Heir to the throne

Chapter 25

         The water looked like a bedazzled shawl beneath the sunny sky. Zyaan felt healthy enough to move around, though he was still weak from his injuries. Thinking back to how it all happened, he felt himself shiver. Death was an unpredictable fate. Zyaan could not stop returning to the memory of being struck by that projectile. If he had died, then the sacrifice that both his parents made for him to live would have been in vain. He could not allow himself to become a failure. He was wondering what to do next. He came to Lokya with an objective, but somewhere along the way, he became preoccupied with the longing to return to the life he had left behind. Everything felt chaotic. He was lost and longing to find his way out of the whirlwind that had consumed him. Nothing felt real anymore.

He looked at Adhi as he stalked a fish in the water. How did he beat a man like this? Adhi was a different species, a different breed of man. He was intelligent and adaptable. To defeat a man like this would be almost impossible. But Zyaan was slowly coming to understand that he did not have to defeat him. All he had to do was win his loyalty. If he had control over Adhi, he had all the power he needed to win back his empire.

He watched as the prince straightened up and scratched his head with a confused expression.

Zyaan cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Oi, Prince Adhi, did the fish run away from you? Maybe you frightened it by coming on too strong."

Adhi looked back at him and waved his hand dismissively. His eyes were just lines in his head.

"I am hungry. Hurry up so we can leave."

He would catch another one. This man did not give up. He was defiant and stubborn. Bruised and battered, he still managed to save Zyaan's life. He found him shelter and nursed him back to health.

Zyaan sighed deeply, pushed himself off the gravelly soil, and walked toward the river. Adhi was stalking another fish. Suddenly, he began to remind Zyaan of Tayn. Their patience and relentless positivity matched perfectly. They resembled a bit also, now that he was thinking about it. Adhi's smile reminded him of Tayn's. Or maybe Zyaan was so homesick that he started to imagine it.

"Do not come in. You will get your bandages wet."

"Are you sure you need me to help?" Zyaan volunteered.

"I'm fine. Keep your strength. You will have a long journey ahead of you when we leave."

Zyaan sat on the bank and observed him as he readied himself for another fish. His face reflected his deep concentration. Zyaan held his breath, hoping that he would catch it this time. Suddenly, seeing him fail was no longer satisfying.

He swooped down, his hands resembling a bird's claws. The water splashed as he reached in. He plucked the fish out of the water with blinding speed. The fish could not survive, not against a predator like this one.

"Victory!" he shouted.

Zyaan smiled and slapped his hand against his knee to applaud him. "Good job, my lord. You were amazing."

"Oi, oi, oi!" he exclaimed as he wrestled with the slippery fish. "It feels nasty," he whined.

"Hurry up and put it in the bucket. Stop complaining!" Zyaan scolded him.

He waded toward the shore, his long legs making short work of the distance. He dropped the fish into the bucket with the rest of the catch.

"Forgive me, forgive. Do not curse me." He bowed aggressively to the fishes.

"Don't be silly."

He straightened up and looked at Zyaan with an earnest expression. "Zyaan, you do not know these animals can easily become vexed."