"Shall we wait for him outside?" Kyle had suggested, and the rest agreed to it by moving out of the house.
However, an hour had passed, and Ezekiel was yet to return. Lucas and Kyle had gotten bored just standing around waiting for Zeke, so they decided on some beneficial activity to pass their time and started sparing intensely in the nearby forest while Zeres and Alicia stayed at the house's doorway. There was a long-backed bench that Zeres had placed Alicia to sit and rest while waiting.
Alicia had been trying to initiate a conversation with Zeres for the first few minutes after he had put her on the bench, but eventually, she stopped. It was not due to Zeres' short and blunt responses but for the only reason that she was already starting to feel weak again. This evidence of weakness totally disgusted her. For her to be so weak to the point that she could not even sustain a simple conversation was making her even more miserable.
This had not happened before. Usually, she was able to at least remain standing until they reached their next destination. But now, they have yet to even move out and already, her knees were giving out as if she was some sickly old human lady. She had sat weakly on the floor thirty minutes ago and now her breathing was starting to become more laboured and louder.
Sitting across her on a tree stump that was conveniently lying around, with his wrist on top of his bended knee, Zeres silently gritted his teeth. The tendons and muscles in his fists and neck appearing as his gaze sharpened in rage – a rage directed towards himself and the world.
But he loosened up after closing his eyes, taking a deep calming breath before he finally stood and approached her.
Without a word, Zeres gathered her in his arms and Alicia could not even mutter a protest. She scoffed at herself internally. What was there for her to be all proud and uptight in protesting on the way he is caring her and seeing to her needs? She could not even sit and talk comfortably, much less stand up and walk on her own strength. It was all she could do to hold her head upright instead of leaning it against Zeres' chest, while he carried her. The sound of her own breathlessness filled the silent atmosphere since the two vampires had already long stopped their sparring and had headed back to where they were.
Kyle saw Zeres picking Alicia up in his arms and was about to rush over towards them, but Lucas grabbed onto his shoulder, effectively stopping him from barging into something that might cause more awkwardness than it already was.
"Don't. You can't do anything for her even if you do go rushing over." Lucas said, causing Kyle to frown at him. He shrugged off Lucas' hold on his shoulder and brushed past him and approached the two witches, but at a more sedate pace rather than at a dead run like he wanted to do so earlier.
"Zeres. What's going on?" the boy asked but Zeres simply glanced at him and looked at Lucas.
"Inform me the moment Kiel arrives." He said and without waiting for Lucas' response, he was gone – Alicia along with him.
He materialized inside the room they both shared earlier and gently laid Alicia on the bed.
Alicia forced her eyes to remain open and fighting hard to keep herself conscious and not drift off into oblivion. She refused to faint – again – and this time when they have yet to even start their journey. And yet her will could not do anything in fighting her body condition and eventually, even if she was bitter and reluctant about it, all she could do was utter one final curse in her mind before she felt her body falling into the pit of darkness.
Staring at her unhappy face, slightly pouted lips and long curled lashes closed against lids that hid expressive eyes in rest, Zeres just sat at the edge of the bed for a long time, like a statue until he felt someone's presence outside the door.
"I'm coming in." he heard Zeke's voice and as soon as he entered the room, Zeres flashed over from his sitting position and had him pinned against the door frame.
Zeres' hands were grabbing Zeke's collar. His eyes vivid gold, burning bright.
"Please…" his voice came out in a controlled hiss. "Tell me you've found it, Kiel."
It was obvious that he was at the very edge of his control. A little more push and he would have lost control of himself. Zeke had dealt with something like this many times before, but Zeres' was different from Alex's temper tantrums. Zeke could feel nothing but utter desperation in Zeres. And he thought at that moment, Zeres was becoming more and more dangerous – a ticking time bomb. A bomb that would certainly detonate if Zeke said 'no'.
Zeke calmly pulled Zeres' hands off him as he answered. "Yes." He said and the golden hue burning in Zeres' eyes slowly dissipated. "I've just confirmed it. It's the cavern we have been searching for."
Zeres stepped back, his eyes locked on Zeke's for a moment, as if to determine whether or not what he said was true. And then, without further questions, something in Zeres' eyes and aura changed.
"At last." He muttered, smiling.
He then turned toward the sleeping girl on the bed and his smile dimmed. As his gaze lingered on Alicia's face, he approached her and stood close to her, not taking his eyes off her now peacefully sleeping face.
For a few moments, he just stood there, not saying anything.
"Take care of her, Kiel." He said suddenly without turning towards Zeke and then, without another word, he disappeared.
A quiet sigh escaped Zeke's lips and walked slowly closer to Alicia's bed. He stood there gazing down at her face for a while before he stared out the window and gazed at the moon that was shining so brightly in the dark starless sky.
By the time he stepped out of Alicia's room, Kyle immediately approached him.
"Zeres' presence is gone. Where did he go?" asked the boy.
"I'll go after him."
"What? Just you? How about –"
"You two stay here and watched over Alicia. Kyle, I need you to stay with her in her room. Lucas will be on guard outside." Zeke ordered and without giving them any chance to protest or say anything, he too was gone.