26 Chapter 17

To say I'm surprised when Kent seeks me out would be a lie.

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What does surprise me though is that he doesn't seem angry anymore.

"Please forgive my inappropriate behaviour."

"There's nothing to forgive."

There really isn't.

His anger was not without reason.

"I forgot my place. If this is truly what you wish then I will support you as best I can."

He bows deeply, truly sincere.

"Kent..."

It hurts.

Seeing him like this hurts deep inside.

"You're far more than just a servant, Kent. You know this."

He takes a deep breath but does not straighten out of his bow.

"Whatever else I am means nothing. I should not have let my emotions cloud my judgement. It won't happen again."

It breaks my heart to hear him say these things with such conviction.

"There's nothing wrong with feeling."

He does not meet my eyes as he straightens.

"A shield does not need to feel."

I nearly flinch at those words.

My father's words.

I want to deny it, but I can't seem to form the words.

Taking my silence as acceptance, he bows and makes to leave the room.

I want to stop him.

I don't.

No, what stops him is Adrian rushing into the room and straight into him.

Kent steadies him with sure hands.

"Lee's doing something big!"

I blink.

It takes a moment for my brain to remember the connection between 'Helena' and 'Lee'.

"What exactly is Helena doing?"

Kent stiffens at her name.

Apparently he hadn't made the connection.

"I don't know but dad said to call you. She's been gathering everyone in the common room."

… She was gathering a large amount of people in one place?

That many people in close proximity would be overwhelming even for me.

A quick curse and Kent was practically sprinting from the room.

I follow at a slower pace so Adrian can keep up.

I have to stop and focus on Kent's comforting presence when I enter the common room.

The sheer amount of emotions clamouring for attention was staggering.

Larcen looks the same as ever, if a little concerned, as he leans against the wall.

Helena, however, looks like she's extremely keyed up.

She seems unable to stay still and her hands are trembling.

She's probably having trouble processing the barrage of feelings.

Even Kent's presence wouldn't be able to cancel all of this out to a mid-level.

As I think that, Kent pushes his way through the crowd and to her side.

He lays a hand on her cloaked shoulder almost hesitantly.

It's almost comedic how quickly she stills.

And then she rolls her shoulder back into the touch.

Whereas a Void's presence needs to be focused on to block the feelings of others, their touch…

Their touch is like a drug that provides you with clarity.

If an empath is compelled to seek out and experience the strong feelings of others then that which a Void provides is the strongest.

It chases away the external stimuli and provides a sense of security and comfort that's unparalleled.

It's able to eclipse all but the most intense or intently focused on feelings.

At the same time, though it creates an urge to burrow deeper and draw out the source of said comfort.

To be honest I'm almost surprised that she doesn't fling herself into his arms just to feel more of it after being denied it for so long.

Instead she doesn't even acknowledge Kent's presence.

She just glances at Larcen who gives her a nod.

"Alright. You're probably wondering why I asked all of you to gather here. Well, I have some questions and this seemed like the quickest way to get answers."

People start to whisper amongst themselves.

I even hear a few asking who she thinks she is forcing them to assemble just for her sake.

I feel a prickle of annoyance.

"Silence!"

Larcen's voice rings out clear and they fall silent.

"Helena is our best chance of actually succeeding so it would be best to cooperate."

His voice is low, but full of command.

"You said that about the mage girl too and she's done bugger all."

The voice comes from a man at the back.

Either he doesn't know I'm in the room or he doesn't care.

I'm not sure which is preferable.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Riel holding Arabella back from going over to give the man a piece of her man.

She's turned into a real spitfire, that one.

Kent's hold on Helena's shoulder tightens ever so slightly.

Whether it's out of anger or to reassure her is anyone's guess.

Larcen glares in the direction of the voice and opens his mouth to reply.

Before he can, though, Helena cuts in.

"Actually it was 'the mage girl' who convinced me to help. I wouldn't exactly call that bugger all, but to each their own."

It's strange hearing Helena defend me.

"We don't need you. What can you do that Larcen can't?"

A different voice this time. Closer to the front.

Helena places her hand over Kent's and gives it a quick squeeze it.

Then she slowly removes it from her shoulder and lets it drop.

He doesn't show it, but I know Kent is as taken aback as I am.

Why would anyone choose to feel the animosity aimed at them?

"It's not about what I can do. It's about what we all can do."

She keeps her voice gentle with a hint of steel.

There are a few more whispers but no one directs them at her.

They're all warily awaiting what she has to say.

"To overthrow the King everyone here will need to play a part and each part is crucial. If we win it will not be because of the actions of just one person, no matter how skilled or powerful."

She lets out a bitter laugh.

"When it comes to skill, power and sheer numbers we are outclassed."

Larcen's frown grows deeper as the crowd gets more unsettled.

"So now I ask you this: what is our aim?"

I frown.

"To overthrow the king!"

The response is immediate.

She waves a hand dismissively.

"Yes, yes, but when you say king, do you mean the current king or do you mean the current system? Do we seek to put another on the throne or destroy it altogether? Do we want simply to return things to how they were before his tyranny or do we want to build a new system and way of life from the ashes of the old?"

She sounds almost bored as she asks the questions.

There's much discussion but after a long while someone steps forward.

"We just want to be able to return to a normal life. We don't care how it happens."

Helena nods.

"Alright. On to the next order of business. I'm going to need to know what each of you can do. By show of hands how many of you are trained warriors?"

A number of hands shoot up including Riel's.

Larcen's hand does not.

Helena let's out a sigh.

"And of you, how many have actually been in battle?"

More than half the hands go down - including Riel's.

Another sigh.

"And of the remaining, were those battles against skilled fighters?"

Only a handful of hands remain up.