Held By A Thread

Chapter 4

"Blood?" Acolyte Grym repeated.

I nodded. "My fingers were scraped up along the walls as I tried to stop myself. When I touched the swirls, there was blood on my fingertips. It disappeared as the stone glowed."

I looked down at my fingers now. They were practically all healed up, with barely any traces of being injured only a few days ago.

"Marin?" I held a hand up to him. "May I borrow your knife?"

My hand hung in the air for a few seconds and when I looked up at him, his face was twisted in frustration. He had promised my Father that he would take care of me until someone else could, and now he was setting me up to leave. In his eyes, this was failing to keep one of my Father's last wishes.

"Marin." I said again.

He blinked a few times before nodding. Then he pulled his knife out of his pocket and placed it into my still outstretched hand.

With the point, I pricked my finger tip. Then I held the knife back out for Marin to take.

He shook his head. "I think you're going to need it more than me now." I nodded and pulled my hand back, placing the knife on the table.

A bead of blood was pooling on my finger tip and I reached forward. A drop of blood fell onto the corner of the tablet and the swirls began to move before my eyes. I continued forward and traced slowly over each of the swirls. The stone began to give off a faint glow and the swirls were transformed into words.

"Seek for the Savior." I began to read.

"The one who holds the fabric of the world together. Gather with the factions. Save the world." The last sentence came out no louder than a breath.

This was real. It was all real.

Acolyte Grym bowed his head towards me. "Peace to the Seeker."

Acolyte Finn followed suit, bowing his head to me. "Peace to the Seeker."

I looked up at Marin. Surely this was not right. There had to be some mistake. It couldn't be true, could it?

He placed his hand on the arm of my chair and knelt down beside me. "Marin?"

Then he bowed his head. "Peace to the Seeker."

I looked between all three of them. "Wait, please stop."

I stood up. "Stop doing that. My station is below all of-"

"Y/N!" Changbin ran into the room.

All of us looked up and I watched as Changbin's face turned red in embarrassment. His eyes bounced around to the people in the room before falling on Marin.

"Oh um," he bowed. "My apologies Ensi."

Marin stood up and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Changbin will go with you." His voice had turned light.

I spun around. "What? No."

"I made a promise to your Father. He goes, or you don't." His mood had completely shifted. He had found the answer he had been looking for.

"Ensi Marin." Acolyte Grym was now also standing. "She must now travel to the other factions and gather the representatives. She cannot stay here anymore."

I turned back to Changbin, but he was still in a bow. I sighed and walked over to him.

I pulled his shoulder up. "Stand up straight already." He did and I walked back to the group.

"Changbin has to stay here. He has to help his family. He can't just drop everything and leave the Village."

Acolyte Finn was now also on his feet. "There is no precedent for someone accompanying a representative. But I see no reason why he could not also go."

"That is true." Acolyte Grym said.

"No. I can do this on my own." I said, looking between the two of them.

"Changbin." Marin said jauntily, motioning for him to join us.

Changbin came to stand at my side and Marin put a hand on his arm. "You will keep Y/N safe no matter what, correct."

Changbin looked over to me and I rolled my eyes. Then his gaze returned to Marin. "Yes, Ensi Marin."

Marin clapped him on the shoulder. "Thatta boy. See everything is all fixed now."

I glared at Marin. "You can't just ask him that when he doesn't know the circumstances."

Marin crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Actually, I can. I am Ensi and Changbin is an important part of this village."

I felt Changbin's arm brush mine slightly. "I will do it." He said barely above a whisper.

I continued to glare at Marin until finally, I nodded. Then I turned back to the Acolytes. "When do we leave?"

Acolyte Grym nodded approvingly. "Immediately, if you are both able."

"Tomorrow, then." I responded.

"But-" Acolyte Finn started.

"Tomorrow." I said again. "We will need to gather provisions and Changbin will need to say goodbye to his family. The world has waited hundreds of years, another night won't make a difference."

Both of the Acolytes nodded and Marin dropped his arms to his sides.

I turned without waiting to be dismissed. "Changbin, I would like to talk to you alone in the other room." They had all bowed to me before, that meant my station was now higher. Which meant I was free to leave whenever I wanted and so I did.

I paced for a few moments in the back room until Changbin showed up. He came to stand in front of me.

"I didn't realize the punishment would be banishment." He said softly.

I placed a hand on his arm. "What do you mean?"

He dropped his head. "The jaunt in the Temple. I didn't realize they were going to take it so seriously."

I pinched his arm.

"Ow." He said looking back up to meet my eyes.

"Changbin, this doesn't have anything to do with that. Well, sort of. It's just gotten extremely complicated."

"What do you mean?" He inclined towards me with his chin.

I dropped my hand from his arm. "Something about saving the world. We have to leave the Village and find the other factions."

His eyes narrowed. "Like the Weres and Vampires?"

I nodded. "Exactly like that."

"So, we aren't in trouble?"

"No, we aren't in trouble." I scoffed.

He smiled. "Told you we would get away with it."

I laughed and punched his arm. "Don't we always."

His smile dropped then. "Shit, I guess I better go tell my family."

"Marin will take care of them until we come back." I assured him.

Changbin had already started walking to the door, but he stopped and turned back to face me. "What if we don't return?"

It wasn't even something that I had thought about. At the beginning of all of the tales and myths, they never tell the hero about the dangers that they may face, or the fact that they may not even come back alive. But, still, the hero decides to go on and to try.

"Then your family will be held in the highest standing and the First Family will continue to look after them until the lines die out." I answered.

Changbin gulped, then nodded and continued out the door.