Cute Child Who?

"To accept an apprentice, one must mix their blood and offer it to the goddess Myrtia. That dagger is enchanted to amplify the wielder's deepest desires. Although, this might be the first time it had driven Allen with such intensity."

That was, without a doubt, the longest sentence Darius had uttered since Xion had known him.

Xion ran a hand through his dark hair, brushing aside the unruly strands that tickled his eyes. Sitting quietly in the carriage had given him the clarity to reflect on the chaos of the day.

Hearing Rael's soft voice, carefully telling him the ins and outs of the situation, had already soothed half his anger and lingering fear. The rest dissipated when he glanced across the carriage.

Unlike the first day they had met, when Rael lounged lazily against plush cushions, his posture now was alert. He sat there with his back ramrod straight.