Nighthawk

Chapter Sixteen

      " Worthless people live only to eat and drink: people of worth eat and drink only to live. "

-Socrates

"Blood and veins. Stories and tales. Fables and myths. Water and ink."

 "Cody!" I nearly jumped out of my skin at Myrah's call. Reluctantly, I tore myself away from the engraving on the ivory lower crowning.

"'We have to finish this,' he said." Notos mocked, barely audible. He jumped when he realized I was well within earshot, standing behind him, almost next to him.

I glared at him, focus tuning in to a distant sound. "Footsteps."

Myrah's head shot up and Notos stepped back, running into my arm.

                                                                       Myrah

Thump. Thump, thump. Boots.

Cody? He didn't react.

'Danger.' Her mother's voice whispered.

... A breath that moved the grass and weather vanes southward.

Thump. Thump, thump. The footsteps had the weight and rhythm of Tyler's Army JROTC boots. A hand wrapped around Myrah's bare arm. She turned sharply to see Prince Makari. He looked at her intently, browner eyes seeming more green in the dark.

He motioned with his head to what Myrah realized was an alcove or something in the wall that she hadn't noticed before. Prince Makari let go of her and bucked his head in that direction again after getting the others' attention.

Notos's eyes widened and his shoulders slumped with relief. He is so tightly strung, poor guy. Despite the desperateness in his eyes, he was the second last to go into the alcove–or, tunnel–last being Myrah.

The tunnel grew dark enough that she relied primarily on sound and her knuckles brushing on the tile walls. The walls in this one, right at her hand, was some kind of chair-rail-type trim that felt cool and natural as if stone. Her attempt to communicate with Cody via telepathy was feeble, causing panic to swirl in small circles within her gut.

Myrah's eyes began to sting, or, at least, they felt better closed.

Light filled her eyes, eyelids merely skin, after all. Myrah scowled as she opened her eyes, unhappy with the influences of school still taking effect in her mind. She followed Notos and the others out of the tunnel to a room, primarily made of old wood but with a few busts and artwork, weavings, tapestries, hung.

Myrah, are you okay? Cody's thoughts were impatient and bridging on desperation.

Yeah, why?

Cody sent her an incredulous look from across the room but mentioned it no more. Myrah glanced at Chloe.

She chewed her lip. "Prince Makari, where would Zelda be from here?"

The crown prince of Illios froze, appearing to be scrambling for an idea.

"Yes. The kitchen is half way between here and the wash room. We should be able to find her is we follow this path." He finally answered, pointing to a doorway. 

      Prince Makari said the ballroom-like room they entered was also a dining hall at least one night a month. It was a grand room with a yellow mineral floor and wood walls. Five gleaming chandeliers all with well over a dozen individually lit candles. The fifth chandelier, made entirely of glass, which was in the center, shone as the beak of a myna. It was much larger and lower than the others.

The muffled sounds of women chattering was almost reassuring... in a way that it was so primitive. Women talking while they work, giggling to themselves or muttering of lingering and lurking dangers. From there to then to now. Cody was smiling, ever so slightly and personally, in the direction of the kitchen, where the sound was coming from.

"Myrah... do you feel that?" Notos whispered to her.

"Feel what?"

"The breeze."

"Yes...I guess the air is pretty circulated..."

"Yeah..." Notos mumbled, frowning and narrowing his eyes.

Myrah glanced at him. He didn't want to see his siblings.

By how Eurus was acting, she would say he was... nervous too.