FOURTH BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF FANTASILIA SERIES
𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭. 𝘈 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘈 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘈 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦.
Xanthiene Vivenca, a fairy with a bounty for her soul, is caught between...
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2412 Iclis 13, Daleth
Xanthy wasn't telling him everything.
Nyxis ran his fingers against the surface of the vial. He held it up to the midday sun, squinting at the resulting color. This should last them until the next day before spoiling. That's good...probably.
He glanced at Xanthy who knelt by June's bed with her arms tucked by her chest and eyes trained on the half-blood's pale face. She may have told Nyxis about the chalice, about her choice, and about its consequent effect on their futures but still, something itched at the back of Nyxis's mind. That wasn't everything going on with Xanthy.
Far from everything.
Why were they going to Dwanzeig in the first place? Given Xanthy's aversion to anything wildlife-related, they weren't going there just to ogle at the territory's trove of exotic species.
Nyxis ran his tongue against his teeth. Why would Xanthy need to heal June, anyway? Her outburst the other night was also something that caught Nyxis off-guard. For someone who has no love for the half-blood, Xanthy was surely doing a good job planning to give her soul up to a throne they weren't even sure existed.
Was June just a stupid excuse for something deeper? Maybe. Nyxis shook his head. If there was anything he hated, it was not knowing everything. Then again, he hated cajoling for details people wouldn't give him, either.
Nyxis blew a heavy breath and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension building up on his muscles. Xanthy wasn't keen on trusting anyone even before this whole mess happened. Months of being with Xanthy taught Nyxis that. Now, as he watched Xanthy reach out and swipe June's hair off his forehead, Nyxis's gut clenched.
Xanthy, whether she admitted it or not, had been afraid to trust anyone again. Her eyes no longer held the playful sparkle and she couldn't hold his stare for longer than a few seconds. Her movements were also stiff. Guarded. Were they signs of guilt? Or was it something worse?
Nyxis shook his head again and moved to shove the grater in his satchel. Its unlimited space accommodated the slab of metal larger than his head. Next came the set of bowls, the pestle, then the sieve.
His fingers brushed the hilt of the sword Canelis entrusted to him. The Lifecatcher's dark hilt poked a foreboding sense of doom in Nyxis's chest. Just as the pixie promised, it still hasn't returned to her. He knitted his eyebrows. Strange.
He bagged the ingredients next, either enclosed in the tightest of vials or sealed in a simple transparent bag. The plan was to get out of Nanvera after Xanthy snapped at him to clear out the instant the sun peeked from the windows. Why she was that eager to leave or why she was that bossy, Nyxis left it to Crozal to understand.
Crozal. Nyxis glanced at the windows where the midday sun still shone. Who knew if the Crimson Mother would graze the sky tonight?
Last night was a mess. Nyxis hadn't meant to yell at her. Did she mean everything she said, though? He glanced at Xanthy yet again. There's an annoying wall between them that neither of them wanted to break down. Xanthy only talked to Nyxis when it was necessary.
