Of Stardust and Wishes (A Wish Rewrite)

Chapter 20 - A New Mistake

Sol negotiated with the contents of his stomach as he leaned over the table. You wouldn't think he'd have anything left, but his body was somehow finding more and more things for him to gag on. His vision was fuzzy at the edges. He blinked and it cleared for a second before distorting his sight again. A shaking hand reached up to rub his eyes. Squinting after the restorative measure, he decided that it was good enough. He breathed in deep, trying to extract some benefit from the fresh air that drifted through the open window, but it was a fruitless task. He shook his head, why had he thought that would help him?

You fool, you can't even smell anything!

With a groan, the casement clicked close. Focusing his sight on the tabletop before him, a scrap of parchment glistened in the western sun.

YOU'RE NOT STARTING ANOTHER WAR, ARE YOU?

"Not if I can help it," he grumbled before a cough assaulted him. His back arched. One hand fisted against his mouth and the other was bloodless in a stranglehold against the table edge. His whole body tensed and shook in the onslaught. Gasping for air in between, the broken sounds of mucus rose up in the second bout. But by the third time round, his chest exhausted, his final cough came out like a wheeze. Breathing at last, he looked down at his hand and grunted.

Speckles of blood stood stark against his golden skin.

That was new.

Somewhere else in the house, another person continued to cough. It had started in conjunction with Sol's attack, but this one was harsher, longer, deadlier. He grimaced; he wasn't the only one suffering under this roof. There was someone else, and his situation was far more dire. One that not even a wish could fix. Not that he would be able to make one. Out of everyone in this house, Sabino's desires never introduced themselves to Sol. He was inclined to believe that he had none. The only thing the boy was able to pick up on was regret. The old man eventually stopped, and silence descended. The boy sighed, he was happy Asha wasn't here, he didn't like the look in her eyes when she listened.

Asha.... his fist tightened. He had been careless during yesterday's altercation. Expended himself too much. Sucking in air between his teeth, he flipped up the underside of his shirt and cleaned off the red spray. She couldn't know. He didn't want her to worry, especially not after the day she'd had. Rage still played at the back of his mind when he thought back to what those men had wanted to do. He stuffed the bloodied hem back into his trousers. It was getting dangerous, her precious position made her a target of ire and spite. And the king's favor wasn't going to save her from a desperate crowd. If anything, it would doom her. The room tilted, he wasn't sure if it was his fever or the stomach-dropping thought. He ground his knuckles against the table, if only she'd take a step back from it all and see what was going on.

Another wave of nausea threatened to overtake him. His fingers pressed against his abdomen, Not again...

A flash of violet pulled at the corner of his vision. Looking up, he saw Asha walking up the dirt path. Swallowing back bile, suddenly his nausea was the furthest thing from his mind. He watched her pace, unsteady and pensive. Her arms crossed; her head was cast toward the ground. She stopped partway up and looked at the window. Could she see him? He didn't know. But their eyes met nonetheless, his fevered and hers full of shame. His tongue clicked, what had happened? He watched the girl shake herself and continue on toward the house. The door opened below him, and muffled greetings ensued. A quick response from the girl saw her taking the steps two at a time. Sol snatched his brother's letter and stuffed it in his breast pocket before the door opened.

"Sol!"

He readjusted himself to appear as if he was lounging against the desk instead of using it to hold himself up. He put on his best smile, "Hey there."