Will could not only see the thoughts of the young Alex, but feel what his life must have been like. He floated in the sky above Alex and his sister while they walked to the nearest inn. He could see the young girl"s dress was big on her, even despite it being small. He could see her ribs from being malnourished.Will"s temper was flaring. He had just set up this city. He had made it as a safe haven from the world which enslaved. From the world which killed the elderly and poor.
His mind raced to the day he had met Maya. When the Crimson Knights were about to take her into captivity much the same way that Alex and his sister were now.
His eyes followed the siblings until they went into the entrance to the inn. Then he backtracked to the shelter doors he had seen them come out of.
Will descended from the air to the double doors. The moment his feet touched the ground, he rapped three times on the door.
The sliding panel slid open to reveal two aged eyes. "Do you have crystals?" Mister Avory said mechanically, as he had hundreds of times before.
"No, but I was wondering if I might trouble you for a moment of your time." Will said politely.
"Sorry young man. No crystals, no business." The old man shut the sliding panel.
Will sighed inwardly. If he could help it, he"d want to find a reasonably peaceful end to the business. He saw the old man within Alex"s mind and knew he was kind to him.
Regaining his composure, Will rapped on the door three more times. This time when the old man opened the slit in the door, he produced three empty stones.
"What are we going to do with those?" The old man chided through the door. "Who is going to charge them, you?"
Will raised an eyebrow. With a half smile, he focused on his flame and wind element. They came to life instantly within his hand, the crystals greedily absorbed the power.
The old man"s eyes reflected the storm which played out in the now energized crystals in Will"s hand. "How did you-" he started to question, but Will put his hand up to stop him.
"I think you know how I energized them. There"s only one person alive that can."
"P-prince Ragnos!" The old man stuttered as he hurriedly unlocked the door and swung it open, casting himself to the ground in a bow.
Will casted his eyes into the darkness within, taking in everything he could besides the old man. "Enough of that, Mister Amory. Please get to your feet." He beckoned the old man.
"How?" The old man stopped himself before asking a stupid question. There were only two people that called him Mister Amory instead of the Crystal keeper. "Alex?" He raised his eyes to the Prince.
Will nodded. "This is of no fault of Alex or Lucy, and if I should hear of any punishment being initiated to the two, I will not be lenient." Will didn"t sound harsh, just a.s.sertive. He knew the difference between arrogance and confidence. He didn"t agree with those who abused their positions, nor did he have love for those who looked down on others who they deem "lowly."
"Yes, my Prince." Mister Amory gave a small bow of his head. He had no intention of punishing the two, if he were honest with Will, it was a blessing that he found the location. It broke his heart that a young man and his sister were forced into this situation.
"Would you like to show me around a little?" Will absorbed the energy from the crystals and put them back in his pocket. "I saw some of it within Alex"s mind, but most was dark." Will said truthfully.
The old man"s eyes widened slightly at the thought of Will residing in another"s mind. What if he were to do the same to him?
Will saw the look of panic on the face of the old man and chuckled. "Don"t worry, Mister Amory, I ask permission first." He could see relief replace the panic as the old man bowed once more and beckoned Will forward.
Will silently followed behind the old man as they went down flight after flight of stairs. Will used the memories of Alex walking down the same stairs as reference so he knew he wasn"t being led into a trap. Each twist and turn they took after the stairwell was the same that Alex had taken just an hour prior. The same dimly lit corridors, leading into the large living s.p.a.ce at the end.
Will took in the scene before him with a steel gaze. He saw cot after cot lining the walls, leading to the center of the room. The rows had just about a foot in between the others, and another foot in between the next cot within the row. It reminded Will of the stories Jonathan had told him of his time overseas. Less to no s.p.a.ce, and absolutely no privacy. Will used to shudder at the thought of having to spend a whole year in that living situation. He couldn"t wrap his head around someone calling such a place "home."
"When will the announcer return?" Will asked through gritted teeth as he saw a little girl even younger than Lucy shivering on her cot, trying to sleep.
"Never." Mister Amory waved a hand dismissively. "He has never come to the contestant pit. In his eyes, it"s beneath him."
Will nodded his head slowly as he walked towards the center of the large bay. As he reached it, he lifted his feet from the ground until he was nearly towards the ceiling.
"Everyone, pack your things!" He yelled through the large room. His aura ensured his voice reached every corner of every room within the dark abyss. "Your days of fighting in the pit are over! Come with me and get a job which will pay fair and treat you all as people, instead of dogs to fight in a cage!"
As he levitated at the center of the pit, many people came to him with wonder in their eyes, where others seemed skeptical, yet their curiosity brought them to follow the crowd.
Will turned to Mister Amory with a newfound smile. "You are more than welcome to join us. Alex vouched for you, and I"ve seen your kindness first hand."
Mister Amory nodded his head at Will in grat.i.tude, then Will flew above the heads of the many contestants towards the stairs which lead to the entrance to the dark pit.
As Will emerged with the others from the cramped exit, he looked up to see Leo and Maya floating above them. "Thanks for waiting up." Will said with a smirk. "Did you get the rooms ready?"
Leo rolled his eyes. "If we didn"t, would we be here right now waiting on you?"
Will waited for Maya to chime in, but when he looked at her, he could only see a patient smile on her face. He knew she was waiting for him to finish up with the task at hand. They did have a date after all.