Two rescued, two lost... What a rescue expedition this was turning out to be. Falco had lost Frumentius, his brother in all but blood. Frumentius need avenging just as much as Falco's father Tigris did, as well as Frumentius' paterfamilias, the Captain of the Guard whom Sarpedon had slain in the attempted coup the previous twelvemonth. If Frumentius could not avenge his paterfamilias, then Falco would do it for him if the occasion ever arose.
Acinonyx and his group may have gotten away with the captives, but Falco and his party had a new addition in Elephas, leader of the islanders and a worshipper of the Earth Bull. Once Elephas had recognized Taurus as the High Priest of the Earth Bull he had ordered his people to stand down and once everything had been explained, this giant of six feet and two inches joined his fellow Aethereans, for he had been born into Aether's native populace before the Crone of Fate saw fit to make him a shepherd and pirate. To make things more uncertain, Elephas had sworn an oath of loyalty to Taurus rather than to Falco, causing the Divine Deucalion of Aether to become worried.
Sitting in the shade of the sail, Falco stroked Kenneth, thinking about what to expect if the rescue of Rowena and the others was a success. Would Taurus betray him then? What was it his paternal grandfather Conall, first Deucalion of their dynasty, had said on his deathbed? "Never trust Taurus." That had been in reference to Taurus Major, father of the current High Priest of the Earth Bull, but did the same hold true to Taurus Minor? That he had attempted a coup the previous twelvemonth, even though officially Minos was the one leading it, was reason enough not to trust him, but in a situation such as this, when they were both working together to rescue loved ones, was trusting him even possible?
"Falco?" Falco looked up to see Xe-tian standing before him. She was a short, stocky young woman of nineteen twelvemonths with a height of five feet and two inches. Her hair was neck length and red in colour, her eyebrows thick and curved, her skin tanned, her eyes brown and her eyelashes long. She was wearing a dark purple tunic that went down to her knees. Xe-tian never had much interest in performing, acrobatics, dancing, acting or athletics outside of wrestling, running and javelin throwing like Rowena or Scholastica, disregarding those interests as things that Rowena and Scholastica would outgrow. With no interest in such things, it was only natural that Xe-tian did not wear the same kind of attire as Rowena or Scholastica.
Standing up to look Xe-tian in the eye, Falco asked: "Yes, Xe-tian?"
"I understand that with Acinonyx having slain your father, abducted Rowena and now slain Frumentius you have every right to land the finishing blow, but Frumentius and I were close, so if anything, please allow me to wound him."
Understanding, Falco nodded. "As long as one of us kills Acinonyx, I don't care who it is. Though, I must admit I am worried about losing anymore of us. One would think that after losing Lysander I would have left Scholastica here on the ship when we arrived at Elephas' island. We managed to rescue someone and there I was putting her in danger by bringing us along"
"Well, Sarpedon's lot did come up and I would not trust him alone with anyone." Commented Xe-tian. "You did not have much of a choice. Personally, I am fine with staying on the ship or joining you and the others, but if Taurus' lot or one of his companions' lots comes up, then I am not staying on the ship."
"You don't trust any of them?" Falco asked, looking over to Taurus, speaking with Elephas as if they were old compeers.
"Not as far as I can throw a javelin." Uttered Xe-tian with eyes glazed over.