Page 8 of The Freedom You Seek
“I think we will stay there for a few days. It feels right.”
Those three words immediately piqued my curiosity. “Does it, now?” My tone sounded anything but friendly—Antas had once claimed that sarcasm was my love language, and another time he’d joked I was fluent incynicism, whatever he’d meant with that—but my uncle could take it. No shit, he had to, given how he’d tricked me into accompanying him on this journey. Maybe holding on to my grudge over his deception marked me as a resentful bastard, but did I care?
“Yes, Dion. I have a strong feeling something significant is about to occur.”
“I remember you saying the same thing a few weeks ago.”
“That was different.”
“Was it then? Maybe it’s time to accept you were wrong and that all of this is and has been a giant waste of time.”
Antas looked at me as if I’d pissed on his parade. “One day, you will be glad I took you with me on this journey, Dion. Apart from that, you needed some time away from home, and we both know it.”
If Antas wanted me to smile or express any kind of gratitude, he could wait for an eternity. Maybe his motivation was as noble as he claimed, but if he wanted to give me a purpose again, this vague endeavor wouldn’t be the right way to achieve this goal.
Feeling too indignant to talk anymore, I just nodded curtly and concentrated back on the road ahead.
The sun was setting when we arrived in the town Antas had mentioned. It was called Credenta, and there wasnothing special about this place, not really. Credenta was big enough to have halfway decent paved streets instead of dusty sand lanes, and located in the center of the town square was a big marble fountain spitting out clear water. The piece displayed the Holy Triad of the three major gods leading the divine pantheon. Kalag, the god of battle and strength, was holding Immaru, the goddess of all that lived in a protective embrace, while the faceless god of the fates, his name long forgotten in the sands of time, was standing behind the couple. The fountain was a genuine piece of art, and it was surprising to find something so fine in such a backwater village like Credenta.
Also, the air here was fresh, and the people appeared well-nourished and content, telling me this was a wealthier region of Iolesia.
Thain’s mood had undeniably improved, and he was babbling incessantly about everything he’d already discovered. When he’d found the time to talk to a local since we’d arrived was a mystery to me. It must have been while we were sorting out our papers with the town’s guard.
Thain mentioned an upcoming festival, and indeed, the merry townspeople must have commenced their preparations several days ago, considering the number of market stalls blocking most of the free space around the inner town area.
Smiling brightly, Thain tossed his shoulder-length red hair back, winked at a young woman, and received a shy blush from her in return. Of course, he was already flirting with the local population. I went back to ignoring him and concentrated on helping the others with the logistics.
Annoyingly, the first two inns were fully booked because of said festival, and in the next one we could only procure three tiny chambers. Did people really travelherefor atownfestival?How pathetic must their lives be that they desperately craved such a small piece of mind-numbing entertainment? Pathetic.
Before a lengthy discussion could break out, Fig decreed he’d share a room with Ireas, Antas would bunk with me, and Thain would get a chamber of his own. Nobody protested. As much as we all craved privacy, no one was keen on sharing lodgings with Thain because we all didn’t want to be woken up at night and witness him engaged in all kinds of sexual endeavors. I wish I could say it hadn’t happened before—and some things you could never unsee, not even if you washed your eyes with acid. I mean, everyone agreed it was better not knowing what exactly he did with the locals at night, and so Thain was always the first to be considered for a single room.
While the chamber was clean, there was nothing else positive to mention. “I’m not sharingthiswith you, Antas.” I glowered at the tiny cot that seemingly existed only to offend me. “There’s no way we can both fit in this minuscule excuse of a bed.”
“It’s all right, Dion. Take it tonight. I’ll sleep on the floor. Tomorrow we’ll swap or try to find another place to stay.”
Antas had already occupied the limited free space in the small room by setting up his bedroll, and I was almost convinced he’d picked the better place to rest.
I sighed and shrugged before stripping off my leather armor, tunic, and pants. Unsurprisingly, the bedroom didn’t have an attached bathing chamber, and I was too annoyed to go on a scavenger hunt for a place to wash myself tonight. Instead, I folded myself into the poor excuse of a bed and covered as much of my body as possible with the blanket. Of course, that too, wasn’t big enough for me. I growled low in frustration. “Whatever you’re searching for, Antas—I hope we’ll find it soon.”
The only answer I got was a soft chuckle before I forced myself to fall asleep.
My stomach revolted as I cleaned my face and fixed my hair. I tried my best to avoid looking at my reflection—to escape seeing the suffocating choker around my neck.
Just thinking about it tightened my throat, and as I swallowed some bile down, its acidic bite burned.
As soon as I heard the front door opening and multiple voices speaking, I took a few deep breaths.
For a split second, I thought about climbing out the window, no matter how much my back was hurting, no matter the consequences. I could run away and hide in the woods forever. Not that I knew anything about survival orhad the necessary skills for a life like that, but I was almost desperate enough not to care.
But before I could even take one step, my door opened, and my mother’s eyes latched on to me. “Nayana, it’s time. Come with me to the dining room. And don’t forget to behave.” Her voice was soft, and she smiled despite her less than friendly words. No doubt she was already wearing her pleasant mask for my suitor, and I nodded automatically.
I followed her, moving with a slight stiffness as my painful welts and wounds screamed at me. “How could I forget that when father bestowed me with a constant reminder?”
“Don’t ruin everything by being too outspoken.”
I gritted my teeth as I trailed behind her.
“Smile,” my mother hissed at me right before we were about to enter the dining room. I closed my eyes for a second, then tried to put on a small, fake smile and stepped through the door. I was sure I appeared more deranged than happy.