Kaelith brows furrowed in irritation. "So what do you want me to do about it?"
"BWAAAH! AHA!" Scarlet threw himself on the floor.
"Shut those mouths now before I seal them forever." Kaelith warned in seething anger. Why did he have to cry in front of him? Especially now that he had a plan!
"It just hurts so much that I wanted to cry…" he sniffled. "You don't expect me to bawl my eyes in front of a crowd."
"And you thought my presence is the perfect place to cry? At midnight?" Kaelith closed his eyes. 'Don't kill him yet… don't kill him yet… white lotus will know it is you.' he chanted in his head.
"At least you are a man like me?" scarlet eyes widened, before pursing his lips into a pout.
'Let me just end him, I will save myself the remaining sanity I have left and I will save him the misery.'
"You are a boy, not a man yet."
"I want to prove everyone wrong that I'm not a weakling." He looked up to Kaelith. "Help me… will you?"
"Scarlet," Kaelith walked slowly towards him. "Why don't you go to bed now, we will continue this conversation after dawn."
Scarlet bit his lower lip. "You promise?"
Kaelith forced a smile on his face. "I promise." His voice was restrained as if he was holding himself back from doing something silly.
Scarlet nodded his head, he rose up to leave, but that was when he caught the sight of something from the corner of his eyes.
He turned again to take a better look of what it was. His eyes widened at the rope hanging outside the window, his eyes traced it back to the pole of Kaelith's bed, and the illusion of the figure of a little boy lying on the bed.
It didn't long for Scarlet to piece the puzzle together. "You are going to sneak out!"
Kaelith quickly covered his mouth with his palm. "Shhhh."
Scarlet nodded his head. Seeing he was calm, Kaelith removed his hand before cleaning his hand with Scarlet night wear.
"So where are you sneaking to?" He whispered.
"None of your business… go to bed now."
"I'm going to mother if you don't let me in on the plan. You let me go with you or you risk getting expo…" Before Scarlet could finish his words, Kaelith struck him at the back of his neck.
He fell to the ground unconscious. "How dare you threaten me?" he muttered with a click of his tongue. "That was so satisfying, I can't believe I have been holding back for so long."
Kaelith held his legs, dragging him through the ground. He raised him and laid him on the bed, before covering him with a blanket. He walked to the door, he opened it slightly, "Let's the others know that Scarlet is sleeping in my room tonight. And on no account should anyone open this and enter my room." he didn't wait for the servant to respond before he shut the door.
Kaelith stepped onto the rope, carefully climbing down the side of the palace wall. The moonlight was soft, its glow barely enough to light his path. Shadows from the burning torches danced across the stone walls, and the sharp scent of damp moss filled the cool night air. The palace was quiet, but that didn't mean it was unguarded. He landed softly on the grass, his feet making the faintest thud.
He crouched low behind a stone column and muttered a low incantation, forming a minor cloaking spell. His outline shimmered briefly before his body blended with the shadows. It wouldn't hold up to a full inspection, but it was enough to slip past sleepy guards.
A torch flame flickered ahead. Two guards were talking near the gate.
Kaelith pressed a hand to the ground, whispering another spell. A whisper of wind stirred the bushes behind them. One guard turned sharply. "Did you hear that?"
Kaelith moved swiftly past them while their attention was elsewhere. His heart beat steadily and his look was the definition of focus.
Outside the palace, a dusty carriage was parked by the side road. Its driver looked half-asleep, his head slumped slightly forward.
Kaelith approached from the side, removing his cloak from his face. "I need to go to Sir Gabriel Flamehouse's Manor. Right now."
The man jolted upright, startled by the sudden appearance of a boy in noble clothes. "You…"
Kaelith tossed a gold crest onto the carriage floor. "No questions."
The driver picked up the token, his eyes widened, and nodded quickly. "Get in." He didn't bother to ask why a child like Kaelith was outside at midnight.
The carriage rattled through the quiet city. The streets were mostly empty, except for a few night patrols and wandering drunkards. The journey didn't take long. Gabriel's home stood on a hill surrounded by tall iron fences and old flame-lit lanterns. The Flamehouse emblem, crossed swords, was etched into the gate.
Kaelith stepped out, he didn't utter a thank you to the driver.
"Do you want me to want you here young master?" the driver asked.
"Yes." Kaelith gave a curt nod.
Kaelith crouched as he examined the lock. He whispered a few words, and the metal glowed faintly and clicked open. He slipped inside and crept around the side of the wall, his eyes scanning the manor windows.
The place looked empty. But Kaelith knew better.
Then, he found an unlocked window, and he stealthily walked towards it, he quietly pushed it open, slipping inside. The smell of old parchment and burnt candles greeted him first.
He stepped lightly over the wooden floor, observing the room. 'This must be a study room.' he thought inwardly, as he ran his fingers across the books and scrolls.
CRASH!
A chair tipped over, and heavy boots thundered into the hallway.
Kaelith turned, only to be grabbed from behind and slammed against the wall. A pair of strong hands pinned him in place, and the man barked, "Who the hell are you?! Thief?"
Another man stormed in, gripping a sword.
Kaelith's eyes flicked between them, breathing calmly despite the pain in his shoulder. "If I were a thief, do you think I'd break into the house of a war hero without a weapon, at this time of night, wearing royal silk?"
'If I didn't come to get a teacher, I would have already burned him to ashes. But I wouldn't want to scare away my teacher.'
The man holding him blinked. "…What?"
"I'm not here to steal. I came to speak to Sir Gabriel Flamehouse," Kaelith said, brushing off his tunic as the grip loosened. "But clearly your manners are as outdated as your security."
"What did you say, brat?" the second man growled.
A new voice echoed down the hallway. It was deep and calm.
"That's enough."
The two men froze. Kaelith looked past them as footsteps approached.
Gabriel stepped into view.
He wore a dark, sleeveless tunic with a black sash tied at the waist. His hair was slicked back, and a deep scar ran from the side of his temple down to his cheek, hidden partially by the black leather eye patch over his left eye.