Chapter Eight: Declaration of Intent | Part 3
“So, what did we miss besides the auction?” Rhea asked. “Since you know where everyone is at all times, I’m guessing you also know the good gossip.”
Seerla chuckled. “Sorry to disappoint, but there isn’t much. Everyone was too focused on you two. They were even nice to Thirtyx, hoping he’d drop little hints about why you left.”
“Hmm,” Benn murmured. “And is that why you’re being so nice to Thirtyx, and why you followed him out here to sneak us back in?”
Thirtyx turned to shoot him a surprised glare and watched him walk straight into a tree.
“Ow,” Benn moaned. His hand flew to his nose, and his eyes scrunched closed in pain. Thirtyx and Seerla exchanged amused looks while Rhea doubled over with laughter. “I suppose I deserved that,” Benn grumbled as Rhea’s cackling died out. “That wasn’t a very nice question.”
“Of course you deserved it!” Rhea cried. “Seerla’s being a saint by—”
The rest of her sentence was cut off by her face-planting into the dirt after tripping over a log. Thirtyx frowned at them both. It wasn’t a small log, just like Benn hadn’t collided with a small tree.
Benn crouched beside Rhea and extended a hand to help her up. “You see how I’m not laughing at you?” he said, although his face and voice were both chock full of amusement. “You wanted to know why Xelura kept sneaking me extra desserts while we were home? It’s because I’m the nice one.”
“Well I’m the one who’s going to run the planet.” She dusted off her knees and almost stumbled into a bush before Thirtyx caught her arm and redirected her.
“By the Twins, can you two see anything out here?”
The twins blinked at each other. “Can you?” Benn asked.
With a heavy sigh, Thirtyx held out his hands for them to take. “Remind me to add ‘terrible night vision’ to my running list of clues about what in the universe you two are.”
Seerla’s eyes went wide. “Thirtyx, you don’t even know?”
“Last I checked, they didn’t even know.”
His heart fluttered with a sudden burst of energy. He waited until Seerla turned back toward the trail before he leveled suspicious looks at them both.
Benn momentarily released Thirtyx’s arm to touch his nose.Yeah, the attack might have shaken Grimm enough to tell us a few more royal secrets. Our planet of origin was one of them.
But no, we’re not at liberty to share—not even with you, Rhea added. Thirtyx resisted the urge to push against her mental defenses, knowing the information was at the forefront of her mind, to see if he could catch a glimpse. She was far too smart for that, and she’d probably turn it back on him so hard he’d have a headache for a week.
Trust me, you’re not missing anything juicy. Benn made the mental equivalent of a sigh. Mostly, Grimm keeps it secret to protect them from any sabotage or retaliation. He hadn’t planned to tell us until later, but with this ordeal, he’s… he’s scared. And seeing Grimm scared is unnerving.
I don’t think it’s fear so much as caution, Rhea said, although her mental tone wasn’t convincing. She started defending her point, but Thirtyx was distracted by a sound in the distance—a tangible sound, not one in his mind.
“Guys, hold on. I think I hear something.”
They all paused and listened intently. The sound, like muffled voices, was incredibly faint.
“I think you’re being paranoid,” Rhea muttered. “Seerla, you said no one should be out here, right?”
“Not that I know of,” Seerla said. “I don’t hear anything either. I think we should keep going.”
But the phantom sound didn’t disappear as they pressed on. If anything, it got clearer. A fraction later, Thirtyx released a quiet groan of frustration. “I’m serious. I hear something. We’re going to get seen.”
Rhea scoffed. “We’re gone for a week, and you start hallucinating? That’s really reassuring.”
“I mean, his ears probably are better than ours,” Benn said. “Maybe we should—”
Thirtyx flinched as a massive wave of energy washed over him. Someone had heard them.”I feel them now, too! Shut up, shut up!”
Calley Jones 