Chapter 21

The banquet dragged on for hours. This time, we were the honoured guests, sitting at the top of the table between the King and the Queen. The King didn’t behave like an idiot this time, and Karim had told me how important it was that I was there, and how it sent a clear message across the kingdom. But even so, I’d had enough, long before it was over.

At least the others did most of the talking, and most of the people were too hesitant to talk to me, so I guess it could be worse. It was our last day, and tomorrow we would set out for Marbug. I tried not to think about our journey too much. I didn’t know what to expect, and I guess I had gotten used to the comfort of Akka. At least Aki now only watched me with curiosity and awe in her eyes, so maybe it would be okay to have her travelling with us in the end.

Finally, Selene nodded to me, and we left quietly, letting Uruk and Karim continue their discussion with the King and the nobles. We walked silently towards our rooms, and it was only after a while that I noticed Aki following us. I hadn’t noticed her leaving the banquet. I turned to look at her, and she immediately blushed and looked down. Selene glanced at her, a worried frown on her face.

“You should rest. It will be a long day tomorrow”.

She turned to her room, but Aki reached out a hand and stopped her.

“Wait, wait, I want to know what happened when I slept”

“But Karim told you already”

“But it was just him, I want to know what everyone else did too”

Aki glanced at me hesitantly, and Selene gave me an apologetic look that surprised me, but I nodded and said,

“Sure, we can tell you”

I didn’t understand what was going on and why Aki behaved like this. She was odd, but at least she hadn’t grabbed my hand or begun to cry, and I could spend some time calming down after the banquet. My room was the closest, so we went there. The moment we stepped inside, Aki grabbed Selene’s hand and dragged her with her as she explored it before sitting down on the bed and pulling Selene close. Selene gave me an awkward glance. I sighed, confused, and sat down next to her, believing it would somehow be safer.

Aki leaned her head on Selene’s shoulder and closed her eyes.

“Tell me…tell me”

I listened for a while as Selene described our journey, or at least a version where we were safe and had a quiet hike through the desert. I didn’t understand what she was doing, and I must have zoned out because the next thing I knew, Aki was asleep in Selene’s lap. Selene looked at me, and our eyes met. She sighed and said quietly,

“She hasn’t been herself since her father died at Gandar pass. I think she feels responsible. Her tribe has a tradition that the young ones follow their elders to learn their craft, and with him gone, she needs to continue in his footsteps.”

She looked down at Aki on her lap.

“She shouldn’t come with us, but I don’t think I can stop her. She’s too young to be on such a quest, but I believe that even if we told her to stay, she would hide somewhere and still follow us.”

I looked at Aki. How young was she? She looked almost like an adult, but I guess everything in this world was strange. I sighed and looked up at Selene, but she turned her head away and looked down. Slowly, I put my hand on her shoulder. She didn’t resist, but neither fully accepted it, so I guess Karim had been right. She was like me.

“Thank you for helping save her”, she whispered.

She put her hand on mine and gently squeezed it.

“Selene…”

I dared to lean into her and, for the first time, we sat in silence, watching the room. It was oddly comforting, and I wondered if she felt the same.

“Rina, could she stay here for tonight? I don’t want to wake her up.”, she asked after a while.

“Sure”, I nodded.

I got up and picked her up. She was surprisingly light, and I hoped she would be fine as I put her to bed, but she stirred and opened her eyes before I had even reached it.

“Selene?”, she murmured.

“It’s okay, you will stay with Rina. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

Aki turned to me and smiled a drowsy smile, and I tried to smile back. I lay her on the bed and sat down next to her, hesitantly putting my hand on her head. I remembered the time when I used my blood to keep her alive… It meant more than I expected, I realised, and I wondered if Selene felt the same.

“Rest well, Rina”, Selene said quietly and turned towards the door.

“Stay with us…”, Aki murmured.

Selene halted, then turned and gave me an awkward glance. Selene staying in my room… I glanced at Aki. She didn’t deserve what had happened to her. I slowly nodded and lied next to her, watching Selene lying down on the other side. Both of us avoided looking at each other, and I probably would be happier if I could ignore them altogether, but I also found strange comfort in the fact that I wasn’t alone.