Page 3 of The Freedom You Seek

“You can roll your eyes all you want, but I met a traveling merchant a few days ago who saw something really curious.”

I tried to appear serious, intending to enjoy the tale Rewi was about to spin—one that the merchant had probably made up when he was drunk.

“He was on his way to Kalcas, and about half a day into his travels, he saw the air shimmering by the side of the road. He didn’t think too much of it, but as he was passing by, the fabric of reality suddenly tore open for a handful of seconds, and he spotted weird vegetation behind it, with trees and plants he’d never seen before. It looked like another world. That’s how he described it.” Rewi’s eyes glistened with excitement.

“I’m pretty sure your merchant was drunk. Or he wanted to impress you to get under your skirts.”

“Naya!”

My face fell when I saw Rewi blushing furiously. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“Well, apart from being open-minded to the mysteries of our world, he was also handsome and skilled with his hands and tongue too. Not like our village boys.” She grinned, and I fell silent.

Rewi had a lot of experience with men—good for her—and often enjoyed meeting travelers for casual sex. That was another difference between her and me. Sure, I’d had some stolen kisses and a few clumsy secret encounters filled with hurried touches, but never anything as remarkableas my friend often described. Secretly, I wondered if she was exaggerating. But what did I know?

Luck was on my side—I was spared from having to answer when we arrived at the market area, and I had to concentrate on my shopping list. I didn’t know why, but a little voice in my head told me that today was the wrong day to upset my mother.

“Don’t look, Naya. Bryon just turned around. He’s looking at you.”

My eyebrow raised all by itself. Bryon was back? Why hadn’t I heard anything about his return?

I couldn’t help but feel giddy at the news, and I sneaked a glance over at Bryon, who was helping to set up a booth for the upcoming festival.

I’d always had a crush on him, and I’d spent quite some time during my teen winters pining for him. Nothing had ever happened between us, especially since I hadn’t been the only one of our peers who’d liked him, and my younger self had been very shy. It’d all ended a few winters ago when he’d left Credenta to serve in the Ivreian army.

And I’d missed that Bryon was back home. Discreetly ogling him, I had to admit he’d changed. He looked different, more masculine. His dark blond hair was cropped shorter than I remembered, and the beard growing along his jaw was new. After some deliberation, I decided it suitedhim. His kind eyes were soft and brown like chocolate, and his once thin body had transformed into a muscular one.

“Nobody told me Bryon was back. When did he return?” I turned to Rewi, realizing we’d come to a stop.

“Oh, he was injured in the line of duty and retired with honors. His mother told my father he received a medal of bravery from the royal family.”

Trust my best friend to know everything. She wasn’t known as the town gossip for nothing. Then again, it was easy for her to pick up all the details, as she was the mayor’s daughter and had a tendency to eavesdrop. “Sounds like a big deal. Makes me wonder why he returned to Credenta. If I could freely pick where to go, I wouldn’t stay here. Orreturnhere.”

Rewi made an urgent hand gesture, and I frowned at her. Then she shrugged, amusement dominating her expression.

“Talking about me, Naya?” Bryon’s voice sounded different compared to how I remembered it, but it was similar enough for me to instantly know it was him. Amusement dripped from his words.

I whirled around, almost dropping my basket in the motion, and my cheeks heated up. I hated blushing at the slightest opportunity, but I had yet to figure out how to stop the blood from rushing to my face.

“Bryon!” Maybe I answered a little too loudly in a desperate attempt to cover my embarrassment. Could it be that my crush had only been dormant, not gone while he’dbeen away? “Rewi just told me you suffered an injury in some heroic deed?”

“Ah, she’s exaggerating. I guarded the coach transporting Queen Anneria to the royal summer residence in Etrita. There was an ambush, and I got injured while doing my duty of defending the crown. Nothing to make a fuss about.”

I smiled at him. No one would blame him for being proud after being wounded while protecting someone he barely knew. “So you retired with honors and came back to Credenta?”

“Of course. I like it here.”

“Even compared to Ivreiana?”

“Especially compared to the capital.”

I couldn’t pretend that I understood. All I’d seen in my life was this small town and a few neighboring villages. Just as I longed to understand our world’s history, I wanted to see more. Sadly, I knew it was unlikely I’d be able to explore other countries in this lifetime.

Bryon suddenly lifted his hand. “Wait here, I—” Instead of finishing his sentence, he hurried back to the half-finished booth he’d been busy building until we’d come along. I noticed he had a slight limp in his left leg, so his injury must have done some permanent damage.

Rewi looked as curious as I was as to why he’d left us standing, and both of us kept our eyes on Bryon.

When he reached the festival stand, he crouched down before standing up again, and when he returned to us, his hands were hidden behind his back.