Hey Guys,

I'll keep this short and sweet because hopefully you've just come from the Prelude to this Chapter so you'll be all up to date. 
Please be kind to my writing. I know I'm horrible for making you wait so long, but it's been a while and my younger, (and slightly insane) world-building self likes to make plot points difficult to pick up again. 
Please note the change in POV. This is on purpose and was explained in the Prelude to this Chapter :)
Anything else, feel free to let me know! (My spelling is probably shit somewhere) 

Love Daisy x 

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Chapter 26 | Beginning to Move

*

Viargo: (n.) a strong, brave, or warlike woman; 
a woman who demonstrates exemplary
and heroic qualities. 

*

For Circe, the Wattpad Heroine of 2011. 

*

OBSIDIAN

He woke seamlessly, as though sleep had never been a barrier to begin with, instantly alert and conscious of the presence lingering outside their door. His eyes narrowed, top lip curling in distaste and as though she could sense his anger, the soft form in his arms curled closer, a sigh whispering out from between her lips. He gripped her closer for a moment before his hold reluctantly loosened and he slid out from between the sheets, rising to his feet and reaching for his robe.

The only sound he made as he left the room was the soft puff of air the door emitted as it closed snugly into place behind him. The frozen air hit him immediately, but he was not fazed, instead he focused on the figure that stood opposite him, her slight figure hidden by thick clothes. He hoped her attire at this time of morning meant that she planned to leave.

He grunted in her general direction before turning and striding away. When he deemed them far enough from Circe's room that she would not waken from whatever was about to transpire, he turned to face the woman he hated.

Refusing to speak he stared her down, his eyes unnervingly luminescent in the dim morning light. She was the one who had pulled him from his bed, she could damn well be the one to speak first. The silence grew uncomfortably long, and he could feel his patience growing thin. A muscle in his jaw twitched involuntarily.

"Obsidian ..." Jhaer's voice did not hold its usual edge, although an undercurrent of wariness remained. Just hearing her speak his name caused his gut to twist uncomfortably, he hoped she would hurry up and spit it out.

She seemed to take his silence as permission to continue when really, he was struggling to summon a valid reason as to why he had even given her the chance to speak to him in the first place. He should have just ignored her and stayed in bed.

"Obsidian, I just wanted a chance to tell you the truth-

His stared hardened at her choice of words and she swallowed but soldiered on.

"-the truth about what happened."

Her arms were down at her sides, but he did not rule out knives hidden in her sleeves. As he had originally suspected, something was off about her. She seemed ... uncomfortable. He was tempted to believe that she was finally displaying her true emotions, but he knew her better. If anything, it was just another act, not that he really cared – his patience, (not that there had been any to begin with,) was wearing tiresomely thin.

"I never meant to-

"Get to the point," he snarled abruptly, irritated by the way she was fluttering around the subject like it was difficult to talk about. She had always been straight to the point with him, he didn't know if this was part of the act or not, but either way, he had no more time for her petty mind games.

"Fine." She glared at him darkly, green eyes regaining some of their pride as she gathered herself.

He felt himself smirk reflexively, that was more like her.

"I left at that time because I had a lead on the pendants that I wanted to follow. I didn't wish to call your attention to it in case the information turned out to be false," here her lip curled back in irritation, "not only was it false, it was also a trap, one set by the late Earth King in a poor attempt to capture you. I tried to come back to warn you, but was too arrogant, believing my skills to far surpass theirs. I was followed."

Her expression was aggrieved, and for a moment, he allowed himself to accept that this part of her excuse was at least somewhat truthful. Jhaer was someone who prided herself on being untraceable. It was easy to see how she could have become over confident, if not arrogant of her own abilities. However, none of this meant anything to him. It did not matter what she had to say, a traitor was a traitor. Nothing more.

"Your crew was decimated due to my ineptitude. I had spent too long amongst you, who has always dwelt on the edge of the inhuman, and foolishly believed myself to be on par with the creatures from the other side, when I honestly had no true understanding of the limitlessness of their power. I was captured the night that you believed I had led the ambush to betray you and in truth I did lead them to you, but I never meant for it to end like that. If I had known I was being tailed, I never would have returned, I swear I would rather have died-

He interrupted her then, physically unable to listen to any more. "So let me get this straight," he began, the derision in his tone easily discernible, "you summoned me from my room, in the early hours of the morning, to confess to sins that of which I have already held you responsible? Did you have anything to say of value? Or did you just come here to defend this nonsense?"

"Obsidian-

"That was a rhetorical question," he spat out, "nothing you have to say is worth even a second of my time. It does not change what happened. Whether or not you had known you were being followed, it would have ended with you leaving my crew, and you should know better than anyone, once you leave, there is no way for you to return." his voice was cold but he could not resist hammering a final nail in her coffin as he swept by her, after all, he had never gotten the chance to tell her himself.

"I knew the lead was false." He slowed his pace just so he could relish in her expression as his words sunk in. She did not disappoint. He had always enjoyed de-masking Jhaer, so to speak, there was something he had found consistently satisfying in prying that cool, collected expression from her haughty features. Now was no different and he watched as the blood drained from her face, leaving her olive skin pale in the unveiled moonlight, her eyes freezing as she processed and then darting to meet his own, which were currently filled with black humour.

"Funny isn't it," he all but breathed out, breaking their gaze although he could feel her eyes continue to follow him.

"What," she whispered, "you-

Still facing away, his voice resounded, his tone cynical. "If you had respected me as your Captain and come to me with your suspicions, everyone could have been avoided. But you have always liked working alone, taking all the glory for yourself, and look where it got you." There was a sneer in his voice that he did not supress, and he felt her hand come down on his shoulder in retaliation.

He spun around, catching her wrist before it contacted his skin, pointedly lifting it and casting it away from him, where it fell aimlessly back down to her side. Her fingers clenched, unclenched, and clenched again.

He could see the war that waged in her eyes, which did she do first? Question his information or defend her pride? He could easily guess which would win out, he knew her well enough and she knew he did not tell false truths for the sake a winning a petty argument.

"That's not true," she began, "I worked with you, I followed loyally, I-

"You know it's true," he asserted imperiously, "don't stand in front of me and pretend to be something you're not. You may rely on your acts to survive but it does not work well when the one you're attempting to fool as seen your real face, right from the beginning."

"If you know me that well then you should know as well that I did what I did with your best interests in mind," she interjected, lifting her chin pridefully.

He regarded her once more, meeting her gaze directly. Once upon a time, he had regarded this woman's skill almost as highly as he did his brother. He hadn't felt anything for her, but she had become almost an irreplaceable asset to his crew for many years. Almost.
He remembered when he had first come by her, their meeting was not a pretty one and he gave her no reason to declare her loyalty after he had slaughtered her companions. In fact, he had not expected her to concede defeat without death, if the wild look in her eye had been anything to go by.

And this was where his suspicion had always lingered. What kind of person would so easily forget the crimes he had committed against them and blindly follow them forward without further question? For that was what she had done. She had claimed that she was enslaved by the people he had found her with, that he had 'freed' her, but with the skillset she had had at the time, he highly doubted her inability to free herself, if she so chose.

He had let her remain because she was an asset, nothing more. And if they had ended up sharing a bed at some point, then she was just another he had added to the list. Reflecting on this particular choice now, it had obviously been a poor one. He hadn't taken her for a woman to form some sort of deeper attachment, but, (and here it was again,) unless it was an act, that was what had apparently happened.

Aware he had been staring now for a prolonged length of time, he spoke, his tone scornful. "And what on earth, ever made you think that 'my best interests' were any of your concern?"

There was a pause as they stared each other down, Jhaer could feel her resolve waning but she still refused to look away. Giving up the last of her pride she spoke words that all but choked her on the way out of her throat. "Unless you don't remember," she bit out, "you freed me. You may not be fully human, but I always have been. And I would have had to have lost all of that humanity to not desire the same freedom for you in return."

His face tightened momentarily at her words that were so in line with what he had been reminiscing upon, before he gathered himself. "Your concerns were unnecessary," he discerned coolly, "as was this conversation. Although now that you have said what you came to say, I hope you will take my earlier advice and disappear back to wherever you have been hiding these past years."

Without another look her way he turned on his heel and swept back the way they had come. Jhaer watched him go, pride straightening her backbone while inside her body screamed in humiliation and defeat. Eventually her feet moved, turning her body to walk in the opposite direction, a hand lifting under her thick coat to clutch the bandages binding her chest. The bandages concealed five deep, crescent shaped puncture wounds, and at that moment in time, she could not decide if it was the wound that was causing her pain, or if the ache stemmed from her traitorous heart beating erratically below.

She stumbled over to lean against the railing for support and it was then that she was horrified to feel the beginnings of tears, stinging at the corners of her eyes. Attempting to swallow them back she was met with a thick lump in her throat and she brought her free hand up to massage it gently, slender fingers shaking and cold against her skin.

A long few minutes passed, and she only felt herself crumbling further. It was when she was on the edge of surrender that a warm voice spoke, making her jump and turn around, her busy mind struggling for a moment to place the figure that stood in front of her.

"Are you okay?"

He was concerned. She wiped the few tears that had escaped and attempted to straighten herself, offering him what she hoped was a convincing smile.

"Yes, sorry."

He smiled in return, it was a kind, genuine smile. She found that it was suddenly easier to turn her own smile from a strained one, to something more real that didn't hurt to maintain.

"You don't need to apologise."

Taking a deep breath, she made a concentrated effort to look at the person in front of her more fully. Golden locks, innocent blue eyes, a handsome, boyish face. A familiar face.

"Nathaniel," she uttered, his name falling from her lips, "that is your name, correct?"

He laughed rubbed at the back of his head awkwardly. "Sorry, yes. I didn't mean to intrude. You're Jhaer right? Just showed up last night?"

Had it really been less than a day since she had made her presence known to Obsidian again? It felt like a lifetime ago.

"Yes," she confirmed, her smile still in place, "and you didn't intrude. I remember you now, you're Circe's brother, aren't you?"

Nathaniel smiled cheerfully again. She envied the ease with which that expression fell upon his face. "That I am. I was just on my way out to the town to pick up some supplies that were due to be shipped in early this morning. Would you care to join me? You have the face of one who has a lot on her mind."

"That I do," she murmured to herself before raising her voice in reply, "thank-you, I would love to. I've been wanting to speak with you anyway."

"Oh?" he inquired, his light brows raising in mild surprise. "What about?"

Her smile widened as she took a step forward to link her arm through his. Pushing the pain of her bandaged chest and broken heart to the side, she turned them in the direction of the town. "Come," she said cheerfully, "I'll tell you on the way. There is something I need to collect from the town also."

CIRCE

She was gliding through the night with one sole purpose in mind. She could smell the scent of her prey before her, hear the clumsy steps as the feeble thing tried to make its escape, taste the fear that lingered its wake, pungent, stale and pitiful. And beneath it all there was the squelching of a wet beating heart.
She wanted that heart.
She wanted to watch it pulse desperately as it was removed.
She wanted to hold it tight in her hands.
And then she wanted to squeeze it till it burst.

*

Her awakening was a sudden one, as though she had been suddenly thrown back into the conscious realm by the abrupt absence of a person or perhaps the shutting of a door.

She was lying on her back, her hands outstretched on either side, palms open and flat. She tore her gaze from the ceiling to look towards the door, it stood stoic and unassuming, with no shadow to suggest the presence of a person lingering beyond.
The first curling tendrils of dawn strained to thaw the solitary frosted glass window, creating a patch of light on her duvet that held no warmth.

Fingers curling around the duvet, she drew the covers to her face and inhaled deeply. With the dim, yet increasingly persistent light in the room blocked momentarily, sleep threatened to take her once more, its presence remnant in the pleasant warmth cocooning her tired limbs.

And then the moment passed, and she felt her mind become busy with white noise and random thoughts that swirled inside her head and served no purpose other than to keep her awake. Reluctantly she rose from her bed and wondered vaguely what time it was. She swallowed thickly, a convenient drip from the tap in the bathroom beyond drawing attention to the dryness of her throat.

Putting off the need a little longer, she ran her fingers through her scalp. She noted that the robe she wore was the same as the one she had donned when she had ventured to the baths last night, but her face gave no suggestion that the attire surprised her. Something foreign twisted in her chest and she rubbed an absentminded palm across the spot to soothe it.

Treading softly into the bathroom, she brushed out her hair and splashed a little cold water on her face. The water was colder than she had expected, and she gasped, her own wide, startled eyes staring back at her from the mirror.
For a moment the eye contact that she made with herself seemed to freeze her in place and she stared at her reflection as though in a trance before the voice that cut into her head made her jump with surprise, shocking her out of her daze.

Vanima, we need to talk.

She pulled a towel from the hanger and covered her face for a moment. Her heart was beating irrationally fast, as though she had expected a voice other than Anthemin to be calling her in her mind.

About?

There was a noticeable pause before she acquired an answer, the dragon almost seeming hesitant as he asked, did you sleep well?

I slept well, thank-you. Her reply was abrupt and suggested that she knew that the reason for his contact was not to enquire about the quality of her rest. It was immediately noticed.

You don't seem to be quite yourself and it is still very early in the morning, the sun has not yet risen. Did something happen?

She pulled the towel from her face and investigated the mirror once again. Her mouth twisted upwards to form a smile. It was not a very convincing one. Nothing has happened, I'm fine. Although maybe I was a little dishonest, my sleep was a little restless. I have only just now woken.

Fortunately, he seemed content with the small piece of truth that she slid into her answer. You should come and sleep with me. I grow lonely in this cave.

This answer pulled a genuine chuckle from her lips. On a bed of stone and fish guts? No thank-you.

His voice became slightly affronted. The innards are the best part, he said, I wouldn't waste them by using them for mere bedding.

No, she teased, I don't suppose you would. However, I will still have to decline your offer. Now, didn't you have something you wanted to talk to me about?

Yes, his voice was suddenly grim. But you need to come and see me.

The face in the mirror rose a blonde brow, her blue eyes sharpening. That important?

Yes.

Very well, I will be there shortly.

She sighed and sat still for a moment, losing herself in thought. She raised her eyes to the mirror once again in self-assessment.

The girl that stared back at her was familiar at first but the longer she looked, the more she thought she could see something lurking in her gaze that she didn't like. A flash of a dream (or a memory?) flickered across her mind for a moment before it vanished. She shivered and shoved the foreboding feeling away, hastening from the room with a scarf clutched tightly in her hand, her shoes in the other.

She didn't meet a soul as she walked silently through the inn, her clothed feet making no sound on the wooden floorboards. She felt oddly out of place, as though at any moment someone might stop her and ask her what business she had walking around so early in the morning. However, she did not meet anyone on her way and upon reaching the entrance to the inn without confrontation, she slipped on her shoes and pulled her coat a little tighter around her face. She stepped out onto the snow, a soft breeze appearing from nowhere to cushion her path.
And so, as she continued forward, not a single footstep was left behind her in the pristine snow.

*

ZALAS

The Dragon Prince surveyed the ocean with a look of disgust. "Bah," he spat, "one whole month of searching the area and still no sign of her. We have to be missing something, she must be using magic."

It is possible.

The mild voice belonged to Unabonan. The large male Dragon was seated beside his brother, knawing on the carcass of some unfortunate animal that had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Although even if she was, it should be nothing strong enough to hide her from you or I. That and we can still sense her presence. If she was using a cloaking enchantment, she would be hidden entirely. No, we must be overlooking something.

Zalas curled his top lip in disgust, his pride not allowing the thought of an oversight. "I despise the thought of my own Sister being able to outsmart me."

"You despise the thought of anything outsmarting you."

Zalas eyeballed the girl that sat perched on the top of Unabonan's hulking form. Elika smirked at him and stuck out her tongue. "Just speaking the truth."

The Prince scoffed and flicked his hair over his shoulder before stalking off in the direction of the shore. Elika could hear the waves crashing through the trees that surrounded them, although the thick greenery cloaked any sign of the ocean besides.

She sighed and lay back down, feeling the movement of Unabonan beneath her as the great Dragon chomped down on his meal, the crackling of sinew and bone rattling in her ears.

"Can't you eat more quietly?" She wondered aloud.

He is frustrated, Unabonan observed, ignoring her entirely. We should have made progress by now, but instead we are stuck at an impasse.

"We cannot search elsewhere," Elika mused in agreement, "it is obvious Aranel is close by, otherwise the two of you would not be able to feel her presence. It is the pinpointing of her location that is proving to be the problem." Rolling onto her stomach she stared off to the side for a moment, lost in thought. It didn't help that they had somehow ended up still within close enough proximity of Circe that Zalas could sense the presence of the Dragon that accompanied her, Anthemin.
Although the distance between their own island and the more mainland shore Anthemin currently occupied was a large one, they still had to be conscious of their movements, least they attract the attention of Obsidian. Zalas could not sense him the same way he could Anthemin, but the Prince's thunderous temper had all but assured Elika that the group had not separated since the last time they had met.

Unabonan paused his munching for a moment to gaze out towards the ocean. I am still certain that the pull comes from that direction

Elika looked to the side and sighed. "Yes, you have said, but we've looked already. There is nothing but ocean in that direction."

Then we must be missing something.

She rolled her eyes and pulled herself into a sitting position. "Obviously," She muttered under her breath, jumping down from Unabonan's back. In the last couple of days, the Dragon had grown particularly unhelpful and so they had stopped to rest, hoping that perhaps the source of his un-cooperation stemmed from all the flying they had been doing. "I'm going to find his Majesty," she said, somewhat sarcastically, grabbing her knife belt and fastening it around her waist. Maybe she could grab something for dinner at the same time.

Abruptly, Unabonan's amusement swam through her mind and she scowled. "Keep those thoughts to yourself," she snapped at him.

He looked back at her with one large white eye and crunched down on his meal. Something inside the carcass exploded and suddenly the clearing was filled with a rather pungent smell.

Elika grimaced and held her nose. "I'll leave you to it then."

She felt Unabonan's confusion at her revulsion as she turned and beat a hasty retreat.

But this is the best part ...

Unabonan watched her go thoughtfully, his jaw continuing to work through sinew and bone. Turning his piercing gaze towards the ocean he hummed to himself absentmindedly. Suddenly as it had many times before, he felt the mysterious presence flare more brightly for a moment, his giant body falling still as he tried to precisely pin-point the location. Like a weak flame however, the presence dulled again before disappearing completely.
Returning to his chewing, he adjusted the mental location he had been homing in on by a few degrees. It was a slow process, but the location would eventually become more defined, if the existence continued to make itself known. Whatever it was that Princess Aranel was hiding, it was becoming harder and harder to control. And if she was concealing what Unabonan thought she was, the outcome would not bode well for anyone.

*

COBALT

"I'm never listening to you again,"

Cobalt leant over the bar with an easy smirk, his chin resting in the crook of one elbow, "Come now brother," he crooned, "don't tell me that you've finally been bested?"

Obsidian snorted derisively, "You are a fool if you think that woman hadn't bested me long ago. And I was a fool to think I could enjoy any of her jealousy, she would have to stay in my presence for longer than a minute for that to even happen," he scowled fiercely at the pitcher of rum in his hand and Cobalt was mildly surprised the glass didn't explode.

It was rare that he caught his brother in a mood like this. Rather than the infamous anger that would normally accompany such a temperament, his brother almost appeared to be ... pouting. Cobalt could hardly believe it. Although he supposed Obsidian had plenty to mope over, apparently he had left the room early that morning, to 'deal with Jhaer,' (as he had put it,) and upon his return, found the room vacated, not a golden curl or flashing blue eye in sight. Circe had ditched him.

Cobalt suppressed a snigger by taking a swing of rum. Obsidian heard it thought and paused in his complaining to shoot a murderous glare at his brother, consequently causing Cobalt to become caught between a laugh and a cough as he accidentally swallowed too much of his beverage.

"Serves you right," Obsidian muttered pettily.

Face splitting into a shit eating grin; Cobalt slapped him on the back cheerfully. "Don't be like that! She'll come around," he laughed, a curl catching in his lashes as his body shook with mirth. He brushed his hair back carelessly, a sudden thought occurring to him. "How about you and I go back to the ship while we wait on her to return? I think we have almost gathered enough information to decide on our next destination!"

"Next destination?" Obsidian hissed, his finger tightening around the glass in his hand once more, "have you forgotten about last night?"

"Nope!" Cobalt declared, "But I have decided to forget about it in the near or immediate future. I'm leaning towards the latter," he smiled bemusedly, stroking his chin with feigned indecisiveness. 

"Oh, and I suppose that when you forget about it, all of our problems are just going to vanish into thin air?" Obsidian uttered, sarcasm dripping from every word, "and according to that logic of yours, we just carry on our merry way, sailing around, pretending like this information isn't going to come flying overhead, breathing fire, and melting this stupid reality you've deluded yourself into thinking is actually achievable while that thing is still alive."

"Excuse me," Cobalt said delicately as he took another swig of his rum, "but I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be the cynical twin."

"So, help me-

'Alright, alright!" Cobalt help up his hands in defense, meeting his brothers' eye before attempting to peel Obsidian's fingers away from where they had wrapped around the collar of Cobalt's shirt, "well what do you propose we do then?" He asked, sighing resignedly as his joking facade slowly slipped away, "because from my perspective, there is nothing we can do. You saw the size of that thing! We were miles away from it and it was bigger than anything I had ever seen! And we don't even know where to start unraveling the plot that could be lurking behind such a beast. It could be anybody's doing."

Obsidian was still on his bar stool, his chin resting on his hand, his other tracing an idle circle around the rim of his glass. Now that Cobalt was taking the matter seriously, he had calmed down, but Cobalt could see the thoughts swirling behind those cool golden eyes as he assessed the gathered intel critically.

"We need to go back to the ship," Obsidian declared suddenly, rising from his chair abruptly, the wooden legs scraping against the floor.

Cobalt rolled his eyes in exasperation, "That's what I said."

Obsidian ignored him flawlessly, "Let Hobson know, get Jacob and Samson as well, our next move concerns the whole crew."

"Aye, aye Captain," Cobalt saluted him exaggeratedly, grinning at the scathing look he received in return.

"Meet in half hour," Obsidian ordered, exiting the room so swiftly that if it weren't for the half empty jug of rum, Cobalt would have doubted his presence in the first place. Sighing, he downed his rum. It was going to be a long morning. The half empty jug Obsidian had left behind glistened enticingly on the bar top and he sighed. If it was going to be a long morning, he might as well be drunk and try to enjoy it. He was just reaching over to polish off the unfished liquor, when a hand shot out and grabbed the handle.

Cobalt could do nothing but stare as his brother downed the remainder of the jug, slamming the empty vessel back down onto the bar with finality.

"That's for your shitty advice," was all Obsidian said before exiting once again.

Cobalt eyes followed him this time, his mouth still half open in surprise. The corners of his open mouth curled slightly, and he let out a disbelieving laugh. When was the last time Obsidian had been this much of a child about something?

"Ha! Ha hahahah ha ha!"

His mirth was cut short however by the appearance of the bar keep. The two men communicated silently for a moment before Cobalt groaned, deflating visibly.

"How long was he here for before I arrived?"

A long slip of paper was slid across the bar towards him. "Three hours," came the reply.

Cobalt moaned pitifully, rubbing his face in both of his hands before fishing a money pouch from his pocket and tossing it at the bar keep. "Keep the change."

"Much obliged Sir."

"Sir indeed," Cobalt grumbled, rising from his stool, "damn that drunk. No wonder his mood was off. I should have known." However, he couldn't help but grin again as he exited the bar. Watching his brother try to navigate a jealous Circe was really proving more entertaining than he could have ever imagined. He laughed aloud once more and headed in the direction he knew Hobbson to be, whistling as he walked.

*

He didn't say a word, but he was still grinning half hour later when the requested gathered together on the ship. Cobalt could tell that the alcohol was beginning to wear off as Obsidian's mood grew increasingly foul as the minutes passed but he could barely contain his laughter as Hobbs nudged him in the ribs, muttering a cautious, "what's up with him?" in his ear.

Obsidian shot them both a look that could melt steel, prompting Hobbs to change the subject. "Uh, Leonardo is on his way also," he offered helpfully, "he said he would bring Nathaniel with him."

"Good," Obsidian replied curtly.

"Lacy was with Leonardo," Hobbson continued conversationally, missing the panicked stare Cobalt sent him as he realised the old man heading into dangerous waters, "she said she would find Circe and bring her also."

Cobalt sighed almost imperceivably but Hobbson caught it, sending him a puzzled look as he continued, "I think it important that she is here, but I must say Bones, I am surprised not to see the two of you together this morning."

Cobalt watched his brothers jaw work furiously as the other ground his teeth into pulp, all but spitting his next words out, "Where Circe goes is up to her."

"She told him to stop following her," Cobalt finally broke, laughter spilling from his mouth as he revealed one of the current source's of his brothers internal dilemmas, "when she goes out on to gather intel, she told him to stop tailing her," he teased. He wasn't about to share that on top of that, Circe was jealous, and it was this particular combination that was causing his brother so much strife.

Circe was jealous, so Obsidian wanted to be near her. But she had told him to stop following her. And she was already angry at herself for being jealous, (although Obsidian was under the impression she was angry with him) and therefore Obsidian did not wish to further anger her by following her to ensue her safety. But also, by letting her away from him so easily, he was unable to rid her of her jealousy. From Cobalt's perspective, the one who knew and understood both sides, it was truly comical. In fact, if it wasn't for the guilt he felt at having fanned Circe's jealousy in the first place, he would have been completely free to enjoy watching the drama unfold. However, the small thorn that was the pain he had caused Circe was currently digging into his side, cutting off his teasing sooner than if it had never existed.

Hobson frowned, the element of comedy seemingly lost on him. "Under normal circumstances, I understand Circe's desire to move independently, however after last night-

Suddenly the old man broke off, looking as though suddenly remembering he was with company. "Ah, never-mind that now. She will be here soon, I will have a talk to her then about it. For now though someone will need to stay on her tail, either from the shadows or alongside her. Especially after Jhaer's arrival."

"Exactly," Obsidian seemed to have visibly straightened with Hobson's words.

"Congratulations," Cobalt joked acidly, "your official stalker license has just been reinstated."

Obsidian growled at him under his breath, "What was that you just called me you brat?"

A swift knock echoed from outside the door accompanied by Samson's deep voice, the interruption effectively cutting of Cobalt's reply. "Leonardo and Lacy have arrived Captain."

"Good. Hurry up and let's get started," Obsidian sent another glare in Cobalt's direction as the trio let themselves inside.

"Jacob is outside watching the ship," Samson informed upon entering, "I will bring him up to speed later on."

Cobalt glanced over at the arriving party, his eyebrows raising as he counted only three heads. He was not the only one in the room to have noticed the glaring absence of the pair of golden heads and Leo cleared his voice to speak.

"I was unable to located Nathaniel at this time," he explained swiftly. "I checked his room however and everything was where it ought to be, I suspect he may have just gone into town."

"Circe isn't at the inn either," Lacy spoke then, her green eyes serious as she gave her report directly to Obsidian. "Along with Nathaniel's absence, it is probable that the two of them went into town together early this morning. There is nothing amiss in her room either." Cobalt had to admire the younger girl in times like this. The normal enigmatic air that seemed to accompany her constantly, became more refined and directed when required, allowing her to become serious, her reports and decisions concise and decisive. Exactly the right attitude to have when dealing with a Pirate such as Obsidian Bones.

Said Pirate now observed the girl closely and Cobalt could see him weighing her words carefully. That alone spoke generously of his brother's opinion of Lacy, very rarely did his brother give so much thought to anyone's opinion other than his own.

After a long moment, he spoke. "I don't like it."

Cobalt sighed in exasperation, "Brother, your concern is needless. The two of them will be together."

Obsidian's face hardened imperceivably, his teeth grinding together as he spoke. "I don't. Like. It."

"Just go and find her after we are done here then," Cobalt said, throwing his hands down on the table in exasperation, "you are being ridiculous. Just because she has gone out with someone other than you without your knowledge, it does not mean she is immediately in mortal peril." Even as he said the words though, he felt an uncomfortable twisting in his gut and he closed his eyes, sighing again in annoyance. Damn it all.

Samson chuckled uneasily, voicing Cobalt's thoughts, "Since when was the young Miss last not in mortal peril."

"She still manages to get into trouble with Obsidian there though," Cobalt grumbled, "ah shit. Well whatever, I can't stop you."

Obsidian reached for the door, his face stony, "Inform them of everything, begin formulating a plan. I will return soon."

"Oh, take your time," Cobalt said sardonically.

Obsidian's hand clenched around the door handle, "No. This will not take me long."

"I was being sarcastic," Cobalt muttered under his breath, but the door had already slammed closed. Cobalt heaved another sigh, rubbing his face before plastering a grin onto his features that was capable of fooling absolutely no one. Lacy, bless her soul, sent him a look of pity. Samson had seen it all before, Hobbs seemed to finally have discovered the humour in the situation and Leonardo, as reliable as ever, had remained unruffled by the exchange.

"What are we looking at Captain?" Leo asked seriously, his eyes bright with expectation, "you two went somewhere last night didn't you?"

Hobbs grunted, "Aye lad, I'm curious as to where you were for half the night also."

"Right then," Cobalt said, rubbing his hands together, "lets lay it all out on the table then shall we?"

*