The Beast Within

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Come to think on it, he was the only one who had ever drank from the river, or was he?

After catching his breath and drinking from his leather bottle, he turned to Adrik.

“Say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink from the river.”

“Yes, that is because it is poisonous, that is why you never find any fishes in the river.” Adrik said calmly.

Ceraun’s eyes bulged at this as he choked on his water, pounding on his chest to get things moving again. “W-what?” He spluttered. “You watched me bloody drink from the water.”

Adrik shrugged and took another small sip from his leather flask. “I needed to know.”

“Know what?!” Ceraun half yelled, his disbelief evident on his face.

“There’s a myth that if you survive a bite from a Siren, you get immunity against poisonous waters…”

“I have never heard of a myth like that.” He immediately cut the other off. “Plus you risked my life on a bloody myth!!!”

“Well, you are not dead yet.” Adrik pointed out, oozing nonchalance.

Ceraun leveled him a blank look, he was apparently supposed to be the irritable one yet he found himself wanting to knock Adrik unconscious numerous times a day with his lightning.

“My father said something last night at dinner.” Ceraun spoke up after a lull in the conversation, Adrik was already on his feet, stretching out his sore but agile muscles.

Adrik perked up at this, pausing his rhythmic movements to glance at him, he could already tell by the way Ceraun had gone quiet that he was about to talk about the incident that had happened the day before.

He had been keeping an eye not only on the area around them but also on Ceraun, he might have been the one to get rid of the non-Mage’s dead body but Ceraun had been the one to watch the life get snuffed out of him and by none other than his hands too.

He still could not tell how Ceraun was taking it, sure he was unnaturally quiet but he often got that way now.

“What was it he said?” He prompted, he would not lie that he had not been worried about the occurrences of yesterday but he believed that acting the same as he always did was the key to driving away suspicion.

He had drowned the soldier with the entirety of his belongings, making sure to return his sword and dagger back in their sheathes.

The currents in the river had already started to take him downstream which was no surprise, It was deeper in the middle so it would take a while for him to be found.

“He said that yesterday at the mines, non-Mage soldiers came and took away a Mage.”

“Why for?” He fixed his gaze on Ceraun now, highly intrigued by his story.

“For the missing non-Mage soldier…”

“Morton.” Adrik reflexively muttered under his breath.

“Who?” Ceraun blinked.

“I rifled through the soldier from yesterday.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “That was his name, I think.”

“They are blaming a Mage for his disappearance, are they not?”

“Yes.” Ceraun replied, his head bowed.

“I saw that coming but was it not too soon, he had not even been missing for more than a day.”

Ceraun perked up at this. “My father said it happened late in the day, a few moments before they were to be released for the day, you don’t think…” He trailed off with wide eyes.

“Indeed, I believe they must have found his body.”

Ceraun fell silent, his thoughts flying about a mile a minute, his death could not directly be pointed to a Mage, no wonder they had preferred to keep his body secret, instead saying that he was missing.

“Father said the Mage would be lucky to be taken to a labor camp.”

“I know that.” Adrik muttered, voice quiet.

Now, he could understand why his friend had been quiet all morning.

He most likely felt guilty, he had a knack of taking on loads of guilt on himself and basking in it.

“You did not ask to be attacked and nearly killed.” Adrik said, walking over to smack him on the upside of his head just to emphasize his words.

“Oy! That hurts you cur!” Ceraun shook his fist at him, immediately getting up from the ground to chase after him.

He was easily faster than Adrik but the dark haired Mage was very obviously using his magic and Ceraun decided to put his energies into something else, something more important, perhaps like staying alive.

They could never be too careful, who knew when they would run into another situation much like the one of the day before and be tasked to defend themselves on a short notice.

Adrik as well went back to his stretches, it was obvious that he had made such a fuss just to get Ceraun out of his downer of a mood, he appreciated that.

They settled back into their usual routine of training, the straining physical activities distracting them from everything else.

It was so easy to lose hope, to just lean back and let yourself be carried in the flow but Ceraun was not looking for the easy way out, he just wished that so much did not have to be lost each time they made an action to alleviate their suffering.

That was why he had to get stronger, if he was stronger, then he would be able to get rid of the evil magical creatures with ease and also get rid of the non-Mages, the two major predators of the Mages.

“Stop straining your small mind with foolish thoughts and drag rocks with me.” Adrik dragged him back to the present.

He seemed to be doing that more often these days, Ceraun needed to stay out of his imaginations, it was not very safe there.

“You invite me like I won’t surpass you.” Ceraun scoffed.

“Try again when we have begun the task.”