[b]The Wilderness near Amaryth[/b] Luckily, he could breathe again. Marcus eagerly took a few breaths of fresh air. They had ran far enough for the crackling sound of burning wood to be heard only as a distant noise, when the Vagabond suddenly dropped to one knee. He was still holding Marcus' arm and so he was almost dragged down to the ground as well. The man's pained expression clearly showed that something wasn't right. With a worried look on his face, Marcus held out a hand. "Are you alright? Can I help?" The man hadn't been all too friendly towards him, but he had still saved Marcus' life twice that day and so the boy felt obligated to return the favour. Instead of taking Marcus' hand however, the Vagabond mumbled something in anger and almost as if they were responding to his voice, pebbles and rocks started circling around in the air. Startled by that sudden burst of power, Marcus took a few steps back and held his hands up in the air, unconsciously speaking soothing words. "Easy, easy. The fire is far away, we're safe." The stream of soft, meaningless words was halted by Starry's piercing gaze. [i]"Hey, Marcus right? Did you notice anything odd about the invaders?"[/i] Marcus was touched for a moment that the man had even remembered his name and Starry's remark regarding 'better not showing your enemies what they need to take from you' was wiped from his thoughts. He looked down to the ground as he pondered the man's question. He hadn't really gotten a good sight of the real invasion force, the black-clad women were the only that came to his mind... Besides... "Well, I must say.. Starry... that I don't really have any experience with invasions nor invaders. I do however remember this small group of women, completely clad in black, suddenly appearing in the arena. Judging from how they overpowered the guards while being in the minority, I'd say those were an elite force. Or they belong to a really strong army... I must add that the thing that really seemed odd back there was when we were already in the boat. Do you remember the screams we heard? Those were the screams of men, not women. Don't armies usually... well.. rape and plunder and all that?" The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed to him and he looked up at Starry with wonder on his face, expecting the man to come with answers, as he had done several times before this day. -------------------------- [b]Throne room, Niwey em Netjer [/b] Numiel smiled a slightly wry smile as a response to Kheris' words. They both were fully aware that the her words had been right, the people really only swore their loyalty to Kheris. His words, combined with that smile of his made a chill run down her spine. He had made it clear that he didn't wish for her to learn of his plans until they were executed, which stung her feelings, or rather, her pride. She was just about to give a witty reply, when the room darkened slightly and a vague smell of death appeared. Mareth. Numiel turned around, barely able to wipe the look of detestation from her face. If there was one thing in the world she absolutely despised, it was The god of Death. The man barely spoke and wherever he went, his shadows and his reek of death followed. Numiel took a step back when Mareth approached the podium. Fortunately, his presence was slightly eased by the fact that Krig marched into the room. His obvious winking didn't go unnoticed and Numiel's genuine smile returned. "Oh please dear, stop the showing off, we all know your body is heavenly." She said with a smirk. While softly biting her lip, she took her time examining the said heavenly body. Teeth the colour of fresh snow, his handsome face, toned muscles, tanned skin and of course his.. "Please... By all there is to love in this world, I beg you... Halt those thoughts, they are utmost... distasteful." Numiel looked to her side with a wide grin on her face. Nuriel had seated himself on the smaller throne besides Kheris and Numiel sat down on the throne besides him, leaning over to whisper in his ear. "Don't forget 'awful', 'horrific', 'outrageous', 'nauseating, 'revolting' and 'vulgar' my sweet brother. Besides, I don't think it was that obvious now, wasn't it?" Nuriel appeared even more pained by her seemingly indulgent smile. "I sometimes truly have to remind myself of the fact that we are related by blood." He sighed slightly dramatically and brought his hand to his head before continuing. "Even a blind one could see the lust in your eyes, my [i]dear[/i] sister. Let alone your twin brother. I do think it would be best if the people don´t find out about your nightly rendezvous with half the palace, wouldn´t it? It would be such an ugly stain on your reputation." He nodded at the slaves who had already filled the great hall and the commoners who were slowly gathering. Looking straight into his eyes, she would almost have thought he was seriously suggesting to hang out her dirty laundry, were it not for the twinkle in his eyes and the years she had spent by his side. He brought a finger to his mouth, ushering her to remain quiet. [i]The ceremony will start soon, dear sister. You know I love Krig as much as you do Mareth, so please refrain from fantasizing about him during the cermony, would you?[/i] She looked at him with a wide grin before shifting her gaze back to the hall, which was now completely full. A large group of commoners seemed to be unable to find themselves a seat and thus were lining the hallways, trying to catch a glimpse of those they called gods. [i]You are always so full of good ideas, Nuriel. I finally see why they call you the God of Wisdom, now I won't have to be bored during the ceremony. [/i] Numiel was sure that she could hear the sound of teeth grinding before she heard his reply. [i]Always a pleasure to help the less capable with my brilliant contemplations. However, as much as I enjoy our conversations, I believe Lord Kheris craves our attention for now. On a more serious note, you should not test the man. You may have your history, he has a vision. And he won't stop at killing slaves to reach it.[/i] Numiel managed to quickly dismiss those threatening last words and with a swift, casual wink towards her brother, she regarded the matter closed. Wiping the smug smile off her face, she sat down as comfortably as the throne permitted and shifted her attention to her lord.