The World of Rhune

“What do you—hmm…you’re right,” Haazar mused, but his eyes stranded back to Beoa and Ivy before staring at Klea again. Mae kept her eyes trained upon the younger girls, but strained her ears to listen to every move Klea made. If both she and Haazar looked at Klea, they’d make a spectacle with the other guardians. “Since the closer the appointment is, the more people seem to look at the clock, I say she’s going to be going somewhere at three.” Mae stared again at the sole path leading into the castle, and found just a guard trotting about the perimeter. Her eyes gazed up to Haazar, an amused expression upon her face though it was the opposite of her inner feeling. Her eyes asked Haazar what he thought. The other guardian shrugged, then pounced forwards to snatch one of the metal toys from being stepped on, and consequently hurting the foot’s owner. “Here, Beoa, be careful not to sit or step on anything. It hurts.” Haazar pressed the object into Beoa’s chalky skin, and stood back into place. Beoa smiled slightly, and dropped her other figure and started to play with the piece nearly stepped on. “I agree, but who? Where is probably the better question, and how?” Mae rolled her eyes at Haazar, why did she always have to answer the question? “She’ll probably wait until two forty-five when we take the girls outside for the warmest hour. It would be easier for her to beg a guardian then, easier for someone to meet her, or easier to play hide-and-go-seek and then get ‘lost’. I’m betting on the last, because she’s helped the other girls strike up a habit of playing that game first.” Mae breathed in, but she watched Zepher glide over to herself and Haazar, his eyes trained readily upon the girls. “Why the irrational conversation? And you know I know what I’m talking about, because you two are talking, instant sign.” Zepher let an airy grin show into his features, but it slipped away as fast as it had come. “Well, you see—” Mae started, “Mae rehashed last night’s, erm, last night and well she started speaking and well, I called her stupid because she couldn’t transfer her thoughts into her face, and then she called me a…knowing Mae we don’t really need to repeat that one, and well” Haazar’s eyes dropped to the floor, letting Zepher fill in the rest of the story himself. Mae glared at Haazar, making it seem like she was mad, and she felt the slight tingle at the ‘stupid facial expression’ part, because that man had persecuted her in the beginning for so long. Zepher rolled his eyes, and punched Haazar’s forearm. “Quit playing stuff on Mae. I have to travel with her for the next two weeks, and I don’t want a shrew as a companion. And Mae,” he gave her his signature stare that even made her stomach knot slightly. “Do you really want the princesses to be hearing anything? If they repeat that, you’ll be sold out and get to wear that popular wooden block.” Zepher spun on his heels and walked quickly with a commanding stride. No less than his usual. Mae glanced at Haazar, Nice lying and he nodded his head barely. She glanced up at the clock, two forty four, with seconds to go before the hand clicked into forty five. “Princesses,” she paused, taking up seconds, “Its time to go outside, let’s get ready, shall we?” Mae’s voice cause Klea’s eyes to flutter up to the clock, and a slight joyous expression crossed her face before it was quickly hidden. Her eyes glanced around like a criminal, and she went to dress in her furs. “Yes, she is definitely hiding something,” Haazar whispered next to Mae before walking off to his next post.