Page 35

ROYO

CITY OF HALLAN, GAYA

A eri ordered way too much food. There have to be a dozen different plates in front of us, and that’s not counting the banchan.

But we’re at a table that can fit six and we’re the only people in the large dining room of the inn.

Everything looks good, but I don’t got a lot of hope for a tavern without customers.

She catches me eyeing the spread and pauses with her chopsticks in the soup dumplings. “We didn’t have lunch, Royo. And we’re bringing a lot of it upstairs.”

She says it like it’s normal. But nothing about her is.

I like that.

I pick the plate with plum-covered roasted duck and spoon on some oyster noodles, which the server said are a house specialty.

I cut a super small bite and put it in my mouth.

The salty sweetness of the duck hits my tongue, and I immediately reach for my knife.

Either I’m starving or this is actually good.

Aeri eats in that distracted, birdlike way of hers, sampling dish after dish until she figures out which one she likes best.

I keep an eye out for any danger, but it’s real quiet in here and we’re not that suspicious.

If you didn’t know Aeri had two of the relics of the Dragon Lord, you wouldn’t guess.

The neckline of her dress hides her amulet, and she keeps her left hand mostly under the table.

I still wish I had my axe—they made me leave it behind on the boat because it was too noticeable.

I have a dagger, a few knives, and the nunchuka, but it’s not enough.

Not to protect her. A thousand swords and I’d want more to keep her safe.

“What are you thinking about?” she asks, reaching into the bulgogi.

“I want more blades on me,” I say.

She laughs, and the sound echoes in the empty room. “Of course that’s what you’re thinking. This egg custard is really good—it’s sweet.” She points to a bowl with her spoon.

“Mikail has the stick, you have your…things, Sora has poison. It’s all I got.” I shrug and dig into the shrimp fried rice. It’s a little greasy, but rice is good that way.

Aeri tilts her head. “You’re so much more than a blade.”

She says stuff like that, and my heart skips. I actually feel it jump up in my chest. Nobody’s ever seen me or treated me like Aeri.

“I’m glad you were just thinking about axes, though,” she says, helping herself to a piece of scallion pancake. “I thought maybe you were thinking about other things, like gorgeous courtesans or…me.”

“I’m always thinking about you,” I say.

The words are out of my mouth before I can think twice about them. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but it’s the truth.

Aeri’s shoulders droop, and she closes her eyes.

“You okay?” I ask.

She looks at me. “I waited my whole life to find you, that’s all.”

“Aeri…” I ignore the fluttering inside my ribs. I hit my hand to my chest to make it stop. It’s just indigestion—that’s what I’m going with.

“In a strictly-friends way, of course.” She rolls her eyes and sips some water.

But her golden eyes shimmer, and I remember her scent as she kissed me. The craving for her surges through my limbs. I need this strange girl more than I need air. Her right hand rests on the table, holding her chopsticks. I reach out with my palm up.

Aeri drops the chopsticks so fast, they clatter on the table.

Then she slips her hand into mine. I take her fingers, bring them up to my lips, and kiss her hand.

She beams like the Sun God, then gets out of her chair, leans across the table, and kisses me.

Her soft, plump lips mash against mine. That voice in my head yells that this feeling won’t last. She’ll betray me again, or some other thing will happen where she’ll get taken from me.

The good is fleeting and makes you feel worse when it’s pulled away, but the bullshit goes on forever in these realms. I gotta protect myself.

I fail.

I break away first, but I stroke her face. She smiles contentedly as she leans into my palm. But those gold eyes and what she can do come at a cost.

“What happens if you get stuck in time?” I ask. “Really stuck.”

She blinks as she sits back down. “I don’t know. I guess that’s why we’re going to the temple—to try to find out. But I know you’d bring me back, so I’m not too worried about it.”

She shrugs and digs into the glass noodles.

It’s not a promise I can make. I don’t know how I’ve been able to bring her back. But for her, I’ll try anything.

My stomach knots on the good food because I don’t know if trying will be enough.