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Secret of the Soulless - Chapter Three

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Grace stared at him, unable to do anything else. He stood there with his arms hanging at his sides carelessly. He sported a playful grin on his face, giving him the appearance of a naughty young man, no older than twenty. But his eyes – lacking pupils and startlingly ice blue in color – gave him away. Like Claire, he was a soulless. “Hello there, miss.” He grinned.
Grace’s face drained of color. “W-Wait… Fiancée?” She fell silent, processing things. “You’re a soulless. If it’s daylight, how are you corporeal or even talking for that matter?” She stammered. She didn’t care who he said he was. Without Claire there, she refused to trust the man.
“The answer lies in the shadows of this forest. It is dark enough for me to be visible here. As for my speech, which is a bit more difficult, I am being forced to…amplify my voice. Were I speaking normally, it would sound no louder than a whisper.” He explained.
“Claire is resting right now. Do you need her for something?”
“No really, though I would be more than happy to see her, of course.” He said. “No, I was merely going through the area and I saw you going after the dream-carrier. And, doing that, is certainly an unwise thing to do." He commented.
"It just looked like a light. I thought, maybe, it was lead us where." Grace cut herself off. He seemed helpful, but she knew better than to outright trust people.
He sighed and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Your friend is named Claire de Luna, known as the Soulless Sorrow Eater aboard your ship, the Sangue-Padre. Your captain is called Chenbeard. You have a wide variety of beings in your crew, raining from demons to seraphim's and that variety continues to expand. Claire sleeps in a hammock in her own cabin aboard the ship, beside the young Talia Bloodrose and Mouse - your navigator. Your chef's name is Abbey, and when Claire went insane after having killed three humans, you had to seal her in water and twilight until I arrived and free her from the prison." He said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked up at Grace with tired eyes. "Is that proof enough that you can actually trust me, miss?"
"No. Not really, really. It just proves that you're kind of a stalker." She replied immediately, though she relaxed her arm. "But, could you possible explain why a soulless might be having nightmares? That is hypothetically speaking, of course."
Argon tilted his head to the side with a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "I could."
"Will you?"
Argon smirked slightly and leaned back against the tree at his back. He locked his eyes with Grace's. "I might." He teased, and then grew very serious. "If you put away that silly toy and stop threatening me, I'll tell you."
Grace stared at him defiantly for a long time, refusing to relinquish her only means of protection. When he saw her refusal, he let out a low hiss and his eyes narrowed. "Listen very closely to me, nymph. And, yes, I know you are a nymph. I have done nothing to threaten you or Claire. I prevented you from walking into the death tea of a dream-carrier. I sensed you and my moon-blossom from miles away and chose to wait rather than surprise you. I did this because, whatever it s your doing, I am quite sure that you wish to do it alone." He disappeared and immediately appeared again directly in front of Grace, a stern look in his eyes. "And I am much older and stronger than both you and Claire, even if you were to combine your strength. So maybe you should stop trying to protect yourself from a threat that does not exist and listen to reason. Rest assured, if I had any intention to harm either of you, I'd have done so long before no." He said moved away, muttering beneath his breath. "The nerve of these younglings! That behavior wouldn't have been accepted a thousand years ago, that's for sure." He grumbled.
Grace found herself chuckling. "You are just like an old man." She said and hooked her bow back over her shoulder and plopped down on the ground, looking up at him with playful eyes. "Have you calmed down, grumpy-gus?" She asked.
Argon looked over and smiled halfheartedly. "Of course. And, for the record, I am an old man. A very old man." he said, chuckling before sitting down across from her. "Let's get down to business, then, shall we?" He paused, pressing the tips of his long-fingered hands together. "The thing is, soulless dream just as humans do and, therefore, we have nightmares as well. Often, they don't mean much. But… Sometimes we relieve memories, very old memories, in those dreams and nightmares. We see bits of our lives before we became how we are now. Do not ask me how it is possible, it just is. As I was saying, sometimes they mean nothing. Other times… They mean a great deal."
Grace started to stand. "I think Claire should be a part of this conversation, personally."
"You're right. I should." A voice said from behind them.
Argon beamed like a little kid in a candy store. "Honey!" He beamed.
Grace chuckled at the name Argon used for Claire and turned to face her friend who stood safely in the shadows a few feet away. "Claire, it seems a friend of yours has followed us." She said.
Claire snorted. “He can be nice to keep around, I suppose, but don’t let him get to close to you. Moon knows he’s a real Don Juan before his eyes founds me. So he claims, that is.” She said, walking over and sitting down beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder before lazy pulling his ponytailed hair. “He does, however, make an excellent pillow.”
“You are so harsh, my love.” He chuckled.
“Should I give you guys some room?” Grace suggested, stifling a laugh.
“Nah, its fine.” Claire said, yawning. “I had trouble sleeping anyways.”
“I suspected as much. Your friend mentioned a dream. Was it a nightmare?” Argon asked with a touch of worry in his voice.
Claire rolled her eyes. “Of course it was a nightmare. Honestly, does it surprise you?”
Argon shook his head, glancing down at where she leaned against him. “No, it doesn’t. That does lead us back to the previous topic, though.” He said and glanced at Grace. “Soulless and their dreams,” His voice was soft, but serious.
Grace looked at Claire, studying her. The female soulless looked exhausted, with dark circles beneath her eyes. She worried about the dream that plagued the girls sleep, knowing there was nothing to do but seek out whatever was causing it. She turned to Argon, trying to remember what Claire had said to her hours before. “We think our first destination is some kind of gate in the mountains. Have any advice for us?” She questioned.
Argon frowned. “I can’t say I do, except maybe for this one thing – nothing is as it seems.” He said, pointing into the air. “The world is filled with magic, and many creatures choose to hide things in these mountains – that means things and themselves. It is safe there. So be careful.” He warned.
“I just hope to avoid any trolls.” She said, smoothing her hair nervously before shaking her head and looking back towards Argon. “So what about you? Are you going to tag along?”
He shook his head. “I elect to stay out of this. It might be that you might not mind having me around, but Claire would.” He said, looking at the nymph with serious eyes. “She is used to doing things alone and in her own way. When going on an adventure like this… Well, I hope you are aware of what you’ve gotten yourself into, Miss…” He paused and blinked for a few moment before the serious expression was wiped away with one that was more sheepish. “I actually have no idea what your name is. How embarrassing of me. After all, I was aboard your ship a few days ago, so I should have learned it then.”
Grace eyes him for a moment, wondering when he’d been on the Sangue-Padre. She pushed the thought from her mind. After all, plenty weirder things had happened on that ship. “My name is Sarah Grace.” She said, offering a slight smile. “As for what I’ve managed to get myself into… It was enough of a fight to convince her to let me come. So, I suppose I might as well stick it out.”
Argon laughed. “I can only imagine how difficult it was. She is quite stubborn.” He said, looking down at Claire who had fallen asleep against him. “I will stay until she wakes, and then I’ll leave the two of you.” He said, then continued in a much softer tone. “She has always slept more peacefully in my presence. She will need the strength this rest can offer. Moon knows you’re going to go through a lot.”
Grace nodded, sensing that he knew something but gathered that it would be pointless to ask. This was their journey, and he would not interfere. The glanced up, noticing the sun shifting in the sky. “So, fiancée huh?” She asked.
Argon smiled brightly. “It’ll soon be our 300th year.” He proclaimed proudly.
She cocked an eyebrow. “And the reason, I don’t know, it’s not moved past engagement would be?”
He sighed incredibly melodramatically. “Alas. That is because Claire has refused to let it go any further than that, despite my begging.” He said, putting his hands to his chest and pouting. “It is harsh. I know. I tried to woo her for ages and, when she finally said yes to be my fiancée, she refused to actually tie the knot with.” He said, his pursed lips spreading into a wide grin. “No, I’m joking. The real reason is because we both like to travel around on our own. Also, we’d just end up fighting if we were forced together for more than a few weeks at a time.” He explained. “We both like our freedom. We enjoy the freedom to go wherever we want and, if that means we’ll just have to stay engaged for now, then it’s fine. Though… You might also want to hear Claire’s side of all of this. I believe she has a few other reasons aside from my own.”
“Either way, it sounds very sweet.” Grace said, smiling at him. “Even if you’re both busy with travels, I think it’s wonderful to know that there is someone there for you. She’s lucky to have you, I think, since it’s obvious how much you care for her.”
Argon smiled gently. “Grazie, Grace.” He said and then turned his gaze to the sky overhead. After a while, he glanced back down. “If you want some rest, I suggest you get it now. It’ll soon be night, and Claire will want to get going as soon as she wakes up.”
Grace smiled and curled up on the ground, hugging her pack as a kind of pillow. Feeling surprisingly safe with Argon around, it didn’t take her long to fall asleep.
I feel guilty and, therefore, I am trying to pump these out.

Written with NordicTwin
Word count: 1892

© 2013 - 2024 little-blind-mouse
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