Angelborn

2. A Cold Welcome

CHAPTER TWO - A COLD WELCOME

Darius was waiting for me at the moon-garden's gate, where he usually was for my nightly returns. I tried to hide my cheek from him as I approached, but the glow of the luminescent night-flowers gave the color of my blood a lighted tint, and not only was there blood dripping down my cheek, but I had also wiped layers of it across the front of my armor. I was practically shining from the light the painted blood gave me.

His eyes were wide, and he held a hand against my face, brushing his thumb across the cut. I flinched, the wound still tender.

"Mazey?" His voice was filled with concern, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said, looking down at my sword, "I'm fine. They just tried to take my sword, is all."

Darius glanced at my blade and then looked at me a second time, his eyes now cut into little slits, "Who did?"

"Just a," I dragged out my words, knowing he was quickly growing unhappy with me, "couple of guys."

"And what did you do to them?"

I suppressed a giggle as my mind flitted back to the fight. A residual heat from it still pulsed in my blood, "I made sure they wouldn't try to take anything of mine again."

"Gods, Mazey," Darius hissed, taking my hand. He pulled me in the direction of the castle, towards the Quarter's Courtyard, "Not again."

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

"You did what?" Darius locked the door behind us and leaned against it, his arms crossed, "Why?" His face was red with anger, all bunched up at me.

"I was fine until he started grabbing for my sword," I took a deep breath and flumped down on my bed, looking up at the gilded ceiling. I began pulling at the ties on my armor, ready to be out of the hot, bloody leather, "But I didn't kill any of them!"

Darius slammed something against the door, perhaps it was his fist, "That doesn't make it any better, Mazey!" He walked over and sat on the edge of my bed, weighing the mattress down, "How many did you almost kill?"

I placed a hand on his back and patted it softly, "One, maybe two... But it's fine, Darius. It'll be alright. Don't worry about it."

"No, it's not," he jerked away from my hand, "it's not alright. You know that if you can't learn to control your anger, you won't be allowed to leave the grounds alone anymore?"

"They'll never know," I snapped, "and why do you care so much? Why are you so mad at me?"

Darius growled and stepped away from the bed, away from me. I sat up and watched him pace about the room, watched as he created a little rut on the plush rug where he walked.

"I care," he stopped and looked at me, "because I worry about what the Captain would do to you if he ever found out about your little fights."

"The captain of the guard?" I laughed, "He can't do anything to us. We're protected by the King."

"Yes," Darius sighed, "the King. I'm sure he wouldn't care at all if one of his Angelborn were terrorizing the people of his own city? Do you think he'd just laugh it off, pretend like it'd never happened?"

I quieted, "Well, no..."

"Exactly, Mazey," Darius walked over and placed his hands on my shoulders, and he began to fiddle with the straps I'd still yet to undo, "And that's why I worry about you. You can't keep your problems quiet forever, you know. And when you go off on your own, you don't have me or any of the others with you to cool you down."

"But I can't help that I get angry," I said, "I can't stop it. You know that," I fiddled with the straps on my wrists, pulling off my bracers, trying not to look up at his face, which was so close to mine. A hot blush worked its way across my cheeks as he pulled the collar away from my neck, his fingers brushing against me, and my blood began to pulse with a different fervor than from before.

"Just," he let out a long breath, "just be more careful next time, alright?"

I nodded, shedding the leather armor from my chest as he undid the back clasps. My shirt underneath was sticky with sweat, and I frowned, hoping he wouldn't notice,  "I will. But only because you told me to."

"That's good enough for me," Darius had a relieved smile draw its way across his face, "so," his tone changed from angered to casual, "you want anything to eat? I can sneak into the kitchen for you, if you still don't want anyone to know you're back."

My stomach churned, "I am a little hungry, actually."

"Okay, then," he went to the door and unlocked it, "I'll be right back. Would you like anything sweet?"

"Yeah, sure," I smiled.

But my smile faded when Darius opened the door. A King's messenger was waiting for me on the other side.

"Lady Mazey," the messenger retrieved a note from his pack and held it out, handing it to Darius, "the High King of Lionseye has called you to a summons."

As Darius took the letter, the messenger bowed and left.

"Well," Darius cocked his head and began opening the letter, "that's unfortunate." His face was blank, trying to feign a calm exterior but failing. He was worrying about the same thought that raced in my mind, that tonight was the night my outbursts had been reported to the guards.

I hopped off the bed and hurried over to him, snatching the paper from his hands. A tight knot worked its way into my stomach; this summons was unusually late into the night.

"Mazey, we must discuss matters regarding your contractor from Rhyos. I request your presence as soon as you return. Highest regards, Lord Kale."

I breathed out a sigh of relief, "He just wants to talk about my contractor."

Darius mimicked my sigh, but raised an eye at me, "The King wants to see you this late into the night, about your contractor?"

I shrugged, pulling a set of robes from over the back of a chair and wrapping it around me, relieved that Darius hadn't said anything about the sweat spots all over my tunic, "I couldn't find Veneticci tonight. Maybe he knows something that I don't."

"Wait, so you went through all of that," he nodded towards my sword on the table, "and still didn't find him?" Darius rolled his eyes, "You're more trouble than you're worth. But what's done is done, I guess," he opened the door and headed out into the candlelit hall. "I'll be up in the training room, if you need me."

I nodded, following him through my bedroom door, "Wait for me there when you're done, please? Hopefully this won't take long."

"Of course. I'll be there, and I'll see you soon," Darius turned and left, his dark cloak trailing behind him as he headed down the hall.

I looked down at the message in my hands as I stood alone in the hall, What's so urgent, I wonder? But I crumpled it in my hand, stuffing it into a little pocket on the side of my robes. I snatched a candle from inside of my room before I left, lighting it and carrying it with me out into the night, so I wouldn't have to cross the dark, castle courtyards without any way to see.