Chapter three, Metting the Delta team

After my agreement with the queen, I was escorted, by the always sour Sin, to the front gates. “You’ve got three hours to get what you need and get your butt back here. Got it?”
I nodded to his threat, not really registering it. The main task on my mind right now, was find Eythan, and keeps him safe. I glanced around me, the bright sunlight, a dizzying distraction after my dark encounter with the Queen Putting my worries aside; I walked swiftly along the crowded streets.
The city of Eden, or at least the inner part of the city, was breath taking. White stone buildings line the streets, shops and stores open all day long. Street performers preformed plays, danced, and entertained the people of the city. Anyone else would look at this joyous seen and felt a radiating happiness. But when I look upon it, all I feel is hatred, resentment, envy for what the Light Shifters have, and what little us Shadow Charmers are given. The whole of Eden is best described as a vast labyrinth. The inner circles consist of higher level classes, Light shifters. The outer circles are the majority of the city, taking up about 65% of the entire maze. This is home to the lower classes, to the poor and helpless, to the Shadow Charmers.
With any luck, Eythan would have stayed home since I left. If he had any sense he wouldn’t have dared to leave the house, but then again, this is my brother. The journey home took up most of my time, nearly an entire hour just to get there, leaving me with a little less than that to find Eythan, explain to him what has happened and grab my gear. That would leave me one hour to get to the castle, assuming I remember the way, to avoid having another beating from Sin.
I’ve always been told ‘Treasure what you have.’ but it’s kind of hard to treasure what you have, if that something you have is a small, one story, wood framed home that’s been standing for over seven generations and could collapse at any moment. I didn’t bother to know, or to wait politely for someone to answer the door, simply I pushed open the wood door, seeing how is slightly too small for its frame and walked casually in. The inside of the house was no better than the outside. The floors creaked, the ceiling leaked in spots, the sink was piled with dirty dishes, unable to be washed without running water, and clothes through hap hardly amongst the floor and chairs. And there, passed out in the midst of all this chaos, was my brother, lying atop the clothes that covered the couch. I sighed when I saw not only the one beer bottle in his hand, but the other four empty bottles thrown in disarray on the ground next to him. At first, I thought of simply yelling at him, and then I got a better idea. As quietly as I could, I skulked over to his side, carefully extracting the half full bottle from his hand. He stirred, I froze in mid motion of standing, but by sheer dumb luck, he rolled over, still in slumber.
I almost snickered to myself as I held the bottle over his head, thinking, Sorry Eythan, but this is what you get for drinking my beer. A wide mischievous grin grew across my face as I slowly tilted the bottle a bit, a few drops sliding down its neck to the lisp, hanging there, ready to drop. But I was getting a bit inpatient, and being the impetuous bastard I was, I tilted the bottle farther, letting the whole of its contents spill out over my brothers exposed face. As soon as the lukewarm liquid came down upon him, he shot straight up, a sharp scream echoing through the house, his limbs flying in a befuddled manor as he spurted the alcohol from his lips.
“w-what the hell!” he managed a shout as he wiped his face on a nearby shirt.
“I simply chuckled and walked to the other side of the room. “ Stay out of my stuff; you’re too young to drink.”
“By a year!” he protested, watching me as I grabbed my bag from the corner and began shoving clothes and food into it. “Going somewhere?” he asked, his voice taking a more serious tone now.
“Yeah,” I grumbled as I zipped up my pack and slung it across my back. “I’ll be gone for a month or two, maybe more. Until I get back, stay safe, and don’t be an idiot.”
Eythan glared at me, dark masses gathering around him. “So what, you’re just going to walk out and leave me alone like dad did!” He accused, picking up one of the empty bottles by the neck.
“I am nothing like him!” I growled, not meaning to raise my voice. “He left and he couldn’t care less about us! I would never do that and you know it, everything I do, I do for you!”
“That’s a lie!” he shouted back, throwing the bottle at me. “You’ve always kept me on a chain, done what’s best for yourself, what benefited you the most!” he picked up another bottle. “What? You get tired of having to watch me, of having to look out for your own family?”
“Eythan shut up!” I just barely dodged the bottle, and didn’t see the other one he hurled at me until it shattered against my arm. I bit back my scream, my insults, my rage, and simply held the wounds. The blood seeped through my fingers, staining my shirts sleeve.
“Get the Hell out, and don’t come back.” my brother said harshly. The words stung, and I want nothing more to tell him everything, but I couldn’t, if I did and Sin found out, then we were both dead.
“I’m sorry Eythan.” Were the last words I said to him before I left? At least, I thought, I won’t regret what I said to him.
The walk back to the castle was agonizing. Besides the constant throb of pain I had in my side and chest, my vision was beginning to blur in and out from blood loss. I had tried to keep pressure on as many of the cuts and nicks as I could with one hand, but the glass had dug in farther then I had thought. By the time I reached the iron gates, back to my hellish future, I could barely stand, hardly walk straight, and my head was pounding. Lucky me Sin wasn’t there when I got back, but someone else was. It was hard to tell who at first, but by the time I came close enough to see, she was already walking toward me, he dark hair bouncing slightly as she came closer. She caught me in her arms as I fell, but instantly I pulled away, standing on my own again.
She looked at me; her eyes expressionless as she took me into her arms again to give me support and lead me into her home. This time I couldn’t resist, I needed the help, no matter how bad I didn’t want it. I closed my eyes for a bit, it was less straining on them that way, and let her guide me where ever it was we were going. When I looked again, she was pushing me down, having my sit on a small bed, in a room much like the one I was in the first time I met her.
“Where am I?” I asked, watching her as best as I could as she pulled blurred objects from a bag she had with her.
“Be quiet, you were thirty minutes late, and besides that now I have to clean up your Arm.” she sighed and looked over at me. “Take your shirt off.”
I looked at her for a long moment before doing as she said. “What are you doing?” I asked, hoping she would answer this question.
“I, being the only Darn healer in the castle, have to fix you up for your mission.” she said with a sneer. She sounded like her brother right now, arrogant and hateful.
“I’m sorry.” I said, closing my eyes again. I could hear her moving around, coming closer, but I was too tired to look. When the damp cloth was placed on my bloody arm, I flinched at the unexpected coldness of the water, and she placed a hand on my shoulder to keep me still. I swallowed hard, turning my head to where she was busily cleaning my cuts and peeked at her. Her gaze was focused on her task, not even trail up to glance at me. For some reason, she seemed so familiar to me, as if we had met some how long ago. Absent mindedly, I shook my head at the thought and drew her attention to my face rather than my arm
“What is it?” she asked, her voice softening to what I remember it being when I first saw her. She picked up a piece of white fabric from beside her and began to wrap it around my arm, not tight enough to hurt, but just enough to keep the wounds sealed.
“Nothing, just thinking.” I said, looking at the bloody glass shards next to her. I didn’t even notice her pulling them out.
She nodded, her fingers gripping a longer, wider piece of cloth. I watched her stand slowly, moving to my other side with one end of the bandage clutched in her hand. She worked fast, but gently to wrap my chest and side. Her hand went palm down against my bare chest, her touch so delicate, it made me shiver. That hand held the one end of the bandage against me, the other hand pulled and tightened as she spun the white fabric around me.
I flinched at the tightening, the wrap constricting about me like a serpent. “ can you tell me what Delta is?” I asked. It was stupid of me to agree to be apart of something when I didn’t even know what it was, but I had no choice at the time.
“ you don’t know?” she asked sounding slightly surprised. She finished with my wounds, tying the cloth off nice and tight. When I shook my head to her question she continued, “ Delta was a unique military force consisting of only four members. Their skill were unmatched even to Unit and their sole duty was to provide protecting for the Queen.” she sat down next to me, her hand running over my injured side, adding pressure in some places and making me flinch. “ It was only a few years ago, that the team was disbanded due to a rumor that one of them was selling secrets to the Northern Kingdom. All four members were publicly hanged for the crime.” she sighed, her hand dropping into her lap.
I looked over at her, instantly feeling as if something I had done had upset her. “ something wrong?” I asked, almost reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder, but I stopped myself.
“ No.” she replied coldly. She rose from her seat next to me and gathered up her supplies. “ go straight down the hall, and take a left. You’ll come across a courtyard with the others waiting for you.” she walked to the door.
But before she could leave without another word to me, I jumped up, locking her path. “ wait!” My voice was urgent, probably more so then I had intended
“ what is it?” she asked impatiently. Her eyes were like daggers, cutting deep into my own.
“ I-I just wanted to thank you.” I said stepping out of her way, but I held her gaze. “ for helping me earlier, even though you said you weren’t soused to.”
Her eyes seemed to soften for the ghost of a second, making me question if I really saw it. She nodded, stepping out of the room, though her voice lingered for me to hear; “ You’re welcome.”
I stood completely still after hearing that, everything seemed to just stop, sounds faded away as if I were hearing them from underwater, my vision blurred, everything seeming to darken and spin. My mind plaid those words over and over again, but above that, I could hear my heart beating, my blood rushing through my body. This lasted for what seemed hours before I returned to normal. I shook my head clearing my thoughts and having no Idea how long I had really been standing there.
Cautiously, I stepped out the door after grabbing my bag, and kept one hand on the wall, not trusting myself not to fall. What were the directions she told me? I asked myself in my head, trying to remember anything but her final words. Go straight and take a right? “ No, go left.” I mumbled aloud as I turned the corner and continued down the corridor. I kept my eyes on the ground as I walked, trying to keep my mind focused on what she had told me about Delta.
Within a few moments, I heard voices that jolted me out of my dazed thoughts. One I recognized right away as my tormentors’, but the other ones, they were new. I looked up as I came upon the courtyard, soft green grass grew up around the grey stone pathways that formed a beautiful design through the sunlit outdoor Garden. White roses grew up along the walls in the corners, and lavender flowers bloomed around the sides, giving the area a light, pleasant scent.
There were three people standing in the middle of the courtyard, one being Sin, the other two complete strangers. None of them took notice of my presence, so I took advantage of the opportunity to examine the other to as best as I could. Sin was talking to one of them, a young man, about Eythans’ age. His hair was cut short, not even as long as mine and was a soft, violet-blue. It shone in the sunlight, so that its already pale color was made to look nearly white. His eyes, were a stunning silver, so dazzling they almost seemed to glow, but there was something odd about them. They looked distant, unfocused. And even as he appeared to be staring right at me, or rather past me, he didn’t register I was there. This mans features were sharp, handsome and unlike that other members of Unit, who were made to be clean shaven, he had a slight pale stubble on his chin and jaw, not much, and it made him look like an even younger man trying to grow his first beard. His uniform was much like Sin’s, the basic outfit for Unit members, except instead of it’s base color being white, it was a dark Smokey grey.
The other stranger was a woman, older then me, yet she looked very young, very youthful. Her faces was round, her pale skin framed by dark blond hair the fell down to her shoulders, the back half of it swept up in a clip. She wore an orange, sleeveless top that cut off at her ribs, the edges lined with zippers. He skirt was obsidian black, hanging down to her knees. Her long legs were just as pale as the rest of her, her boots were cut at the ankles, had slight heels and zipped up on the sides. She looked over at me once she noticed I was watching her. Those cold brown eyes burned through me, forcing me too look back at Sin, who also noticed I was here now.
“ Well look who decided to show up.” he sneered at me. “ Delta one, Demytrii Rekar.” he pointed at me, and the other two looked at him, well the girl looked at him while the other made just stared forward.
“ He’s Delta one? He’s our leader?” she exclaimed to the Unit leader. She glared at me again, “ He’s a Darn Shadow Charmer!”
“ I know that Liekiel!” he growled at her. The woman instantly stepped back and bowed her head. Sin shot me a death glance and turned to the silver eyes man. “ Delta two, Rece Snake.” he looked back at the woman now. “ And Delta three Liekiel Wilt.”
My eyes glanced over them. Light shifters, I’m leading a team of Light Shifters? “ Sin..” I said, standing straight and looking around. “ I was told this would be a team of four, yet I only see three of us?”
Sin looked at me with such a stare I felt as if he were ripping my heart out right then and there. “ well smart butt, if you would hold on a moment.” he looked at the other two, his eyes softening. “ Delta four goes by the name of Aurico Lunic. He is unable to travel to us, so you three must go to Urysic and retrieve him.
“ Urysic? isn’t that a sector of D-District prison?” I asked, my mind whirling with the thought of recruiting a prisoner, but then again, wasn’t I one as well.