𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

01 | Diamonds and Stones

Pythios honed his blade over and over again, trying to get his thoughts straight before he was to leave and try to find the male who was also a part of the murderers. So much was going on at that moment and he felt overwhelmed. 

     Perhaps he should go talk to Kyran. She had been avoiding him since she came back, and he honestly didn't know why. Had he said something wrong? Was she angry at him because he wasn't the one who was there to save her? No, he didn't see anger in her eyes, only exhausted fear. And the serpent she was bonded to . . .

     Sīdereus was afraid too. Way more than his human was. But why were they scared of him? All he wanted to do was help them, not harm them. Could it be because of what Ciaran said . . . or even what he did? He knew the other male had kicked him into a wall before this whole mess of Kyran running off started.

     Pythios had seen the way both of them eyed the Court now - there was no warmth like before. Only caution, and he could tell she was choosing each word she said to them carefully, as if afraid something were to happen if she said something wrong.
     
     He gave a long sigh and honed his blade even sharper if that was possible. The noise was comforting to him and helped him stay focused and on track.  

     There was some sort of haunted fear behind her eyes, and he had taken notice that she always had a knife on her, and always reached for it when she needed comfort or when she felt threatened. She didn't eat with them and instead went to her room to be by herself each meal. Oftentimes he heard her training with her spirit animal and talking with him, trying to coax him into passive even though his original passive state was gone. Their bond was strong, but he could tell it had strained when her arm was lost.

     Eventually, he pushed his sword aside and began to walk back into the palace doors, striding down the hallway and taking a right to reach her room to talk to her. He wanted to find out why she was avoiding him and how to fix this mess. 

     He got there earlier than he wanted to, his hand resting on the knob as he slowly knocked three times and waited for a response. It was rude to enter someone's room without awaiting their approval. He wanted at least five minutes before she responded.

     "Come in," her quiet, raspy voice spoke after a long moment. Pythios opened the door, startling Sīdereus, who was sleeping near the opening. He would never forget the look of absolute terror that flashed through the snake's copper eyes when he saw him.

     "Is there a reason why you're avoiding me?" He asked as he shut the door slowly. "I'm just here to talk." He tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible so it didn't sound like a threat.

     Kyran, who was sitting on top of her bed, pursed her lips and regarded him with an unreadable expression. "I'm not avoiding you," She defended, although he could tell it was a lie. She shifted her weight in obvious discomfort. "You're scaring Sīd." She added in a dull tone.

     "I am?" His eyes flickered over to the serpent, who was pressed fully against the wall and hissing loudly. "My bad sorry. I thought you were familiar with me enough to know that I wouldn't harm you." He wasn't a fool to approach the snake. He knew that antagonizing a cornered animal was never a good thing.

      The girl grunted and glanced toward her snake. "He has his reasons. Trust takes a while to build, and it was broken with a single kick.

     "You know I had nothing to do with that," Pythios countered. "I wasn't convinced it was you who committed the crime."

     "But Sīd doesn't trust any of you anymore. For all he knows, you could be the one to kick him next."

     "I know," He sighed. "Snakes aren't the most intelligent animals to connect with after all. How do I get close to him then?"