Page 6 of Tethered Thrones
In translation, he was getting tired. The sun had already set, and for justified reasons, Uncle never kept the lights on for long at night. His gnarled hands probably ached, and I bowed my head in shame.
“Sorry to impose.”
“Never. I welcome every visit from our savior. And don’t dare offer me gold. The protection you give us is more than enough, Sun. It means the world.”
He bowed to me, and I bowed lower, so low that my forehead knocked against the counter. The awkward silence became more oppressive. Impressive, I would’ve thought that impossible.
“Well, guess it’s time to hit the hay,” Bracken blurted out, slapping his knees before he stood, never one to shut up and sit in tension for long.
But for once, I was grateful.
As we got up to leave, Ryota’s unseeing gaze lingered far too long above my shoulder, in the direction Hadi hung from the door with a glare in his black gaze and a snarl on his full lips.
“Be well, Sun. I am always here for you if you need me, son.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, brushing aside the feelings of warmth I always felt to be referred to as Ryota’s son. Sometimes, when my vision swam in the haze of my drunken state, I’d imagine my father’s face on his withered body.
“I will come again once this war is finished,” I said, leaving without another word, followed by my harem.
Little did he know it would come to an end before the frost thawed from the ground.
I just hoped that I could keep my promise.
It didn’t takeus long to reach the inn. There wasn’t much to see at the rest stop, and it was hard to get lost.
And by the time we arrived, I was done thinking, worrying, and strategizing. I needed to be alone with an empty head if I had any hope of filling my hollow heart with something other than dread.
Because this was my future, wasn’t it? Bound to monsters, rejected by humans, in this toxic web of lies, I kept spinning that everything would be normal once I finished my new mission—slaying Emperor Gaulu.
“You’re usually more relentless than this,” Hadi mused as I thrust a bamboo door open to a medium-sized room. Clem and Bracken walked away from us, probably to find larger accommodations, as Clem shot nervous glances behind his shoulder until they disappeared around a corner.
Kiar was nowhere to be seen once we reached the inn—a small blessing. I couldn’t face him after what Uncle had told him.
“Yes, but even warriors must rest. I’m drunk and tired, Hadi,”and I don’t want to arguewent unsaid.
“No, you’re not drunk. Maybe tired, and that doesn’t change the fact this little detour is eating away at precious time. You can rest on my back as we move.”
I signed, turning towards him fully.
“Go first to the springs. I need to lie down for a while. You join the others. We’re staying here tonight.”
Hadi hovered beside me, crouching low so as not to burst through the ceiling of the empty inn.
“Come with us,” he demanded. He was so used to that, it seemed, demanding what he wanted—and getting what he wanted at his command.
But Hadi had met his match in me.
“No,yougo.I’m tired. I just need to rest my eyes for a bit,” I repeated for the last time, moving out of reach of his wandering hands.
Hadi scowled, murmuring something too low to hear.
“It’s better if we stay together,” he tried to reason with me, but there was more in his voice as if he yearned to say something else.
Now, it was my turn to scowl. I didn’t want to play mind games right now, so I relented a bit.
“Fine then. Wait for me if you want, but I’m going to lay down,” I said, turning on my heels.
By the time I settled in the sheets, Hadi’s massive shadow had eclipsed the sliding doors.