Page 32 of Cerulean Truth
“Enemy? What the hell happened here?” I asked, my impatience rearing its ugly head again.
Maria sighed. “It’s a long story, and I’m guessing you’re here because my dear husband is going bonkers without me and sent you on a highly unnecessary mission. So maybe we should get going and we can explain everything on the way.”
“Please do,” I replied, my annoyance showing. Maria appeared perfectly fine, and I hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since...oh fuck it, who could remember anyway?
“We can’t portal here so we’ll have to walk, which is what I was doing with my protection until you decided to interfere.”
I snorted. “They were your protection? I took out four of them with a sneeze.”
She looked at me harshly and I swallowed under her severe stare. Shewasmy Leader after all, I should’ve been more respectful.
“Respectfully,” I added quickly. “Sneezing respectfully.”
She continued to glare silently.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“Gesundheit.” She winked and I was relieved to see she wasn’t too angry at me and my inflated ego.
“Where are we headed?” I asked, as we started walking away from our meeting point.
"Toward the city's border. In case you haven't figured it out yet, the bubbleIhave conjured won't let anyone portal out of the entire city," Maria explained with a devious grin, clearly pleased with her handiwork.
Of course a maga of Maria’s stature was powerful enough to create a city-wide bubble. I felt like an idiot for not having considered it.
“I sort of guessed that much. Care to explain how I got in without being incinerated?” I asked dryly.
She shrugged casually. "The bubble allows magi with clearance to portal in. Anyone else would have been fried on the spot."
Well. Thank fuck I’d had clearance.
“Only problem is, I didn’t take into account I’m not native to the Diamond city and now even I can’t portal out. Hence the walking.” She shook her head.
As we walked toward the city's edge, the Healer, also cloaked in a hood, joined us.
"This is George." Maria gestured toward the Healer.
He briefly removed his hood, revealing a man with graying hair and kind eyes, but his face bore the marks of countless battles. He extended his hand, and I shook it firmly.
"So, you’re James, the new Leader to be of Cyclos. Well, if Cyclos was looking for fearlessness, they certainly got their money’s worth," he remarked with a grin.
I gave him a short nod.
“My old friend didn’t trust me with his wife, did he?"
I wasn’t amused. "I wouldn’t say that much, but he did start to worry when none of you nexed him," I replied dryly. "Why didn’t you?"
"As I said, it's a long story," Maria reiterated.
"One I'd like to hear right about now," I responded firmly, casting an impatient glance at Maria.
"Well, then, it all started when I attempted to explain to Maria my objections to the Great Exposure," George began.
"You object to it?" I raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "We've been organizing it for over sixteen years. We're but a year away from the actual exposure, and now you object?"
"Can I perhaps tell the story without interruptions, and then you can comment as you wish?" George snapped.
The beast inside me roared at his insulant tone but I kept quiet.
