Chapter 36

Damien

Angelica skipped pulling Damien along behind him. He couldn't help but laugh as they arrived at the stalls that sold the jewelry and Angelica pulled him harder as she started looking at all of the shiny bits and bobbles. She jerked him a few times as she skimmed her eyes over everything before she stopped her eyes going down to the hair combs. Damien looked down at all of the items, unsure as to where he should even start. There were so many items, it was as if they were blending together into a sea of silver, gold, and copper.

"This!" Angelica said holding up a silver hair comb that had several roses made from metal and bent into place. They were dusted with reds, gold, copper, with a hint of green for the stem. It looked as if the artist had taken the trees when the leaves are changing and molded them into several roses. He couldn't help but be taken aback by the craftsmen ship, it was a gorgeous piece. There was a whistle and he turned to see Nathan standing behind him nodding.

"Your right Angelica," He said looking at the comb with intent, "It'll match a good chunk of her dresses so there will be more chances to wear it." He paused and Damien knew that they were talking, or more Nathan was translating for Angelica. "Well yeah," He paused and held his hand out to which Damien placed the comb into. "The teeth are strong, and wont bent," He flipped it over examining the connections of the roses to the body. Damien couldn't help but smile watching his scouts in their own element.

"Well," He looked at Angelica, "You're right it's not just silver, it's plated, but," He brought the comb to his nose and sniffed, "Its iron, but with it being plated silver it shouldn't irritate the queens scalp. Plus, doing it this way makes it so that the comb will be more durable and less likely to bend or break." He handed the comb back to Damien, "Plus, if there are any issues, I know mom is always willing to fix things for queen Elizabeth." Angelica grinned and nodded several times before she turned her attention back to Damien, her smile only growing wider, eyes glinting.

"You really know your metals," Dashiner spoke from behind them and they all turned to see him and Sigma standing there listening to their conversation. Damien smiled at the scouts.

"Nathan is from a family of smiths, his dad runs a forge in Dunhule, and his mom makes some of the best jewelry in town. My mother owns many of her pieces and Nathan's mom does special orders for her." Damien spoke quickly as he fished the coin from his pocket, handing the lady several more pieces than was requested, followed by the comb so that she could wrap it. The lady selling this piece was asking several coins cheaper than it should be sold for this level of craftsmanship and as much as he loved a good deal, he also made a point to pay for an item worth.

"Yeah but how can he tell what type of metal it is just by sniffing it?" Dashiner's brow was raised.

"When your around metals as much as I have been, you also know the taste." Nathan looked at Angelica who laughed softly.

"I only did that once," She said softly looking slightly indignant.

"Only did what once?" Sigma asked looking between the two, there was a beat before Angelica blushed.

"Angelica decided that she wanted to know what the metals tasted like when she was smaller, she thought it would help her understand the it more. Though instead of simply putting it into her mouth and tasting it, she swallowed several pieces." Damien spoke as he straightened from grabbing the bag from the lady giving her the extra coin back and shaking his head. To which the lady took the coin looking slightly confused. "The healers weren't happy with her to say the least," Damien muttered as he side glanced Angelica who blushed a deep shade.

"In truth, she wasn't completely wrong," Nathan said looking at Damien with a small scowl, "After that she was able to understand iron, copper, and silver more. Their melting points, the best time to manipulate it, and even at which point the metal needs to do doused."

"And I will never understand how," Damien said with a laugh on his voice. "But he isn't wrong."

"But how?" Dashiner looked between them as if he was missing something.

"Angelica is a little different than what you would call a normal person," Nathan spoke in a slightly hard tone, as if he were defending her but also trying not to sound aggressive. "She sees the world much differently than you and I do." Sigma was looking at Angelica her face in a warm smile.

"What's different between your view and our view?" She asked Angelica, who's eyes went wide as her hand went to her mouth in a nervous gesture.

"Pictures," She said after a second, "I see pictures," Her eyes went to Nathan, "Nathan sees a moving image, but I see frames of pictures that are just lined up in succession."

"That sounds really interesting." Sigma nodded a few times as she seemed to understand what they were talking about.

"Plus, the colors and sounds are different," Nathan spoke as he reached over and wrapped an arm around Angelica. "The colors that she sees through her eyes are more vivid, the bights are brighter, and the darks darker. Then sound isn't only something that she hears, but she can also see it in waves, but they aren't very pronounced unless she really focuses on them, but it's useful in locating things." Angelica nodded her head grinning at her mate.

"Nathan is her translator," Damien said smiling at Angelica, "It's hard to turn pictures into words, but Nathan understands her and can relay what she's trying to say a lot easier than she can most of the time."

"That sounds like a very fascinating way to view the world," Gabriel spoke from their left and everyone turned, realizing for the first time that he was there. He was speaking to them only his eyes were on the wears before he bent and picked up an item, his face lifting up on one side.

Damien couldn't help but feel so much warmth towards Gabriel and his scouts. Most people when they find out that Angelica is different will simply direct their questions to Nathan, almost as though they assume that she won't answer, and she gets cut from the conversation even though it's about her.

"What happens when it's dark out, is your night vision better than Nathans?" Gabriel glanced at her as she paused to think, then looked at Nathan.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "She can see clearly most nights, however during the new moon, she is completely blind."

"That's sounds like it is really useful," He paused to think, "She can't see during the new moon with night eyes?" Nathan glanced at Angelica who's face fell slightly.

"She can use night eyes to help her see, however the skill messes with her eyes to the point that she only uses it in dire situations."

"It's a medical condition," Damien started, wanting to explain better, "Angelica's eyes are already set up as if she has night eyes on every night. Using the skill on herself, puts her eyes into an extended state that if she uses it too often, she could go blind." Gabriel looked at her his face set in a frown.

"Does it just burn, or does it hurt?" he asked suddenly his face covered in concern.

"It feels like there are needles being stabbed in the back of my eyes. I don't use it often and when I do, it's only for a max of two to three minutes." She said shortly as Gabriel nodded his head a couple of times.

"I also don't send her out on the new moon to avoid that problem as much as possible." Damien spoke not looking at Angelica. He knew that Angelica hated the fact that she was limited in this way. She had expressly told him more than once that if he needed her to do something, then she should go do it. He'd always told her that the others can handle things every once in a while, and that was not the answer that she���d wanted. Damien glanced at Angelica; whose face was set in a pout as if she wanted to say something but wasn't going to.

"Ooo, my turn," Adrenell spoke as she appeared next to them. "Does it help your learning? Like are you able to learn how to use weapons or scout skills faster or does it take more time?" Adrenell looked excited.

"Um, faster, on the weapons. Scout skills can be difficult depending on what skill it is. It's easier if I can see it, but a lot of skills are based on aether, which is an invisible force that you just have to feel, that makes things hard."

"Oh, so your better at tactile things?" Dashiner spoke right after Adrenell. Sigma looked at him with a slight scowl, before the crease was removed from her brow and she crossed her arms.

"I guess you could say that." Nathan responded his eyes going to Sigma, not missing the change in facial expressions.

"What about reading? I know there are some people who can't learn to read because the letters get all wonky." Damien glanced at Gabriel who was now looking down at an item in his hands. It looked to be a locket; Gabriel's eyebrows were scrunched together as if he were deep in thought. Though half of his face quirked up on the side as Dashiner asked another question. Slipping away from the scouts, he went to stand closer to Gabriel, lowing his face as he spoke.

"What's so funny?" Gabriel looked up, then turned his eyes to his scouts who were bouncing back and forth asking Angelica and Nathan questions.

"Their making bets." Gabriel said shortly and Damien raised his brow.

"What?" Gabriel grinned.

"They hold the question in their mind that they're going to ask, and make bets to each other, then they ask the question, and the answer determines who wins."

"Is this what Nyline's maid was talking about last night?" Gabriel paused as if he were thinking back.

"Oh yeah," He laughed, "She's been around them since she was gifted her soul. So, she knows when there up to no good." Gabriel grinned.

"So, what's the story with that? Why was Delta's little sister hanging around the castle so much when she wasn't a scout?" Confusion seemed to pass Gabriel's face before it cleared.

"I'm assuming this is different in your kingdom, but all of our scouts are related in some way. Beck, one of my father's scouts, is their uncle. It's not uncommon for my parent's scouts to watch their relative's children. Siblings of my scouts as well as cousins, and friends were common around the castle growing up. It was always fun when Delta and Pallsana were around, but that was before they finished school and joined the military."

"You're not wrong, scouts in my kingdom are determined differently. There chosen around the time the royalty is five. Then, its more based off the abilities of the parents, and how well the child can perform."

"You got your scouts when you were five?" Gabriel seemed shocked at this.

"Well, yeah when did you get your scouts?"

"Scouts in my kingdom are decided before I received my soul and chosen from certain families."

"So, when do you actually start being around them?"

"Right away, they come over during the day. Either their parents, my parents, or my parent's scouts would watch us, but we all knew each other before I could even crawl or lift my head for that matter." Damien seemed shocked by this.

"But what if you get a scout that doesn't end up being up to the task?" Damien felt his heart do a double beat in his chest as he thought of Janti. He didn't know the details surrounding as to why he wasn't a scout. Damien felt a heavy weight in his stomach that lifted when Gabriel only shook his head and chuckled.

"Anybody can be taught anything, it's not difficult. If they are unable to do a skill, they simply work more on it. If they still don't get it, my parents scouts will switch out for a different one and see if their teaching style matches how they learn. Everyone grows at their own rate and they don't need to be up to par for a very long time. Its why Beck favors Delta so much, they spent a lot of time together because she always seemed to learn best from him." Damien felt his heart lighten more.

"That's fair," He paused as he glanced back at the group of scouts, Damien and Adrenell were still asking questions as Angelica and Nathan answered them calmly. "Why so early though?"

"In Vaccoon," He paused speaking softer, "Because of our blood, the royalty here needs a strong bond with their scouts."

"Don't all royalty need a strong bond?" Gabriel could only shake his head at his words.

"You misunderstand, they do but not in the same aspect as we do. As I told you before mate sickness is a problem here and is basically a death sentence. So, if one dies, then the other would follow them. We have to be connected to our scouts as well as connect our minds to each other so that if our other half dies, we don't go insane as well. Losing one royalty is one thing but losing two in one swift movement would cripple our kingdom."

"Wait," Damien spoke in a very low voice, moving closer to Gabriel so he could hear. "Your mind is connected with your scouts?"

"Mine no, I had to leave my mind unconnected so when I found my mate the connection could be made, but Delta is connected to Shanell and Adrenell, making it so I can speak with all of them when she is around me." Damien paused.

"Is that why your scouts can literally finish each other's sentences?" Gabriel laughed.

"Yes," He paused his eyes flicking around, "It's also why Sigma and Shanell are also playing in the betting game right now and Delta is trying to ignore them." Damien's head shot up and he looked at them.

"How do you know that."

"The smile on Shanell's face shows she just won that one. Delta is looking at the shops, she doesn't normally shop but keeping her eyes busy makes it so that she can focus on other things other than the four of them bantering." He paused, "Then there's the sideways glance that Adrenell just gave Sigma. They bet opposite and Adrenell won since the corner of Sigma's face fell slightly."

"How in all of the worlds do you know your scouts that well?" Damien felt flustered. He'd never studied his scouts to the point that he knew exactly what they were doing and how they acted with just a glance. It was, well intimidating to say the least. How much did Gabriel observe to be able to do anything like that.

"Because I'm used to being in their heads as well. Occasionally, I'm part of the bets. It's a game that we've all been playing for a long time. Dash and Adrenell are always the ones who start it, but it doesn't take much for everyone to join in."

Damien let out a woosh of air, the explanation making him feel much better about his sudden lack of knowledge regarding his scouts like the back of his hand. Though this revelation poised a new problem: he didn't understand what it felt like to constantly be inside another's mind. He wouldn't until he had a mate of his own, but it made him feel a little better that Gabriel wasn't just naturally better at understanding people.

"What's it like?" Damien asked off handedly, "Being in someone else's head and understanding them like that?" Gabriel raised his brow as he paused to think, one hand going to his jaw.

"It can be confusing," He said shortly, "The bond isn't just words that bounce back and forth but also emotions, feelings, opinions, and sometimes the occasional memory will flash in your mind when they remember something, good or bad. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, other's its nice just to have them there."

"Wow, that seems really complicated." Gabriel made a little bobbing motion with his head.

"It is, but it's easier with one person vs. five. The thing is that even when you're inside your mate's head, sometimes you still don't understand where there coming from. It's why I think Nathan and Angelica's bond is so special. To be able to translate a different language in their minds to convey it to the people around them is just fascinating. It sounds like such a difficult task however; Nathan just takes everything in strides, and it doesn't seem to stress him out."

"There are times, when even Nathan doesn't understand Angelica." Gabriel looked surprised at that. "This is my own personal opinion, but it seems to happen when Angelica is trying to explain something too quickly to him, like when she is upset or excited, I would assume there are just too many pictures, to quickly and he can't decipher them because they all roll together into one big blob." Gabriel hummed looking back over at them.

"That is just so interesting." He laughed. "So why was Angelica and Nathan chosen even though they are different?"

"Well, Angelica is like a ghost honestly and my parents wanted her for reconnaissance missions. Nathan's family is very down to earth and have good strong ties to the earth because of their smiting. So, having one ghost and one solid communicator would make a good scout team." Gabriel nodded a couple of times in understanding.

"I've noticed that she just seems to appear sometimes, it's interesting to see how she can mask her essence like that."

"Yeah, she is the master at hide and seek." Damien's eyes softened as they both looked at her.

"You're lucky to have her." He said after several seconds.

"I'm lucky to have all of my scouts." Damien said without missing a beat.

"Not wrong, I feel that way about mine as well."

"It's weird," Damien spoke off handedly, "I've never really been able to connect with someone over my scouts. It's an odd combination, they are my best friends but also my bodyguards. Most people don't understand that." Gabriel chuckled.

"Kind of like how nobody understands how being a royal means that you have fourteen sets of parents."

"Oh man, right? Like you can't get away with anything, ever. It's like there are eyes in the walls sometimes."

"Or trees," Gabriel chuckled. "I remember this one time when we were trying to sneak out the west exit so that we could go play in the forest. We wanted to see who could run to the retaining wall the fastest. Elewin, that's my mom's scout, met us at the gate," He shook his head. "We still got to go, but he came with." Gabriel laughed.

"Who won?"

"That time?" He paused thinking, "Shanell I believe, but it was a really close race. Then we got to the wall, Reena, one of dad's scouts, was there to make sure that we didn't try and run away from Elwin."

"Oh? Was that a normal thing?" Gabriel laughed loudly from his belly.

"I mean when there's only one of them, they can't catch all of us. It might have been one of our past times, to see who could get away and who would get caught. Though mom caught on quickly and started sending more scouts to watch us." He smiled. "What about you? You drive your parent's scout's crazy?"

"Occasionally?" Damien shrugged, "Nothing as exciting as you, I spent most of my time in the library with tutors, I went outside three times a week for weapons training."

"That's it?" Gabriel seemed slightly shocked, "Did you ever hang out with your scouts?" Damien shrugged his shoulder.

"I could see the scout training grounds from my window, so I watched them train every day. Through," his face lit up, "We used to sneak out the kitchen door sometimes and run down to the market together. Just so we could look at things. When we were smaller, we had no money, but the baker sometimes gave us a loaf of bread to split between us." Damien smiled, "Those days were fun. Then, when we started searching for Nyline, we were always together, it was great. We've seen most of the major cities in the aether world, eaten at restaurants that are just holes in the walls that no one would even walk into. Just to find out that it had some of the best food I've ever tasted." He paused, "I think my life really only started once I was given leave to go search for Nyline."

"Did your parents ever send scouts with you?"

"Oh yeah, for the first few years we always had two or three with us at all times, but my parents scouts aren't as strict as my parents, well at least to me they weren't, but they let us do what we wanted."

"Man, I'd love to travel around the world and just see different things. Just to be able to see a different landscape, I think would be worth it in my book." Gabriel spoke in a soft awe spoken tone.

"Have you never left the mountain?" Damien spoke his brows furrowed.

"Not as a kid. I'd like to say my travels to Thaul were as far as I've gone, but when I was about eight or nine. We wanted to go see another town, one that wasn't just Thaul, all dusty and empty. We ended up in a small village that was on the boarder of Thaul's lands."

"What did you think of it?" Gabriel sighed and shrugged.

"It was the same as Thaul is today. Abandoned and dusty. Dashiner really wanted to go further, to see if we could find another town that actually had people in it but, Janti pointed out that if we went any further, we'd be out past midnight. We didn't bring packs, so after some debating, we all agreed to go back."

"Janti was with you?" Gabriel's face fell slightly.

"Yes, that was before…" His words trailed off and he just looked ahead as if trying to find the right words, his face falling further. "Before Janti decided that he would become my butler." Damien opened his mouth before he closed it. Wanting to ask more questions but realizing that Janti might actually be a sore subject, so he decided to go in a different direction.

"Did you guys ever go back down to find a different town?" Gabriel laughed.

"No, we got back home, and everyone was pissed. They'd been looking for us for hours since we got home after dark. I thought my dad's head was just going to pop right off his shoulders." Gabriel chuckled. "No, we never tried to go find a different town, but as we got to military age our want to see the outside world happened. We were sent on several missions outside our boarders, reconnaissance things. We got to see towns and cities, but we were never there for leisure, we were there to make sure the kingdom wasn't posing a threat to Vaccoon."

"Do you guys do that often?" Damien asked his brow raised and Gabriel nodded.

"We have to." He said shortly, "We have no allies since Thaul fell, so the only way that we can keep our eyes out for anything out of the ordinary if we send our own people to live in the towns."

"Do you guys have people in Dunhule?" Damien asked sounding slightly shocked and Gabriel paused to think.

"Yes, we have one or two people stationed there currently."

"Not mates?" Gabriel shook his head.

"No, their mates are here so that if anything happens, we can know right away. A person has to volunteer and meet a certain criterion before we can send them out. Though we only allow a few years' service before they are required to return to Vaccoon. They can leave again but it's somewhat of a process."

"Why pull people back?"

"Because, if we aren't careful, we could ruin the link between mates for keeping them apart for too long. Some people love being in different cities and towns, their mates experience what their mates experience through their eyes. Some even switch off year to year, but they have to be together for a time so that their bond doesn't become weak and end up breaking, that leads to mate sickness."

"I wasn't aware that the bond between mates could become that weak." Gabriel nodded.

"Well, there are a number of factors that could make the difference honestly." Damien nodded, knowing what Gabriel was referring to. "But our kingdoms are different. Dunhule is one of the larger kingdoms in the south, plus you have many allies, alliances, and packs with different kingdoms, as well as different tribes that are pledged to your kingdom, right?" Damien couldn't help but gape at him.

"How do you know all of that?" Gabriel looked sheepish.

"Well, apart from my studies. I think I mentioned before that I was required to learn a lot about how other kingdoms were run, but it was a little different in Dunhule. I had heard about your travels around the world looking for your mate. I'd never heard about another prince that didn't have a mate, so I wanted to understand more about you. Since I knew that I would probably never get to meet you, I started studying your kingdom." Gabriel scratched his nose looking slightly embarrassed. "I actually spent a lot of time talking to the soldiers that were stationed in Dunhule, sometimes they'd go into the libraries and read books that you guys had so their other side could speak the words to me outload. It was interesting to hear about another kingdom that was run so differently than my own." He paused as if debating on his words before he seemed to push on. "All of the soldiers said the same about one subject though." Damien looked surprised.

"What's that?" Gabriel seemed embarrassed again.

"That Dunhule's king and queen were like ice." Damien looked at Gabriel, feeling the need to defend his parents but also not being able to really come up with a counter argument. "They all said that they were never among the people to the point that it seemed like the people didn't even know who they were. When they did see them, they were always sectioned off from the rest of the people so that no one could get near them. A lot of them felt as though it was so different from Vaccoon and other kingdoms that it was a culture shock and they had a hard time accepting it." Damien let out a long breath.

"Yeah that's my mother and father for you." Damien said shortly, his eyes going slightly downcast. "I can say that I've never really had a mother and father in the way that you do. My parent's scouts raised me more than my parents did, they won't even get down off their thrones to speak with me." He shook his head feeling distraught. "It's not their faults though," his voice was soft which made Gabriel look at him, concern etched in his features. "My parents never wanted to ascend the throne. Dad was third in line and they figured that they would be able to live their lives. I think they wanted to travel, but I'm not sure." Gabriel's brow raised at that.

"What happened to your dads other two siblings?" Damien didn't answer right away but knew his face was screwed up.

"I don't know, ya know." He laughed nervously, "No one talks about it and it isn't in any of the history books. It's as if my grandparents, and the other two royals just didn't exist." Gabriel looked slightly shocked at that.

"But how?" Damien only shrugged.

"An entire wing of our castle is completely boarded up and we think that it is somehow connected to what happened to them but, no one is allowed to go over there."

"And you never once tried as a child?" Damien laughed.

"No, no, that side of the castle is haunted. A few times we stood at the hallway, where the first part is boarded up and its cold on that side no matter what the weather. Plus, strange noises come from the rooms, doors slamming, hinges creaking, sometimes you can hear water running even though the water got shut off on that side of the building before I received my soul." He shook his head, "Rebecca went over there once on a dare when we were kids. She said that there is still furniture in every room with large blankets thrown over them, and there's nothing on the walls..."

"What are you talking about?" Rebecca interrupted him appearing next to him and he glanced at the red head.

"Oh, the dare you did to go to the haunted wing of the castle," Rebecca���s face drained of some color before she took a breath in and shook her head.

"Nooope," She said quickly, popping the P. "Never again." She looked at Gabriel, "Some invisible thing grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me into a room, it even bruised. Jenna, one of the queen's scouts, showed up next to me, slammed the door, then used her movement to get to the opening that I'd squeezed into, she shoved me through the hole so quickly that I'm not even sure where she went after that. She just vanished." She let out a shaky breath as if just thinking about it still rattled her bones.

"She was so freaked out she refused to come out of her room for three days and was hiding under her blankets." Jake spoke as he joined the conversation. His eyes trailed to Damien before focused them on Rebecca.

"Wait, wait, you have an entire haunted wing of your castle that you've never even gone exploring?" Dashiner asked, the topic catching his attention and seeming to end the quick bets. Rebecca looked at him with eyes as big as dinner plates.

"You go in there." She said harshly. "See how much you like it when a ghost grabs you." Dashiner glanced at Adrenell, and she grinned.

"If no one is allowed to go into the wing then no, even if we ever visit, you cannot go investigate." Gabriel said in a slightly hard, slightly joking tone. "We'd be guests, and we're not going to break the rules like that. Its disrespectful." Their faces fell in tandem.

"Ah, come on boss, we'll go in the middle of the night and no one will ever know." Dashiner pleaded. "I've always wanted to visit a haunted anything." Sigma laughed.

"That's because you read to many horror books." Shanell chimed in, making Angelica giggle. Gabriel was looking at Angelica with a half-smile on his face. As if he knew something that no one else did.

"Are we done?" Nathan asked looking at the large group of people standing in front of the shop. "You guys are standing in front of this woman's stall." Damien looked around, then looking sheepish, he side stepped so that there was a path.

"Yeah let's move on to the next area, how about we do weapons next?" Damien rubbed his hands together looking excited.

"Sure," Gabriel looked at Delta, "Would you mind showing them to the blacksmith area?"

"Not coming?" Damien's face fell slightly. He'd thought that they'd been getting on relatively well.

"I'll be along shortly, I wanted to buy something," He paused, "Do you mind if I borrow Nathan for a minute?" He paused his eyes going to Nathan, "If you don't mind helping me?"

"Oh no not at all," Nathan smiled, and Damien nodded.

"We'll see you over there." They split up heading across the large expanse and towards what looked like another alley way. He took one last glance at Gabriel who holding an item in his hand speaking to Nathan, who took it and started examining it closely.

"What are they doing?" Jake asked following his line of sight, and Damien shrugged.

"Buying something, not sure what."

"He probably found something for Lady Nyline," Delta spoke from in front of them. "He's been trying to think of what to get her for a while and was just coming up blank."

"Nyline does seem like a hard person to shop for," Ryan said as he crossed his arms, thinking. "I'm not even sure where I'd start if I were going to get something for her." Dashiner laughed.

"Yeah, we ran into that issue at first as well, but after you get to know the girl a little more. It isn't super difficult." Rebecca raised a brow at him in a 'oh really' condescending type of way.

"Well," Shanell started, "She's a rather simple person when it comes down to her hobbies."

"Which are scout skills and reading," Sigma said sounding a little bit annoyed.

"That's all of her hobbies?" Rebecca scoffed flipping her hair off of her shoulder. Adrenell looked at her for a few seconds as if gaging the tone and deciding if she wanted to respond nicely.

"What you think she got that level of a shadow skill by sitting on her butt all day?" Dashiner scoffed before Adrenell could open her mouth. Rebecca looked at him for a few seconds before her face sobered.

"I guess you're not wrong, but still…" She trailed off before muttering, "There must be something else she enjoys."

"Running." Sigma spoke the word quickly and the scouts looked at her, which made her blush from being put on the spot.

"She enjoys running, I think that counts as a hobby for her." Shanell finished her mates thought, turning the attention onto her instead. His scouts exchanged a glance between them.

"What about doing things with her friends?" Ryan asked and that was when the atmosphere went from cheerful to tense and kind of awkward. All of Gabriel's scouts seemed to stiffen at the mention of Nyline's friends.

"Lady Nyline didn't have any friends," Delta was the one who spoke, her yellow eyes glowing softly as she looked over her shoulder at them.

"What?" Rebecca blurted, "How could anyone grow up with no friends?" Delta blinked, her focus going back forward, leaving yet another weird silence in the air. Damien couldn't help but agree with Rebecca with this one.

"I think the best way to explain it, is by thinking of what you know of lady Nyline." Shanell said softly from his right making him look at her.

"I think that's a good way to explain it," Adrenell agreed as she turned her purple gaze onto him. "Think about growing up and constantly being able to hear the thoughts of everyone around you. Even as a small child, how do you think that would warp your view on how you see people around you? His scouts didn't respond.

"Or what about growing up where if you touch someone you will invade their mind and steel memories? The fear of what you might see in one of those memories. She avoids touching people so there must have been a point where she saw something that she'd rather not have seen." Dashiner spoke sounding sober, and it was the weirdest tone coming from the normal cheerful scout.

That made Damien pause think about how Nyline had said that she knew more about life when she was a toddler than when he was ten. Could she had seen something that would have possibly scarred her in a way that he'd never thought? She was raised by Jonathan, and he was a scout, a most trusted scout. So, there could be plenty of missions that he'd been sent on she could have seen from a very young age. What about other people? A coldness started to spread from the inside of his chest. What all could she have seen to make it so that she would dress in layers and try to completely not touch another person?

How would it feel to grow up never being able to have physical comfort in another person? Even if his parents had never really been there for him, their scouts had. They'd hugged him when he'd hurt himself, rustled his hair when he did well with his studies, high fives and shoulder pats. Thinking about living without that made him feel hollow. Then, being able to hear other people's thoughts at all times. That seemed like a double-edged sword; you'd know exactly how a person felt about you, good or bad; would that be a trade off? The good for the bad. Either way, he understood what they were saying and no matter how he looked at it; it was a cold and lonely way to grow up.

Damien paused, his mind turning to the first time that he'd ever met Nyline in that alleyway. The only time he'd ever seen her cry was when she was arguing with John about leaving, then she'd come back determined to ensure that the darkling, well Dashiner, would be okay. How her skin itself was freezing the first time that he'd touched her. It was then that he felt himself mentally pause once more. She had been so blunt, to the point of being rude, in telling them that she could hear their thoughts. It'd never crossed his mind but that alone must have been extremely difficult for her and in a way, she'd made sure that they were on even ground when speaking. How many other people knew that she could hear inner thoughts at that time? What about the fact that she can steal memories? Just John, he was almost positive. If she'd had no friend, then there wouldn't have been anyone else to tell. He let out a long breath, shaking his head, starting to understand Nyline and her actions were a bit like whip lash. It seemed that anything that the girl did, there was an underlying meaning to her actions. The only time that it seemed like she was completely out of her element had been last night when she'd finally bolted.

Which in a way, he was starting to understand that entire situation as well. She was always in control of herself and her surroundings. To have all of her control simply ripped away from her, was bound to lead to some problems. Then, when anyone is faced with a problem they can't fix, removing themselves from the issue is the next best thing. So why then, did she end up coming back? Wouldn't it have been easier for her to simply leave. Yes, Gabriel was her mate, however Damien doubted that him alone would be a good enough reason for her to stay somewhere. His eyes rose as they landed on each of Gabriel's scouts, and he was slowly starting to understand as his eyes lingered on Angelica.

Damien was almost positive that Gabriel and his scouts would have treated Nyline with just as much warmth and kindness that they had when speaking with Angelica and Nathan. Then, if he thought on it harder, when they were on the air ship, he'd seen Nyline speaking with Delta and Dashiner extensively, and even at one point he'd seen Adrenell launch herself onto the girl. Sigma had been by her side as much as she could without being a bother the entire ride, and even offered a dinner to welcome her. He felt a small smile on his lips.

"Well," Damien said in a sure tone, "At least she has you guys now." Everyone looked at him confused.

"What?" Dashiner asked as Damien glanced around realizing his mistake. He must have been so deep in thought that the conversation had continued without him and he'd missed the topic change.

"Sorry, I was still thinking about Nyline. It seems like all of you must be making an impression on her enough to make her want to stay." The scouts exchanged glances; brows furrowed. Delta even looked over her shoulder at him seeming interested. "Plus, she has those two new maids, and Gabriel."

"I'm not sure we're talking about the same person," Dashiner said flashing teeth, his eyes going to Adrenell.

"Yeah," Shanell scratched the side of her face. "She may not be as hostile towards us as she is to Rebecca, but I can't say that she actually likes us." Rebecca snorted and Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm being serious here," Damien spoke his voice dropping into a more commanding tone. "If she didn't like any of you guys, why would she bother speaking to any of you? She hasn't gone out of her way to speak to any of my scouts or me this entire time." They exchanged glances.

"I still don't think that you can go as far to say that she actually likes us?" Adrenell said looking slightly downcast. Damien pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Look, all I'm trying to say is that she must like you guys a little bit to be willing to stay, right?" He shot a meaningful glance around at Gabriel's scouts. They all looked back at him blankly, including Delta who had completely turned so that she was now part of the conversation.

"No one knows if she'll stay," Delta said in a hard tone that made him feel as though it wasn't the girl talking but Janti. Damien raised a brow at her, hoping Janti would catch the gesture as well.

"Well," He paused before his face broke out into a larger grin, "Since all of you like bets so much, how about we make one? I'm betting that Nyline will end up staying." Everyone went quiet at that before Dashiner let out a bark of a laugh.

"We already beat you to that, the bet is already in progress." Adrenell cocked her head at him, her purple eyes glowing slightly, an amused smile playing on her lips.

"Alright, and what are you guys betting with?"

"Chocolate chip cookies," Sigma spoke softly. One glance around at his scouts showed that they were slightly confused but starting to understand the situation.

"Alright, well," He looked at Jake, who paused before he a grin spread across his face.

"We'll bet a batch of my grandmother's secret chocolate chip recipe that Nyline stays." Jake finished his sentence, catching on just as quickly as Damien had hoped that he would. It warmed his heart.

"Fine, Deal." Dashiner looked serious, "But if you're no longer here, you have to find a way to get them to us and they better be good."

"Seriously?" Rebecca asked sounding aghast. Damien shrugged one of his shoulders. The grin still firmly on his face.

"Why not? It's just a bit of fun, it's not going to hurt anyone." She shook her head before she let out a breath.

"A batch of my homemade chocolate chip cookies, says that Nyline will leave." Rebecca challenged, placing her hands on her hips. Damien looked at her, his face falling. Before he glanced at Gabriel's scouts and mouthed 'don't eat them.' Rebecca saw this and slapped his shoulder playfully. "I've gotten better, I've been practicing my baking skills." She boasted to which Damien looked at Ryan. Who just looked at him, his face completely void of emotions, outright refusing to agree or disagree with his mate.

"I think Nyline will stay," Angelica's soft voice spoke, and everyone looked at her. She glanced around, then as if realizing that Nathan wasn't next to her, she stopped. "Nathan and I will bet a batch of my mom's snickerdoodle cookie." She raised a finger, looking around at everyone, when they didn't respond she paused, her finger falling slowly.

���What's a snickerdoodle?" Adrenell asked after a few more seconds, her eyes going to Delta who paused.

"We don't know." She shrugged referring to her and Janti.

"It's a sugar and cinnamon type of cookie," Damien cut in, trying to explain. Their eyes went wide, and it was then that Damien saw it for the first time. Dashiner glanced at Shanell, then Sigma at Delta. He could practically see the silent conversation going on between them. He wasn't sure how he hadn't seen the mental connection between all of them before, knowing now it seemed extremely obvious.

"Are you sure?" Delta finally asked her eyes going to Angelica, "Cinnamon is pretty hard to come by, and I'm not sure if that's the same level of betting as chocolate chip." Damien cocked his head to the side at the comment before understanding the problem that they were having.

"Cinnamon is a common trading item between my kingdom and the kingdoms of the west, it isn't rare in Dunhule." The scouts looked at him.

"Well I want to try them." Dashiner said putting his arms behind his head and looking at the sky.

"Agreed," Sigma and Shanell said together. Angelica looked around at them and Damien looked down at her, reading the slightly wary look on her face.

"Is my bet acceptable?" Angelica asked in such a whisper soft voice that Damien almost didn't hear her. However, all the scouts turned their attention towards her.

"Of course," Dashiner said in a booming voice. "Now, I want Nyline to stay just so that we can try these cookies." He said in an off-hand voice before he paused. "Not that I don't want her to stay… or that I think that she'll leave…" He made a huffing noise before he just stopped talking, looking grumpy at himself.

"What he's trying to say is that we'd love to try your cookies regardless of the bet," Sigma spoke smiling at Angelica.

"We'll figure out a way to get some sent up here we've left." Damien laughed. "As long as your up to make them?" Angelica nodded.

Scout Skill Guide

Lesson Five

Night Eyes

Night eyes is a skill that almost every scout is taught about halfway through their training. Earlier if they are going to be part of the reconnaissance team. The skill requires the scout to put aether directly into their eyes and forcing the rods in the eyes to work harder, as well as expanding the pupil past its normal max opening. This allows more light into the scout's vision making it so that they are able to see more clearly in the dark. This does not mean that the scout is able to see as clearly as if it were day or that they had 'night vision.' It simply makes it so that the area around them is clearer. This skill is most useful in situations where there is zero available light such as on the new moon or when in enclosed space where no light can penetrate.

This skill can be damaging to the eyes and excess use can permanently damage normal nighttime vision and in worse case scenarios can led to blindness. It is recommended that this skill be used for a maximum for four to five hours at a time, but it is stressed by medical professionals that less is always better and to only be used on a single eye at a time.