Philip cursed as he touched her strained face. The girl was in shock, it just wouldn't be long before she had company. He lifted her in his arms, giving up the rest of a promising night. He had thought maybe still had fun in the village before he left.
The castle had several secret passages in the event of an invasion ensuring safe escape for its residents. In the library, a large tapestry by the fireplace was a little-used and unfamiliar path. The northern part of Scarlet had been largely abandoned after the death of his parents. He walked along the dark, silent and thoughtful path as he walked purposefully down the narrow, dimly lit corridor for several seconds, listening in the distance to the servants' surprise when they found Kaios passed out.
-It's ok. You need to fix this outfit. Then I take you to your room without attracting attention while talking to Willian. - He warned when kicked his bedroom door.
He left Faith on his bed with a resigned sigh. He was just beginning to sniff out serious problems. It was the damn wolf sense. He hated that. Thankfully, he never manifested the curse. It was certainly a satisfaction to know what pack leadership would be in charge of Morgan.
Faith protested again. He didn't understand.
-No, it won't be okay.
The advice ...Phil shook his head, hiding his apprehension.-
-I'll fix this mess with the ancients.
-No. Kassuim, she .... - Faith knew Will would be furious. The father, however, should have imposed himself before the council. - The ancients ... They are going to kill Cassie.
Philip looked at her very seriously. It was perhaps the shock of Kaios's aggression. Faith didn't know what she was talking about. He sat down beside her as calmly as possible when he touched her hair. The caress made the blood run fast in the veins.
Forget it, man.
-Kassuim?
-Cassie is not a girl that Richard Morgan... Leave it! Kassuim? Well, the boy must leave with the crew of the Star of Tomorrow, Faith. The Sucessorium summoned all possible ships to intercept the Chabone route.
Surprise. Philip needed more than anything to look surprised so he wouldn't be suspicious.
She swallowed. If Lizandra were alive, she wouldn't have agreed with Willian. Faith knew that ancients from the Council, Kassuim was subjected to doses of aconite along with tear powder to delay the manifestation of abilities. She also knew as well as his father that the inhumane process was damaging her health. The sister had horrible bouts of shortness of breath. There was still to suffocate.
-No. Kassuim ... Cassie is my sister. - Faith was inflamed by the injustice they committed. - The Council did not agree that she was created in the castle. Cassie is a mixed race. They fear the gift. Will thought that if he kept it hidden inside a ship he could ...
Phil's almond-shaped eyes widened in amazement between his bushy eyebrows raised in surprise.
Was Kassuim a woman? He sighed deeply. A mixed race. God! What did he know about then?
Mon Dieu.C'est une femme ?
Big news. He could laugh out loud.
Mercy! Furious Richard Morgan had complained until he made the sailors tense and upset by his irritation. Most of them had not revolted after comments about what had happened at the castle had reached the cove. Philip at some point doubted that his brother had not missed the opportunity to challenge the ancients. Only a mestizo? The ancients wondered what?
Keep a crossbreed from the pack alpha? Vaguely his mind invoked stories told on the high seas. They always accompanied wolves. He had healing abilities and the power to calm any angry wolf. They believed they were extinct.
- A girl? - he repeated the word half dumb. A pack that had a mixed race was strong and feared. The girl should have grown up protected and in the midst of them, and not practically exiled like an omega.
-Oh my, God!
-I did not understand well. - He went on with even worse foreboding. - How are they going to kill the girl?
Faith looked at him bleakly. After had started to tell everything, the words came naturally. She spoke of the ancients' fear and anxiety with Kassuim reaching adolescence. They were sure that she wouldn't survive that long. The doses administered to delay the change were slow poisoning.
They wanted the girl far away from Scarlet and the pack alpha. They did not know that intolerance as they had treated the child, depriving him of a simple and family life, had contributed to a willful and rebellious temperament. Kassuim was too explosive and restless. She never obeyed orders easily, liked to face dangers and took unnecessary risks, although Zagorra watched her carefully.
When Faith fell silent, crying red eyes and swollen eyes could cause Phil to curse an infinite rosary of plagues. The decision was not up to the Council without consulting the family that governed that land.
-God! - he sighed as he ran his hands through his hair, totally tense. - Your sister ... hell! Cassie is the girl Morgan met in the woods. Rick... Does he ...
The deduction was very simple. He could laugh bitterly. With every care to keep the girl away, she was simply almost killed by the guardians of the forest in an attempt to escape the castle. Morgan had saved his life. Naturally, the brother, he had found the half-breed. It was the Law of Destiny.
A mestizo always belonged to the leader of the pack.
-Phil ... please. Wolves always protect their own. - The young woman pleaded with hope wondering how much she could trust this man. - She's just a girl.
He was silent and thoughtful. he Didn't like what he heard. This was not how wolves treated theirs. Only by the comments, the girl was gone. The entire castle had been searched and nothing or anyone had been found.
-Your sister just disappeared, Faith. Nobody managed to find it. - Annoyed Philip considered whether to tell Morgan everything.
The amethyst eyes looked at him again. Rick looked at her incredulously. Ah, it wasn't just trouble. It was a terrible mess.
- Do you know where Cassie is? -he asked in a low groan.
A moment of silence echoed in the room. Faith showed genuine satisfaction. He knew naturally where the girl was. Willian had given unquestionable orders that his daughters did not practice magic at all. Kassuim sometimes on her brief visits to the castle had surprised her older sister. Even against expectations, the gift appeared slowly. Concentration was enough.
- I know where she is. - The answer was firm. - Can I show you ... Just take me along.
Philip swore again. Take Faith with Rick? The idea was pleasant when it shouldn't be. Ah, sir! How was the ...I couldn't believe how lucky was.
-I can't take you.
-I'll go with you! - Faith declared with passion. - She is my sister. I've been on a ship's deck several times. I have always travelled to Gaia.
Trouble! They were starting to increase. Phil did not intend to take a woman with the crew at all. The ship was ready to sail. Rays! The girl couldn't have gone that far. How was he going to explain that to Will?
-Gaia will raise anchors. What do you expect ... Damn it, woman! The ship goes to Chabone! - The outburst came frustrated.
Maybe he could postpone the travel for a few days. If Kassuim had managed to reach the limits of the forest, he would not be far from the local village.
-Fairly. Chabone! - Faith spoke as surely as possible. - You are still a wolf. It will bring Cassie back. And I will go with you.
Phil groaned miserably.
-Chabone? Is Cassie in Chabone? This is impossible. - He grunted. It just wasn't possible.
Faith's determined look once again made him wince. Magic. Ah, he didn't like magic, sir! The frightened girl must have reacted like any wolf and used her skills to defend herself. Mercy! Soon, Chabone? There were witch hunters in the region!
He swore angrily again.
-Be reasonable, Faith. It is a long journey to Chabone. Will will not allow you to go. As you imagine ...
A dazzling smile lit up her face with delicate, soft expressions. Phil swallowed. He was in trouble. Her victorious expression showed his imminent failure. She looked at him as if she could do the impossible. Those pleading eyes could make a man burn on a fire!
-Faith ...She wiped away the tears decidedly. The mind was teeming with ideas. A woman would call enough attention to board the ship, plus a little boy ...
-I need Adam's clothes. Can you get it for me? - he asked with all innocence.
Phil rolled his eyes, scratching his head.
-Why do you need Adam's clothes? - he wanted to know suspiciously.
Faith shrugged.
The crew of Gaia Black Gaia had won another sailor on that trip.
Philip smiled thoughtfully. Chabone. could with luck make it to the trading post and catch up with Cassie before Rick. With all the lies he'd told the girl… Oh, it was going to be easy to get around. To disrupt the girl's life until she had no choice but to accept him as her husband. That sorceress was worth her weight in gold. She could assure him that he was not the heir to the pack's mantle and the long-awaited leadership. And then...
It was then enough to get rid of Richard Morgan