Far From Home Two: The Monster's Heir-- a M/M/M fantasy romance

10-- The Tragedy of the Sky God

*****Meet Galen, father-cousin to Geir (meaning his father and Geir's father are brothers). Galen will get his own story, but it will actually be the first in my Wild Magic/ Far From Home crossover series— Strange Magics :). Please remember, each story will be a standalone, so no need to read one to understand any others... Though to get the most enjoyment with all the Easter eggs and fun appearances I throw in, it's probably a good idea ;)*****

SAGE—

When the boy's eyes widened, his fingers began to shake so hard he dropped his spoon back into his bowl, and his cheeks lost any color they had managed to procure in our small amount of time under the sun and with food in his belly, I jerked back and turned to see what had terrified him so. When I saw only the Akaran hedge witch, I frowned in confusion.

The woman stopped right in front of us, chattering to us in Akari so fast I wouldn't have been able to follow even if I had known more of the language. I helplessly raised my hands, shaking my head.

"I'm sorry. My Akari is weak; I don't understand."

The woman paused in her words before turning to the boy and waving for him to follow her. He stood but only to cower behind my back, his fingers fisting in the back of my tunic.

The woman chuckled and waved someone over. The man was young— maybe 20— with nearly six inches on my height. He was about my size, if just a bit bigger, and moved with a loping, graceful, but almost too-slow movement. His eyes were big in his round, childish face, and his dark skin shone in the sunlight with a sort of calming, gentle glow that drew me up short.

The woman said something in Akari, and the man turned to me with a smile, gentle and almost sleepy. "My name's Galen," he said in accented El'kahrian. "Son of Telkin and Lamita, father-cousin to the Warlord Geir. Al'iya says you need a translator."

"Yes, please," I answered with a nod of my head. I could feel even the boy behind me begin to calm, his fists unclenching at my back. I had never met someone who exuded so much sleepy, peaceful calm with his presence alone.

The woman began speaking in her rapid-fire, overwhelming way, but Galen simply stood before her, never flinching at the speed of her words. When she finished, he turned back to me, his eyes flickering for the first time to the boy at my back.

"The young man hiding behind you wasn't looked over last night, due to his more pressing injuries. She wishes to look him over, to ensure he gets the care he needs."

I nodded again, but the boy behind me stiffened even more than he had before. I turned to him and he shook his head as I met his eyes. He refused to let go of my tunic, so I was left to awkwardly twist to look down at him.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? She won't hurt you. She just needs to look you over, make sure there's nothing wrong, and that we care for you properly."

The boy shook his head again, but I could see the defeat in his eyes. For whatever reason, he didn't want an exam, but he knew we were right in wanting to ensure his health.

The woman led us back towards Ember's tent, and after his rage-filled outburst, it took a lot of self-control to keep from asking if we could do the exam somewhere else. When I stopped in front of the tent flap to wait outside, the boy froze at the entrance, turning back to me with wide, terrified eyes. He made a noise in the back of his throat, somewhere between a whine and a gasp, and yanked on my arms to pull me forward. I looked up at the hedge witch, who eyed me for a moment before nodding.

The boy led me down into Ember's tent with a grip of steel, the woman following close behind.

"I'll stay out here, but I can hear you, so just talk loud and I'll translate," Galen said from the tent entrance. He let the flap down, shutting us into the semi-dark of the tent, before I heard shuffling that told me he was sitting just outside the entrance.