Chapter 36 - A mess of feelings (1/2)

After Lord Trevelyan and Anastasia's silhouettes gradually disappeared along the street, Calisto immediately turned back and hurried to the garden. The thoughts about this strange man and her friend swarmed her mind, but she willed herself to push them back into the background and hastened her pace, looking for a familiar figure among the greenery.

During her meeting with Lord Trevelyan and Anastasia, Cali constantly felt the presence of Konrad somewhere nearby. As soon as two girls settled in a wooden pagoda, the sensations became so apparent that Cali could accurately point her finger at the place in the bushes where her friend was hiding.

However, she still didn't manage to understand what was happening with Konrad. Why was he behaving so strangely? What kind of emotions swarming his mind?

Apparently, he was not able to figure it out either.

Calisto found him very quickly. Konrad sat at the same spot, in the bushes near the wooden pagoda, bowing his head, his face buried in a crook of his hand.

The girl stopped short of a few steps away from the man. Her expression grew confused.

What's next? When they were still Stone beasts, their mysterious bond allowed Cali to touch her comrade's conscious freely. But then their thought process was different—clear sentences, intents, and ideas.

Now peaking into her friend's mind, Cali was instantly overwhelmed but bits and pieces of incoherent information. His head was a mesh of images and voices, some - very vague and other like a clear picture, mostly when it was memories from the past. Cali's head started to throb when she tried to weed through all those feelings that were gashing at her from Konrad's side to get to the root of the matter.

Almost instantly, she felt like she was drowning. Depression, helplessness, disappointment, confusion, and stifling loneliness - all these suffocating waves rolled on the girl's consciousness through their connection nonstop.

Meanwhile, Konrad raised his head, finally sensing the presence of Cali. His face looked absolutely indifferent as always.

That should have looked quite weird from the side as Cali's face did not express all that much emotion either.

They kept staring at each other, not knowing what to say. The silence dragged on. But only on the surface. Inside, the picture looked utterly different.

”Can I help you?” - The girl finally squeezed out. Her voice sounded very strange, as if she perfectly understood how useless her words were.

So awkward. For the first time, Cali felt so insecure about her longtime friend.

”No.” - Konrad answered quietly in a hoarse voice and looked away.

Cali nodded, expecting just such an answer.

It seemed like there was only one possible plan. Her presence here only added a strange feeling of nervousness to the atmosphere. Konrad will have to solve this problem on his own. No word would be able to console him now.

The girl was about to turn around and leave her friend be, but, suddenly, someone's hasty footsteps broke the silence hanging over the garden.

A figure of panting Paris appeared at the entrance to the garden. He stopped for a moment, nervously looking around. As his gaze fell on the figures of Cali and Konrad, his eyes instantly flashed, and the guy hurried to them.

Young Marsters heard about the sudden visit of Lord Trevelyan only when he returned from the Red Castle. He was summoned suddenly, but in the end, except for strange formalities and useless talks with either one official or another, nothing special happened. On his way home, Paris began to suspect that it smelled very fishy. The Red Castle was a place where bureaucracy was always dismissed in every way possible.

And his suspicions were confirmed as soon as he arrived home and heard such disturbing news from the servants.

Cali, with mixed feelings, watched as her disheveled brother was running toward them. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Konrad's face darkened. It seems like he already anticipated the flood of questions that Paris was ready to bring down on them, judging by his burning eyes.

The least she could do now is to act as a wall between them.

Calisto took a decisive step forward, ready to protect her friend from questioning and take her brother away, giving Konrad some time to recover.

But a sudden thought made her pause. The girl wavered for a moment and then abruptly turned back.

”You know, Lord Trevelyan invited us to the Races, which will take place in a couple of days.” - She blurted out.

Paris was just a few steps away from them, so he heard everything clearly and almost fell over stumbling.

Confusion and even panic reflected on his face for a moment. Although these emotions immediately disappeared as if drowning in muddy water.

”Who?” - finally asked Konrad in a colorless voice.

”I ... and Anastasia suggested taking Paris with me as an escort. But I want you to go.” - Cali replied firmly. She was so used to understanding a friend without words that now she didn't even notice how strange their dialogue could seem from the side. Only Paris was now staring at them with a puzzled expression.

”Why?” - Konrad went on, his voice was calm, but Cali felt a bit of irritation coming from him.

”I think it will help you face your fears and doubts head-on.” - Cali stated, their gazes clashed. Konrad, in response, only clenched his teeth and his eyes seemed to freeze ower.

However, Cali wasn't planning to back off.

”Can you explain to me what is going on?!” - Paris finally could not stand this weird tension - ”And stop talking as if spies are eavesdropping on you!”

At first, Paris tried not to notice this strange closeness between his sister and Konrad, but now it was starting to annoy him. He rushed here like a mad horse only to stumble upon this jerky and weird dialog. He felt like he was an outsider in some secret circle. Like among children who once decided to speak a secret language, and you were left out since they don't really like you.

Hearing Paris's outburst, Cali frowned and turned to her brother with a puzzled expression.

”You want to go?” - She asked patiently despite her growing headache.

Paris gritted his teeth, looking in the oblivious eyes of his sister.

”Cali, dear, please tell me everything from the very beginning. As if you are talking to a normal person, and not to someone who hears your thoughts.” - He grumbled through gritted teeth.

Calisto inclined her head slightly, thinking for a second, and then nodded uncertainly. After a little pause, she nevertheless began to retell everything that had happened during the Lord of the Black Castle and Anastasia's visit.

Paris did not expect much, but ... But she managed to jam all the information into four phrases! Her story sounded as if she had reported the movement of enemy troops. He had so many questions, but judging by his sister's look, Paris quickly realized that he wouldn't receive an adequate answer on any of them.

”So why did you decide to take Konrad with you to these Races?” - finally decided to start Paris with the most pressing issue.

Cali piered at Konrad.

”It seemed to me that it would be useful to him.”

And that's it.

”I don't want to question your decision, but something tells me that you don't fully realize what impression both of you can make on people.” - He began carefully.

For a second, confusion appeared in the girl's eyes. It seems she really did not realize how strange she sometimes behaves.

”But Anastasia did not notice anything.” - She began, trying to recall the details of both their meetings.

”Darling, no offense to your friend. But it always seemed to me that Anastasia is looking at this world through the unicorn's as ... mane.” - Paris pointed out, and at the very next moment stumbled upon Konrad's glare.

”Amm... I mean, she is just a bit dense... sometimes,” - He added immediately, feeling some strange tension still rising in the air.

”For some reason, I really wanted to stretch up a bit.” - The ex Stone Beast drawled, seizing Paris up and down. - ”For one, we can solve the dispute, who will go to the races, right?”

Paris raised his eyebrows in surprise and frantically swallowed while looking at Konrad's emotionless face. That exactly why he was so worried. Paris just couldn't follow their line of thoughts at all. Young Marsters shuddered, recalling the Stone Beasts' image in front of the Khail Hold wall.

He wasn't even fighting for the right to go to this Race. He just wanted to clarify the situation. How did it end up like this?

”Ummm ... Konrad, I think it's too early for such physical exertion ...” - he began, looking at his sister pleadingly. But instead of stopping her friend, the girl surprisingly only nodded.

”That is a good idea.” - she said calmly, destroying the last hope of Paris to maintain at least a drop of dignity as the captain of the Red Castle.

Actually, at this moment, Calisto was stricken by another idea. Paris was right. They still partially behaved as Stone Beasts even though now they were something different. And the main cause of the mess in Konrad's head, as in hers, was that they still didn't understand fully what they become.

Moreover, right now, Calisto very clearly felt a strange echo coming from Konrad's Gorgon. His emotions fluctuated so strongly that he didn't even notice it himself. Something told Cali that this was the chance that should not be missed.

”I promise it will only be a practice.” - Konrad said, and his colorless voice suddenly appeared to Paris a little sinister.

Paris hesitated a bit but still nodded, seeing how Cali's face became particularly bright.

The rumor that a young gentleman and Konrad will be holding a training match traveled around the estate like a wildfire. Even Lord Marsters himself finally left his library, where he had recently burrowed searching for at least some information about Stone warriors.

Paris saw a crowd of servants hustling around at a small training field built many years ago when he started attending the academy.

Paris first wanted to disperse everyone. Who knows what they can see during the battle. But all his thoughts flew out of his head when he spotted the figure of Conrad in his old training armor, which were obviously too small for him to the point that you could distinguish every muscle on his legs and back.

And, oh boy, were they impressive!

The crowd of servants hashed down as soon as the young man stepped in. But as soon as Konrad appeared on the edge of the field, the buzzing went up. Girls started to whisper and blush, almost l.i.c.k.i.n.g him with their eyes.

Now it became even more apparent how Konrad has changed. And it was really weird how he could appear so blend and normal all the time while hiding his warrior posture and these ferocious skills.

Paris went to the middle of the field and stopped there, waiting for his opponent. But despite the nervousness that overcame him at first, now he felt an amazing excitement rushing through his veins. His whole body vibrated in anticipation.

Paris couldn't lie; he wanted to try himself out at least once against such a powerful opponent.

It wasn't about winning. On the contrary, it can be his chance to uncover something!

Konrad exchanged a few words with Cali, received an approving nod, and headed toward Paris.

”In full force.” - Konrad said sternly as if asking and warning at the same time.

”Less will be an insult.” - Paris through back and grinned. To his surprise, the old friend's blank face fluttered for a second, and a wry smile emerged on it.

Paris wanted to add something else, but at the same moment, Konrad's figure as if blurred in front of him. A barely audible crack and a flash of metal gleamed right next to his ear.

”Do not relax!” - commanded Konrad and jumped slightly back, allowing Paris to recover. Young captain froze for a second but quickly gathered himself up, squeezing the training sword's hilt tightly.

Focus!

Clank.

The next attack was retorted effortlessly, Young Marsters dodged the second, taking only a step to the side. However, he didn't feel happy about it. On the contrary, Paris felt himself starting to get irritated. Something was wrong.

He stepped back and began to analyze the enemy as he was taught at the academy. After several more attacks, Paris finally managed to figure out the opponent's style.