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

11-- Suffering

LLYRIC—

Sage's touch and his deep, grumbly voice kept me as calm and comfortable as could be expected as the woman with healing magic in her palms and her fingers poked and prodded at me, bandaged what was still a wound, and rubbed at what was healed over scars. Her touch hurt only a few times, but my skin felt as if it was on fire just from the simple touches. It was as if my entire being, so unused to touch, repelled the heat of her skin on mine.

It was so much the opposite of how my body sang when I was held or touched by Ember or Sage.

When the healer had spoken her words to my men, I feared they would begin to guess. To know that not only was I the product of what an evil man had done to an innocent child, but that due to some twist of fate I didn't understand, I had been given a power to keep him from doing the same to me. Thus putting so many other children under his cruel fist.

I prayed to the gods I had only just learned the names of, that I would be allowed just a bit of time with my men before they found out about the evil in my blood. Before their pure souls were forced to excise me from them like the dirty, evil soul I knew they would think me to be.

"Has he told his name?" Ember asked, never looking my way as Al'iya shook her head and turned to me. "Can you speak your name, ninya?" he asked, finally turning to meet my eyes. But rather than the warmth and the caring I'd seen directed at me in them before, I now saw only the cold, hard lines of a warrior. A leader. An Akaran barbarian Chief.

I shook my head, the only answer I had to give, and Ember's eyes grew colder, somehow.

"You can't or you won't?"

"Is this an interrogation?" Sage cut in, crossing his arms and pulling away enough to step just a little in front of me. I put my hand on his arm and shook my head at him. I didn't want to come between my men. We weren't supposed to be like this. We were meant to fit perfectly into each other's arms, and share the very breath we breathed. Not argue over silly things like culture or country.

Surprisingly, Ember noted Sage's reaction and stepped down, his stance folding just a bit.

"Your men are leaving, Captain. You should join them."

"I had planned to follow you back to your tribe. Make sure the children are cared for, placed in safe homes, before returning home."

"That was not part of the agreement."

Sage nodded and shrugged. "It is now," he stated simply, solidly, no argument or vitriol in his tone. "Especially the boy. He's old enough that finding a home will be difficult, at best. I want to stay until I can at least be sure he's safe."

"I'll ensure his safety. That was the agreement between your Queen and our Warlord. There doesn't need to be any further collusion between us."

"This is about more than agreements and politics to me. It's disappointing to me that it isn't the same for you."

Ember bristled, his eyes flickering to me fleetingly before he finally gave in and nodded briskly.

"Fine. Come if you must. But I am Chief, Captain. You are not in charge of me or my men. You will follow any orders I give, without question, as if I am one of your generals. Understood?"

"Perfectly," Sage grunted, near rolling his eyes. I wanted to step between them again, the way I had last night, but I feared Ember's heady animosity.

"Good. The boy can ride with you, or he can ride in the cart with the children, Al'iya, and Brin. Let's go."

I flinched that the option to stay with Ember hadn't crossed his lips; likely hadn't even crossed his mind. And shrunk back even further when the eldest of the rescued children called out from within the cart they all had been placed in.