The Silent Guard (mxm)

Chapter 19

There were so many questions buzzing about his mind, but he did not wish to bother his master with them as he took Qi's proffered hand and carefully mounted the horse to sit behind him. It took them no time at all to catch up to the other man before they slowed their horse to calmly trot beside his. 

"We will be beneath your country soon enough, but we must decide upon a plan. Once we surface, we may not get another chance to converse so freely," prince Yuen said as he turned Kongqi to begin walking through a few inches of murky water. 

Zen looked down as his master began answering the other prince, but his mind was focused on the little flecks of shadows that he could see just beneath the surface. They weren't devil's koi... but then, what were they? 

Feeling a hand gently squeeze his left leg, Zen quickly shook his curious thoughts from his mind and leaned forward, wrapping his arms tighter around his master as he gave the man his complete attention. 

"I'm sorry, I wasn't reprimanding you, Zen. I know that you tend to lose focus when trying to figure out stressful situations. I was just worried when you didn't respond," Qi said, making Zen feel even worse. 

He quickly wrote out "I'm sorry," on his master's back before returning that arm to around the man's waist. Instead of speaking to him again, though Zen could tell that he wished to, Qi turned his attention back to the other prince. 

"If they are already in the city, their main target is likely to be me," Qi said, earning a nod from the man ahead of them as he brought his horse back up onto dry land and took a left turn. 

"You are the main target, but your life is being held by another," prince Yuen said as he disappeared around the corner. 

The tunnel they entered as they followed was pitch black the second their horse stepped inside, but no matter how much it backed up, it could not find the light again. 

"Even when your world is consumed by darkness, you must always continue onward. Light is just around the corner, if you are willing to look hard enough," came prince Yuen's voice from all around them. 

His words echoed off of invisible walls, making Zen more nervous as he hugged his master closer. 

"It is alright, my Zen. There is nothing to fear down here," Qi said in a reassuring tone that Zen wanted to believe... but his mind returned to what he had seen rippling in the water moments before, making his trust in his master's words falter. 

He hesitated for a moment, but then reached up with one hand to write against his master's smooth robe once more. 

"There are things down here that have strange auras. There is something not right." 

He wasn't really sure how else to describe what he had seen. It had been too dark and murky to make out an actual figure, but there had definitely been something lurking about their horse's hooves. 

Perhaps those were creatures similar to the glass tarantulas? Perhaps they could be allies? 

A faint chuckle in the back of his mind told him that prince Yuen had overheard his nervous thoughts. 

At this time, they are neither friend nor foe. Pay it no mind. It can only leave its prison if I free it, and that is not something I intend to do unless absolutely necessary. We have far greater things to worry about right now. Focus, little guard. 

He had to agree. The creature, whatever it was, was clearly unable to free itself from the water or even cause harm to those who tread within it. There was no reason to stress over such things at such a perilous time.