Eight days later.
I stare out the window, but see nothing but my own face staring back at me.
The nights here in the Azure Province are long and cold, snow falling ever since we arrived a few days ago. We decided this would be the best place to flee to, hidden in the back of a freight train that Tai smuggled us onto. We almost didn't survive the cold, but we had both agreed this Province would be the last place Marek would look.
It's too obvious.
The door opens from behind me, the heavy wood creaking on it's metal joints. Glancing over my shoulder, I watch Tai walk in, wearing the ons woolen coat we were able to buy at a small price from a lady who also guided us to this abandoned cabin. She didn't ask any questions, despite all the blood dried on my person.
"This should be enough wood for tonight," Tai notes, breath billowing around him as he kicks his shoes against the door frame, sending stray snow dancing about. "A blizzards setting in."
I note the pile of wood in his hands, wrapping my cardigan around myself more. When we first arrived we had nothing more than the clothes on our back. Yesterday I braved the cold to search for a job in the local village, just down the hill from our old, abandoned cottage, and managed to be successful. A clothes washing service decided I was worthy enough. After my first shift today I managed to take home a few spare items that hadn't been collected in weeks. No one working there seemed to mind.
"Will this place even stand up against it?" I ask uneasily, looking up at the supporting beams that already creak in protest to the rising winds outside.
Tai dumps some extra logs of wood by the fire, dusting himself off. "It should be fine."
I haven't had time to sit down and think about our reality since we arrived. We've done so much running, felt so much fear...Now that we are far enough away to feel safe, I'm consumed with nothing but numbness. I figure the anger, the shock will sink in later, when my mind and body are ready to embrace it. But right now, I don't want to admit that I've trusted all the wrong people, I've allowed myself to be completely manipulated.
"We haven't talked much...About what's next," I say softly, watching Tai prod the fire gently, staring into it. The betrayal on my end doesn't compare to his. Vaia, his own sister has taken away his throne, his entire life.
"A need a week or so to recover, to wrap my head around it all and find a solution," he sighs, glancing at me. The golden light of the fire plays in the darkness of his pupils, the green surrounding it muted and cold, enough to match our cruel surroundings.
I bite the edge of my lip, careful with my next words. "We need to get to your father."
"He will have been alerted and will be dealing with it, hopefully," Tai murmurs, although his skepticism doesn't glide by so easily. It's quite possible his father will be unbothered by this event. "But yes, you're right."
Tai finally sits back, resting on the wooden floor. Everything about him that was once defined by his role as King has vanished. His attire suits that of a commoner, his hair an unruly mess of curls, skin sallow and tinted with shadows, especially around his eyes. Yet he remains determined, unflinching. I doubt this has done much more than shaken him; we will get through this in time.
"Right now we should wait. They will be hunting us," I comment. Tai has also been looking for work, to gather enough money for us to survive out here. He hasn't been as lucky as I have been on that front.
"I won't let them hurt you," he says darkly, the intensity of his gaze making me shudder. "I made that mistake once."
"Do you think they will send Marek to hunt us?" I ask, although I already know the answer.
Marek is their best option to find us. That's likely why Vaia convinced him onto her side in the first place: for his skills. I doubt we will be able to stay here for very long, the threat of being found a reality we are going to have to face each waking moment. But for now, up here in this remote village, I doubt he will find us for some time. Even with his skills and power.
"Most likely. He won't find us though, not up here," Tai affirms, the surety in his voice coaxing the tension from my stomach. It's been in a mess of knots since we left.
"I had no idea he would do something like this," I say softly, staring down at my hands. Marek gave me no indication that he was on the rebel side, likely feeding them information on me. "He gave me no real hints."
The only hint I received was that he demanded I stay in my room that night. Now, I realise, he wanted to ensure my whereabouts during the whole ordeal. Perhaps he planned to lock me in there, or to kill me himself. His heartlessness has been revealed to me, leaving me to wonder what lengths he would have gone to ensure the rebel cause enacted its final goal.
Tai shrugs, licking his lips, painting them in a glossy sheen that reflects the light of the growing fire. "He's an excellent manipulator. I don't blame you for falling under his spell."
"I just want to know why he did it," I admit. I'll be wondering that forever, it seems. I have no intention of seeing that man again.
"He probably wanted power, and they offered him that," Tai mutters. The anger in this tone is painfully evident, and for once, I don't blame him for it. How could he not be angry? "Now, stop worrying about him. We have to concentrate on how we are going to get to my father's without being detected."
"We need money," I say blandly.
"Everything we do must be under different names. Marek will be hunting us at a quick pace. My men said he was the most adept hunter they had seen," Tai says, staring off into the fire.
I shiver, not doubting that. Will he take Tai away and give me mercy? Or does he hate loose ends and would rather kill me to end it all. Did he ever even love me? That bothers me the most, knowing he may never have even desired me, that he was playing a game with my heart the entire time. Vaia suggested she sent a rebel to speak to him...Was that recently or from the beginning? Only Marek would be able to tell me, but I have no interest in ever believing him.
"I'll kill him myself if I have to," I growl lowly, surprised at how much I mean that. If he wants to get to Tai, he has to get through me.
"Killing him would be near impossible," Tai reminds me solemnly. He's right. We don't know what Marek's power is, and even if it wasn't much, he is still a strong man who has been trained in physical skills. "Plus, I don't think you could do it."
I know what he is referring to, his gaze hot as he addresses me. I look away, shrugging casually.
"Maybe not," I breathe. "I should get some sleep."
Getting to my feet, I look into the next room where our beds are set up. It's just a bunch of blankets I brought back from the laundry-house. It will have to do for now, since we have no money and may have to flee at any point.
"Hey, Akara," Tai says gently, grabbing a hold of my arm for a moment. "I'm happy that despite all of this, I'm here with you. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
I smile. Right now, Tai is the only one I can trust. And I'm perfectly okay with that.
ð§¡â¢â¢ð§¡
Hey guys! I want to thank you all so much for the support you having given me while I've written this novel.
This has been a passion project of mine for awhile now, so it's bitter sweet to see it end.
However I've been writing the sequel on Radish and I've got so many exciting plans for the book! You can now go read the first chapter of King's Seduction on Wattpad now, or read ten chapters ahead on Radish (:
Again, thank you all, I love and appreciate every single one of you (:
~Midika ðð¼