Bʀᴏᴋᴇɴ Hᴀʀᴍᴏɴʏ || Tʜᴇ Cʜᴏsᴇɴ Eɪɢʜᴛ: Fᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Bᴇᴀsᴛs Bᴏᴏᴋ Oɴᴇ

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ || ᴢʜᴏɴɢ

Sasha

"Hey, Zay?" I wandered into our room.

She was seated on the floor, cross legged beside the bed. Her eyes were closed, breath even.

"We've got a message from Tyler," I sank onto the bed. Delar lifted his head from the blanket and blinked slowly at me. I stroked his ears.

"What's it say?" Zay asked without opening her eyes.

I unfolded the letter and cleared my throat. "Dear Sasha and Zay, Tazi tells me you've been travelling Zhong to help restore it to its former glory. Unfortunately I have to ask you to leave this quest behind and return to Greenhaven. I can't specify why in this letter, but I am reassembling the team for a mission. Best wishes and greatest apologies, Tyler."

It was quiet for a moment as Zay processed. "'Greatest apologies,'" she laughed. "He writes that as if we weren't the most troublesome pair he dealt with for a whole year."

I grinned as well. "He went a bit overboard with the formalities, huh?"

"Just a bit." Zay stood, stretching her legs. Olraz hissed as he wound around her shoulders. "He doesn't specify when he wants us back, does he?"

I shook my head. "Probably as soon as we can."

"Well, last I heard, there's a boat leaving for Greenhaven this afternoon." Zay leaned over and stole a kiss.

I raised a brow. "And why do you know that?"

She shrugged. "I like to know these things."

"Hmm." I stole another kiss from her. "I'll write to my father to let him know we're leaving."

"Tell him I said hello." She reached over and scratched Delar under the chin, then headed off, presumably to start packing.

~

We stood in the lineup to board the ship. Delar had gladly gone passive as soon as he saw the huge crowd and the glittering blue water, but Olraz had stayed out. Zay liked to have him out most times. Xavier's old tattoo had since faded, the lines barely visible. But I saw the way Zay rubbed her fingers over them, tracing them almost religiously.

She was doing it, even now. I reached over and gently took her hand. She startled at that, then glanced over and sighed. "Sorry."

"It's okay." I shrugged it off. "I just wanted to hold your hand."

She smiled at that.

I glanced forward. There was something distinctly familiar about this. The anticipation, the worry. The feeling of Zay at my side.

As if she'd read my thoughts, Zay squeezed my hand. "Do you think the others will still be the same?" She asked.

Do you think they're still our family?

The silent question hung between us for a moment.

"I bet Sabien and Navia are still head over heels for each other." I chuckled finally. "And I'm pretty sure Lucia and Niko were travelling around Nilo for a while. So maybe they finally got together."

Zay frowned. "Really? I thought they were staying in Eura."

"Either way, they're together, right?" I shrugged. "Anyway, I bet Greenhaven looks the same."

Neither of us dared to mention Tazi. I remember the last time we'd seen him. He'd been furious when we told him we were leaving. He'd heard of Lizzie's disappearance and was set on finding her and making her pay.

Maybe before everything, I would've joined him in his wild quest for vengeance. But not anymore. I'd grown up.

So we'd left.

"Tyler is probably the same." Zay reflected, breaking the tense moment. "He's too old to change."

I laughed out loud at that. "Zay!"

"Hey!" She grinned. "I'm not wrong."

"I'll tell him you said that." I teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. But if I'm right, you owe me."

"Owe you what?"

She shrugged. "Ten silvers."

I gawked. "What?!"

She laughed again. "Kidding. I'll just get bragging rights." She winked and pulled me along as we finally started to board the boat.

We secured our belongings in one of the cabins and returned to the deck. The voyage would take two days at most, but neither of us wanted to be crammed below with the others. There were a handful of Greencloaks that I knew on the boat, having worked on the restorations with them.

But none, of course, that I knew as well as Zay.

Or I should hope not, seeing as she is my girlfriend. Oh yeah, we made it official about four months ago. We'd spent a month apart, Zay working in Stetriol and me staying with my father.

But we'd returned to Greenhaven after that month, missing each other, and we'd decided to continue working restorations together. Zay needed a break from the emotional stress of working in her home country, and so I got to make good on the promise I'd made to bring her back to Zhong.

We'd stayed with my father for a few weeks before travelling on our own, visiting small and big cities alike to help the people.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Zay drew me from my thoughts.

"Hmm?" I glanced down, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Just about the last year. I wonder what the others have gotten up to."

"Me too." She rested her head on my shoulder. Her hair, which had grown out of its originally short buzzcut, barely tickled my chin.

I smiled. "Hopefully we'll get to ask them."

"Well, knowing Niko and Lucia, we won't be the last ones there, at least." Zay said drily.

I chuckled. I'd come to appreciate her playful teasing and dry humour. "You think Sabien and Navia will beat us?"

"Please." She rolled her eyes. "They'd be early to their own wedding."

I shook my head at that. She wasn't wrong.

"Sash, what do you think this mission is?" Zay changed the subject.

I sighed. "I don't know. But it's never anything good, is it?"

"No." She agreed darkly. "It never is."

I reached over and covered her hand with my own on the railing. Her pale fingers disappeared entirely beneath my large, calloused palm. "But whatever it is, we'll face it together."

"Like we always do." Zay whispered.

30/05/21
oop two chapters in as many days??? y'all do be gettin spoileddd
anyway here ya go!!
zasha cuteness (i'm going with that for their ship name– what do y'all think?)
anyway enjoy and stay safe my lovelies!! xx