the goblin decided to jump to face them and shake his little body at them, whilst dancing his hands up and down his torso in some sort of proud display. The brothers’ faces were a picture, making Gryph rub the back of his neck in an awkward way and Vern raise a brow before telling him,
“Aye, very bonnie that.” The goblin looked to Gryph and he agreed in a gruff tone,
“Aye, bonnie.”
I had to say the whole scene made me giggle and I was just as surprised at hearing it coming from myself after the horrific ordeal I had just been through. Shortly after this our little goblin friend excused himself after first getting dressed and tipping his squashed hat our way before whistling his way out of the door.
I also finished lacing my dress up and I had to say now the Hex was removed I was feeling so much better. I ran over to Gryph and Vern giving them each a hug telling them how glad I was to see them. But then I found my hands framing Vern’s handsome face and having no choice but to tell him about what had happened to Nero.
“I'm so sorry to tell you, but Nero...she...well she…” Suddenly Vern was grinning at me and I soon found out why when he told me,
“Nero is fine lass, she wis found 'n' tis back at th' King’s castle.” The second I heard this I collapsed in his arms and started sobbing into his chest as the emotions hit me all at once. I couldn't believe it, as much as I had hoped for that very thing! Nero, my friend was safe. She was alive!
“But wait, that means if she was found that Lucius came for us…and if you're here now...wait, why are you guys here? Of course, not that I'm not happy to see you but why didn't Lucius come, why didn't…?” Gryph looked to Vern and then back at me before telling me,
“He had tae deal wi' his brother.” I sucked in a startled breath and practically screeched,
“He knows he's got a brother and he found him?!”
“Well, he wasn't exactly hard tae fin', lass,” Gryph said making me frown, as suddenly with that comment, something didn’t seem right here.
“Why wasn’t he hard to find?” I asked, but it was Vern who answered me this time,
“Nae whin tis Nero who told him whit ye said 'n' his brother turned oot tae be his second in command,” Vern said with a grin as if we had caught the bad guy, whereas I stumbled back a few steps in utter shock. My hands flew to my mouth and I felt the colour drain from my face.
“Lass?”
“Whit be wrong?” Vern and Gryph both asked as well as prompting Trice to come up behind me and take hold of the tops of my arms before turning me around to face him.
“Amelia?”
“What does Lucius plan to do to him?” I asked instead of answering them.
“Whit th' treacherous bastard deserves, he wull be dead by mornin,'” Vern told me making me suck in a horrified breath.
“Amelia, speak tae me,” Trice tried again, when I told him,
“Nero, she has made a mistake…”
“Bit she…” I quickly interrupted Vern.
“She said only what I told her…that Lucius had a brother who was his enemy, one he didn’t know about…Oh Gods, we have to go, we have to stop it before it’s too late!” I shouted in desperation running to the door and only stopping when Trice held me back.
“Amelia, stop…”
“No! I have seen his brother’s face, Trice, and his brother isn’t…”
“He isn’t…?”
This was when I told them the grave mistake that had been made.
“It wasn’t his second in command and that means he is about to kill his own brother…one who isn’t…”
“A traitor.”
Chapter Thirty
Matthias
Roots of Rage
The moment I materialised through the portal I took in the smell of another puppet, three of them actually if you could call them that. Oh, my brother Lucius had worked them over good, but then again, he always had a way when extracting information. Thankfully, I had an even better way at keeping it from him.
After all, I had been doing it since his rebirth.
The Keepers of Three limped their way out from the cave in which they hid, no doubt nursing their wounds that were still yet to heal. Of course, they would do that until my presence returned, and this was the first time since our foolish lovers had stepped into Hell.
“Master, we did as you