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“Why did you even bother to bring me with you if you thought I’d betray you?” Kallen asks, his lip curling as he stares back at his brother.
My teeth grind as I debate whether or not to get into the middle of this. I nervously glance around us and make sure my shields are still firmly in place, not wanting anyone—or thing—to sneak up on us while they’re arguing.
“Because you followed me in battle, you were willing to change sides then, and it made me believe there might be some hope. But if you think that I was ever jealous of you, I’m not sure there’s any hope,” Titus says, indecision warring in his eyes.
I can’t help the spark of power that flickers in my chest, the conflict helping to fuel my battle lust.No, we’re not going there.
“You two need to listen,” I growl, placing my hands between them and easing them each back a step. “If you fight now, the only person who is going to win is Romulus. Do you want that?”
“No,” Titus sighs, rolling the tension from his shoulders.
“No,” Kallen agrees and takes a deep breath. The battle lust eases from my chest as the animosity between them dissipates. “It was just a reflex, I swear.”
“I know.” Titus rakes his hand back through his hair and nods forward. “We should keep going.”
“I’m assuming this has been an ongoing fight between you two,” I huff in amusement as Kallen leads the way.
“You could say that,” Titus says noncommittally.
“I don’t really think you were jealous,” Kallen admits as he strides forward, picking up his pace. “If we want to get there before there’s another sweep of this area, we need to go now.”
We continue on in silence for a few miles, the shale-like ground crumbling with each step.
“Is it a little too quiet?” I ask, glancing around the abandoned flat landscape.
“No, they’re likely on lockdown,” Kallen explains. “Only a few guards will be allowed out under these protocols.”
I let the silence sweep back in as sweat beads on my forehead. Seeing at least one more living being would’ve at least helped ease some of the feelings of unease twisting in my gut, but I guess it’s better that we’re able to keep a low profile.
“Are we almost—”
“Yes,” Kallen says, cutting me off.
A jagged cliff of the shale-like rock is off to the right, the top overhanging like it might topple over at a moment’s notice. Kallen comes to a stop right in front of it, and I grimace up at the dagger-like rocks seemingly holding on by sheer force of will.
“Titus.” Kallen nods back to him as though they’re sharing some sort of code. I grimace but hold my tongue, readying myself to dissipate out in a second if things look like they’re about to go sideways.
“I’m providing cover for us,” Titus explains, giving me a pointed look.
I give him a terse nod, only then realizing my finger had gripped the hilt of one of my daggers, readying to launch it at the first sign of danger. I clear my throat and relax my arm back to my side. “Carry on.”
Titus shakes his head in exasperation, before black shadows billow out from his hands, cloaking us in darkness. They’re pitch black at first, blocking out the desolate hellscape around us, until they slowly become more translucent.
“No one will be able to sense us like this, but we’ll be able to see and hear everything,” Titus explains, and I nearly stumble a step back as he turns to me, revealing his pitch-black eyes.
Well, that was ... unexpected.
Titus grins and pats Kallen’s shoulder, giving him the signal to continue.
I bet he did that on purpose, the prick.
Kallen reaches out and taps lightly on the stone, and I intrinsically prepare my shields, not wanting the rocks to come colliding down on top of us, but to my surprise, nothing happens.
“What—”
My question cuts off as rock seems to burst forth from the ground, climbing higher and higher until it connects with the cliff’s edge above, revealing a large cave.
“This way,” Kallen murmurs, leading us towards the opening. My chest tightens with each step we take, and I pull on the reserve of power within, readying for an attack as shadows move just beyond the entrance.
