NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 56: Chapter 51: Trust issue
Hearing it, the boy almost gritted his teeth.
It's a theory quite credible but it's also an idea that Dust doesn't want to hear.
He prefers to think that they are in a very safe place here.
Especially since they are searching the castle away from the group.
If there is danger, shouldn't they go back down instead of going up and up?
The brown haired man gives a weak "Maybe" to his companion while quickening his pace.
They quickly return to the stairs, Suspicious turns to go up under Dust's worried eyes.
-We should come down no? The others must wait for us...
Red shrugs, Dust even seems to hear a chuckle.
-Maybe the danger is downstairs.
He say this in a teasing tone.Like the whole thing is a joke.
The smaller of the two hesitates before finding an arrangement:
-It's the last floor that we search after this we go down, to not worry the rest of the group.
The boy has the impression that his companion in misfortune is making fun of him because he still hears him laughing.
The man places one foot on the step and for the first time the wood creaks.
-If you want.
His answer is light and short.
Dust grimaces, now it's like he's fearful. He is well aware that Red is making him go crazy to scare him. But the possibility of hidden danger...
The wood groans under its weight too.
They pass together in front of the doors, one by one they are opened.
The new corridor seems narrower to him, perhaps everything the other said to him is going to his head because he looks behind him quite frequently.
Just to check.
Everything is empty.
Dust murmurs more to himself than to his acolyte:
-Why so many rooms...
Red advances faster, from time to time his shoulders almost brush against the candles that light their way.
The air current produced agitates the flames.
-Maybe...(the man also whispers, taking his time to articulate his thoughts), many others will join us later.
Their steps intersperse, the boy adapts to Red's rhythm.
If you can't see them, if you can only hear them, then you would think that only one person is upstairs.
He thinks and estimates in his head.
If there are more or less 60 rooms for the left wing and on the right it is the same number that makes an approximate total of 130 rooms per floor.
It is enormous.
The smaller of the two shakes his head as the taller gives him another one of his questioning looks.
Dust squeezes his eyebrows, trying to appear calm:
-You seem...more open to discussion.
There is a moment of hesitation where Red says nothing.
The man stops in front of a door. Similar to all the others.
His hand grabs the doorknob.
His white fingers wrap around the metal, blue veins on his forearm stand out.
Then he turns his head to observe the other more frankly.
His blue eyes reflect Dust's dark silhouette.
It's a bit weird for the boy but at this precise moment, in a flash, the image of Red disfigured, covered in mud, fighting to reach the boat in the swamp comes back to him.
These pupils never seem to shrink under fear or adrenaline, nor blur with despair. It's a black anchor in the middle of the sea. An anchor that will stabilize you in the middle of a storm.
He smilea again, one of his canines touching his thin lip.
-It's normal, Dust, the more time we spend together, the more we survive together, the more trust grows, right?
The boy smiles too, before nodding.
Red opens the door the next second.
Behind there is no room
The two stand there in front of a spiral stone staircase.
They move forward a little more.
The toes of the boy's shoes touch the edge that defines the boundary.
Dust looks down and with the steps sinking into the darkness he remembers the mine, a shiver later he lifts his neck and sees the staircase going higher and higher.
He holds his breath.
His companion speaks again, his voice letting an amused echo spread through the vertical tunnel:
-Well we'll be able to go down like you wanted!
He knows very well that Red is teasing him but, gnashing his teeth, he cannot stop himself from saying:
-I didn't want to use THIS staircase...