Chapter 20 - Sell a Soul

DL moved and Landrus huffed. He hadn't been able to sleep and had to come to Landrus. Which happened after he had visited Diamant's empty dungeon. He still could not explain to himself why he was there.

He was glad that all the bones were at the other side and he didn't have to stare at the skeletons of dead animals. Not that he minded.

He just wondered why the voices were back. It had been a while since he had the nightmare or since the voices even filled his head.

The magical staff in his hand stood firmly in his grip. He breathed again.

Maybe what he should be questioning wasn't why they were back. It was why they even left in the first place.

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Lewis stared deadly at the arrow on his wooden. His room was locked but he had left the window opened. He pulled the arrow away and took the piece of cloth at the bottom. He opened the cloth and he read the words. His heart raced. It was them again.

Boldly written were:

MEET US TOMORROW AT THE RIVER SIDE WHEN THE STARS FILL THE SKY AND DARKNESS RULES THE NIGHT.

He read further to see the name written at the name written at the bottom

The Master

He looked again and so it was. His sweat driped on the piece of clothe and he discovered that he had been sweating.

They were fools to think that he would betray the DL. This was in his favor. If he showed the Dragon Lord this piece of cloth then the DL would owe him a favour, one big enough to let Clara go finally.

At least, he hoped so.

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There was a meeting again. The Master had suddenly gone silent and there had been no attacks. There had also been no suspicion from the Fire Tribe. It felt like they had suddenly disappeared. This looked strange.

Someone gave the opinion that they might have met a dead end in their plans too and they were fixing things.

That didn't feel right at all and Diamant voiced her opinion about it which Goben hissed to. Aliyah didn't like it too, after all it was her who made the opinion of the enemy hitting a dead end in the first place.

They were told to be on a look out constantly. Things might be about to change drastically.

Malik gave the opinion that they might have disappeared to come back in full force and Roc agreed. DL agreed too.

"I have something really important to show you, Dragon Lord." Lewis said to Dragon when the meeting had been dismissed and they were all doing their trainings.

"What is that, Lewis?" He asked curious.

Lewis checked where he had kept the piece of cloth to present it to Dragon Lord but he found nothing. He searched and searched.

DL gritted his teeth in anger.

"Tell me what it is then since you seemed to have lost it." He scoff through his anger.

Lewis felt cornered. He needed prove not a story. How would he say a story about the messages on the arrows without mentioning Clara's handkerchief? If he didn't have prove then this would be very implicating for him. He wondered how he could have lost it, he kept it well. No one else knew about the piece of cloth.

"I am running out of patience!"

"Oh, Dragon Lord. I seem to have lost it. It was just a pattern of cloth I think you might fancy and have it's fabric put up as a curtain during your wedding, Sure." Lewis lied.

DL slammed his palm across his face in frustration.

"Why are you so obsessed about my wedding? Did you not hear that I called it off." DL said coldly.

"Oh.." he replied speechless.

"You are lucky that I do not feel like beating anyone to the plump because then you would have been dead. Time is precious and you just wasted some of mine." He said venomously.

"I am sorry, Dragon Lord. Please forgive me." Lewis said as he fell to his knees and begged.

"You are pardoned but remember, I am not Goben. I will not take any more of your nonsense." DL said in a low and cold tone.

Then he walked away.

Lewis breathed in relief, thanking his stars that he got off that.

"Alright, that is enough! Time to go back to your normal lives, resume your normal works for Alusa." DL ordered dismissing them.

Diamant felt sour all over and watch Goben retire away from her. The stick he had been using to "punish" her dangling from his hand.

Diamant cursed. She wasn't even learning anything but getting herself beaten everyday. She knew that Sunain will help her wounds when she got home but still she wondered after hearing DL's order.

She wondered if she would ever have a normal life. Filled with this hate and a quest for revenge, she felt that she would never.

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Lewis sat up in his bed again. He felt confused, he had searched everywhere for that piece of cloth.

Where could it be?

Or had he been discovered? But then, by who?

He shakes his head in disagreement with his thoughts. No one knew about the message, he was certain. Although he still couldn't understand how he had lost it, he was so certain that no one knew about it.

Then he heard something on the roof, he stopped in his track. He listened as his heart raced. Someone was on the roof.

The candle stand fell and the room was thrown into darkness. Lewis reached for his sword quickly, his hands drawing it out from its scabbard.

Whosoever the person was, the person had seen him and could tell where he was. He was the one at the disadvantage and this didn't look good.

He moved slowly with the darkness as he heard a creak on the floor. The person was in front of him some distance away with that judging by where the sound came from.

Then his sword got kicked from him. Lewis looked into the darkness with alert and panic. He was rendered armless. This person is too good, Lewis was a good warrior and if he had gotten himself disarmed easily then this person was an expert.

He was in great danger.

Lewis was kicked to his knees and struggle started. Lewis had a feeling he wouldn't win but it was cowardly to give up without a fight. If he was going to die tonight then he would die like a warrior.

The struggle ended up with some cuts on Lewis body, his eyes blindfolded and his hands tied behind him to the bed while he was on his kneels, breathing heavily from failure and defeat.

He could hear the person sitting and a strike of the match. The person must have lit the candles.

"You wanted to betray The Master." The voice was that of a woman and Lewis cursed himself.

He refused to say anything and she laughed.

"The Master could easily kill you but the Great Master has preserved your life and given you another chance, you should not ruin it." She said.

"I am loyal to the Dragon Lord." Lewis managed to say after his coughing fit.

"And does he know that you are seeing his fiancé behind his back? What kind of loyalty is that? Do you even call that loyalty? Just imagine what he would do to you when he discovers. What he would do to you when The Master reveils it all to him." She said in a mocking tone.

Lewis clenched his teeth, they had something to use against him.

"A war is coming and you should join us."

Lewis stayed silent.

"The Master doesn't give second chances, you should consider yourself lucky!" She started, angry.

"Why should I even join you?" He asked though knowing that his life was on the line.

"When you are on our side, you won't have to share your beloved Clara." She said with emphasis on Clara.

Lewis drew his lips into a thin line.

Clara...

They knew what he was capable of doing when it comes to Clara. Still, he was loyal. Loyal to Dragon Lord, loyal to Goben who had always treated him like a younger brother. Why should he betray them against their biggest enemy like this?

"You should join a side that would definitely win this war." She said again.

He laughed distastefully.

"It is the Dragon Lord that we speak of. He has never lost a battle or a war. Do you even have an idea who he is?" Lewis asked.

"There is always a first time for everything and The Master always gets what he wants." She defended.

"Why do you even need me? I am not a great asset to acquire, I am not a great warrior either." Lewis asked trying to keep the confusion from his voice.

"That is a question you should ask The Master. That is if you ever get a chance." With that, she knocked him out.

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Lewis woke up with a headache. He found himself on the bed. His wounds looked dry now. He remembered what happened and looked around.

His room looked okay, like no one had been there.

He looked on his table and found Clara's handkerchief on the table. He stood up immediately and went to the table. His head jamming with pain.

He took the handkerchief to see a message on it. It was the same message of last night.

They were giving him another chance.

His heart raced. He thought of warning Goben, showing him the handkerchief then he remembered what she had said about second chances.

They could not have known except he was been followed but he had observed very well and there was no way they could have followed him.

He squeezed the handkerchief in his hand as the idea hit him. There was a betrayer in The Black Mask.

He breathed in annoyance.

How dare the person betray Alusa.

He thought of warning Goben but stopped. If he wants to do anything he would have to do it some other way.

Yesterday night was his warning.

He had been warned.

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"How did you get in here?" Clara asked as she went to the door to make sure no one saw him come in. She remembered locking the door so how did he get in.

"I have my ways." Lewis said offhandedly.

" You can't always just come whenever you please! What if the Dragon Lord had been here." Clara said, her face twisted in cold anger.

"What is wrong with you Clara?! It is I, Lewis." He declared with confusion.

"You think I can't see that? What do you want? I have to go down for some tea."

"And when did you start going down for tea. Just have it delivered to your room or is it because of the Dragon Lord. I have been watching you Clara, the way you smile when ever he is around." Lewis said, his voice cold.

"You speak nonsense, Lewis. He only gave me a job concerning the mines. You know how much I get concerned when it comes to the mines." Clara defended herself.

Lewis's lips drew into a thin line not believing her. He reached out for her and she pushed her away.

"What are you doing Lewis?! I am going to be your Queen!" Clara said as her face hardened.

Silence fell across the room before she realized what she said. If she was going to be Queen then that means she would marry the Dragon Lord. Did she want to marry the Dragon Lord but she loved Lewis.

"No! I didn't mean it like that." Clara tried to explain with her hands on her mouth as she shook her head furiously.

Lewis looked at her and his face hardened with anger.

"Lewis" Clara tried to call after him.

He ignored her desperate call to explain as he headed for the door.

"Long live the Queen." He said his voice low and deadly then he left.

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Lewis stared at the sky that was full of stars. The moon was the only source of light as the river beside his flown gently. The noise from the forest filled the air, his only company.

He sat down replaying what Clara had said in his mind.

He was losing her and he had to do something about it fast. He must not lose her and he would sacrifice everything for her to remain with him, for her to always choose him. Everything even if it would be to sell his soul.

That is why he was here anyway to join the side of this war that would give him the woman of his dreams, the side of the war that was winning.

He heard someone moved swiftly behind and he turned back. He allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness as he tried to see better.

The person step out into the moonlight and took the cloth, which was used as a mask, off his face. The familiar rigid face stared back at Lewis and he held his breath in shock.

There was no way he was the Master.