The Empty Ones (Fantasy Romance)

73. The valiant

Back on solid ground I look stunned at Mute. He looks back, also obviously disturbed then turns to walk away.

"No! You don't get to walk away!"

I spring in front of him to block the door with my body.

"No! I heard you speak! You cannot tell me I misheard because it's not true."

He crosses his arms before his chest and looks away to the side frowning and shaking his head.

"Mute, I can only talk to you now because you addressed me first. Else the magic wouldn't let me."

He looks up stunned.

"Yes. So if you will deny this ever happened we will never have a conversation." I frown and try to appear authoritarian.

"Come on! It cannot be possibly that dreadful talking to me! Say something!"

I look at him, a more careful look than what I did before. He is tall, even more than a regular man but slender and appearing a bit malnourished. No wonder if he doesn't actually eat.

The part of his face I can see has light olive skin and big, slightly oblique eyes of the color of brushed iron, dark nicely shaped eyebrows and long dark lashes. It still feels like something is missing from his eyes but that's not the point here, the point is that yes, he might pass as being born here but he could also not be.

"Who are you?" I ask carefully. "Is your name even Mute? It isn't, right? What's your name?" I ask calmly. "You don't have to be afraid. Whatever you say, it will stay between us. I can keep a secret, like you kept mine."

I try to get eye contact so that he notices I mean what I am saying.

"Do you understand what I say?" He should, but who does actually know. Maybe he grasps only the basics of the language.

He nods.

I get one step closer and look up at him. His height, the weapons and the face cover make him appear intimidating.

"What's your name. Tell me at least this. I want to call you by it."

There is a long silence and I am starting to think this is useless.

"R'yio," he says, rolling deeply the consonant and lengthening the vovels.

I smile.

"Ryio," I repeat trying to make it sound similar to how he pronounced it. "Happy to make your acquaintance, Ryio."

He looks intense at my face. I know now a big secret of his. And that is a big, sharp spear he could kill me with.

"I will not tell anybody that you can speak, Ryio. That will be a secret between you and me. I am aware that you could kill me now and maybe you are considering it by the way you clutch your spear but you don't have to. It would be an unnecessary death because whatever your reasons or plans are, I will not interfere. There is no reason for me to do that. I am not a danger to you. Do you understand?"

He nods.

"Say the words. Come on." I am playing with fire but damn it if I am not all burns anyway.

"Ryio uunderstaands."

I smile again. He might indeed have murderous intents towards me right now but it's also oddly endearing.

"Good. Now, if you ever want to speak to me again, you need to address me. Any words will do but you need to say them first. See, you have power over me, it's not only me having power over you."

"Ryio no power."

"That is entirely wrong. And either you are naive or you think I am. You are good at fighting. I saw you. You could kill me and run away. I can also only talk to you if you want me to. So, there you have it. Power."