Moonless - The Eternal Night

Trouble

Orion

Regret surged within him as soon as Virion determined they had to make their way back. The second meal would be served, and Viv was very keen on them not being late. As they left, Mediola bid them farewell.

"We don't find this human as bad as other humans. We may welcome him again."

Against his will, this concession caused the corners of his mouth to twitch into a smile, hidden beneath the beard. He thanked the Dryad, who waved to them as they stepped back into the night.

Immediately, the cold wind enveloped them once more, driving away the sweet, full scents, bringing the aroma of death and ice and darkness. It was as if the night pressed in, into every bone, into his chest, coiling there like a knot, claws sinking deep into him, lifeless, icy claws. The sense of that other world, of the lost, vanished instantly.

And he was back in captivity. Possessed by a parasite. A monster.

With a mind overflowing with thoughts. Confusion. With each additional piece of information, each additional puzzle piece that revealed itself to him, his confusion about this place grew. About the people in it.

A puzzle he didn't want to solve, the further he stayed away from it, the better, but he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander. Wander. In steady circles. Perhaps it was better this way. Perhaps it was his respite from constant emotions, from knowing what he had done, what he owed.

Perhaps.

But Orion was not someone who took the easier path, who shied away from his own feelings, his own responsibilities.

Never.

Once again, it was Virion who took the lead, he followed the path they had taken back, before turning in the opposite direction of the stables to continue the circuit that embraced the castle.

As Virion continued talking, Orion hardly listened, rattling off data that, the human suspected, served no purpose other than to break the silence between them. Until they turned to head towards the central square, and both shifters came to a sudden halt as if rooted to the spot.

Orion took a few more steps before realizing that both Silver and Red were no longer flanking him. He turned to the shifters and was met with two  pictures of tension. Kenji was frozen, ears perked, teeth bared, every inch of him tense and ready to chase, fur bristling. In contrast, Virion looked serious. Too serious. Any hint of humor had vanished, his chin slightly raised, his eyes, like the wolf's, fixed on the square.

Then a muttered, suppressed curse came from the cat, a growl from the other, and with a powerful leap, the furry shifter sprang into action, with Viv right behind him.

"What's wrong?" Orion asked, following the two.

They didn't run far, only to the edge of the square, before both stopped abruptly, causing the human to nearly collide with Viv.

"Trouble," he replied curtly, with Kenji crouched beside him, head lowered, growling.

It was a stark contrast to the relaxed manner in which Virion had presented himself earlier. And it was precisely this change that made Orion's organs contract, his pulse quicken, his muscles twitch. He was immediately ready to fight. The tension settled in him, and like the shifters, he fixed his gaze on the courtyard.

Not only his two companions, but also the servants were tense. They had withdrawn, stood on the sidelines, as did the guards, seeming to flee out of the way. And a foreign carriage was parked next to the fountain with the snapping cobra. A narrow, sleek carriage that crouched low to the ground, numerous lights reflecting in the polished paint.