Golden Shadows

Chapter 9

"He's dead." Yin frowned, checking his pulse.

The merchant's cold body lay on the ground in front of them. Raindrops fell from the sky, their percussive melody gentle and hesitant. Small droplets rested on nearby leaves and along their hair. Within moments they had become frantic and heavy, the droplets now pounding against the forest floor like watery bullets.

"Pity." Prince Li leaned over, rummaging through the merchant's pockets. "I was promised a handsome sum to bring him back alive."

"You're getting paid?" She asked, masking her bewilderment with a playfully raised brow..

"You don't think I'd go through all this trouble for free did you?" He replied, sorting through the folded pieces of paper he found in the merchant's pockets.

"But it's your brother."

"I got paid to tag along for this visit too." He said nonchalantly. "Again, I don't work for free. Especially not my brother's dirty work."

"It's not dirty work." Yin replied, mildly annoyed this time.

"Is it not?"

"No." She smiled, upon hearing him say nothing else. "I don't know about your kingdom, but in mine it's quite natural to do such favors for family members."

It was the popular consensus that one would do favors for free, simply because they were family. Of course, Yin had always felt the need to go beyond tradition when it had come to her brother. She hadn't spared a thought when spending every waking hour for the past decade ensuring her brother's safety and wellbeing. Anger surged in her chest at the thought of someone so casually disregarding her way of life. Just when she found him somewhat endearing, the Li Prince just had to find some way to irritate her further.

"I see." He said slowly, but entirely unconvinced.

XXX

"Two rooms please." Yin stumbled into the inn, stopping at the front desk.

"We're full tonight." The old woman replied without looking up.

"Are you sure?" Yin placed 6 gold coins on the counter.

The woman raised a brow, frowning at the faint stain on the floor left by her muddied boots. They had stumbled into the inn, their robes heavy with water after a long ride in the rain.

Prince Li looked around, inspecting his surroundings. Paint had chipped off corners of the walls, leaving tan colored spots to be illuminated by the flickering candlelight. Old wooden tables were neatly set out, porcelain wine jugs and teapots sitting on top.

Upon seeing the innkeeper's lack of response to her meager bribe,Yin slowly added another 2 coins to the pile.

Prince Li raised a brow at her, leaning over to whisper in her ear, his breath brushing against her bare skin. "Surely there's no need to spend so much on an inn."

"If you would rather sleep outside in the rain," She replied, turning towards him, ignoring their close proximity. "You are more than welcome."

"I didn't say that." He straightened his back, glancing at the pouring rain outside before narrowing his eyes. "I just can't stand seeing money wasted."

"How unfortunate." Yin said dismissively while placing another coin on the counter.

"I suppose," The innkeeper said, taking the money while nodding towards the door. "We have stables out back."

"Thank you madam."

The air was heavy with the mingling scents of earth and rain. The ground beneath their feet, bore imprints of their passage, transforming into a mosaic of damp footprints. As they moved through the rain-kissed landscape, the stables came into view.