Adeline and the Ovunque's Key || Ongoing

028

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟖 - 𝐇𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭

"What?" I turned to him, face scrunched. "I'm not one. You know that."

"The book in your pouch says otherwise."

He saw the book.

I held the pouch closer to my side, gripping the ropes tightly in my hands. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He can see right through me. God, what do I do now?

"You think I don't remember seeing that book from the hut?"

Of course, he saw it from there. How else would he have known what it is?

Sighing, I stared at the man with a sense of defeat. My shoulder slumped and my eyes fall downwards, staring at nothing but the dirt as I slowly loosen my grip on my pouch. "Fine. I went back and got myself injured while trying to acquire it. Are you happy now?"

He stared to the front, remaining quiet before he ask, "Why?" then he paused. "If you're not a witch, why did you take it?"

"It's none of your business," I said quite harshly back at him, feeling my guard builds up again around me at that question. It's honestly no harm in telling him. But I don't fully trust him yet.

"It's mine if you're learning witchcraft with it," he spat, his eyebrow furrowed staring at me with fury in his brown eyes. I can see flames emitting from him. Slight fury, but it's there.

We stared at each other quietly. Brown eyes meeting green. He didn't shift even the slightest and remain strong in his stance. Slowly my guard starts to falter. Bricks by bricks. "I can't tell you," I finally told him, turning my gaze away from the man.

"You can tell me," he started, voice as soft as the mist. "So I'd know where to stand for you, Adeline."

And I decided, it was fine to trust him. I decided that it wasn't a secret that he couldn't piece together anyways. He knows that I treasure Bernard. I turned to gaze at him. Trying to find a hint of betrayal in his eyes. It wasn't there. It was just sincere care.

"I want to save the beast-formed friend of mine. That's all," I eventually told him, after running my eyes around his features.

"And how do you intend on doing that?"

Hesitating for a moment, my hands start fidgeting with the straps of my pouch, pulling it and picking it. "I will try to recreate the amulet that hid his beast form and I'm sure, the book can help me with it."

He stayed quiet, taking in all the intel slowly. Then he heaved a low sigh, and pinched the tip of his nose bridge, "It was you, isn't it?"

I didn't say anything. I merely stared at him because I don't understand what he was asking.

"The reason the boy was free. It was you, isn't it?"

At this, I nodded.

"Why?"

"He's not a beast, Aeron."

"He is, miss witch. You're just blind and didn't want to see it."

"No. I see my truth and you see yours."

"Do you know that the red paladins work so hard to capture creatures like him, to make us all safe and would punish the like of him accordingly?" he asked. "Are you going to stop us if we'll try to take him away?"

I didn't hesitate to nod at his question, staring at him with the most serious expression that I could pull. "You know I will."

"Of course, you will." He didn't say more. He sighed and turned away before he cleared his throat. "If you want to protect the boy, you have to be stronger. And I– I'll pretend to unsee and unheard all these facts that I found out today."