Chapter 26

My intention was to stay in the tent and sleep. But Kennedy doesn’t leave the tent, and not wanting to stay there with her, I decide to check out the dining hall.

My bag is still clutched in my hand since I’m worried Kennedy will open my locker and take my stuff. I’m not saying she’ll steal it, but she might throw it down the rat hole.

Some tents in the camp back up into the forest. I have a crazy thought, but I’m desperate. So I change directions and head towards them.

Maybe if I can’t get out of that dimension, then the Queen can’t get in to drag me back. Do all forest lead to that one? I’m about to find out.

Closing my eyes, I think of the forest. The version that had life and vibrancy. When I take a step, I send up a prayer to the Divinities to let me have this one. Everything I’ve been through recently, I’ve taken it with patience and grace. I should be allowed this one win.

When I open my eyes, I find myself exactly where I was. I knew it. I never stopped hearing the soldiers behind me, but it was still worth a try.

“Where do you think you’re running off to?!”

Registering that to onlookers, it must appear that I’m running since I have all my stuff with me, I spin around and play dumb. “Hello. I saw a bunny and was hoping to catch. But since you’re here can you help me?”

The man that sounded ready to kill a second ago softens when he sees my pouting lip and pleading eyes. For good measure, I wrap my arm around my waist to prop up my breast.

“Can you tell me where the dining hall is?”

Tables are packed with people talking loud enough for my ears to ring. Apparently, this is the place people gather even if they’re not eating.

Once I have food, I face my greatest obstacle. Finding a place to sit. There are a few spots I could probably squeeze into, but I don’t want to be that close to a bunch of strangers. After circling around three times, I catch sight of a group of men get up. The empty seats they leave behind are right at the edge of already full table.

Surging forward, I slam my plate on the table just as someone else does the same. A man with curly hair and long eye lashes looks up at the same time I do. We survey each other trying to see if one of us will back down.

“We could share,” he offers.

Accepting his terms, I take a seat. He adjusts his shirt a few times as he bites his lip. If I were to make a random guess, I would think that he’s scared of me.

“Umm, I have two friends coming. Could you save the spot next to you?”

I shrug before setting my bag next to me on the bench. My hand still remains holding on to it, but it lets people know that this spot is claimed.

“Thanks. I’m Onda by the way.”

“Em.”

He nods his head as he takes another bite of the porridge in his bowl. We eat in silence for a few more minutes until his friends come walk up sharing exhausted expressions.

“Ahh.” I point to brown eyes not expecting to have seen him so soon. “You guys survived.”

Brown eyes frowns at my reminder of what happened earlier. “Sort of. We’ve been assigned to clean the toilets for the rest of the month.

I grimace just thinking about it. But at least it’s not me.

“You guys know each other?” Onda asks with more enthusiasm than I expect.

“Nh. She was the person we went to pick up in Estain.

Onda mouths, oh, as the other two pick a spot and sit down. Brown eyes ends up next to me so I take this chance to finally ask for their names.

“So, we didn’t actually do introductions earlier. What are your names?”

Brown eyes points to himself. “Koa.”

“Coa,” purple eyes follows up.

What?

After my silence extends for nearly half a minute, Koa answers the question I’m not sure how to ask. “Our mom didn’t want to bother getting confused, so she named us both Koa. When we were old enough to have a say, we changed the spelling. His,” —Koa points behind across the table to his brother— “now starts with a C. Mine still has the K spelling.”

I’m not sure why, but I feel like I should apologize on behalf of all the people in this world that allowed this to happen.

Koa glances down at my bag that’s sitting in my lap. “Did you have trouble finding your tent?”

“No, I found it. I just didn’t want to leave my stuff in the trunk since I didn’t see a lock.”

“Oh. It locks on its own.” Seeing that I don’t understand, Koa explains how the trunk works to me. “It reads the biometrics of its owner. So, you’ll be the only one that’s able to open it. Until you die or relinquish ownership, that trunk belongs to you.”

Well, consider me impressed. I can only imagine how much easier our lives as commoners would be with instruments like that.

“What tent are you in?” Onda inquires as he works on his very stale bread.

“Tent seven.”

Ondo drops his bread at my response. “Tent seven…as in with…”

“Kennedy. Yup.”

All three of them give me sympathetic looks before we turn back to our food and eat without saying anything else. If they notice that I’m eating slower than necessary to give myself a reason to stay away from my tent longer, no one says anything. They just match my pace and something about them standing in solidarity with me makes this day and this place slightly better.