Fate Dark Side of Betrayer

 "Did you know of this? Through the stifling silence of the room, my voice broke like thunder.

Caius flinched, barely perceptible, but it was enough to set a fresh fire of doubt in my breast. Sitting by the window, the first weak light of morning outlined his profile; the storm outside had at last calmed down. Still, the storm tore on inside me.

"Arden, listen," he said, his voice calm, precise, and aggravating.

No! I shot forward, the sigil on my wrist searing with a terrible, constant anguish. You dare try to smooth this over? You were present. You have always been with me. Tell me, Caius—did you know their plans?"

He turned to squarely face me, his demeanor a well-kept mask. "You believe I had some bearing on it? His voice was threatening and low.

"I think you're hiding something," I yelled back, my hands closing at my sides. And you know more about this mark—about Fate—than you are revealing.

Our conflict was a live thing, heavy and stifling. For a long time, Caius fixed me with dark eyes that seemed to be weighing how much to say. His voice was softer but not less strong when he spoke at last.

Arden, do you know what happens when you accuse the wrong people? "He inquired," You burn bridges you cannot reconstruct.

My voice quivering, I said, "Don't give me your riddles." " Just tell me the truth."

He moaned and ran a hand over his hair. "I knew nothing about the attack. I know enough, though, to let you know this is only one phase of it. Whatever they are pursuing, whomever they are—bigger than you, me, or even your beloved betrayer.

The words really strike me like a punch. More than I could possibly remember Not a number. This was personal. This was the life I had been split apart from, my confidence destroyed. But before I could reply, a faint sound—voices, muted and far-off, coming from outside the room—rangled through me.

I pointed for Caius to be silent, and we headed toward the door together. As we got closer, low and conspiratorial, their tone made my skin crawl. The voices got louder.

One of them observed, "She doesn't suspect a thing."

"Good," came the response. "The easier this will be the more time she spends in the dark."

In my chest my heart hammered. I looked at Caius, his jaw tense as he waved for me to keep back. Ignoring him, I moved toward the corridor's edge in time to observe two people sliding out a side door. Their faces hidden by masks, they moved fast.

Now? With his voice little above a whisper, Caius asked.

"Follow them," I said, the words emerging before I could consider them. "I need to know whether they are linked to this."

And in case they are not? He said in opposition. "What if this represents yet another dead end?"'

"Then we'll deal with that when we get there," I responded firmly. But right now I'm not allowing anyone else to tug the threads.

The path brought us to the edge of the estate, where the dark and unwelcome forest loomed. The smell of moist ground permeated the air, and my wrist's sigil started to thrum with an odd, unpleasant force. Trying to soften the feeling, I put my hand against it, but it just got stronger.

Caius noted. "What's bad? His voice was quiet as he inquired.

Gritted teeth let me say, "It's this mark." "It seems like... It is responding to some event.

"Great," he said in a whisper. "Let's hope it's not sending us into a trap."

As we descended further into the woods, the woodland seemed to shut in all around us; the shadows moved oddly in the low light. The voices we had been tracking had stopped, leaving just the sound of our footsteps and the odd rustle of leaves to disturb the silence.

Then the ground underfoot changed without notice. I staggered, hardly catching myself as the sigil on my wrist blazed with burning heat. Caius grasped my arm to help me to stabilize myself, but his face was bleak.

Arden, he said, his voice tight. Look at that.

I followed his eye to the area ahead, where a circle of old, menacing stone pillars stood. A little pedestal in the middle of the circle pulsed with an alien light on which a brilliant ball rested. It was beautiful and horrible at once, and every instinct I had shouted at me to turn back.

"Do you agree? My voice just above a whisper, I asked.

He nodded. It is the mark. Whatever this is, it relates to fate.

The air grew thick as we entered the clearing, weighting down on me physically. The brightness of the orb became stronger, and quiet, sneaky, all too familiar voice started to play in my mind.

"Fate is observing, Arden." You are brave enough to challenge it?''

The orb broke before I could react, throwing Caius and me backwards from the pedestal with a tsunami of energy. The area was deserted when the light darkened, but the sigil on my wrist burned brightly than ever; its brilliance now matched by a small mark on Caius's hand.

"What the hell just happened?" My voice quivering, I whispered. Caous stared at me, his face unreadable. "We have simply been marked for something greater than we could have ever imagined."