Chapter 259: Read!
"I also noticed you never say anything that does not need to be said and never for the sole purpose of hurting anyone,"
"Well, I must say, this is a lot more than I expected to get out of you," by then, he’d stopped walking but still held Arabella’s hand.
For a moment Silas looked like he wanted to say something, though another thing seemed to catch his attention.
"Come," he said simply while walking in a specific direction.
Again, she followed in his steps as he guided her away from the ruins, straight towards a hill in the distance, hiding behind the trees that surrounded the old Belchatta.
The closer to its foot they got, the more an opening became visible to her.
The mouth of what resembled a cave stared back at them, wide open and inviting.
"I believe this is...," the young woman trailed off, eyebrows furrowed.
"One of the caverns you’ve indicated on the map for Cynric to explore," Silas half asked calmly.
"It has to be," she took a few steps forward, but the vampire put an arm up, barring her from moving any closer to the cave.
"I hear and smell nothing coming from its depths," much like she did, Silas neared it while making sure to shield Arabella behind himself.
Darkness reigned supreme at its heart and so, the vampire concluded it was best not to venture any deeper.
His eyes might have allowed him to see perfectly but hers did not grant her that kind of power.
The two of them stood as far away from the entrance as sunlight reached inside.
"I suppose you’ll be inviting the boy again," his voice blared, filling the crevices of those obscured tracts.
"Yes, I have more to give on the matter," although smaller, her voice still echoed against the dry, rocky walls that surrounded them.
Even though silence had been a recurring presence, constantly inserting itself between their lines, the one that had fallen in that moment reverberated differently through her drums.
"I’ve got it!" Arabella made a little leap in place.
"What’s gotten you so excited and what have you got?" he asked, eyes strictly on her.
She had that simper that extended from ear to ear, and those little half rotations Arabella did on her heels in one spot, back and forth and then again and again while holding her hands behind her back.
"I can finally read your face!" another leap, "All this time I thought you were the hardest to read when in reality your facial expressions are always just about as blunt as your words, she grinned.
"And what do you see on me now?" he stepped even closer to her.
"If you are unhappy with Remus coming to visit then we may cancel it, but I will also not lie, it would sadden me,"
No matter how hard he tried to hide it, even his stone face betrayed him. Every tiny twitch as miniscule as it was revealed so much more than he’d ever agreed to show.
Met with the green gemstones whose gleam enriched their dimly lit position, Silas was able to do nothing but sigh, "I can’t deny that I do not like him coming around, but what truly frightens me is the quick rate at which you’ve gotten attached to that child. His direct blood relation to Cynric does not put me any more ease,"
"I understand," she nodded, her once triumphant grin turned to a cozy one, "I simply can’t help it. I feel compelled to protect and help him even though he isn’t mine. He sought me, ran to me and I can’t turn him away just like I wasn’t turned away when I needed help the most,"
"The circumstances are quite different,"
"I am aware," she nodded.
"I am not sure whether to like the fact that you can read my face or to fear it," at those words he broke eye contact.
The vampire stepped away to fondle the walls, "At night, when the moon shines is when we can see the writings," he half asked.
"Mainly in the deepest caverns," one of her feet rose meaning to follow him, but she quickly set it back where it was, afraid to trip without Silas’ assistance.
"How far have you gotten in the translation of those runes?"
"I’ve made quite enough progress I believe," her eyes kept darting between one spot and another on the ground, hesitant to step forward.
"It’s only been a few days," he turned to her again, "I must say, that is impressive,"
Her cheeks switched shades once anew, "Well, I had the right tools. All the merit goes to the grand library you’ve built and maintained throughout the centuries. Anyone else could have managed," she averted her gaze.
"Doubtful," his warmth returned as he’d walked back in her direction, "Would you make me a similar map you made for Cynric?"
"Yes, of course," she nodded enthusiastically.
"And I wish to have one of those dictionaries you’ve drafted as well,"
"That too can be done," she smiled.
However, and as they stared into each other’s eyes, Silas’ demeanor shifted in the matter of seconds, shutting and hardening while his eyes snapped away from her figure to latch onto the entrance.
The vampire stepped before her, his entire body clearly solidifying.
"What’s the matter?" she murmured. By then her smile had vanished too.
"We need to leave right this second, but I’ll need to carry you, otherwise we’ll be too late,"
Without another word or warning, Silas turned around and swept Arabella off her feet.
Instinctively, the young woman threw her arms around his neck just as a gasp escaped her.
"I will move fast, and it might cause you some discomfort, but please bear with me just for a few seconds," His expression darkened, "Shut your eyes,"
Before she could do as told, another familiar voice resonated through the cavern, "Trying to avoid me, are we? I’ll have you know, that it cuts deep to hear those words from you, Silas,"
Cynric’s deep, gravely timbre battered her eardrums, going as far as to wrench a flinch out of her.