Day 88: Trust Me
Sentence: Writing
Sentence: Writing
The entourage had finally made it to the Tangled Wood. Dusk felt at home amongst the gnarled trees and thorny undergrowth, with only the pale glow of mushrooms to light their trail. In fact, everyone seemed more at ease, including the light-born Marasi. Darkstar, on the other hand, appeared her usual irritated self.
“First off, who knows what the right way is because your stinking city is always moving around,” Darkstar pointed out. “Secondly, no, we are not going the right way to get home, because we’re not going home.”
“Hold up,” Dusk halted narrowing his eyes. Bridget’s warning rang in his ears, just as it had every day since she had sent her message. “Didn’t you promise to take us home after we found Caroll? Caroll’s here, let’s go.”
“I promised to take you home, yes, but we have business to attend to first,” Darkstar pointed out, glaring at Dusk.
“I’m not going any farther until you tell us what you’re up to,” Dusk said, and cast a glance back at Cedric and Caroll, who were trailing behind in conversation with Tiffany. “And why you killed Violet.”
Darkstar sighed. “For the last time, I didn’t kill Violet,” She growled.
“Prove it then. Because I know you work for the Black Market dragons who want to overthrow the kingdom,” Dusk spat.
“Oh, of course you know that,” Darkstar rolled her eyes. “Kid, trust me, you don’t know what’s going on there.”
“I’m a fully grown dragon now, just as you are,” Dusk pointed out. “And if there’s more to the story, then tell me.”
“Okay fine, but I can’t have our whole group knowing. It will jeopardize the mission,” Darkstar said, glancing back at the group and looking warily at Xavier.
“Come with me.” She pulled him into a thicket and out of sight of the group. “We can catch up later.”
“Okay, you’ve got some explaining to do,” Dusk huffed.
“Juliette approached me to know more about the ridgeback tunnels, because its rumored that a very powerful invention is hidden in Crius’s vault. Now, it just so happened that I already knew of Crius’s vault from my unfortunate time spying on the Thuderforge. They always seemed fishy to me, and Ragna trained to rid Sornieth of evil, so it seemed a good place as any to start. Now, I was a little overambitious and it was more than I could handle-“ Darkstar gestured to her scars. “But I did manage to learn of what was hidden in Crius’s vault.”
“What is it?” Dusk asked, almost forgetting to be angry at Darkstar in his anticipation.
“Yeah, like I’m going to tell you the details of one of the most powerful weapons on Sornieth,” Darkstar scoffed. “But I will tell you this. If any dragon gets their hands on it, it could be very dangerous. It was hidden away for a reason. Such a thing should never have been invented. After learning what it was and being left for dead by the Thunderforge, I decided to seek it out to destroy it, so it never falls into the wrong hands. Talking to Juliette gave me the clue I needed to figure out where it was- right under my nose in the ridgeback tunnel network.”
“So that’s where we’re going?” Dusk asked.
“Yes, we’re going to Crius’s vault to destroy it.” Darkstar confirmed.
"And what about Violet?" Dusk asked, realizing she hadn't quite answered that question.
"I was telling the truth. She must have realized the secret of the tunnels as well, but the tunnels are a dangerous place. I tried to stop her once I realized my digging for the vault had made the tunnel unstable, but it was too late. She was caught up in the collapse." Darkstar said, seeming genuinely remorseful.
Dusk decided to believe her, at least, for now.
Bahat was awoken by a knock at the door. He opened his eyes, confused by the level of darkness. It was still the middle of the night- who was knocking at this hour?
Still feeling heavy with sleep, he dragged himself out of bed, careful to not wake Bonegnasher, who had offered to stay with him while he recovered from the events of the Rot Ball, and opened the door a crack.
Standing on the other side was Cecily, staring at him expectantly with the same big violet eyes that caused his heart to melt.
“What are you doing here?!” Bahat hissed. He heard his brother stir at the sound of his voice, held up a claw to silence Cecily, and stepped out into the corridor, clicking the door closed behind him.
“Bahat, I know I hurt you, and this isn’t going to change the way things have settled between us, but there is something that you need to know,” Cecily said in a hushed tone. “Now, please don’t ask any questions until we get there. I promise I won’t hurt you again.”
It felt stupid to follow her after the way she had attacked him at the Rot Ball, but even now, Bahat couldn’t say no to her. His heart still yearned for her, even in the tiniest moment. He followed, saying nothing as he went. The spiral lead him out of the palace and into the market district. They followed familiar winding streets until they reached the back door of The Siren’s Call—the very same place they had met Lucian all those months ago when he found out about the rebellion.
“What are we doing he-“ Bahat whispered in irritation.
“Shh!” Cecily held her tail to his mouth. “I told you not to talk. No one can know you’re here.”
Feeling apprehensive, Bahat followed her in silence through the door and up the stairs to her small room. After making sure he had closed the door behind him, Cecily lifted a blanket covering a basket. The glow of three eggs broke through the darkness of the night. Bahat could hardly believe what he was seeing.
“Are those-“ He asked, suddenly at a loss for words.
“Ours? Yes,” Cecily confirmed.
“But- You don’t want anything to do with me! Why are you telling me this?” Bahat asked, trying to keep his hushed tone.
“Because I know what its like to grow up without a father,” Cecily explained. “And even if things are over between us, I don’t want my children to grow up without both of their parents.”
Bahat felt his heart lift and break at the same time. Here it was, a tiny surviving piece of their relationship. And yet, he knew that things were still over for him and Cecily.
“So, what do you say?” Cecily asked. “Are you in?”
“Of course I am,” Bahat said softly, staring at the three eggs in the basket. Cecily was no longer his world, but these kids could be. He was going to work with Cecily to be the best dad he could be, even if he and Cecily were on different sides.
“I knew you would be,” Cecily said, smiling the same sad smile she had after the dance.
@CleverDual @HauntedWhale @Disillusionist @AlchemyFox @Tirtouga678 @catmeow1 @Leopardmask @Midwinter @chantric @Dynami @ShinyDecidueye @tigressRising @FallenEclipse @Stitched @Willnotgogently @Sabariel @MisterMylez @Skystrider @Starongie @icetail0912 @myriadofstars @Aetherstorm @Weredogalism @Nargeorgicorn @WeaverofLies @herobrinna @secretlylying @Azurepocalypse @GoldictheHedgefx @CobaltMoon @Tiffkaboo @Orodruin @SkullGeist @Violeteevee
It's been a wild evening, but I've gotten the chapter written, so that's the good part!
