COF 3: The Fallen Dynasty

9 | Hall (I)

"Xanthy, what are you doing?" June demanded as Xanthy stalked towards the boy leaning against the wall opposite him. Xanthy shrugged June off. Canelis's words echoed repeatedly in her head. He's not who he says he is. He's not who he says he is.

This...boy might be able to tell her who June really was. Xanthy leveled her bow at the boy, keeping her eyes on his hand that crept inside his cloak. She narrowed her eyes. What was he hiding there? "Who are you?" Xanthy edged closer. The boy stepped back. "What are you doing with June?"

The boy raised his hands with all fingers splayed. "Silvar Cassias," he squeaked. "Zeilran should be able to tell you about me."

Xanthy knitted her eyebrows. Zeilran? Who in the Queen's stockings was that? "June, is this fool making sense to you or am I allowed to shoot?'' She kept June in her periphery.

"Don't shoot!" June's footsteps were wide as he stalked towards Xanthy. He shook his head. "Seriously, Xanthy, put your weapon down. He's a friend."

Silvar sputtered and Xanthy tightened her grip on her bow. "Doesn't seem like it," she drew the string farther back. Someone's bound to be lying.

June's magic blazed to the surface so fast Xanthy felt its flicker. "I warn you, Xanthy," his tone was low, edged. "Don't hurt him."

Xanthy didn't take her eyes off Silvar. "I won't if you tell me the truth."

June scoffed and scratched his forehead. "I told you, he's my friend—"

"The truth, June!" Xanthy gritted her teeth. She hated this.

June sighed. "He's my cousin."

Xanthy lowered her bow, slung it across her chest, and shoved the arrow back to the quiver. She faced June for the first time, making sure her face said everything she's feeling. "Is telling the truth so hard?" she blinked back the tears that threatened to crawl out of her eyes.

June was silent.

"Why would you meet here, of all places?" Xanthy craned her neck at the dirty walls of houses and the dusty road beneath their feet. "You could've done this in the tavern."

"Where's the pixie?" came the reply.

Xanthy glared at June. He's trying to change the subject again. June braced his hand in his hips and massaged his temples. "I don't want to drag you into my mess, okay?" he splayed a hand in Xanthy's direction. "There's been some problems at home and he's telling me about it. I don't want you to hear in case you insist I leave you on the road. That's not going to happen."

"Have I ever stopped you from doing whatever you want to do?" she crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "Did I tell you to go away on the road to Penleth even though you annoyed the heavens out of me? No! Did I tell you to stop when you said those things to me that night? No! Did I stop you when you insisted you come with me to Peltra? No!"

She started pacing with her heart thundering in her ears. "Nothing I say makes you stop," she faced him and waved her arms wildly. "Even if I wanted you to stop, you wouldn't. How come you expect me to tell you to leave me because you have problems at home? For the gods' sakes, go ahead and hang yourself into a tree, for all I care. You'd do it even if I tell you not to."

June blinked at her outburst. A series of expressions passed across his pace before settling into a confused and worried arrangement. Oh, he's trained to do this, wasn't he? Xanthy took a deep but shaky breath. No, she's not going to cry in front of him. Not when she was making a point. "This relationship has to go both ways, June," she met his eyes. "You trust me but now you're making it harder for me to trust you."

"I never asked you to trust me," June's voice was quiet. "I said so the first time we met. I don't need your trust. You didn't listen. So, if anything, this is your fault."

"Oh, so you're blaming me, then?" Xanthy scoffed. Her quiver bounced against her thigh as she stalked closer to him. "I chose to trust you because I want to. It's your fault that I'm having a hard time at it when I just want whatever is between us to work."

"Come on," June shoved his fingers into his scalp. "I am trying, too. It's just...too complicated."

A dead weight dropped in Xanthy's gut. This wasn't happening, right? "We aren't just friends anymore, June. We're us, for Nira's sake," Xanthy smoothed back the locks of hair that made their way to her face. "If we're going to make this work, you have to make me feel like I'm not making a mistake of letting you into my life."

"It's not easy when I have a choice to make. I—" he hung his head and sighed before meeting Xanthy's gaze again. "I chose not to include you in my mess because I don't want you to take the burden that should never be yours in the first place."

Xanthy turned away and started walking away. This was so messed up. "Xanthy?" June called.

"I'm not talking to you," Xanthy clenched her jaw.

"I'm sorry."

Xanthy paused and rubbed her arms. Would this always be the case between them? There was a wall none of them could care to break down standing in their way and any chance of them making a dent against it would result in either of them crumbling from the other side. She would always be far away to help him like he was too far away to hear her.

Xanthy rubbed her face. It was a good thing she told Canelis to stay back while she dealt with June. The pixie need not see her outburst.

In speaking of witnesses, Xanthy turned back to the boy June was talking to, Silvar Cassias. Instead of catching him still leaning against the wall, there was no one with them in the alley. Xanthy cursed. How could he vanish with so much as a sound? It was like the boy wasn't even with them!

She failed again. She didn't learn anything substantial about June. Then, her eyes widened when what the boy called June earlier slammed into her memory.

Zeilran. June's family name, perhaps? She sighed. All things would come into light soon enough. There was no secret that wouldn't be revealed in time.

She turned back to meet June's apologetic eyes and her anger had faded like the dust blown away by the wind. It still existed but it has been brought elsewhere by the course of life in the meantime. "I don't know what came over me," she shook her head and smiled lightly. "I'm sorry too."

She turned back into the bustling city before June could reply. "Let's go back, shall we?"