Companions
The next morning I found myself walking towards the stables with a large back pack. I hadn't slept all that well last night and was in a terrible mood which compounded with the fact that I was literally forced to do this to make this journey all the more miserable. Fog flew out of my mouth as I exhaled, trying to calm myself down, while looking around the stable.
The stable was relatively more quiet than I thought a converging place should be. The soldiers were already here; Matt and two other knights in normal cloths. Matt was a stocky middle aged man with a receding hairline and broken teeth. Some knight he's. His surname's also Broken. Matt Broken. Figures. He might look stupid but I'll not underestimate him. He was an S rank adventurer before attaining knighthood so there's that.
Adventuring is a decent job, and he had attained success in it moreover, though, why he threw it away for a less paying one I might never know. Anyway, those are my travel companions, now only to wait for Cvela. Mother had wanted to escort me herself too but Viktora had managed to prevent her. She said something about the hunt and mother not delivering on her promise till now. In the novel mother had helped Viktora get the eye of winter, though why she failed here till now I don't know. But it still shows that my theory might be right; the storyline wants to happen. And that's one thing I hope to confirm today.
The stable boy showed me the horse I'll be traveling on. A gray. As the knights helped me tie my back pack on the horse I got my answer. Cvela and a girl in a white cloak with the hood pulled over her head walked into the stable with large backpacks that rivaled my own on their backs. Shit, I thought. Well on the bright side that made the storyline more predictable..... And it makes it harder for me to change things doesn't? Sometimes I feel that all I do is ask myself questions.
The girl with Cvela is naturally Celestine. In the story, after her mother's death Celestine grew up with Maduke, an old expert in the woods. And later on attended the Royal academy of magic in Kingsground, which together with the heroes set in motion the most epic of events that was the book's selling point. Devil nobles, common gods, secrets and treachery, fierce rivalry and a bitter war fueled by justified revenge and greed. I shudder to experience that ragnarok like scenario.
"Why are you looking at me that way?" Celestine asked. Her bright green eyes staring at me from so close, our faces just inches apart that I could feel her warm breathe on my face. I realized startled that had been lost in thought and hadn't noticed when she drew close. I drew back in haste, tripping on a shovel as I did, and fell on my back.
I glared at the princess from behind my bangs then rose up and dusted my hair. It was long so I kept it in a ponytail. "What are you doing?" I demanded.
Celestine blinked. "I am going to the academy too," she placed her hands on her waist and stuck out her chest. No matter how you look at it that chest was too busty for a child. In the novel she was like that too wasn't she?
"Your mother let you?" I asked.
"En,"
"She didn't think it was too dangerous?"
"En,"
"Whatever, it's just one more load for me,"
Celestine drew closer again staring into my eyes with a scary expression. "What did you say?" She asked.
I swallowed. "Nothing,"
"Really?"
"Yeah,"
"Crystal," she nodded to herself then turned to go procure a horse.
I watched as she went in anger. Damn it! I am a grown up man getting intimidated by a 12 years old. Back on earth I was no good too but I am better than this, I have to find a way to deal with this girl so she doesn't take me as a push over. In a friendly way of course. Yeah, like an adult dealing with a child.
No one came to see us leave. Mother and Viktora were away at the hunt and any friend I had were here. That goes same to Celestine and Cvela too. I mounted my horse and rode with the others through the back gate of the castle. We followed the trail between the woods in silence and my mind drifted to thoughts.
I was now away from the security of the Coldfire castle and Viktora. Anything can happen and I might not live long as it is. Even if I do, one or all the girls might die, I can't let that happen if I have a say in the matter. So what do I have that can protect me and my loved ones besides the sword hung on my belt and dependence on others?
I have my powers of course, a strong power if I use it right.
You see, my power can control minds but that's not without faults; to control a mind I need the person's name, that's it's weakness, but it helps that there's a way around it when it comes to offense. That's I can break into a person's mind even without the person's name as a key. Though that method is not subtle, and ends up killing or crippling the person I use it on instead of controlling them. That's what I did to Kyle, my cousin, and those noble women; that's what I attempt to do in my sleep.
That can give me a fighting chance against even strangers. Of course Viktora only thinks of the second one, she thinks my ability to mind control was cute at best, that I could only destroy mind's as a threat. With her power eye she only saw that I touched Cvela's mind not what I did to the girl. She only thinks that I can only control animals to any threatening level and not a person. That is the advantage I hold over her and everyone, their ignorance and overconfidence. One day when Viktora corners me I can use that trump card. There's 90% possibility that I'll fail since it's that woman, but at that time I'll be too desperate to care.
Plotting the fall of my aunt I set out on the journey.