Heir to the throne

Chapter 24

Zyaan

He woke gently. Outside the dusty hut, the rain had stopped. He pushed himself up and looked around the empty room, wondering where Adhi had gone. His body ached, and the wound on his arm still felt raw.

He stretched gently and rose from the ground. The heap of blankets and furs was warm, but he needed to find Adhi. He picked up a small piece of fish bone sitting on the table, his mind trying to understand why Adhi had left it there. Maybe he felt guilty for killing the fish. Adhi was no hunter, nor was he a fisherman. He was the sort of man who had no idea how his meals landed before him.

He chuckled and returned the fish bone to its place. He was focused on the door now. The last time he had gone outside, the sunlight had stunned him. Zyaan's head still felt heavy, and his body had been weakened substantially by the trauma he had survived. Every step he took was a struggle.

He opened the door and stepped outside. The sky was dreary, with thick clouds swirling above the tree line. The dull light jabbed at his eyes, causing him to blink aggressively. He came down the rickety steps and walked toward the ramshackle lean-to. Smoke still rose from the firewood, informing him that somewhere in the hut, Adhi had prepared him that awful tea.

Movement in the trees made him turn around. His eyes viciously scanned the treeline. He breathed out only when he saw Adhi emerge from the thick vines and underbrush. He was carrying something with him that made Zyaan curious. He stepped out from under the lean-to and waited as he trodded across the earthen floor, its rammed surface cracked from years of neglect.

He grinned and produced the pair of rabbits to Zyaan. "I caught you something to eat!"

The pride in his voice made Zyaan smile.

"You intend to cook it?"

"Don't underestimate me, peasant. For you, I can do anything."

"You can do anything for someone you do not know?"

"But I do know you. I saw you naked, didn't I?"

Zyaan smiled loudly, his gaze dipping to the ground momentarily as the embarrassment set in. Adhi stepped under the thatched roof of the lean-to and dropped the pair of rabbits on the old table. Zyaan followed him and looked over his shoulder as he started cutting into the soft coat of one animal.

"Do you know what you're doing, Your Majesty?"

"I'll figure it out. Why don't you go back inside and get some rest? The faster you heal, the faster we can go home."

"What do you intend to do when we get home?"

"I knew Oman was there for a reason. He did not show up because he wanted to learn from the monks. He was there to plot my demise. He knew my guard would be down, and it would be the perfect time to strike."

Zyaan looked at his hands as they dispatched the animal with expertise. His dexterous cuts and incisions demonstrated his knowledge of anatomy. This man was dangerous. Zyaan looked at his face. He was handsome, and his features were soft and delicate, from his heart-shaped face to his full soft lips. Yet, beneath the surface of this vision of beauty was a man who knew how to hurt others. Zyaan was stunned that he was now just noticing it.

"I've thought about it a lot while you were unconscious. But he couldn't be working on his own. He knew where we were, where we were heading. Outside of us, only the chief monk knew where we were going. Someone told him. Perhaps they are rejoicing, thinking that I am dead."

"So, will you attack when you get home?"

"No."

He picked up an old basin and dropped the cleaned rabbit in. Zyaan tried to see past the innocence, hoping he could get a glimpse of the dangerous man behind it.