Ceremus and Meliše turned towards the direction of the voice and saw Hael standing there, his face cold but his eyes stormy with emotion.
Seeing him standing there shocked Meliše. The spell she had inflicted on him should have kept him at bay for at least forty minutes, so why was he back so soon?
Ceremus' heart lurched the moment he saw Hael standing there. The shock in his guard's eyes, the flicker of hurt beneath the surface—it was like a dagger twisting in his gut.
"Hael, please don't misunderstand—"
"Misunderstand what, Your Majesty?" Hael's voice was quiet but strained, his fists clenched at his sides. "Has she captured your heart?"
Ceremus' body froze. "No! She's not, there is no—"replacement for you. I don't need anyone but you. You are my one and only, forever! He thought and yet couldn't bring himself to say those words out loud.
Meliše was once again stunned into silence. Her gaze darted between them, something clicking in her mind. Then, her lips curled into a slow and wicked smile.
"Haha! This truly is an amazing sight. The proud king of Trojas, a well-known womanizer, in love with his own guard. And a man, no less."
"YOU—!"
The venom in Ceremus' voice would have sent lesser beings cowering. Not Meliše. The sorceress was delighted to see his face twisted up in rage. It made her heart beat uncontrollably, her blood filled with thrill and excitement.
Hael, on the other hand, frowned. His voice cut through the rising tension.
"What is going on?"
Meliše answered before Ceremus could. "I came to repay the king for his kindness and offered myself to him."
Her words made Hael pause. He turned to Ceremus, studying him, seeing through the act. He knew Ceremus didn't want her. He could see the disgust written all over his face. And yet…
His gaze flickered to her robe that exposed half of her breasts. He exhaled sharply. "Then why put yourselves in a position that could cause other people to misunderstand?"
Ceremus' glare darkened, looking about ready to kill her right then and there. "Obviously because this wench can't take no for an answer." He spat.
Hael frowned. He could see that Ceremus had no inclination for the woman, and it was clear that she orchestrated the entire thing.
From the beginning, he knew his accusations were false; that's how much trust he had in Ceremus. What he wanted to know, however, was why they were in such a compromising position.
He turned to look at her, his gaze unwavering. "You bewitched me earlier. That's why I couldn't return sooner."
Meliše still hadn't given up on the innocent act and put on a worried expression as she faced the guard. She still believed that Hael wasn't in the know.
"Whatever do you mean?." She asked innocently.
Hael narrowed his eyes at her while the king regarded her with disdainful disgust. He was tired of her act and didn't want Hael hearing any of her nonsense. "How wretched. Do you truly believe I would ever fall for your lies? You ought to die for what you've done." He hissed.
Meliše stared at him with wide eyes, not expecting to be berated like this. Her eye twitched out of irritation, but she held on. "What lies, Your Majesty? I was simply trying to repay you. I'm sorry you were placed in such a situation in front of your guard." She said.
Ceremus let out an angry laugh; he looked just about ready to end her.
"That's enough." Hael said in a loud voice, surprising the two. He looked distraught and that look worried Ceremus.
"Hael—"
The guard raised his hand to stop him.
"I understand what happened. I should've realized the moment I left the lower deck." He said as he approached the two the floors creaked with his heavy steps.
Meliše looked rather pleased with herself as she saw the angered expression on Hael's face. She expected a fight, and the moment they were distracted, she would seize the opportunity to steal the weapons and escape the dreadful ship.
But unfortunately for her, she couldn't have been more wrong.
"You enchanted me back there, preventing me from getting close to Ceremus so that you could be alone with him. Seducing him, for whatever reason. What are your true intentions here?"
He got up in Meliše's face, surprising her.
"What?"
The sudden shift in Hael's demeanour confused Ceremus, but soon realized what was happening. A small smile appeared on his face. "You heard him. What are your intentions? I have rejected you twice, so why are you doing this?"
The sorceress's face twitched as she saw the accusatory looks directed her way. Had they figured her plan out? Forget it; I'm done with the act, anyway.
"You're more clever than I pegged you for Sir Hael." She said, dropping her sweet and coquettish tone for a colder one.
The guard said nothing as he stared her down. He knew very well that if he spoke up now; he was going to utter some words he might regret later. He needed to confirm her actions were nefarious before passing judgement.
Ceremus, on the other hand, didn't seem to share the same sentiments. If she didn't reveal her plans right now, he didn't know what he was going to do. But he knew it wouldn't be anything good.
Meliše let out a throaty chuckle as she felt the tension around the room. Putting her robes back on, she rolled her shoulders lazily, as if bored. "Fine, let's drop the pretenses. Tell me the location of the golden aegis and the divine spatha. Now."
Ceremus raised a brow. "The shield and sword?"
"Yes, the shield and sword." She said flatly. "You know of its location, do you not? Show it to me right now and I shall spare your insignificant lives."
"Ha! And why in the world would we do that?" He scoffed.
The woman smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Because if you don't, I guarantee everyone on this boat will die." And as she said this, a staff materialized in her grasp, dark energy crackling along its length.
Hael's eyes flickered with shock while Ceremus narrowed his. They watched as she twirled the scepter in her hand before caressing the rod affectionately. "I suggest you do the right thing if you wish for your lives to be spared." She said in a low voice.
Ceremus had enough of her words and was no longer in the mood to entertain her.
"Enough of this; it clearly looks like you want a fight and I would be more than happy to oblige. Taking care of a weak little woman like you shouldn't be a problem—"
"You arrogant gnat! Do you honestly think you can defeat me the way you are right now?" She cackled.
Hael furrowed his brows at her words, and Ceremus smiled blankly. "I've defeated worse monsters than you before; what's another?"
Meliše's nostrils flared from anger. "Are you calling me a monster?!"
The king shrugged. "If the sandals fits."
Hael, who was standing on the side, couldn't help shaking his head. He could tell Ceremus was purposefully egging Meliše on, but what he couldn't understand was why? Sure, the woman had been a little antagonistic towards them, but it didn't mean they needed to fight her. All she wanted was the shield and sword, something they could've easily given to her. Why was Ceremus so intent on keeping it? He wondered, but the sorceress interrupted his thoughts.
"Why you…" she snarled before dashing towards him, staff in hand as she prepared to unleash her powers against the king.
Ceremus was always prepared, carrying a weapon with him at all times. He unsheathed the sword, ready to slay his foe.
A violet barrier erupted between them, cutting Hael off from the battle.
It all happened so quickly, and the guard didn't have any time to react.
Meliše and Ceremus had disappeared right in front of him, and he stood there in complete bafflement for a long time before he snapped out of his daze and looked around his surroundings for any clues, yet he found none. He couldn't just stand here and do nothing, so he quickly went to the main deck in search of his friend for some help.
"What's going on?" Loki asked as he saw the distraught look on Hael's face.
Despite being in a panic, he lowered his voice and calmed himself so as to not alert the crewmen nearby.
"I need you to follow me downstairs; something has happened to Ceremus." He whispered.
Loki's eyes widened, and he didn't have to be told twice as he followed the white-haired giant down the steps that led to the sleeping chambers. When they got there, Hael stood right in front of Ceremus' door, his face remaining blank yet his eyes had darkened from irritation.
The bird tilted his head in confusion; "Hael? What happened? Why are you standing there and where is the king?" He asked.
Hael was quiet for a moment before answering. "…I don't know.." he said in a low voice. "He was there one minute and then gone the next. I don't know what happened; it was all so fast; he disappeared right in front of my eyes…alongside that woman."
His words were a jumbled mess, and Loki was only able to piece out a few words, but he knew something was wrong. He perched himself on Hael's shoulder and told the guard to calm down and explain things properly. So Hael did as he was told and explained what occurred from beginning to end.
Loki was silent for a moment as he took his words in before nodding his head. "Don't worry too much Hael, technically they are still here, there's just a veil that was put up to keep them hidden. If what you're telling me is true, then Meliše is not a regular woman, but a sorceress—and a powerful one at that." He sighed.
"A sorceress?" He repeated in disbelief.
Loki nodded.
"The only way we'll be able to get to Ceremus is if she lifts up the veil herself, since we cannot use magic." He explained.
"So I'm supposed to just stand here and wait for this sorceress to harm His Majesty? I can't do anything?" He exclaimed.
"Unfortunately not. We will have to wait and trust that His Majesty will win this battle."
Hael turned as his eyes gazed towards the spot Ceremus had been previously standing in. He stood there anxiously waiting for the veil to come undone so he could come to Ceremus' aid. He was certain the king could fight for himself, but he could tell just from the strike she had inflicted on Ceremus earlier that she was a powerful woman who wouldn't be easy to defeat.
And his assessment of Meliše was correct, as Ceremus was struggling to hit Meliše. There was an apparent difference in power between the two, and the only way he would have a chance of winning was if she wasn't in possession of her staff.
She was just as strong on the offensive as she was on the defensive, and there were zero openings for him to strike. At this point, the king knew he would lose if the fight continued. He had no choice but to remove his limiters and fight with his full power.
When Meliše saw this, a wicked smile appeared on her face. "So, you've finally decided to take this fight seriously." She said.
"Consider yourself lucky." He hissed.
"Alright then, I suppose I should show the same kind of respect then." At that moment, Meliše held her staff in front in front of her, and closed her eyes as she whispered a few words under her breath, suddenly, the staff that was once the colour of midnight changed into a mix of celestial gold, the energy from the scepter even more potent than before.
Seeing its brilliant glow, Ceremus knew in that moment that he was screwed.
"Well, looks like I'll be dragged straight to Tartarus today."