The Extent of Trust

"They tell me you're dying,"

Silthus stared down at Michael. He was lying very still upon the darkly draped bed. His eyes opened a little to meet Silthus' gaze, the exuberant golden eyes had turned a pale brown, almost faded in colour. Michael's olive skin likewise was pale and anaemic. Silthus put a hand to Michael's cheek. Michael pulled away at once but hardly had the strength to turn his face away.

"Don't worry, it won't be long now," Silthus grinned leaning over him.

"You...went to all this effort to kidnap me...only to watch me die," Michael said with difficulty, "I guess there is a god. One with a sense of...humour,"

"Oh, Michael," Silthus laughed a little. His dark blue eyes were almost entirely black under the fading candlelight. In an instant, a draft of wind that had been battering outside snuck into the room. The candle flickered and there was darkness.

"You don't honestly think I'd let you die, do you?"

"I don't think you have a choice," Michael replied with a slight smile.

"That's where you're wrong," Silthus smiled darkly.

The flame ignited with a rush of footsteps flooding into the wrong. Michael blinked momentarily, blinded by the light. A shroud of cloak figures had encircled. Michael's eyes went to Silthus aggressively.

"Don't worry, they're not here for you," Silthus chuckled, "They're here to greet our guests,"

"Guests?" Michael coughed painfully, "What...are you talking about now?"

"Ace and the others," Silthus answered with a crooked smile.

Michael's eyes fluttered and he was taken by another fit of coughing. He heaved breath for several moments. When next his eyes surveyed the room, the crowd of cloak people were gone. Michael's chest rose and fell rapidly.

"Don't do this..." he breathed, "You..said... They wouldn't get hurt,"

"Actually," Silthus scoffed, "I said Ace wouldn't be killed. What do I care if the others die? In fact, they should die for opposing me. And it will be your fault. If you had just brought Ace here I wouldn't have to go to such effort. Now he and his men are marching up towards the valley against me. I'll have to go as well...Ace deserves a little punishment for this after all,"

"Wait," Michael caught hold of Silthus' arm. His hand trembled there weakly, "Just tell me what you want me to do, Silthus,"

"You know what I want," Silthus shirked his hand away. He left the room without another look back.

"Fuck!" Michael spat. He fell to his side with an exasperated breath. Why didn't that foolish girl listen? He tried with all his strength to rise, but his body was numb. His limbs didn't respond. Michael threw a weary fist against the bed. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

"Veretta," he murmured, "Veretta....Veretta..."

*************************

"Veretta?" Tomas turned back to her.

Veretta has paused along the path. Ahead of her, Ace, Tomas and Yona were standing staring back at her. Veretta was standing very still on the mountain pass. Her green eyes were wide in surprise. She suddenly turned back hesitantly.

She surveyed the path down to the foot of the mountain. The greening mountain path behind sprawled down the length of a vast mountain pass. A little beyond the valley, Ace's army was camped behind them. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was a sunny day, though the height of the mountain provided some respite. A breeze fluttered through Veretta's raven hair and it sparkled with the sun. Yet her chest felt tight.

"Veretta, what's wrong?" Tomas laid a hand on her arm gently.

Veretta's eyes finally returned back to the path in front, "Nothing sorry," she murmured.

"It's not far until the second base," Ace said inspecting her, "We'll stop there and rest,"

"How far is it to Silthus' castle from the second base?" Tomas questioned.

"It is still some distance away," Yona replied quietly.

"Have you been there before too, Yona?" Tomas asked with a nervous smile.

"Yes," she rejoined with a flat expression, "It is perhaps another 2 days journey from here,"

"2 days?" Tomas spluttered, "but we're already halfway up the mountain!"

"It is not a place which is easy to reach," Ace answered carefully. "It is a mountain surrounded by mountains. A strange place that can't be reached through ordinary means. It is also protected by Silthus' mages. They have a barrier around his castle that prevents entry,"

"Then how will we get inside?" Tomas' brow furrowed.

"I have a friend who can help us," Ace answered reticently, "but before then we need to prepare for what happens when we breach the castle. That will be the decisive moment,"

There was something strong-willed in his manner that counteracted his usual indifference. Tomas so far had only seen a flicker of it before. A sense of confidence and certainty which he, in truth, admired. Why couldn't he be the same? Why couldn't he decide his feelings in such a straightforward manner? Tomas glanced at Yona. She didn't meet his gaze.

Tomas quickened his pace a little to catch Yona's, "When did you go to Silthus' castle?" he called behind her quickstep.

Yona flashed her crimson eyes in Tomas' direction before swiftly turning her eyes ahead once more, "Perhaps the first time was ten years ago,"

"Ten years," Tomas said thoughtfully, "Then you must have been a child?"

"No," Yona replied indifferently, "At that time, I was at least 200,"

"200?!" Tomas' mouth dropped open. Ahead of them, Ace let out a chuckle.

"The master took me in when I was a child," Yona continued briskly, "that was 300 years ago."

"Oh," Tomas turned his eyes to the ground awkwardly, "I guess that makes sense. I didn't realise you were so old,"

Yona cast him an irritated glance, "If that is all, I would prefer to walk in silence," she said severely. Then before Tomas could answer, she quickened her pace and overtook him entirely. Tomas gave a loud sigh.

"What is it?" Veretta said catching up to him.

"I..."Tomas paused. It felt uncomfortable to bring the subject up, "I'm just tired," he smiled wearily.

"I'm sure it's not far now," Veretta smiled as she too took off ahead of him. She too had a sense of determination Tomas knew well. Maybe he was the only one who didn't know what he wanted?

Within an hour they reached the second base. It was a little concave in the wall of the mountain bedrock. A dark still lake sat at the bottom of the encircling mountain wall. Above a little trickle of water cascaded into the pool below. A scattering of trees surrounded the lake. They were the hardy kind, dry and well versed in the heavy mountain winds. When the camp was laid out, they came around the fire as Tomas and Yona dished out a meal. Once more Tomas attempted to engage Yona in conversation.

"What I said earlier," he whispered, "I...I didn't mean to offend you,"

"I was not offended," Yona stated firmly.

"Well, if you had been, I'm sorry," Tomas gave an apologetic smile.

"Tomas," Yona stared at him with a steely gaze, "I think I made my position clear. You have no place for me in your heart. It is far crueller for you to expect me to wait upon your indecision. Either you love me or you don't. It is as simple as that,"

"So we can't even be friends?" Tomas frowned, "Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, that's right," Yona stirred away from him swiftly.

Tomas stared down with a mixture of disappointment and apprehension. He felt the urgent sense that something must be done. When he was a child, his mother always said, 'there is no such thing as a decision, we already know what we want. The rest is an illusion.' While her words were no doubt an attempt to seal his fate as a member of the royal family, he had managed to easily avoid any such decisions by running away. There was nowhere to run this time and the pain of that fact made his chest hurt and his eyes water.

He quietly took a seat beside Ace and ate his meal in silence. Ace, on the contrary, was hardly interested in his food. He had had his head in a book all day. He had dipped in and out of reading its contents on the path up. It was a strange book with no words. Only a picture of a star on the cover.

"What is that book?" Veretta questioned as she sat across from him at the opposite side of the fire.

"The book of stars," Ace replied indifferently without looking up, "It's the book that demons use to worship their god,"

"I never imagined you as religious," Veretta said quietly.

Ace glanced up at her at last. His poignant black eyes met her gaze with an unreadable expression, "I'm not. Contained in this book are some spells I plan to use for the battle to come,"

"I thought Silthus took that book?" Veretta questioned.

"I have several copies," Ace shrugged.

"I see," Veretta replied flatly, "That book is what you used to do the spells before, isn't it? I recall seeing it in your room at the college,"

"You have a good memory," Ace said drily. It was often hard to determine if he was being sarcastic or not.

"Did you use it for the spell you did at the bottom of the mountain?" Veretta enquired.

She recalled earlier how Ace had arranged an altar of some kind. It was different from the one used for dark magic with a strange assembly of natural objects. Rocks and sand. Ash and wood. It didn't seem like a spell at all. Only the carvings Ace made were strangely familiar to the kind Errik had shown her before.

"Is it for a trap?" Veretta added.

"Something like that," Ace replied disinterestedly.

"Shouldn't you tell us what you are planning?" Veretta demanded a little more forcefully, "you promised you had a plan, but you have yet to tell us what it is,"

Finally Ace snapped the book of stars shut and laid it on the log on which they were sitting. This caught the attention of both Tomas and Yona who turned to them in surprise, sending the tension rising.

"IF you don't trust me," Ace's fierce black eyes laid into Veretta, "I suggest you return now,"

"No, I don't think I will," Veretta replied unwaveringly.

There was a long awkward pause.

"You're so stubborn, miss witch," Ace sighed, "You're just like Michael. Neither of you will listen to any sense when it matters. You want to know why I won't tell you the plan?"

"Please enlighten me," Veretta rejoined sharply.

"It's simple. Before we left you told me you were able to connect with Michael," Ace replied indifferently, "and he is...extremely manipulative. If I tell you the plan, how do I know he won't intervene in some way? How can you ask for my unconditional trust under such circumstances?"

"Why would he intervene?" Veretta scoffed, "You think he went there by choice?"

"Who knows," Ace shrugged, "Michael has the uncanny ability of always making the worst possible choices at any given moment. Just who he is. I don't intend to be on the other side of his deception this time. As I said, when we breakthrough, you go after him. That is if he wants to be saved. And I will go after what I want. Of that, you can be certain. That is the extent of our trust, miss witch,"