Behind His Eyes

Chapter 25: Zhan Tiri's Vessel

I do not own Tangled the Series, the characters, or the cover. I own Apollo. Thank you.

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Swiftly and using long strides, Lance, who was stilling feeling a bit defeated, began making his way back to his room. At least Adira would be there. That was a plus and enough to temporarily raise his sour mood. 

While Lance advance through the various corridors, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He had lost track of how many days the world had been covered in shadows. The sun and moon had refused to show themselves leaving the world in a musty darkness, and the sky permanently dark with the exception of the stars which would beam like beacons of hope. The torchlight hallway was no longer comforting as it once had been. Before Lance enjoyed candles lighting up the night, but that was only because he knew the sun would come out the following day. It was like a treat to carry a lantern and see it float in the sky at night, but now he wasn't sure there would ever be another day.

When one goes to bed they are content with the darkness because they know it won't last forever. 

Now is a much different story. 

Footsteps pulled Lance out of his troubling thoughts. Whoever he expected the figure to be was most certainly not who appeared.

"Uh-hi, Cassandra." The man's naturally deep voice rose into a squeaky, childlike tone. 

"Hello, Lance." The blue-haired woman shown a far form genuine smile. "How's it going?" There was a threatening vibe to her voice which caused Lance to feel butterflies dancing nervously in his stomach. 

"Fine. Every thing is okie doki here. How about yourself?"

"Wonderful, just wonderful." Her eel-like smirk widened. "Where are you headed?" 

"Uh-just back to my room." Lance wanted to face-palm and then kill himself for telling the truth. "You know, it's been a long day, and I'm ready to sleep." He quickly tried to recover.

"I understand." Her alto tone curled in a way he had never heard before. Not only did she not look like herself, but Cassandra certainly didn't sound normal either. "I'll walk you to your room."

"Oh, that's not necessary!" Lance tried to sound kind and selfless, instead he sounded petrified and desperate. 

"No, no I insist." Cassandra's blue eyes reflected the torches' light causing them to resemble a demon. "We haven't had a chance to chat in a while." 

How could Lance say "no" and not sound suspicious? 

That was just it. He couldn't. 

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Adira wasn't sure what to make of Varian's words. They sounded like utter nonsense. He had obviously been through a lot and was possibly losing his sanity, but something about his last words unnerved her. 

They almost sounded familiar. Like she had read them somewhere but was unable to put a finger on it. 

Before she could question him, Varian fell back onto his pillow and closed his eyes, wincing in pain. 

"Varian?" Apollo instantly leaned closer to the boy and pressed his hand to the alchemist's forehead. It was freezing cold. It always seemed to be an extreme with the boy. Either running a flaming temperature or being frozen to death, but the physician digressed. "What's wrong?"