For all my excitement to resume our journey, the weather came pouring down on us like water on a hot pan. And as such, we remain stranded in Ashinlu.
"The locals say it's a storm." Azrael uttered to my anxious staring at the harsh lights splitting the dark sky every three seconds beyond the safety of our room in an inn called Mermaid. I couldn't help thinking we voluntarily jinxed ourselves.
"I would never have guessed." My sarcasm was beginning to come out and I bit my lip as I turned away from the dark looming weather to Azrael who was leisurely drinking a cup of tea. He chose to make himself at home by the small table as he sighed in contentment sip after sip.
"There's nothing to worry about. Ashinlu is ruled by a responsible Town's Lord. Safety is up to standards, as long as you don't go poking your nose into alleyways."
"I would never have guessed." I repeated, rolling my eyes as I sat on the bed, pouting at our misfortune. Or maybe it was merely mine alone, seeing how he didn't seem to mind the delay.
"Miss, why don't you take this chance to rest properly? I'll wake you up when it's time for lunch."
Good idea. I don't have anything to do, anyway. A nap would actually do me good. I haven't been sleeping in peace for a while now. I hope this time, I won't have nightmares to haunt me. I eventually nodded and tucked myself under the blankets.
~~~
Azrael peered at the girl sleeping on the bed. Not sooner than five minutes have passed, she started squirming uncomfortably. She'd been ridden with nightmares all the nights he'd been with her. One time, she'd even cried and screamed in her sleep as if someone was after her life.
He stood up, walking to her defenseless figure in a daze. "How pitiful..." Reaching for the long tresses of her hair, he untangled the strands before letting them slip through his fingers. "May Amma have mercy on you."
~~~
I woke up feeling lethargic. Thunderclap roared in the distance as I turned to my side with a moan of complaint. Looking around the room sluggishly, I grew aware of the barenness and a note by the bed side table that read, "I'll be back." The strokes were elegant. Practiced. Boasting of a good education... A pretty handwriting that I never expected from Azrael, and yet it was awfully compatible, the longer I see it.
Did I wake up too soon?
I put the paper down and relaxed on the bed after a dull throb in my head.
I may not remember what I dreamed about, but it was probably something horrible. I could tell just by the sheen slick of sweat on my forehead. Looking around the empty room sluggishly, a weak sigh escaped my lips.
I feel like I'm losing bits of my mind everytime I sleep. Now I sleepwalk through the day, hearing things that aren't there. Is my mental capacity receding? Maybe, it's a give and take or something. A healthy body in exchange for a healthy mind. Oh god... What kind of twisted favor have I been given?
I stretched my arms to wipe my forehead when a flash of violet caught my eye. No way. I quickly pulled the sleeves down, finally seeing the extent of the bruising I've never noticed until now. There's no way something like this would suddenly appear. Finger marks from a painful grip in purplish, bluish color surrounded my wrist like a cuff. For a moment, I was dumbfounded by the discovery, then I remembered.
The innkeeper.
A shudder errupted in my body when I realized it wasn't just a hallucination as I had conveniently made myself believe. Why the bruise didn't form until now, I don't know, but it was the only palpable cause from the looks of the bony finger marks. Azrael never held my wrist, much less my fingers or any part of me these past few days. This is the innkeeper's doing... It must be.
