The Jade City

Chapter 15: The Mountains, Part III

Lloyd's POV

I didn't understand. How, how was this possible? Somehow I had fallen asleep thinking about it, and now my breakfast was getting cold. I didn't know who brought it in or when it was brought in, but I ate hungrily anyway (I guess I should've tasted a little at first in case it was poisoned before I started eating giant spoonfuls). Someone had come in and changed my clothes, and all that was left of my battle wounds were a couple of scars. They thought I was the Chosen One, so they wouldn't hurt me. Right?

Then I felt bad for eating so much while the others, especially Rumi, the real Chosen One, starved. My conscience told me to save them some food. so I did, stuffing some fruits into my very dirty pockets. But it wasn't as if anybody cared about hygiene anymore, and Nya could just wash it off. The only problem now was that the big lump was way too obvious. As I tried and failed to brainstorm ways to sneak the food out without being noticed, the door burst open.

The girl/woman/whatever was back. To negotiate, I figured. Ain't gonna work.

She was in a different outfit today. Sleek, shiny, and green, it looked very fitted, but not in a way that made it look tight. I never realized I could be jealous of someone's clothes until now.

"So, Chosen One, made up your mind yet?"

"Tell me. Tell me what happened with you and your... people." I said, "And then I will make my decision."

"You don't have one," she snapped.

This attitude of hers was getting too far. "For goodness' sake!" I said as I threw my hands up in the air, my voice cracking. "Shouldn't I know why I'm helping you?! You don't have the right to make people do things without letting them know why!"

She opened her mouth angrily, but I went on before she could say something. "I can tell that you want it bad. But let me tell you this as well. You can kill every single person I care about and still not get the Blade. Because if you don't tell me why, I won't retrieve it for you. I'm not your pawn. Besides, if you take my friends, I wouldn't be able to get there in the first place. Then what would you do? Doing a lot of pointless things that harm others but do you no good? And waste your time? My father told me that this was the stupidest thing one could do." I sounded very lame. And I was bluffing.

She looked a little taken aback. I kept on going. "If the Shadow Knight gets the Blade, we'll have no way of defeating him. And that will bring forth the destruction of this entire land. He won't spare anyone or anything. He couldn't care less about you or your people."

"That's not his plan," she said, then covered her mouth. I blinked. Her green eyes widened. "I shouldn't have said that. Forget that I said that. Forget it."

"Wait then what is it?" I demanded with my hands on my hips, trying to look intimidating.

"I can't tell you. But I will tell you this. He isn't going to destroy Jade City. You can't tell anyone. I will be in trouble."

"But how do you know he isn't lying? There have been so many attacks!"

"The only attack was the one at the palace. I can't tell you anything else." Well, so far it looked like she was telling me quite a lot.

"Then what about my head pains? I always thought they happened whenever the Shadow Knight was attacking..."

"You have head pains related to the Shadow Knight?" This seemed to have sparked some interest.

"Yes," I lied. They were actually Rumi's but I had to play the part.

She opened her mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by a swarm of insects flying in. They buzzed loudly. The girl/woman/whatever spun on her heels and left the room. I trotted along after them.