The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 257: Silence before storm

Chapter 257: Silence before storm

"Althea!"

Hex called, hoping to catch her attention. He shook her. He even slapped her. But nothing got through her.

He sat beside her. The golden beam and threads swarmed and connected with her. Hex suspected her to be the Fated One. It was the only explanation he could come up with so far.

She told him once, during a spar behind the castle, that she was supposed to be a Heaven’s Chosen. One bestowed with luck and talent. Were those things connected? Was this happening because she was both?

It didn’t sound bad. Not to Hex. But she didn’t seem happy to be a Chosen then. Then she knew the Templars would be her best option. Yet, he remembered her saying she wished to join the Paladins. According to her, it would help her remain connected with the Hawks. Perhaps, Hex thought, she wasn’t willing to part with the Commander.

Even now she resisted the beam of golden light. Hex understood that despite failing to pull her out of whatever caused her to attack like this. She clutched her head and lay in a fetal position. To him, it looked like she was trying to transform into a closed-up ball.

She stopped crying but she continued to hold her head. She also mumbled some incoherent stuff. Nothing he could understand. He tried lifting her but his muscles failed. It wasn’t because of his injuries only.

When he tried to lift her, the threads coiled around her and tightened. Hex felt like she was strapped to this place. And to the golden beam.

He racked his brain for ideas to undo the strings but he had very little information to work with. He could walk through them and even stand in the middle of the beam. But the light just warped around him. It didn’t hurt him or help him recover. The silky threads just parted and moved around him. The way they acted reminded Hex of the streams he used to drink from. They flowed around the rocks in their path or over them.

’I guess, as someone without a proper birth, I am just like a lifeless rock in their path.’

Despite failing to reach her, he couldn’t give up. The biggest danger, the King, had gone silent. Hex didn’t lose him out of his sight. At first, the man shouted, even pleading to Heavens, to save his wife. But suddenly he stopped. He sat there, with his wife in his arms. Frozen in place. The slight tremors of his skin caused by his heartbeat were the only proof of him being alive.

Hex considered two possibilities seeing him like this. Either, he would remain still till he died. Or – and this possibility scared him – he was about to erupt. When and if it happened, the entire ruin might crumble under his terror.

"Althea!"

Hex called at the girl with greater urgency. He hoped the golden beam of light also meant more luck. They would need it.

...

"This is crazy. How can I complete the task under such circumstances? Impossible. There is just no way."

Gronke sat on a pile of snow and observed the broken monolith. His task, which sounded simple at first, turned impossible to pull off. He saw the entire struggle. A King who only his leader could match. A beam of light, representing Strings of Fate. A simple boy turning into a bear. And if these things weren’t mindblowing, a dragon appeared. A freaking dragon.

If he marched out, no one could stop him. And the repercussions would be bearable. He hoped so. Although, with a crazy boss like his, there was no telling how things would end up. And the terror of that prospect kept him here, munching on snacks and slurping his wine.

"Let’s hope Fate hasn’t abandoned me. That I can still pull this off. The client sure has it easy. They are safe and sound. And I? I have to bear the risks."

Despite his complaints, he remained seated. Munching and slurping. With his legs crossed over each other, as if he enjoyed watching a play.

...

"Should we move, My Lord?"

Solos stood beside the Divine Lord and inquired, trying to sound calm and collected. He didn’t realize how much he failed at doing so.

The perspiration on this cold night, the clenched fist, the shivering. Everything about him revealed how distraught he was. To the people present, it was apparent and understandable. The prince lost his family and perhaps gained the promised crown on this night.

Happiness and grief at once would overwhelm anyone. He was one of their own. A proof that the Divine Lord could turn the Fate of others. The members believed it. They feared Him but after this event, they looked at him with reverence.

The change in people’s eyes didn’t escape the Divine Lord. He smiled and sipped. He didn’t reply. Solos didn’t dare to repeat his question. Nothing escaped His senses. So, if he didn’t answer, repeating wouldn’t help. The answer might reveal itself in time. It did so far.

"Where is this? And who are they?"

"Solos?"

The voice of a newcomer made everyone turn. Solos watched his second brother walk behind a petite lady with a giant sword on her back. It didn’t impede her movements. To Solos, it even seemed like she had to slow her speed so Rayos could keep up with her.

You made it. I hope with good news?

Solos heard the Divine Lord’s voice in his head, as did others. He could control the way his voice reached others and whom it reached. Solos knew their Lord included them so they could follow the conversation.

"As promised. The Sage inheritance and that primal stone, in exchange for these scribbles."

She lifted the box and pulled Rayos’ hand. His second brother didn’t struggle but the Paladin swung her dagger and cut off his hand. She squealed in delight as Rayos screamed in pain. The blood dripped on the lid and the box opened.

Solos saw a book and a stone. Before he could observe, the Paladin snatched the stone and placed it inside her armor. The Lord didn’t mind. He picked the leather-bound book.

He didn’t recognize it but someone did. Solos looked toward the gasp and murmur. Ella looked at the Lord. She stood agape, with dilated pupils. She pointed at the book and stammered.

"T–that book...That...How...we lost it...How is it here? Lord?"

Her reaction confused Solos and the others but the Divine Lord flipped through the book. A chuckle escaped his lips.

Calm down. You don’t expect the royals to leave the grimoire out in the open? Their preparations and understanding of the Heartless surpassed common wisdom. I suspected they got their hands on the Witch’s Grimoire. I only sent you there to cover the bases.

"Oh..."

Ella’s stunned expression made sense. She put her life on the line for something that didn’t matter in the end. She didn’t seem to know how to deal with it. Solos understood her. Ever since he joined the Divine Lord, he didn’t know what to think or feel. He just followed orders. Or stayed away.

Don’t fret. The other one wasn’t less important. It wasn’t a grimoire but her Diary.

Seeing the look of incredulity on Ella’s face, made the Divine Lord smile wider. Solos hoped He would explain. The Witch kept a diary? The deadliest weapon the Lord acted like a teenage girl?

It was an old habit of hers. Ever since she felt alone and isolated. It doesn’t include powerful stuff but could hint at other things she might have worked on. She was always looking to unravel more mysteries. But enough of that. To answer your question...

Solos saw the Lord turn toward him. His brain froze and his blood circulated faster when He laid His eyes on him.

I fear we will have to wait a bit more. You see, if the King has studied this – and I believe he did – things might not be over yet.

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