt Bones. It never ceased to amaze me how well their names were known amongst the humans of nearly every sea faring town they went to. Of course both of them were forbidden by Hobbson to go and get the information themselves, but Samson and Jacob were having a jolly good time getting it for them and most locals were happy to talk.
Even the other crew members had been hearing rumours, apparently the cold winter months were rather boring and anything to liven up the town, including new faces, were welcome gossip.
Our fame had only served to make me uneasy though, although the men seemed unfazed. Even Lacy said that it was normal where the name of Obsidian Bones was concerned. The younger girl had reassured me plenty that everyone was always too scared to ever approach him directly to see if the rumours of his appearance were actually true. And indeed, after we had decided to secure lodgings at a local inn, the inn itself had cleared out rather quickly of all other customers, leaving us to have, (mostly,) free rein of the place.

As for the stories themselves, it seemed that people had seen things. That seemed to be the general consensus. Things that didn't belong, shadows that seemed like shadows until they weren't, people going missing – young people mostly – and sounds, unnatural noises heard in the dead of night, beastly noises. Inhuman; that was the word they were muttering now days. The secret that had been protected for so long, the barrier that divided the worlds, it was thinner than ever and the humans were growing restless.
It didn't bode well for us.

And then there had been a sighting, someone from Nathaniel's crew – a water kingdom native chance would have it, recognised a woman in one of the bars and reported back immediately. Her name alone had been enough to send shivers down my spine.
Katarina.

It had taken me a moment to place the name, but the Hobbson had recognised it instantly and prompted my memory.

"She's dangerous that one. Remember what I told you about her Circe? She is a Water Sprite, like Ambrose. They were created a pair, but she betrayed him and tried to wed Prince Zalas. She was turned down and came crawling back to Ambrose. I don't think he's ever forgiven her though."

It had only taken a mention of Ambrose's name before I had clicked. Yes, I remembered her all right. I had seen her only fleetingly back at my Mothers castle, she had been glued to Ambrose's side, but her looks for me had held nothing but contempt.
Hobbson had told me of how Water Sprites were created in pairs, two halves that were meant only for each other. I couldn't imagine what had possessed her to turn on him but I remembered his sad face with the expression that always made him seem impossibly out of reach and I wondered if she had played a part making him that way.

She had been spotted again since then, two more times in fact and always alone. Whatever she was doing here god only knew, but here presence here definitely made me uneasy. It couldn't simply be coincidence could it? But I had met her only once and her distaste for me had been clear. I doubted that Ambrose was using her to scout for me, which meant that she was here due to her own motives. And I couldn't even begin to fathom what those could be.

Hobbson seemed just as concerned as me, hence my rendezvous tonight. I was the least known face and the best at getting information. It had been fruitless though, only more of what we already knew. It was going on two weeks now, since we had first pulled into port and we would have to move on soon or risk having our location leaked further out of the perimeter of the town. The townsfolk might be too scared to approach Obsidian Bones, but he hadn't risen to be called the Pirate King through sheer luck.
I often forgot the extent of his infamousness, seeing how the man himself was rather modest about it, but Hobbson had reminded me more than once since our arrival in this town, that Obsidian Bones was a man with many enemies and although they were mostly human, none of them were to be taken lightly.

Before we settled on our next destination however, both Hobbson and I were determined to learn more about Katarina's intentions in Balgar. By sheer luck we knew that she was still floating around the city somewhere and after tonight, I swore the next time I saw her I would tail her until I found out what she was doing. Part of me hoped that it was just some random reason with no underlying reason that brought her this far south, but there was a lump in the pit of my stomach that told me otherwise.

A slight noise brought my thoughts back to the moment at hand and I halted my advance, sliding the dagger down from my sleeve and further into my hand. My voice was harsh with the cold as I spoke, but I didn't pause to clear it.

"Show yourself."

Assertiveness; that was one of the keys to intimidation, or so Cobalt had told me. If you were sure of yourself, then others would not doubt your intentions, whether they were friend or foe. I had been unsure, but tried it now. Convincing myself that I could see the person that was invisible in the shadows, if they thought I could see them, then there would be no reason to hide any longer.

To my surprise, it worked and a figure emerged, face shrouded in the hood of a deep black cloak. The person was easily taller than me and immediately I was on my guard, shifting back my furs ever so slightly, allowing the moonlight to glint on the hilt of my knife. The dagger I kept concealed, another lesson, from Obsidian this time.

"Always show one weapon willingly Princess," He had purred to me in a lesson than was more distracting than it was instructive, "and keep another concealed. It is a simple trick, but with your appearance, it will fool most attackers."

"With my appearance?" I had asked indignantly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

His golden eyes had glinted with playful humour and he hadn't answered.

"State your business," I commanded in the same assured tone.

The person halted their advance towards me and lifted a hand to their hood. The black cloth fell away to reveal an expressionless androgynous face, features slender and angled. The hair was short, boyishly so, although the large, green, almond shaped eyes now staring at me through the falling snow were too feminine to belong to a man.

"State your name, and your business." I repeated. We had not made any enemies in this town, I reminded myself, it was unlikely that this person meant to do me harm.

"Are you Circe?" The stranger's voice was rough from misuse and a hand was brought to the throat followed by a cough to clear it. "Circe Fallon?"

"Yes," I agreed after a slight pause. "I would be she. How do you know my name?" My eyes narrowed as I came to a realization. "Are you the one that has been following us for some time now?"

A month or so back before we landed, Anthemin had informed me that a ship had begun following us. It wasn't a large ship he said, and sometimes it would disappear for a few days before reappearing, but it was constantly on our tail nonetheless. I had fretted for a time, that maybe it was someone sent by my Mother, Ambrose even. Only a Water Sprite could keep such a distance and still be able to pin point our location as we moved.
But as the days and come and gone, there was no sign of the pursuer attempting to catch up to us and Hobbson had seemed unconcerned by their presence. I had been tempted to swim out at night to investigate, after all, such a distance was no problem for me – but on the night I had decided to do so, the ship had disappeared.
I had put it from my mind and soon after we had pulled into harbour and the incident had been cast from my mind.
Until now that was.

"It is you isn't it?" I pressed. "How else would you know who I am? If Mother sent you I'm afraid you will be sorely disappointed. I have no intention of returning home."

I still hadn't heard from my Mother. Cobalt had told me about Amaryllis leaving and we still had not heard from her either. I had asked Hobbson about it and he had waved it off, much to my annoyance. I hadn't found another chance to bring it up again and if I didn't know any better I would have accused him of avoiding the subject.

"I am not from the Water Kingdom."

"Then what are you? Perhaps you are from the Kingdom in the Sky? I have no need for an ally of Prince Zalas." Even as I spoke I knew this person was no Air Nomad, they were not nearly pale enough to have come from that sun bleached land. That left only one option. "Or perhaps you are an Elf? If this is the case then you should have approached me sooner."

"I am neither Princess, I am simply human."

My heart beat a little faster at the confession, but then- "If you are human, how is it you know who I am? How do you know of the Water Kingdom."

A lift of the lips in the corners, a hint of a smile and a smooth reply, "I am familiar with the world of dreams and fantasy Princess. It is not so far hidden away that one with talents such as myself cannot reach it."

I gathered myself quickly and replied. "Your words are pretty but they do not change my original question. State your name and business here."

The person inclined their head, an acknowledgement of my increasing impatience.

"My name is Jhaer Rivera and my only desire is to be of assistance to your and your comrades Princess." A knee dropped to the snow, a bow was offered, a hand held firmly across the chest. A twinkling eyed smile was presented. "And in answer to the question I can see in your eyes, I am in fact, a woman."

I felt myself blush a little but the rest of my face was impassive as I beckoned her to rise from the snow.

"Why should I trust you?"

Jhaer's willowy form rose gracefully and she made no move to brush the snow from her pants. "If you were wise Princess, you wouldn't. I wouldn't expect you to trust anyone you have only just met. However I ask that you give me time to prove myself. If it helps to ease your mind, I am originally from Port Savannah, I know Jack quite well."

"He's never mentioned you."

"I wouldn't expect you would have given him cause to," Jhaer said mildly. "However because of my association with Jack, naturally Bernard Hobbson knows of me also. If it pleases you Princess, I'm sure he will be able to identify me also."

I stared her down for a moment. Her eyes were calm in the dim light, her face open and unassuming. She was a blank canvas, so blank in fact that I knew nothing of her from first glance. If Hobbson knew her as she claimed, then why had she not approached sooner? If she was human, then how was it she had been able to track us from such a large distance away?

"If it helps to sway you, I also have information on Katarina that I think would be of value to your investigation."

My eyes narrowed at her words. Just how much did she know exactly? I would be a fool if I believed her story straight off the bat. I doubted that she was here to become my personal servant, that story was simply too covenant, the type of tale a naïve little girl might believe. Was that what she thought I was?
But she said that she knew Jack and Hobbson. One of those two names was a name most trusted to me. I doubted that she had not realised this. She would then know how easy it would be for me to check her story, which led to me believe that that part of her explanation was true at least.
And she said she had information on Katarina.

I felt myself resigning reluctantly. "Very well, you can accompany m back to my lodgings where Hobson will confirm your identity. If you are indeed who you say you are I will hear your information on Katarina. If that checks out also, then we can further discuss your joining the crew." Yes. Her true intentions could wait until later; I had to find out her information first. "You will have to forgive me, but I must ask you to walk in front of me from here. I cannot be too careful, I'm sure you understand." I smiled sweetly at her for good measure, a smile that she returned too easily.

She turned around and my smile fell away almost immediately. As I had thought, she saw me as no threat to her. Either that or she was trying to lull me into a false sense of security. Either way she had already made the mistake of underestimating me.

"I understand," As I had expected, she seemed unaffected by my coldness and instead turned in the direction of the boarding house. "Forgive me Princess, but I do already know where you are staying. Allow me to lead the way."

I offered a curt nod, uneasiness curling in my stomach. How close had she been to me this whole time? She was clearly highly skilled. I as beginning to feel as though the only reason I had noticed her presence was because she had let me notice it in the first place. I frowned and gripped my dagger tighter. I had to be careful not to undervalue her either. Exactly who was playing who here? I wasn't sure.

We set out for the Inn, however I had barely walked a few meters forward when another cloaked form appeared, dropping down from the rooftops this time like a shadow falling out of the sky. The figure landed with precision in the gap between Jhaer and myself, his tall form looming over her before striking without so much as a warning, the quick movement jerking his hood back and revealing that instantly recognizable mess of black hair. His fist swung out to deal a blow to her head so vicious, that I had no doubt it would have killed her if it had made contact with her skull.

Instantly though, her hand had come up also to block the attack, her fingers curling into a fist, her forearm strong and unmoving against his. There was silence and then he attacked again, with his other fist this time, followed by a kick that was meant to land her flat on her back.
She deflected his other punch with ease, evading the sweeping kick skilfully and righting herself again to defend against his next onslaught.
They traded blows with inhuman speed and a savage resolve that had appeared out of nowhere. Finally, as though reaching an unspoken truce, both stopped their attacks and stood, facing one another, barely out of breath from their fight.

Finally Obsidian spoke, but when he did, it only served to make me more confused. "It would be best for you to leave."

Her face was smooth, her expression unflinching. "Best for who?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I had to confirm it with my own eyes. That and I have business with the Princess."

Obsidian clicked his tongue and spat into the snow. "Tch. Like hell you do. What kind of business."

"It doesn't concern-"

"Anything that concerns her, concerns me."

He turned his face to the side and I was stunned to see the expression on his face was not what I had been expecting. He looked almost ... conflicted? There was anger there as well, a deep seated anger that had no place being directed towards someone he had just met.

The hard mask that covered Jhaers face seemed to slip a little bit at his words. "I see. Well in that case, I have come to offer my services to the Princess."

"Denied," was his immediate reply.

"Wait," I interjected in protest, "I already told her- no, hold on," I shook my head, a hand on my forehead. "Never mind that for a moment. Do you two know each other?"

"No," Obsidian sneered, just as Jhaer replied, "Yes, we do," at the same time.

I gave Obsidian a hard look and his expression turned dark. "Barely," He corrected, his face was thunderous now as he glanced back to Jhaer. "A long time ago, I sailed with this woman. I didn't think that I would see her again, nor did I want to."

"If you were shipmates, I think you probably knew her a little better than just 'barely'," I pointed out. He scowled at me and clicked his tongue again.

"What does it matter, she isn't going to be with us for much longer."

I stared at him. "She says she has information on Katarina."

"She's lying."

"But she says she knows Hobbson. I want to hear what she has to say."

"You're just saying that because I'm against it."

"No I'm not," I defended stubbornly; "She has been tailing us for a long time, I want to know why."

"Why does it matter?" Obsidian growled, closing the distance between us and catching my hand up in his. "The last thing you need is another person hanging around you. You have me. If there is something you desire, I will get it for you. There is nothing she can offer that I can't already do. She is unneeded."

"We are taking her back at the very least," I persisted. ."She said she has information on-

"If this Katarina woman is so important then I will find out the information for you," Obsidian said curtly. "You don't need her."

I sent him an incredulous look. "What makes you think it will be that easy?"

Obsidian's stare intensified as he made me the sole focus of his gaze. "Why can't you trust me when I say this is a bad idea?"

When he looked at me like that, it suddenly because difficult to breath and so I looked away and tactfully changed the subject. "You want to know why I can't trust you. You followed me. You said you wouldn't."

His grip on my wrist tightened and then loosened completely as he pulled away, although his terse voice told me he wasn't happy about my topic change. "You are exceptionally unobservant. You wouldn't have even noticed me if I hadn't shown myself." He sounded dismissive and it infuriated me.

"That's not the point," I retorted.

"That's exactly the point Circe," He hissed lowly. "What if the person following you had intended to do you harm? You would have been taken out in an instant."

I knew that I was being childish, but his arrogance was beginning to piss me off. "You don't know that."

He growled in frustration and spun on his heel. "Fine, have it your way. You," He pointed to Jhaer, "walk. You know where you are going, don't stop until you get there."

The other woman had been watching us without speaking and now that I looked over to her I saw a flicker of some kind of emotion in her eyes that hadn't been present before. It was gone in an instant though and she turned obediently, hiding her face from view.

I followed silently in their wake, already feeling the repercussions of wounding Obsidian's pride. The dark aura surrounding him only seemed to grow and fester with each step but I refused to speak to him, still angry about being tailed. Jhaers appearance had been curious enough, but Obsidian's apparent link to her was even more curious and I would have been lying if I said that I didn't want to know more about their connection. Perhaps Cobalt would be able to shed some light on the situation.

By the time we reached the boarding house, Obsidian's mood was so foul that I could have sworn that there was a literal black cloud hovering over his head. We had just reached the Inn and before she could make a move to open the door, he had pinned Jhaer to the side of the house, his arms slamming into the wood behind her head and trapping her between them. There was a nasty expression on his face and his attitude didn't seem much better.

"Before you go any further woman, I would like to give you a friendly reminder of exactly who I am." His voice was light and pleasant, but the sinister undercurrent that lurked beneath it was enough to make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. "Currently you owe your life to her," He jerked his thumb towards me, his eyes flickering yellow as he looked back down upon his prey.
"If you step one toe out of line, if you dare try to use her naivety as an opening to hurt her, then you played the wrong hand because you won't be answering to her, you will answer to me."
His voice lowered to a savage whisper, a curl of smoke licking out from between his lips and blowing into her face. "I don't care how good you think you've gotten over the years. You weren't a threat back then and you certainly aren't one now. I will crush you into the ground and that hole will be your grave," He turned his head to the side and spit on the ground. The lump of fluid hissed as it hit the snow before sinking through the ice in a small cloud of steam. "Do you understand?"

If she was rattled, she didn't show it and as much as I was wary of her, I had to give her credit for that. "I understand." Her voice didn't waver and he pulled away, sending me a dark look.

"You will take her inside, you will find out her intentions and if she is any less than what she has claimed, you hand her over to me. That is unnegotiable. And don't think I won't find out." He turned on his heel and stormed off, the shadows swallowing him up faster than I could blink.

There was a moment of silence and then Jhaer coughed out an awkward laugh. She ran a hand through her cropped hair and rubbed her neck a bit ruefully. "Even though he didn't lay a hand on me, if sure felt as though he had me in a choke hold." She laughed again, with a bit more ease this time. "He hasn't changed at all. Shall we continue Princess?"

I didn't miss the familiarity in her words and was sure that she had not spoken them on accident. My eyes lingered in the direction that Obsidian had disappeared in and for a moment, my heart felt hot with jealousy.
What was their history together that it made him react in such a way? My night had suddenly become more interesting, but I was uncertain yet as to whether the development would prove to be good or bad.
Deciding it was best to not give too much of my unease away I looked back to Jhaer who was waiting patiently in front of the door. I mustered a smile and replied with a laugh. "Yes lets, I am excited to hear more of your story."

*

It turned out that Jhaer was exactly who she said she was, for the most part anyway.

Cobalt ambushed me the moment I walked through the door, his long arms looping over my shoulders as he pulled my back into his chest with a cheerful welcome. His optimism was welcome after the dark turn Obsidian's mood had taken and I felt my own disposition improve somewhat.
I looked over my shoulder to see that his face had grown curious as he spied my companion, his nose scrunching with distant recognition.

"Rivera?"

"Ah, so you know her too," I said, pleased, "It seems Obsidian was worried for nothing."

"You've seen Obsidian?" Cobalt looked at me sharply, his eyes darting back to Jhaer. A look passed between them that I didn't fail to miss, but my attention was drawn quickly to Hobbson, who had called out after spotting us from across the room. He was sitting at the bar with a jug of lager in his hand and now he called out again, his eyes squinted with uncertainty, as though he couldn't be sure he was seeing correctly.

"Circe, you're back already? Who is that with you? Wait ... Jhaer, is that you? What in blazes name are you doing here girl?"

The old man lifted himself off his chair and made his way over to us, his smile growing with each step. "Circe, what did you do to find this one?!" He clapped his free hand down on Jhaer's shoulder and laughed heartily. "It's good to see you girl! Say," he said suddenly, his eyes narrowing again, "it wasn't you following us was it? I had my suspicions but couldn't think of the motive."

I was surprised to hear that he had instantly had the same thought as I had. Once again I felt an uncomfortable squeezing in my heart. If he had suspected it was here, why hadn't he told me? Had he told anyone else? I had thought that confirming her identity would make me feel more at ease, but if anything it had only served to make me more on edge.
Who was this woman that she was able to be greeted with such familiarity by the people most important to me?

Jhaer seemed pleased by the mans enthusiasm although the difference in her face was miniscule. There was a small gleam in her eye that had been absent before and her lips turned upwards as she spoke.

"My apologies, it was I indeed. I've been tailing you since Savannah. I talked to Jack just after you left and he put me on your trail. I'd been looking for ages, but only heard rumours."

Hobbson rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I wondered where you had gotten to, but I heard you had been tied up in some tricky business."

Jhaer's face gave an uncharacteristic twitch that she did well to hide with a quick smile. "I'm happy to say that I work for myself again."

"Well then," Hobbs laughed, "I can't say it wouldn't be good to have you back again. Circe, do you know anything about this straggler you picked up? What did she say to you anyway?"

"She says she has intel on Katarina," I offered. "And she knows Obsidian."

Hobbsons bushy eyebrows rose in surprise as he slid a look over to Jhaer. "Intel on Katarina eh? Well that is valuable."

I noticed that he mentioned nothing of Obsidian before he continued.

"Information aside though, allow me to give our friend here a proper introduction. Circe, this is the famed Pirate Assassin and the deadliest woman to have ever sailed the seas, Jhaer Rivera. She was a part of Obsidian's crew at one point, but well, she left under difficult circumstances." He chuckled and patted the tall woman on the back. "That's your business though sweetheart, I won't hang you out to dry."

The shock must have been easily read on my face because Jhaer met my gaze with a knowing one of her own. "Does my occupation scare you Princess?" Her voice was smooth and unthreatening, but just for a moment her entire demeanour changed and I caught a glimpse of the person lurking beneath the flawless mask. It was a subtle change, but it was enough that the hairs on my arms stood straight on end, a shiver running down my spine as I unconsciously leaned further back into Cobalt.
It was only for a second and then as though someone had flipped a switch, her mask was back and I was left to subtly look around to see if anyone else had noticed what had transpired. It seemed that they hadn't.

She was still smiling coolly at me and I realised she was waiting for an answer. I swallowed and forced myself to smile back. I was being stupid. I barely knew anything about her, but if Hobbson could give her such a warm welcome then surely she was no threat to me. The jealousy I felt was silly as well. I was just being childish.

"No, not at all," I replied, and through speaking the words I somehow managed to convince myself that they were true. She didn't scare me, assassin or not, she was still only human.
I looked over to Hobbson, indicating that I needed to share the information that I had gathered from my outing with him and thus missed the look that Cobalt sent Jhaer and the words that were mouthed over top of my head.

Watch yourself.

*

"So how do you know her?" The question fell casually from my lips, but there was nothing casual about my intentions.

Cobalt leant back in his chair, an empty plate in front of him and to my surprise, an uncomfortable expression settled upon his face. "She was a part of our crew when we were growing up. Obsidian took her in."

I carefully arranged my face to hide the shock I felt. "Obsidian took her in?"

Cobalt laughed awkwardly. "I don't really know if I should put it that way, rather, he killed her companions and left her with no-where else to go. She wasn't a good person at the time Circe, but then, neither were we."

I raised an eyebrow. "Killed her companions? Usually that wouldn't be something that would install a sense of loyalty in a person."

The black haired pirate had a faraway look in his eyes. "No, you wouldn't think so."

"Sounds complicated," I murmured, pushing my food around on my plate, my appetite suddenly non-existent. I snuck a glance over to where the pirate woman was sitting at the bar with Hobbson, a stein of lager in her hand. She was laughing with the old man and I studied her for a moment.

She did indeed have the build of an assassin. Graceful despite her long limbs, she moved with fluidity that I had only seen possessed by the inhuman. Elegant fingers wrapped around her glass and for a moment I imagined the same hands wrapped around my throat, stealing my breath while her slanted eyes looked down at me coolly.

Those same eyes were looking at me now although she gave no sign of being bothered by my appraisal. A slight twitch in the corner of her lip was the only sign that she had noticed me at all before she was turning back to Hobbson.

I was certain that her little display of loyalty to me was a ruse and I wondered why she had felt the need to bother with such a thing if she was already on such good terms with some of the crew. She was indeed a mysterious person and one that probably held a lot of answers to the obscurity surrounding Obsidian's past.
I wanted to like her, but there was a deeper base instinct that was keeping me on guard and lifting the hairs on the back of my neck every time she slid a look my way.

Cobalt sighed, drawing my attention back to where he lounged on his chair, a toothpick hanging from between his lips. "It's not really that complicated." He scratched his head, his face still uncomfortable. "Although I don't really understand what she's doing here."

I grinned at him in an attempt to disguise my unease and decided to fish a little further for information. "If it's not that complicated then you shouldn't have a problem with giving me more details right?"

I expect him to laugh at my assertiveness so when he shot me a look that clearly said to drop the subject I was taken aback. I sat back in my chair feeling slightly wounded by the sudden change in atmosphere. He realised almost immediately what he had done and reached over to grab my hand, and I was humiliated to find myself pulling away from him, my chair scraping on the floor as I stood from my seat.

The shake in my voice was embarrassingly obvious as I gave the first excuse I could think of. "I'm going to the hot springs."

"Circe-"He had stood also but I was already halfway out the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I called back to him, finding myself looking towards her as I left. Our eyes met across the room once again. Her face was level, her expression betrayed nothing.

The Inn's rooms were connected by sheltered outdoor passageways and for a moment I had forgotten I would find myself outside, the cold air hitting me hard and drawing white clouds of breath from my chest. It was snowing again and the courtyard that decorated the centre of the inn was a pristine white under the moonlight.
I leant up against the wall for a moment to catch my breath, the frigid air shocking some sense back into my body. Letting out a shaky breath I ran a hand through my hair and willed myself to pull it together.
I was the one who had insisted she accompany us, despite the tantrum Obsidian had thrown. To admit that I was beginning to regret it would be mortifying to say the least – I had barely spent an evening in her company.

I squeezed my eyes shut and Obsidian's previous words echoed through my head.

"You're just saying that because I'm against it,"

"Why can't you just trust me when I say that this is a bad idea?"

He had warned me and I had ignored him, my curiosity persistently thumping in my ears. I wanted to know more about him, I wanted to reach out and grab this part of his past that Jhaer had dangled so tantalizingly in front of my face.
I remembered the look Cobalt had sent me, a look that told me I should mind my own business. Such a cold look was uncharacteristic of Cobalt and for a moment he had reflected the look his brother had given me earlier on.

"You're just jealous," I whispered to myself, "that she is welcome in his past and you aren't."

I leant back against the wall and gazed up at the moon. I sighed and made a poor attempt to berate myself. I was being childish. I hadn't even given her a proper chance and I was sure that I had resolved not to judge people from first impressions at some point.

It's because of him, a small voice murmured in the back of my head, she must have been close to him for him to hate her like that.

I couldn't deny that his hostility towards her strange. It wasn't uncommon for Obsidian to hate people without good reason, but in this case he seemed to have a legitimate basis for his dislike, and that was unusual.

My fingers were beginning to numb and so I pushed away from the wall and headed towards my room. Although the hot springs had initially only been given as an excuse to justify my quick escape, the thought was rather appealing now.
I had used the hot pools many times during our stay and each time I had emerged feeling refreshed and relaxed. Hobbson had told me that natural hot springs had many minerals in the water that were unique only to them and I had pondered the idea of them containing healing properties.

Lacy was only a few doors down from my room and when I saw the light under her door I thought of asking to join me. Lacy was not judgemental, she would listen to my fears without being critical of my motives. Being a Pirate herself, she might even have some knowledge of Jhaer that could ease my mind. I had just about convinced myself that it was a good idea when her light clicked off, the thin band of yellow disappearing and taking my hopes with it.
It was late. I should let her sleep.

I only paused for a moment longer before stepping into my room and gathered my things silently in the darkness. The bed had already been turned down for the night, a hot pan tucked under the covers to warm the sheets. I was tempted to leave the idea of a late night bath behind and simply retire to bed now, but through my open door I could see the rockery that concealed the pools and the steam rising up from behind it.
The snow was still falling and sleep had not found a hold upon me just yet. My heart was still beating a little too fast and the prospect of lying awake in my bed and mulling over pointless questions was not an attractive one.
I would go and let the water bring clarity to my inner turmoil. Perhaps I could even find Jhaer and ask her to join me. The better half of me was still convinced that some of my unrest could be quelled by getting to know the other girl better. I had been curious about her intentions from the start, even before her link to Obsidian had been revealed. I squeezed my towel close to my chest and gathered my courage. Perhaps she could even turn out to be a friend as well as a valuable ally.

Shutting the door behind me, I gripped my towel and robe under my arm, my face set with renewed resolve. It was unlike me to try to find out information from other people, rather than directly going to the source. I took a moment to scold myself. I of all people should know that that was exactly how rumours were started.
I had the good grace to feel ashamed as I made my way around the inn. The thick white socks that we were obliged to wear indoors here, made no sound on the wooden floors and coupled with the silently falling snow and the rising steam from the springs in the distance, the night felt almost unearthly.
If I listened hard, I could hear the laughter coming from the direction of the restaurant, but even that was muffled, the snow seemingly coating everything in a soundless blanket. The laughter grew louder as I drew closer, and I snuck a look through the window, my gaze directed to the bar, where I had last seen Jhaer with Hobbson.
The old man was still there, another full stein had replaced his now empty one, but his companion was now Cobalt and a quick survey of the room confirmed that Jhaer was nowhere to be found. Nathaniel had joined the other two at the bar and I found myself pausing for a moment longer an unconscious smile spreading across my face as I looked at my brothers flushed cheeks and tousled blonde hair. Cobalt reached out to ruffle his hair, laughing at something Nathaniel had said and Nate sent him a grin, playfully pushing his hand away.
He was indeed closer to the Pirates now than he had ever been and although the circumstances that had brought out their comradery had been grim, I was glad that something good had come out of my selfishness. Nathaniel looked more at home here than he ever had back in our old town.

I sighed and pulled away from the window before I was spotted. I had gotten the idea of finding Jhaer stuck in my head, one of those spur-of-the-moment confidence boosters, and now that that plan had fallen through I felt my conviction wane slightly.
Resigning myself to the thought of bathing alone I headed for the hot springs. I was so caught up in my thoughts that it was not until I was nearly upon them that I saw the two people concealed in shadow, so wrapped up in conversation that they failed to notice my appearance.

I back peddled quickly until I was hidden around the corner, unwilling to interrupt what seemed to be a tense exchange. The exchange continued, assuring me that I had not been seen but as I turned to take another route to the baths, one of the voice's rose suddenly out of anger and I found myself frozen in place.

I moved almost unconsciously, my heart beating frantically in my chest as the figures came back into view. On second glance, they were both instantly familiar. That tall willowy form, with her short cropped hair, was already easily identifiable to me. Jhaer.

And the man she was talking to, with his golden eyes luminescent in the darkness, was a man I would recognise anywhere. It was Obsidian.

*

OBSIDIAN

"What could you possibly want?" I said brusquely. My mood was already foul, but her sudden appearance had made it downright acidic.

I had been observing Circe through the window of the restaurant, positioning myself on the roof so that I could easily see her seated at the table. I had seen her stand up abruptly and leave after talking to Cobalt, although my Brother was out of view so I was left to try and imagine what the bastard had said to put such a conflicted look on her pretty face.
She had exited the restaurant and paused for a moment outside, although her expression was hidden in shadow and I had growled in frustration at the lack of information. Deciding to follow her as she made her way back to her room, I had watched as she had disappeared through the door, although she didn't turn the light on the door was left ajar, indicating that she was planning to head elsewhere.
I had been ready to drop down from my position on the roof and interrupt her when I had unexpectedly ended up being the one interrupted instead.
Jhaer's cough had caused me to freeze in motion, my head turning slowly as I looked at her incredulously.

She hadn't lost any of her skill, but then I hadn't expected her to. We both still had age on our sides, it only made sense that she had improved. She was the only person that had ever managed to sneak up on me and I would be lying if I said I wasn't pissed that it appeared she still held that title.

"I was hoping we could talk."

She stood in the centre of the roof while I was crouched down at the edge. The very sight of her irritated me, she still had that air of aloofness about her that I had so detested when we were young. I wanted to smash a hole in the roof and send her tumbling down from her perch, I wanted to see her composure crumble as my fingers wrapped around her throat.

I looked away from her swiftly before my urges got the better of me. "We have nothing to talk about."

"I think we do."

The glare I sent her was a poisonous one. I dropped down over the edge of the roof in an attempt to escape her, reaching under the lip of the roof to catch a supporting beam and swing myself over the railing and into the shelter of the verandas that encircled the courtyard.
The fact that I had known she would follow did nothing to dispel the annoyance I felt as she caught up easily, landing soundlessly in front of me and blocking my way.
The snow that had gathered on my shoulders and in my hair began to melt rapidly as I felt my anger flare. I brushed past her and stormed off in a random direction, only becoming more incensed as I heard her follow.

Finally I had had enough. I spun around fast enough to catch her by surprise but she had expected it. She dodged out of the way and held up her hands, her mouth twisting downwards in disapproval.

"It isn't my intention to fight you."

I grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward. She let out a huff of surprise and tried to resist, but I used my superior strength to muscle her up against the wall, my forearm pressed against her throat, my other hand holding both of hers above her head.
I pulled down her sleeves to reveal four small throwing knives, concealed at her wrists.

"Not you're intention to fight?" I said, my voice terse. "Don't make me laugh. You're a conniving witch, always have been always will be. I was a fool to even entertain the idea that you could be anything else."

"Please," she gasped. "I'm only here to explain." Her eyes were bright and desperate as she pleaded with me.

I brought my face close to hers, my eyes flashing dangerously as I gripped her wrist, still holding her hands securely. Her breath was coming in short pants and her body was soft, all fight gone. "You've gotten better at acting, but your pulse still gives you away." I whispered venomously. "You should know better than to try such a trick on me." I pushed away from her in disgust and when I turned around again, she was perfectly composed, her face cool and collected, a fake, coy, smile fixed on her lips although the expression failed to reach her eyes. I had wounded her pride. Good.
Jhaer was a woman that gained self-gratification from being unreadable. She liked that she was a mystery to everyone that she came across, but she had always been transparent to me.
When I looked at her, her true intentions were there in her eyes and as I looked at her now I grinned viciously and spoke the words that I had always used to taunt her.

"Why should I hear what you have to say when your face says it all?"

I caught the knife a millimetre from my face and bared my teeth at her. "You'll have to be faster than that sweetheart," I taunted, unable to resist watching her squirm with rage. "I thought you weren't here to fight me. I should congratulate you though, that promise lasted longer than the other ones." I heard the sarcasm in my voice and cursed myself for making it personal.

"Obsidian," She had started towards me before I had realised and with my back against the railing, suddenly there was nowhere to go. "We need to talk. I need you to listen, even if you can't forgive me." Her sudden change of tune had thrown me momentarily and I glared down at her now unguarded eyes. It was another trick of hers, and albeit, it was better than the last one but I still wasn't having it.

"Get out of my way woman or I will rip a new path right through you."

"-I meant to find my information and come back, but I was played-"

"That makes two of us."

"-you don't understand. I underestimated them, I got in over my head and couldn't get out without putting you and Cobalt in danger-"

"Don't speak of him like he is important to you," I bit out, slapping her extended hand away, "don't you dare try and use him to win me over. You should know better-"

"It's the truth," She pleaded. "If you knew why I had left, you would have stopped me-"

"Don't flatter yourself," I sneered, eyeballing her fiercely, "I never asked you to stay in the first place."

"Your Father-"

I caught her face in my hand and squeezed her cheeks together, pushing her away from me as I did. "If you still value your life, you will stop talking right now." Pushing past her I made to escape but she caught my elbow and pulled me back. I whirled around and slammed her against the railing.

"You lost all right to an explanation when you left and took half my crew with you," I snarled lowly, bending my head down so that I could look her right in the eyes. My vision of her warped and shifted, sharpening and becoming brighter as my pupils thinned into reptilian slits, "It's been years since we have seen each other and only now did you choose to show yourself. Not only do you come asking to let me listen to your explanation, but you have the audacity to impose upon the Princess's kindness and weasel yourself an invitation to re-join my crew." I wanted to grab her and shake the truth out of her. I could feel myself losing control and could see it reflected in her eyes. If she knew I was alive then surely she had heard the stories. She was always impeccable at sourcing information.

"You are no match for me." I hissed forcefully. "There was a time where I treated you as an equal, but that time is long behind us. You having got to be fucking joking if you think I would buy into some bullshit story about you leaving to help me, as if I would need help from someone like you. And you poorly miscalculated if you thought you could take me on as I am now," I grabbed her wrist and pressed it to my face so she could feel as the black scales appeared on my face, the shiny armour coating the hand the gripped her skin also. "I am what nightmares are made of," I whispered, watching as she struggled to conceal her fear, "but you've always known that haven't you? So tell me, what on earth could have possessed you to return and ask for forgiveness after you stabbed me in the back?"

I didn't like the look in her eyes as she opened her mouth to speak, nor did I like the way her hand remained on my face even after the skin beneath it had been fully coated in hard black scales.

"I-"

Before she had the chance to speak however, a golden haired vision had appeared from around the corner, her angelic voice dispelling the tense mood instantly. I felt my body rapidly return to normal and the flame that had been threatening to consume me only moments before, now died down until only a smoulder remained, warming my chest at the sight of her.

"Obsidian, is that you?"

I found myself by her side in an instant, her presence unusually compelling. Her face had been a little pinched before, but her expression smoothed now as she looked up at me and my heart stuttered a little. How much had she heard?

"What are you doing out by yourself," I said softly, unable to help myself as I reached for her, my earlier worries suddenly at the forefront of my mind. "You'll catch a cold."

She frowned at me and evaded my grasp. "I'm still grumpy with you." She berated, her anger equal to that of a disgruntled kitten. "Don't touch me. And to answer your question, I was on my way to the hot pools. Jhaer, I was actually looking for you. Do you want to join me?"

Stunned I looked over to the other girl who mirrored my shocked expression. She raised a hand to point at herself. "Me?"

Circe's answering smile was bright. "I don't see anyone else here." I grunted at the jab and she turned her sweet smile onto me, although now the expression almost seemed to be deadly. "Weren't you just leaving?"

I scowled at her and sent a murderous glare in Jhaer's direction. "Princess, I don't think this is a good idea, I'd rather you not be alone with-"

"Is there a particular reason for you to think that?" She cut across me mildly, but her eyes held a challenge. I gritted my teeth, but didn't reply.

The last thing I wanted was for Circe to become involved with someone like Jhaer, but I couldn't give her a good reason without divulging the whole story. And that wasn't something that appealed to me either. Jhaer was part of a time in my past that I had tried my best to scrape from my mind. It had taken years for those memories to stop haunting my every waking moment and although I was unable to admit it to myself, I feared that Jhaer's return would resurface the memories that I had fought so hard to supress.
That was something I would avoid at all costs.
I could tell Circe wanted to know, but I told myself that stories like mine were simply too violent for her ears. She was better living in a world where such things only existed as nightmares, swirling around in the shadows with no real substance to them.
A small voice told me that I wasn't giving her enough credit though, that I knew her better than that. And I brushed that voice aside when it whispered that in truth, the one who couldn't handle it, was no one but myself.

Promising myself that I would make it up to her later, I turned to leave. "Enjoy your bath," I said curtly, before striding off down the hall.

For now at least, Jhaer would leave me alone. Although she was with the last person I wanted her to be with, I had no choice but to let them both go, knowing that I had to work quickly if I wanted to find out her true intentions without her catching on. I would head back to where we had first met her earlier, back out in the streets. Her scent should only be a few hours old and I felt Zarska stir within me as the prospect of a hunt tempted our mind.
I had a few hours at the most.

*

(Urmm so I ended up writing this part in 3rd person because I was struggling to write it in 1st person without giving too much away. When I have more time I might go over it again and edit it but for now this is what you get :P Apologies for the sudden switch guys.)

*

Jhaer studied the smaller girl with slight apprehension. The initial invitation had surprised her and she had been curious to see what the other girl would say in the conversation following, but so far neither of them had spoken a word.

She was frustrated to have been interrupted, but when the girl smiled at her and requested her company, she had found herself helpless to deny her. She looked down at the girl again and wondered how much of the conversation she had overheard, it had been difficult to tell from first glance, and from the second, and the third. Not that it bothered her any, but she had a sneaking feeling that her initial lie of wanting to pledge her loyalty to Circe was going to be uncovered rather quickly.

Jhaer was certain that she would have heard if anyone approached her and Obsidian, but now that she thought about it, she hadn't realised that the girl was there until her voice had cut over the top of Jhaer's. Her eyes narrowed, maybe she had been more distracted than she had realised. Obsidian Bones tended to have that effect on people; he was an all-consuming presence that demanded every part of her attention whenever she was with him. That fact had not changed at all.

That and the girls appearance had simply been too convenient.

Jhaer waited for her to say something, but they reached the bath house with the silence still stretching between them. Circe guided them to the dressing rooms and unabashedly de-robed, wrapping her bath towel around her slim body before exiting through the curtain and into the pools beyond. Jhaer mimicked her motions and joined her outside, following the smaller girl as she waded into the hot spring, the steam curling around her fair skin as though folding her into an embrace.

Jhaer's eyes narrowed. Was she being waited out? She had watched this girl for some time and thought that she knew her character quite well. Circe turned then to face her, her expression serene as she smoothed her palms out over the top of the water.

Jhaer found herself speaking before she could stop herself. "How much did you hear?"

Cool blue eyes found her green ones, "Of what?"

"Don't play dumb. I know that you were listening."

The other girl gave her a solemn look that Jhaer found irritating before she spoke. When she finally did, her words were unfitting of the character Jhaer had thought her to be.

"Surely you must know what he means to me. If you knew that I was there and you continued anyway, you must be severely underestimating me." Circe's face grew colder, her eyes suddenly sharp and far too knowing. "He might be ignorant when it comes to such things, but I could read you from a mile away, your confession was written all over your face."

"So you interrupted on purpose,"

"Obviously,"

"You seem fairly assured of his feelings for you," Jhaer said casually, "why didn't you just allow me to finish? Maybe you aren't as confident as you seem?" She couldn't believe the hypocrisy of her words, if anyone was projecting confidence at the moment it was her.
If she was honest, as soon as she had stepped into the water with this girl she had gotten the feeling that she was suddenly out-matched. The other girl's doll like appearance had lulled her into a false sense of security she realised suddenly. Her heart beat a little faster as she realised she had forgotten the other girl was in fact, inhuman.

Circe's face was calm and her words were steady. She spoke in a patronising tone that shook Jhaer to her core. "Would you sit back and let some other woman confess to the man you loved?" There was a miniscule narrowing of those round blue eyes. "When you said that you wanted to serve me, were those your honest intentions or were you just trying to get to him through me?"

It hadn't been her intention, but she found herself replying as though the other girl had reached in and forcibly pulled the confession from her throat. "I wouldn't have gotten to him if I hadn't gone through you first, he would have killed me."

"And knowing that, you still tried to confess to him?"

This time she did look away. There was a pause and then the younger girl continued.

"Love confessions aside, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about your history with him. You are going to tell me about it now, or I will hand you over to him and let him deal with you how he pleases."

Her eyes snapped back to Circe, surprised that such a threat could even formulate in her mind. She let out an incredulous laugh. "And what makes you think you have that power over me?"

Circe advanced towards her through the water, a slight smile touching her lips. She paused directly in front of the other girl and stared her down. Her voice was a whisper that curled through the steam and wormed into Jhaer's ears.

"And what makes you think that I don't?"

*