I Am Who? - Book 2

Chapter 18 - Seer

I heard Bohai moving to fulfill Haoran's command, but I was focused on trying to make sense of what I'd just heard. Had he just said seer? I stared up at the man in front of me, ready to explode with the questions thrumming through me.

"It can't be—it's not possible that you don't know, right?" His eyes widened in shock.

"I—" I bit down on my lip, unsure what to say.

"Of course," he sighed, shaking his head as though he wanted to smack himself. "You're the last of your kind now, who would be there to tell you your history?"

He took a step back, looking at me again. His expression was lined with pity, but there was also the deep understanding of one who possesses an understanding for such a fate. A part of me wanted to accept the comfort he offered and trust him implicitly, but in the back of my head, I could hear that voice speaking those familiar words: "You're naïve."

"Let me take you to your room, and I will answer your questions on the way." Haoran said firmly, interrupting my thoughts.

With great difficulty, I held back the joy I felt at the words. I had only just met him, and after Skart, I had to be wary who I trusted; however, he was the first—other than Kotaro—who had offered to give me answers freely, and it was unexpected. At the thought, though, I remembered the life that still depended on me for continuation.

"First, I want him properly taken care of, and the old man that I was with, I want him given a room, too." The words came out in a rush, and I half turned back to the door to point a finger at Kotaro's still-bowed figure.

Haoran said something I didn't understand, and the warriors straightened, keeping their eyes directed downwards. "Of course, any—" His words cut off in a hiss as Kotaro raised his head.

Haoran drew a shaky breath, stumbling backwards. His eyes widened, and he looked Kotaro up and down in shock. In a moment, his features drew into the same expression of disgust I had seen on his men's features that morning.

"I thought the last of the Fifth were dead." He breathed. "What is he doing here?"

I could feel the tension mounting. "He's here because of me." I said, and my own voice was foreign in my ears.

He shot a glance in my direction at the words, but what I'd said didn't seem to have much effect on him. He glared at Kotaro fiercely, breathing through bared teeth in what looked like an attempt to calm himself. Kotaro, on the other hand, was as calm as ever as if this was a reaction he expected.

If not for my mounting fear, I would have had more room to acknowledge the rush of pity I felt for him. Wherever he went, disgust and hatred followed. I was reminded again how little I had endured compared to him.

"Take him out and execute him." Haoran growled.

"Wait!" I said desperately. "Your majesty, please!" Unsure what else I could do, I fell to my knees, praying he would be able to hear me. "I don't know what you think he's done, but I will vouch for his innocence."

Déjà vu washed over me as I knelt there. The last time I had been this desperate in a throne room before a king, I had been fighting for Kotaro's life. For all the times he had fought for and rescued me, though, this was a small return.

Silence coated the room as the warriors waited for their king's decision, and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. Never mind the fact that Kotaro was my only way to navigate this place: I couldn't let King Erik win over his life like this. He'd been squashed under his own father's thumb for the entirety of his life, but now, there was a chance he could escape that, and besides, how could I live knowing I had done nothing to repay his kindness and thwart King Erik's cruelty?