The Silent Guard (mxm)

Chapter 6

The morning came far too quickly for his liking. He wasn't sure exactly what time they had gone to sleep, but he had awoken several times throughout the night, nervous about his rapidly improved skill. He also wasn't sure how he was going to tell his master, but he refused to keep it secret any longer. 

"Good morning, Zen," came Qi's voice from close by. 

Blinking open his heavy eyelids, he looked up, only to see his master kneeling before him with a gentle smile on his face. Zen quickly pushed himself up, but before he could rise to his feet and help his master back up, Qi reached forward and gently placed a warm hand against his forehead while the other sought out the pulse in his left wrist. 

"You look like you didn't sleep too well. I admit that I'm not comfortable enough here to rest well, either, but we must keep our energy up in order to keep our wits about us," he said as he removed both of his hands, then stood before offering Zen a hand. 

Zen gratefully took the proffered hand, not trusting his tired body quite enough to feel comfortable rising on his own just yet. 

Why do I feel so exhausted? I am used to not sleeping, sometimes for days on end. 

"Come, sit. I cut up some of the apples and pears that we were given. Have something to eat, please," Qi said, guiding Zen over to the table and helping him sit. His master then sat a beautiful little saucer plate in front of him and added several pieces of the fruit, as well as a tiny spoonful of honey from a small jar that had been sitting in the middle of the table. 

Zen stared at the food, but his stomach didn't feel like it could manage it. His hesitance drew Qi around the table to sit beside him. He checked his temperature again, as well as his pulse, but when nothing seemed amiss, he frowned and looked at the food, then back at Zen. 

"I know that you rarely have an appetite, but are you sure you can't manage a few bites?" 

He really wasn't sure if he could. Food had never sat well with him, and as he'd grown, it had gotten worse and worse. Sometimes he would get away with not eating for a few days at a time before his master finally sat him down and made his servants cook everything and anything until he relented and filled his stomach. 

Of course, he did get hungry, just like anyone else, but the idea of actually eating something just wasn't appetizing. 

I don't want to worry him, though.

Reluctantly, Zen reached forward and took the smallest slice of pear, then dipped it into the little circle of honey at the top of the plate. He took his time nibbling at it, and with his free hand, he tapped a finger against the table. 

His master immediately turned his attention to that spot, so Zen began writing out what he needed to tell him. It didn't take long for his words to be understood, and unsurprisingly, Qi's mood soured quickly. He immediately checked the seal he had put in Zen's mouth, but seeing that it was perfectly intact, he got up and began gently but quickly brushing the hair where the flower had been to the side. 

"There is nothing..." he eventually said as he straightened Zen's hair back into place, then began absentmindedly brushing it in order to eventually pull back the higher portion into a long ponytail. 

Zen understood his frustration. He shouldn't have been able to do what he had, and the only thing that had changed with him between the time he had practiced using his master's spiritual device and when his abilities suddenly became amplified was prince Yuen's tampering with the flower in order to infuse him with dark energy. 

He wanted to confront the prince and ask him what he had truly done, and why. 

"I feel that we should go speak with the prince... but I also feel as if I can't make myself do so. I don't want you to get hurt again. We should just leave before anything else untoward happens."