Bound By Chains (MxM)

Chapter Thirty-Four

It took about five hours before the medication I was under, wore off. By that time, Cayden had left to figure out how to get the both of us out of here, and while I was worried for him, I knew he wouldn't deliberately get himself caught. Not if he could help it, at least.

That left me all alone in this drab room with nothing to do but mindlessly worry and stare up at the ceiling. Sure, the drugs had worn off, which meant that, theoretically, I could move...but did I want to risk it? Cayden had said the arrow had severed my spine in two, surely two days and a few hours weren't nearly enough to heal a wound that grievous, right? Then, even if it were healed already...I admit, I was a bit hesitant to try my luck and move, and so, I spent the better part of the day just counting the lines in the ceiling.

Sighing, I turned my head towards the window, which allowed the warm vibrant light of the sun to illuminate the place. As I had mentioned previously, there wasn't really much in this room. A simple desk and chair in the corner, a small bed, a latrine and a simple nightstand which held a small candle. So, it must have been incredibly cheap to stay here, else Cayden and I wouldn't have been able to rest for as many days as we had. Then again...where had Cayden gotten the money to pay for such accommodations? Even one as cheap as this? It wasn't like either of us had any money on our person, so how did he manage to secure us a room?

I nibbled at my bottom lip, suddenly feeling a little anxious and unnerved. Did he steal the money from Ilikas when he...he killed him? But Cayden said he hadn't been in his right mind, surely money was the last thing he was thinking about. Could he have, though?

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard what sounded like a commotion outside, which inevitably caused my heart to beat wildly against my chest as worry began to claw at my gut. What was going on? Surely Cayden wasn't the cause of such a ruckus....right?

I held my breath, warring with myself if I should get up or stay in place and hope that Cayden was alright. However, eventually my morbid curiosity was on full alert and with a deep, shaky breath, I grabbed ahold of the bedpost next to me and pulled myself to my feet. Luckily, I had already been put in a semi-seated position, so to get to my feet was easier than it would have been, had I been laying down.

But it was painful. As soon as my full weight was being supported by my legs, I could feel the sharp pain that pierced from the center of my back, flowing to the tips of my fingers, down to my toes. I gritted my teeth, sweat starting to form on my brow, and with slow, supported steps, I made my way to the window, making sure I didn't trip on my own feet. It was quite a journey for me, despite the window only being two feet from the bed. Not to mention, it exhausted me and by the time I was able to lean on the wall by the window, I was out of breath.

Gritting my teeth, I shakily peered out on the streets below, my heart loud in my chest as I tried to ascertain what the commotion was all about. There was a large group about forty feet from the front of the inn, and from the looks of it, it seemed to be a dispute between a merchant and a customer, and thankfully, it didn't look to be Cayden.

A sigh of relief left me as I fully leaned against the windowsill, my strength almost gone as I prepared myself to journey back to the bed. However...something stopped me. I wasn't sure what it was, but for some reason I stayed in place, watching a tall figure approach the gathered crowd. He was taller than most of the folk there and seemed to have an air of importance about him, because the crowed ended up parting to allow the man to walk straight up to the merchant. Unfortunately, from this distance, I couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but the next thing I knew, the merchant was bowing respectfully towards this newcomer, and even turned to say something to the customer who he had been arguing with.

Surprised, I raised a brow and curiously stared at the tall figure that had settled things with just a few words. As I said, he was much taller than anyone around him, with wavy black hair that seemed to have hints of red in the sunlight, and from what I could see, he was pale, almost like ivory. Judging by the long, curling horns that jutted from his skull, he was a dragon, but I was unsure if he was pureblooded or not. Then again, with the respect the merchant had towards him...he was probably pureblooded.