The Crown of Spheres

߷ C H A P T E R - S E V E N T E E N ߷

C H A P T E R   S E V E N T E E N:

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The next morning, Privi wasn't the only one aching and in pain.

Both my eyes were bruised and swollen, my lip was split, and my throat had turned blue where Calder had wrung my neck. I could barely speak, so all I could do was simply stare back when all conversations hushed as I entered the living, social type area under the deck.

Nahm pulled out a seat for me at the rickety table. I avoided looking at Atlas as he lounged on a rough looking couch on the other side of this rectangular room. "Coffee?"

"Mm," I hummed back. All that screaming from last night... I just really shouldn't have done.

"I'm not going to ask you to explain what happened last night," Nahm murmured, "but just answer this for me, please... Are we going to be hunted?"

I looked over at him, breathing carefully as I held his stare.

"I see," he replied quietly, "I spoke with Atlas last night after you retired. We came to an agreement that you can seek refuge in Solaria, but... I'll have to return to Aruna to make some arrangements, so you'll be on your own for some time."

"What about Privi?" I asked, forcing the words out but I sounded so hoarse Nahm visibly winced.

"I need to speak with her still, but she would be safer if she returned to her family in Eyrthan. They can offer her protection I can't, protection the Solarian Monarchy won't offer."

"Wh... why won't they?"

"She is not Royalty, Nynia." Nahm murmured, keeping his head down. "I negotiated for as much as I could."

"Negotiated?" I whispered, pressing my hand to my throat. It felt threadbare and dry. "I thought... you two... were friends."

"Friends can mean a lot of things, Nyn. But at the end of the day, everything comes down to politics. Especially with us, especially now." He ran his hand through his hair but it only flopped back into his eyes, parting naturally in the middle of his skull. He'd leant forward now, hunched over his mug of coffee like he was exhausted. I hadn't heard anyone enter the bunks last night even in the fleeting moments where I was awake between snoozes. The storm had continued to rage until an hour ago, and from here I could hear birds squawking up ahead. Probably in search of fish.

"Good morning," A voice that was growing familiar then said. Atlas sat down on my right, his golden hair looking silkier than ever as it fell across his forehead and brushed against his thick, dark eyebrows.

"Good morning," I replied, noticing the way his eyebrow cocked at the sound of my voice. Nahm bowed his head and looked down into the steaming mug of dark liquid.

"Those are some nasty injuries," he continued, "there is a healer aboard if you'd like to see one."

"No, I'm okay," I whispered, feeling my heart pulsing as I watched him lean his elbows on the table. The serpent tattoos that snaked around his forearms stared up at me, and they seemed a little too realistic for my liking. I could've sworn one of them was slightly further up, too... with its mouth having not been open over the top of his hand, but instead over his wrist. It's fangs looked so sharp it made my skin prickle with unease.

"If you say so," he mused. "I thought I'd share the updates with both of you, now that you're here, Nynia." The way he said my name made my skin prickle once more, but for an entirely different reason. One that made my cheeks flush. "We're heading towards Plasso Bay where we can dock and gather some more supplies. Kalina is going to send word ahead to let my mother know the plan we agreed on, Nahm, then it's probably best if you part ways there."