GRAVICTA

CHAPTER 35.

We flew for almost half a day before stopping for a break. Everyone remained quiet on our way here but now that we've taking some time to rest, sitting on mats, the chatter begins.

"So, who are you again?" Puffer asks, looking at Rigo. Puffer has never been one to trust anybody easily.

"I'm Rigo, Decklan's friend. He hasn't told you about me?" Rigo says, grinning brightly.

"Nope," Buttertooth answers.

"Aww... Now I'm hurt. Hey you!" Rigo points at Decklan.

"Don't bother me. I have important stuff to think about," Decklan says, getting up and walking away.

"Jeez. He's been acting really weird lately," Buttertooth says and I nod.

"He is a really smart guy. He's always like that when he's thinking, especially if it's about dangerous stuff. That's the reason the late King chose him even though he was really young then," Rigo says, smiling and looking at Decklan as he walks away.

"Is that so?" Zed says, looking at Decklan in a funny way. He hasn't still confronted Decklan after finding out that they're half-brothers.

"Well I want to know why you helped us steal the weapon thingy," Buttertooth says as she rests her head on Puffer's shoulder.

"Decklan kind of told me to. I was surprised to see that he brought Freestars to that city but I trust him. All he needed to do was give me a nod and I knew what I had to do immediately," Rigo says with a smile still plastered on his face.

"You smile a lot, don't you?" I ask and he chuckles.

"I guess. There's really nothing to be sad about right now. I'm just really happy to see an old friend," he says calmly as he stares at the ground, lost in his own thoughts all of a sudden.

"How were you able to steal the weapon from that huge guy?" Puffer asks.

"Well I've been here a while. I know his schedule and all so I knew when to take it and run." He stands up and dusts his clothes.

"Wow, that's nice," Buttertooth says and he smiles more.

"Thanks. I've got to go talk to Decklan," he says and winks before leaving.

"I think we should all just sleep. We have a long way to go by the time it gets bright," Puffer says and Zed nods.

I hadn't even thought about it but it's already morning and we would be moving out in like two hours. This isn't really the way I planned my life to be. I wanted a really normal life but here I am preparing for a night that demons will attack.

With a sigh, I rest my head on Zed and he gently runs his fingers through my hair. I lift my head up to face him and he smiles a bit.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, offering a half smile.

"Why?" I ask, surprised by his sudden tone.

"You're here because of me. You should be in the City of the Frees right now, living a fun life with your friends," he says, looking away from me.

I lift his face up. "And you should be taking me out on really fun dates, I guess, but who says that can't still happen. This isn't your fault. We were both picked for this so let's end it quickly and do fun stuff together."

He smiles and brings himself close to me, his breath knocking me out instantly. "I'll protect you Eve. I promise I will."

I smile shyly, avoiding his gaze as I turn his face and place a light kiss on his cheeks. His eyes widen briefly but he smiles and places my head on his chest as he lays down completely on the mat.

He hums a song again just like before but this time, he sleeps off before I do. I feel his chest rise and fall slowly and his heart beats in a melodious way. It doesn't take long after for me to fall asleep.

~'~

"We're close," Decklan announces as we fly, following his direction.

"Oh, thank God. My wings are killing me," Buttertooth says.

We fly for a little over ten minutes before we finally reach the gates. We land and make our way closer but the gates open by themselves, letting us in freely. This surprises me for a moment but then I remember that we are in a city of magic itself.

"Whoa this place is amazing," Rigo says, looking around.

The city isn't really very big but it's big enough to be called a city. The whole place is decorated with flowers. A black winged female angel comes towards us, a smile plastered on her face.

"Hello. Lady Purplestorm has asked to welcome you all warmly and show you to your rooms as she is very busy at the moment to come out," the woman says, talking in a very strange way.

"Thank you, ma'am," Buttertooth says, hitting Puffer who then thanks the woman too.

"No problem. I can see there is an extra person but I am sure you all will be comfortable. Follow me please," she says and starts heading somewhere, leaving us to follow.

"You all couldn't thank her? Where are your manners?" Buttertooth whispers, scolding us for not thanking the woman earlier.

"I'm sorry. It's just that she sounds so weird and I couldn't just stop trying understand her accent," I say, shrugging at the end.

"Sure, but that still wasn't nice." Buttertooth rolls her eyes.

"I'll make sure to thank her later," I say and the others nod in response but Buttertooth rolls her eyes again and stays quiet.

We follow the woman until she stops in front of a door. She unlocks it and opens it for us. The inside is a hallway, containing more doors which I'm guessing are the rooms.

"Boys take the right while girls take the left. Enjoy your stay here," the woman says and turns to Zed.

"The Lady requested to see you," she says.

"Me? Why?" Zed asks, looking behind him to see if anyone was there.

"I do not know. Follow me please," she says and walks away, Zed shrugging and following her.

Buttertooth and I sigh simultaneously and turn to the first door by the left. I let her open it but when we step in, we see Katlaine sitting on the bed with tears in her eyes.

"Hey Kat, when did you get here and why are you crying?" I ask, walking up to her.

"Hey Eva. Hey Butter," she says, her voice cracked as she speaks. "I only got here about an hour ago or so."

"Okay so why are you crying?" Buttertooth surprisingly asks while I rub Kat's shoulders gently.

A loud noise of something, like glass, shattering is heard outside and I look through the window to see that people have gathered and they are holding Zed down.

"Wait! Why are they holding him down?"

"It seems Zed just found out," Katlaine says, dragging my attention back to her. "Zed's grandmother died."