Dance of the Damned

Secrets and Secrets

Micah buried his face in his hands, the blood bag wriggling back and forth above him as Alexander waved the others away at the door and then closed it behind him.

"Are you alright?" He asked, pulling up a chair for himself next to the bed.

"I am fine," Micah said, still burning her face in his hands. "I am ... fine."

"Roshi." Alexander placed a hand on his back, patting it. "If you are not fine, you don't have to hide it from me. You know that."

"I am fine." He said, voice shaking as he leaned back against the pillow on his back, pulling his hands away. "I am fine."

"Repeating that is not going to make everything fine," Alexander said, looking at him with a worried expression on his face. "Talk to me. Was I not the one that was there with you from the beginning?"

"You were," Micah said, sighing. "And I like to believe that you understand me better than many others, Thunder."

"I do." He said, taking his hand in his. "The former Lions were no match for us. They had an ambitious dream but were lacking everything else."

"I thought you would like their methods." Micah mused, looking at him as his, still bloodstained, hair fell over his eyes. "You were always reckless. Even from when you were a child." 

"I don't mind brute strength." He shrugged, leaning back on his chair. "But not without morals. That is why my brother ended up as he did."

"You still admire him."

"I do." He admitted, sighing. "But in the end, I couldn't save him. He was able to help so many people but no one was there when he needed them. Not even me."

"And you think you can save me, right?" Micah asked, smiling like a child just heard that a pleasant was waiting for them once they got home.

"I know I will be able to." The man said, grinning pleasantly at him. "As long as you allow me to stay by your side. I will burn the world for you."

"But I don't need you to burn the world for me." He said playfully, staring at the ceiling. "I need you to help me clean up the world a little bit."

"I can do that." He said enthusiastically. "Anything you ask I can do. Tell me and I will get it done. Just don't push me away."

"You are my friend, Thunder," Micah said, fiddling with the cloth. "My very good friend that I love and cherish. But I feel like you are confusing me with your brother."

"Not at all." He insisted. "I know that you are very different from that man. There is something about you that I cannot pinpoint."

"Well ... if you say that." Micah tapped his chin then asked, excitedly, "Should I tell you a secret about me then?"

"Secret?" He repeated, eyes lighting up. "Ok."

"Come here." Alexander leaned forward as Micah whispered in his ears. "I have never reincarnated."

"What?" The man asked, excitement turning to confusion. "I thought-"

"But I did do something else." Micah placed a finger on his lips, grinning happily. "But I will not tell you what I did. So, are you disappointed, Thunder?"

"No." The man said, a smile forming on his face. "This is the best news I have heard yet. This is wonderful."

"Are you not disappointed?" he asked, genuinely confused. "I am entirely different from your brother."

"As I said, I knew that already," he said with a wide grin on his face. "Watch, I will bring you to the top of the world. A place my brother or father could never reach."

“Will there be crystals at the top?” Micah asked, looking at him with excited eyes.

“Yes! All the crystals you want. Everything you could ever hope for will be yours.” Alexander said happily as Micah’s eyes lit up once again. “So, stick with me, alright?”

“Ok!” Micah said, clapping his hands together like a child before his smile slightly faltered, though it did not disappear. “Alex?”

“Yes, Roshi?” Alexander said, eyes widening when he looked at the boy.

Micah turned to him, a softer smile on his face as the moonlight streamed into the room, falling almost directly on Micah and making him appear as if he was glowing.

Alexander fell back, getting on his knees as he stared at the boy with an almost wide smile on his face, a smile too big for his face.

“I have a favour to ask of you.” He said, looking at him while resting his back against the pillow.

“Anything, I will do anything for you. You already know that.” He said, voice almost trembling.

“I do.” Micah nodded, holding his hand out to the direction of the moon, as though he could see it. “A fortnight from now, there will be a sudden outbreak of fire in the kingdom to the left of us, Silisus. This will force the citizens to run to all nearby kingdoms for refuge.”

“I see,” Alexander said, nodding. “So, should I start preparing for the people that will be flocking to us?”

“Yes, but not yet,” Micah said, pulling at the bandages around his hand as he turned to the man’s direction, a mischievous twinkle on his face. “I just wonder … who would do such a thing and that too a week earlier?”

Alexander looked at Micah, confused for a second before the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Laughter escaped his lips, excitement dancing in his eyes.

“So, does this mean what I think it does?” He asked, green eyes gleaming at Micah.

“I already told Carvill to set up a meeting the instant he heard from you,” Micah said, finally pulling the bandage away as he felt his skin for the marks and scars. “Tell them all, phase one and two are a success. Begin preparation for phase three.”

“Yes!” Alexander shouted, a little too excited but he could not care at the moment. “We are making progress. At last!”

“I always tell you to be patient, Alex,” Micah said with a slight pout on his face. “Did you learn nothing from all those times I was telling you all the ruled of the guild?”

“Huh?” He asked, scratching his chin. “Oh. I stopped listening after you said the first rule.”

“What was the point of making all those rules in the first place then, Alex?” Micah is now full-on pouting as he pulled the man by his collar until he was only inches from his face.

He stared at his white eyes as the moon outside reflected off it like the crystals the boy seems to like so much.

“You have pretty eyes.” He said ignoring everything the boy just said. “I wonder … how did his eyes look like again?”

“Oh! I can help with that!” Micah’s tone changed immediately. “Give me a piece of paper and ink. I am sure some of the nurses have it.”

“Ok.” Alexander got up and walked to the door, looking at the guard still standing in attention. His black hair with a single long clump of hair braided with red rope hanging in front of his face with the hood of his clock still up. “Orit.”

“Your highness?” The man asked, turning to him and bowing. “Is there something wrong? Did someone break in?”

“No nothing like that.” He said, looking around at the empty hallway. “Could you bring me a spare piece of paper and ink?”

“Paper?”

“Yes. Paper.”

“And ink?”

“Yes … ink.”

The two stared at each other blankly before Orit nodded and said, “I will do what I can.”

_____________________

Alexander and Orit stared at the boy dipping his fingers into the ink bottle and used his ink-stained hands to draw along the paper, avoiding the wet spaces as much as he could.

“Here you go! What do you think?” Micah said brightly, presenting the paper to Alex who took it and stared at the inked drawing, a single tear rolling down his left eye.

“It looks just like him.” He said as Orit took a peek at the paper, face contorting in confusion at the scribble of lines all over the paper. He could not make out what it is but decided not to say a word.

Especially when Alexander is too busy complementing Micah and the boy looks like he is over the moon with these compliments.

"I will pass it on to my family as an heirloom." Alexander declared, getting a concerned look from Orit who turned his head to him so fast they heard a snap.

"What was that?" Micah asked as Alexander turned to Orit who turned from them a hand on his neck.

"Orit?"

"I didn't hear a word, your highness." He said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you ok, Orit?" Micah asked, trying to turn to them but flinched in pain instead.

"Please don't move, young master Micah." He said quickly, turning to him.  "And I am alright. Don't worry about anything."

"What are you looking at?" Alexander looked up at the ceiling with him. "Did you see something?"

"I thought I did," Orit said, throwing his hands in the air in a stretch. "But I must have been a mistake."

"If you say so?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at the man as a smile came up the corner of his lips. Before going back to Micah, showering him with compliments again.

Orit looked at the two, breathing a sigh of relief as he pressed his numb neck. I'm getting too old for this.