Born Enemies

Chapter Five: Cel

Cel was shaking with fury as he marched mindlessly back towards their hotel. It took everything inside him not to turn around and knee both of those brutes in their nut sacks.

Fucking barbarians.

However, what pissed him, even more, wasn't the fact that they insulted him and his clan, but the fact that the tall, black-haired one mistook him as a girl. Oh, he wanted to strangle him. Not only had he been insulted by them both, but they also assaulted him. His poor throat. He could feel blood oozing from the shallow cut left by the blade and the bruises left from being strangled. He rubbed at his abused throat, his thoughts in such turmoil. "Cel, Cel!" The sound of his name being urgently called snapped him from his raging thoughts and he paused upon reaching the door to his room. "What?" He snapped as he spun around with a curt tone, scaring Lora, who hadd been calling his name. He felt bad and pinched the bridge of his nose to control his anger. "I'm sorry Lora." He sighed as he opened his eyes to look down at her, apologetically. "It's fine that you were assaulted twice by the Warrior clan and barely escaped with your life. Anyone would be drawn up like one of Izzy's tight stitches if they were in your position. " She clasped one of his hands in hers and gave it a warm squeeze. "Get some rest, we'll leave the city..." she began, but he shook his head.

"Not till we get what we need." He dismissed her words. "They can't do anything to us in broad daylight. If they do, they wouldn't only bring down the wrath of our clan, but also the numerous clans who rely on us for their foolish heads. "

He ran his hands through her thin blonde hair as he smiled down at her. He lifted his eyes to meet the other's gaze, his smile broadening. "Relax. If those barbarians return, rest assured they'll probably just come for me. You guys will be safe. " He promised. "Now get some rest. We have an early day tomorrow if we want to buy the best products before they're gone. " He hugged and kissed their cheeks before turning to enter his room. He leaned over the closed door, his emotions a wreck and his body suddenly feeling weak. He pushed away from the support the sold plank offered and walked unsteadily towards the mirror where it hung over the basin. He peered at the glass as he tilted his head slightly, his fingers stroking across the vivid finger marks which had already turned into a mixture of purplish-blue bruises. Just under the mark of the middle finger was a half-inch cut where the blade had nicked him. Cursing the unknown men under his breath, he pulled out his medical kit from inside his storage pendant. He took out a can of saga salve from the kit and gently rubbed the cream over the cut and bruises. He then wrapped a roll of bandage around his neck, then turned all of his products into his pendant. Finished, he picked up a communication stone and called for a servant to start him a bath in his bedroom. Four servants entered and they soon drew up a nice hot lavender-scented bath and left him to bathe. Cel stepped out of his wine-colored robes and draped the material at the end of his huge bed. Naked, he stepped into the steaming, hollowed wooden tub and slowly lowered himself under the relaxing surface. He relaxed back against the support of the bath and wetted a washcloth. He squeezed out the excess water, then draped it over his eyes. He allowed all the negativity and stress from earlier to melt away, taking the memory of dark eyes and stoic features with them. He woke up with a start and winced when his hands smacked into the sides of the hard tub. The wet cloth he had over his eyes slid down his face and fell onto his lap. He looked around confused, then sighed when he remembered where. He'd fallen asleep in the bath. Cel groaned as he sank below the surface of the water, which had grown cold. He'd forgotten to ask the servants for some fire runes. The cold water wiped away all remaining drowsiness, leaving him feeling refreshed and wide awake. Cel stood up, the water poured off of him, some splashing over the rim of the tub. He carefully stepped out of the tub and grabbed a thick white robe he left hanging over the back of the chair close to the tub. He put it on over his wet hair, tied the sash around his waist, then picked up a small towel with which he began to dry his long amber hair. Satisfied that it wasn't dripping down his back any longer, he tossed the soaked rag onto the floor to mop up the water that had spilled over. He went over to the window and tossed the thick curtains open, blinking back and squinting against the blazing sunlight that poured into his room. It looked like he had slept the night away in the tub. Other than feeling a bit stiff from sleeping in the same position for hours, his skin was pruned and a bit cold. He felt good. His muscles relaxed, no longer coiled with stress. He leaned against the window frame as he peered down into the rapidly growing crowd of people. He watched a butcher set up his vendor, putting slabs, chunks, and slices of meat on display. His eyes linger on the display. He'd never met before since he was born into the clan and it wasn't part of their diet. He'd been a vegetarian for his entire 22-earth cycle. He'd heard stories from other clan members who were sworn into the clan and their one regret was not being able to enjoy the succulent, juicy meat ever again. The way they talked about the stuff made it sound like they'd lost a loved one, but gazing down at the red and brown display, all he could think about was the lives of the poor innocent animals who'd died to fill the stomachs of others. He knew it was the way of life, the endless cycle where one had to die to sustain the lives of others. His eyes moved away, this time landing on a flower vendor some feet away. Automatically, he mentally took stock of what flowers could be potential herbs he could use, but then he discarded the idea. Whatever use they could have been, died when they weren't dried after being plucked from the ground. He was just about to turn away from the window to get dressed when he saw two familiar figures weaving their way through the crowd. He straightened up, his eyes narrowing into slits as they honed down on the barbarians who'd assaulted him the night before. Seeing their leather armor under their capes and their clan crest which held their caps together over their shoulders, he felt like an i***t. He couldn't believe that he survived after confronting not one but two members of the Warrior Clan. His stubbornness and stupid mouth could not only get him killed but also cost the lives of his friends. Unconsciously, his fingers went up to play with the bandage wrapped around his throat. He could still feel the remembrance of the blade and his fingers on his skin. Despite the guilt of nearly getting his friends killed, the desire for revenge only grew, making his hands curl into tight fists. He couldn't kill them, it was against his creed and belief, but he could slip something into their bodies to make them either feel like they were dying or wish that they were dead. But he knew that he couldn't, nor did he want to get close to them to accomplish that feat. Even if he did, it didn't mean that they wouldn't notice. They were trained in the art of killing, which made them highly alert and extremely paranoid. Still, it didn't mean he couldn't fantasize about their deaths. An unconscious smile curved the corners of his mouth at the creative fantasies that filled his mind. As if sensing he was being watched by the tall, deeply tanned man with long black hair done in complicated braids and twists, he suddenly looked up. Those dark, brooding eyes scanned the buildings before zeroing in on his window. They narrowed into slits, not moving as if they could see him. Cel gasped as he threw himself away from the window. His back was pressed tightly against the wall next to the window as he felt his heart leap, hammering chaotically against his chest. He moved his head to peek over the edge, then hastily withdrew his head when he saw that he was still watching his window. "f*****g creep." He growled, his eyes twitching with annoyance. He stretched out a hand and grasped the edge of the curtain and yanked it closed, then did the same with the other. The room went dark as the light from the sun was blocked once more by the thick cloth. Cel had to chuckle sourly at himself about the way he was acting, but this wasn't just about him. He had to control his temperature for the sake of his friends. Forcing all the dark thoughts from his mind, he stood up from the floor and moved to get dressed. His friends should be waking up by now. He was dressed in a light pair of robes. It was going to be a hot day. He braided his hair into one French braid and tied a brown ribbon at the end to match his robes. Dressed, he slipped his feet inside his boots before leaving his room to walk over to his friends' rooms to wake them up.

He barely knocked on the first door before Lora yanked it open and threw herself into his body, her arms wrapping themselves tightly around his waist. Cel roofed, the breath knocked out of him. "Hi, what's wrong?" he gasped, taken aback by her hug. She mumbled something but since her face was mushed tightly against her chest. "What, Lora?" he chuckled gently as he recovered from his surprise. He reached behind and gripped her wrists. He broke her hold and held her away from him. "I thought they'd come back to finish the job," she repeated much louder, her voice thick with unshed tears. Cel bit his bottom lip to hold back the laughter that bubbled up in his chest while storking his finger comfortingly through her hair. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn?" She smacked his chest. "I'm sorry. I'll try to change. " She promised, meaning it. His mouth was one day going to get him killed. There was no need to drag those he loved with him. "Good, make sure you do." She wiped her eyes, then gave him a watery smile. "You don't need to change completely, just learn to better pick your fights and learn to let go of the ones you can not win, eh?"

"Alright," Cel agreed. He pressed a kiss on her forehead and hugged her close. Get dressed and wake up the others. I'm going down to order us breakfast and we can eat it in my room. Okay? "

"Yeah, order a lot. The stress from last night has made me very hungry. "

"Yes mama," Hugging her one last time, he broke from her hug and turned away. Finding the owner of the inn, Cel asked to have the bath from last night removed from his room, then ordered a large vegetarian breakfast to be served in his room. Done with his immediate task, he then inquired about which shops and vendors offered the best herbs, medicine, and other equipment needed for a long journey. The innkeeper was very helpful. He enthusiastically began to list off the best shops, vendors, and equipment one needed for a long journey on the road. "Thank you." Cel pulled some jeweled stones from his pendent and gave them to him for his information. When he returned to his room, all his friends had gathered and were waiting for him. After going through the yells and emotions, he went through Lora all over again with the others. By the time he finally managed to settle them down, there was a knock at his door. He left his dramatic friends to sort themselves out to get the door. It was the servants bringing them their breakfast.

"So, now that we've all served the night and recovered, what do you think made them approach us?" Jazz asked around a mouthful of veggie soup.

"No idea, but one of them, the tall one, was looking at you Cel." Kevin reviled, causing the others to look at him with questioning eyes.

"What...?" Cel stopped eating to meet their gaze, his own eyes blank with ignorance.

"Nothing," they all chimed together and turned back to stuffing their faces. They ate for a few minutes in silence and Cel couldn't help but think about what Kevin had said. He too noticed the gaze the taller one had been giving him, but that was because he'd believed him to be a girl, which he'd cleared up thoroughly. Hopefully, they will no longer pose any threat or cause them any more trouble. Changing the topic, he shared the information he'd gotten from the innkeeper. The others reluctantly agreed to go out after he'd promised to stay out of trouble. Cel rolled his eyes at their dramatics, but he meant what he said. He wouldn't let a repeat of what happened last night happen again. Besides, he wanted to avoid them just as much as they did.