Watty's Shortlist 2023
"I have been waiting a long time to meet you."
________________
When two warring kingdoms hear of a magical object that will end the conflict once and for all, two rival heirs embark on a quest to retrieve it and bring their...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Night had fully fallen by the time they reached the inn. Kaiden had spoken to the innkeeper and had made sure Kallias was comfortable in the stables, before he joined Castor and Aila in the lobby. Castor had one key in his hand, and Aila watched as Kaiden frowned, searching for his key.
"They only have one room left," Castor said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
Aila observed as Kaiden's gaze met hers, an intensity behind them despite the tiredness.
"That's fine, we'll take turns keeping watch," Kaiden nodded once and led the way up the stairs. They entered the room and dumped their bags on the floor. Though the windows were closed, the room was like ice and Aila found herself becoming desperate to get under the bed covers.
"I call using the shower first," she grabbed spare clothes from her bag and entered the bathroom before either man could protest. She relieved herself and leaned against the counter, inhaling deeply. After stripping all her clothes, she ran them lightly over the water, washing them with hand soap before hanging them on the towel rack to dry overnight.
As she stepped into the water of the shower, Aila yelped as the frozen water poured over her. She rushed through, using a disgusting soap that she had never been accustomed to, to clean her body. She scrambled out quickly, panting from the shock the coldness had given her, that had somehow managed to numb her bones.
Faint voices met her ears as she dried herself, and though she was too tired to focus as she might normally have done, she caught snippets of sentences here and there.
"I'm not going to hurt her." Kaiden's voice.
"And when we get to The Temple?" Castor questioned, his voice as familiar to her as the back of her hand. "What then?"
"Yes, even then," Kaiden sounded curt and uncomfortable with the idea of talking about the topic with Castor.
"If you mess this up for us-"
Aila heard the beginning of a threat on Castor's tongue and chose that moment to yank the door open. She burst in, ending their conversation before the testosterone could become any more concentrated within the area.
"Perfect," Kaiden stood up awkwardly, and entered the bathroom with his clothes, but Aila placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.
"The shower water's cold," she warned, her teeth still chattering from the lack of heat within the inn. "Freezing cold."
Kaiden nodded, ditched the clothes in his bag and disappeared into the bathroom to see to his needs.
Aila perched on the edge of the bed.
"Hey, you've been really quiet today," she said. "Is everything okay?"
Castor sighed. He took a few minutes to answer.
"I don't have a good feeling about this partnership," he admitted. "You can't trust this guy, Aila."
