Virtue
Page 40
Lux held his breath as the footsteps got closer. He even tried to will his heart to stop beating.
A pair of sonneillons walked past, whispering to themselves. One of them paused at the end of the hallway, only a foot from where Lux was pressed against the wall. The sonneillon cocked his head, listening.
“Stop wasting time,” the other sonneillon hissed. “The master wants to see us right away.”
The sonneillon nodded, and they both continued on their way.
Lux let out a deep breath once the sonneillons were gone. After waiting a minute to be sure they were safe, Lux turned back out into the hallway only to be confronted by a goblin.
It was very small, slightly larger than a house cat, which was why they hadn’t heard it approaching. Goblins had a scream like a siren that would alert everything in the tower to danger, and it had leather wings folded on its back so it could fly off.
“Listen, we don’t mean any trouble,” Lux said, trying to reason with the little monster before it started its warning cry. He stepped toward it, and the goblin hopped back. It opened its mouth, preparing to yell, and it unfolded its wings so it could take off. “Hey, no, let’s just talk for a minute.”
The goblin leapt into the air, its wings beating furiously. But before it could get anywhere, Gula reached up and caught it around its throat, so it couldn’t scream. It fought hard against him, clawing at him and making small squeaking sounds. To quiet it, Gula snapped its neck.
“Thanks,” Lux said.
“No problem.” With that, Gula held the goblin to his mouth and bit into one of its wings.
“Ugh.” Wick wrinkled her nose, watching Gula eat the goblin. “You’re disgusting.”
“They are better with barbecue sauce,” Gula admitted and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. “Still, this isn’t terrible.”
Lux shook his head and walked on. Gula tossed the half-eaten goblin aside and followed him. It wasn’t long before they heard something else approaching and had to duck into a crevice in the wall to hide. It wouldn’t have been so bad had it been just Lux and Wick, but with Gula, it became a tight squeeze.
It sounded like hooves coming towards them, but it was too loud and heavy to be sonneillons. He heard voices, too. They were whispering, and one sounded like an irin. Irin had an eerie calming effect when they talked, which is one of the reasons Lux had always hated interacting with them.
But there was someone else talking with the irin. A girl.
“Lily,” Lux whispered, and without thinking, he bolted out from the crevice.
“Lux!” Wick hissed and tried to stop him, but he was already gone.
As soon as Lux was out, he saw them a few meters down the hall. He barely registered the irin with the broken wing, the black unicorn, or the little green sprite. All he saw was Lily, and when she saw him, her entire face lit up.
“Lux!” Lily shouted, unable to contain herself. She let go of Edgar’s hand and ran towards him.
They embraced quickly and briefly. She wanted to look at him, to touch him, to know he was real. She stared up at him.
“You’re alive,” she whispered, with tears in her eyes. “I was certain you had died.”
“What have they done to you?” Lux asked, touching at the fresh cuts on her face from the sonneillon’s claws. Lily was dirty, battered, and bruised, and a lump grew in his throat. All this had happened to her, and he hadn’t been able to protect her.
“I’m fine. I’m just glad you’re alright.”
“You’re not fine,” he shook his head. “This shouldn’t have happened to you.”
“Is it true?” Lily asked.
“What?” Lux didn’t understand.
“Are you a peccati?” She stepped away from him when she asked that, and Lux let his arms fall to his sides. Wick had come out of the crevice, and she went over to Lily, putting her arm around her so she could lead her away from Lux. “Are you the luxuria?”
“Yes, it’s true,” Lux admitted quietly.
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” Lily asked. “Or that Valefor had sent you after me?”
“I thought you’d be repulsed by me,” Lux said. “I never meant to give you over to him, not since the moment I met you. I couldn’t.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“I know,” he nodded. “I should’ve done so many things differently, and if I could, I would. But I would never change the fact that I am a luxuria, because if I did, then I wouldn’t have met you. And no matter what happens because of this, it was worth it. Knowing you has been the greatest honor of my very long life.”
Lily stared up at him and a tear fell down her cheek. She wanted to run to him, to kiss him and forgive him of all his past sins, but Wick kept her in place.
“Lily, we don’t have time for this,” Wick said. “We must go.”
“She’s right,” Lux nodded. “You have to leave.”
“You’re not coming with?” Lily asked.
“No.” He pursed his lips. “I have to try to make sure Valefor can never come after you again.”
“No.” Lily shook her head and pulled away from Wick. “I won’t leave you. Not again.”
“You have to,” Lux said. “You have to be safe.”
“Lily,” Edgar interjected. “We must go. They’ll hear us and find us soon.”
Lily glanced back over at the sprite and up at the wounded irin on the unicorn. She wouldn’t risk them, but she wouldn’t leave Lux either. She picked up Edgar and put him on the unicorn with Aeterna.
“You go,” she told them. “You be safe. I’ll follow you.”
“Lily,” Aeterna said, giving her a solemn nod. “You should come with us.”
“I will,” she nodded. “But you go on ahead.” She turned to Gula. “Do you know your way out of here?”
“Yes,” Gula said.
“Good. Take them out of here. Keep them safe.”
Gula looked over at Lux to see what he should do, and Lux nodded.
“It’s alright,” Lux said. “Take them out. But Lily, you have to go with them.”
“I am not leaving you, Lux,” Lily insisted. “Not after I just found you.”
Somewhat uncertainly, Gula started leading the unicorn away. Wick stayed behind with Lux and Lily, hoping to reason with her, but she would drag her away kicking and screaming if she had to. She couldn’t leave her alone with the peccati in Valefor’s lair.
A pair of sonneillons walked past, whispering to themselves. One of them paused at the end of the hallway, only a foot from where Lux was pressed against the wall. The sonneillon cocked his head, listening.
“Stop wasting time,” the other sonneillon hissed. “The master wants to see us right away.”
The sonneillon nodded, and they both continued on their way.
Lux let out a deep breath once the sonneillons were gone. After waiting a minute to be sure they were safe, Lux turned back out into the hallway only to be confronted by a goblin.
It was very small, slightly larger than a house cat, which was why they hadn’t heard it approaching. Goblins had a scream like a siren that would alert everything in the tower to danger, and it had leather wings folded on its back so it could fly off.
“Listen, we don’t mean any trouble,” Lux said, trying to reason with the little monster before it started its warning cry. He stepped toward it, and the goblin hopped back. It opened its mouth, preparing to yell, and it unfolded its wings so it could take off. “Hey, no, let’s just talk for a minute.”
The goblin leapt into the air, its wings beating furiously. But before it could get anywhere, Gula reached up and caught it around its throat, so it couldn’t scream. It fought hard against him, clawing at him and making small squeaking sounds. To quiet it, Gula snapped its neck.
“Thanks,” Lux said.
“No problem.” With that, Gula held the goblin to his mouth and bit into one of its wings.
“Ugh.” Wick wrinkled her nose, watching Gula eat the goblin. “You’re disgusting.”
“They are better with barbecue sauce,” Gula admitted and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. “Still, this isn’t terrible.”
Lux shook his head and walked on. Gula tossed the half-eaten goblin aside and followed him. It wasn’t long before they heard something else approaching and had to duck into a crevice in the wall to hide. It wouldn’t have been so bad had it been just Lux and Wick, but with Gula, it became a tight squeeze.
It sounded like hooves coming towards them, but it was too loud and heavy to be sonneillons. He heard voices, too. They were whispering, and one sounded like an irin. Irin had an eerie calming effect when they talked, which is one of the reasons Lux had always hated interacting with them.
But there was someone else talking with the irin. A girl.
“Lily,” Lux whispered, and without thinking, he bolted out from the crevice.
“Lux!” Wick hissed and tried to stop him, but he was already gone.
As soon as Lux was out, he saw them a few meters down the hall. He barely registered the irin with the broken wing, the black unicorn, or the little green sprite. All he saw was Lily, and when she saw him, her entire face lit up.
“Lux!” Lily shouted, unable to contain herself. She let go of Edgar’s hand and ran towards him.
They embraced quickly and briefly. She wanted to look at him, to touch him, to know he was real. She stared up at him.
“You’re alive,” she whispered, with tears in her eyes. “I was certain you had died.”
“What have they done to you?” Lux asked, touching at the fresh cuts on her face from the sonneillon’s claws. Lily was dirty, battered, and bruised, and a lump grew in his throat. All this had happened to her, and he hadn’t been able to protect her.
“I’m fine. I’m just glad you’re alright.”
“You’re not fine,” he shook his head. “This shouldn’t have happened to you.”
“Is it true?” Lily asked.
“What?” Lux didn’t understand.
“Are you a peccati?” She stepped away from him when she asked that, and Lux let his arms fall to his sides. Wick had come out of the crevice, and she went over to Lily, putting her arm around her so she could lead her away from Lux. “Are you the luxuria?”
“Yes, it’s true,” Lux admitted quietly.
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” Lily asked. “Or that Valefor had sent you after me?”
“I thought you’d be repulsed by me,” Lux said. “I never meant to give you over to him, not since the moment I met you. I couldn’t.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“I know,” he nodded. “I should’ve done so many things differently, and if I could, I would. But I would never change the fact that I am a luxuria, because if I did, then I wouldn’t have met you. And no matter what happens because of this, it was worth it. Knowing you has been the greatest honor of my very long life.”
Lily stared up at him and a tear fell down her cheek. She wanted to run to him, to kiss him and forgive him of all his past sins, but Wick kept her in place.
“Lily, we don’t have time for this,” Wick said. “We must go.”
“She’s right,” Lux nodded. “You have to leave.”
“You’re not coming with?” Lily asked.
“No.” He pursed his lips. “I have to try to make sure Valefor can never come after you again.”
“No.” Lily shook her head and pulled away from Wick. “I won’t leave you. Not again.”
“You have to,” Lux said. “You have to be safe.”
“Lily,” Edgar interjected. “We must go. They’ll hear us and find us soon.”
Lily glanced back over at the sprite and up at the wounded irin on the unicorn. She wouldn’t risk them, but she wouldn’t leave Lux either. She picked up Edgar and put him on the unicorn with Aeterna.
“You go,” she told them. “You be safe. I’ll follow you.”
“Lily,” Aeterna said, giving her a solemn nod. “You should come with us.”
“I will,” she nodded. “But you go on ahead.” She turned to Gula. “Do you know your way out of here?”
“Yes,” Gula said.
“Good. Take them out of here. Keep them safe.”
Gula looked over at Lux to see what he should do, and Lux nodded.
“It’s alright,” Lux said. “Take them out. But Lily, you have to go with them.”
“I am not leaving you, Lux,” Lily insisted. “Not after I just found you.”
Somewhat uncertainly, Gula started leading the unicorn away. Wick stayed behind with Lux and Lily, hoping to reason with her, but she would drag her away kicking and screaming if she had to. She couldn’t leave her alone with the peccati in Valefor’s lair.
