The Winter Sun

Chapter 24

Smoke danced in the night breeze as the firepit offered his last breath. Lach tugged Elson under a blanket over a bed of straws. A dimly lit candlelight softly glowed as Lach ruffled the onyx-black hair. "Good night, little demon. I hope you don't give Mama too much of a hard time."

A loud yawn. "Mama said you are the one giving her a hard time."

A shadow through Lach's face, and he rose from the stool, wincing at the ghost of pain in his bones. "Time to sleep."

"What are you going to do?" His voice blurred with sleepiness stopped Lach, and he found the boy's half-closed eyes.

Lach tilted his head, and he winced. He massaged his neck. "About what?"

"The Princess." Elson rubbed his eyes. "Are you going to help her with the Favor?"

Lach looked to the side. The candle flame sought the end of his life as the wax buildup on the candle holder. He shook his head, ignoring the screaming of his neck. "I am going to bring her to Mias. There she will be safe."

The little boy's eyes blinked, fighting the crushing wave of sleep that would soon sweep him away. "I think you should go with her." His voice turned into a breathless yawn.

Lach tightened his lips. "This is not that simple." He turned on his heels, and his palm gripped the doorknob when the sleepy voice rose again.

"Papa would have gone with her," Lach's hand tightened his grip. His stomach twisted with that pain that had yet to go. He glanced over his shoulder, but the little boy's eyes were closed, and his breathing was even. A peaceful expression lingered on his face.

Lach's lips curved softly. "′ Night, Elson," he murmured before the door clicked shut.

**

The moonlight bathed the main room, transforming the chairs and tables into shadows. Lach let the back of his head fall against the door in a sigh before a crack in the darkness startled him. A silhouette emerged, and his heart almost gave up on him. He narrowed his eyes and sighed as he recognized the tiny silhouette. "Mom... why aren't you sleeping?" Lach passed a hand on his face.

"You are not sleeping either," she retrieved a chair and sat down as she tightened the shawl around her. She pointed her chin at the window. "Neither she is." Amaya stood between the trees, gazing at the sky. Something trapped in his chest. "And how can I sleep when you embarrass me like that?"

Lach sighed heavily. "I am tired and..." he rubbed his neck, thinking. "And, what did I even do wrong?"

Yehime's dull gaze bored into him. "Listen, son, they are ways to talk to a woman."

Lach's lips twisted. "I didn't mean to upset her, but this- this is insane." The whole idea of going after the Favor was just as nonsensical as throwing yourself into a fire and expecting your skin to not melt off your body.

Her tiny fingers massaged the place between her eyes. "If this is how you talked to Kristina, then it's no wonder she left you."

The groan he let out was guttural. "Mom...First of all, I am the one who left Kristina, and secondly...The situations are not even the same." Why did he come out of his room? He should have gone to bed and let his thoughts eat him alive it would have been better than this.

"Are you going to Mias?" she demanded, eyes filling with concern.

Lach gripped the back of a chair, leaning his weight on it. "This is the plan."

The woman paused before she blurted out, "Go find the Favor." His eyes widened. "Your father..." she started, a lump constricting her voice. "He always believed in the Favor. As long as the Sun God will be, the Favor will too." Lach's hands fell to his sides. "He wouldn't have believed it gone too."