The Rogue Guardian

Chapter 24: Footprints

Good news, it's a chapter! (good news because I had terrible writers block lol) Also, I've posted another fantasy/action story called By My Blood that I hope you guys will like, though I'll still be focusing on this book, so check it out if you want!

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Nemia would have traded anything for a good night's sleep. Her favorite set of knives, her happiest memories, a piece of her soul to be able to crawl into bed and close her eyes and force her mind into darkness-- just one night. She found herself muttering the words over and over again as she forced herself to dress and put on her shoes. One night, one night, one night. Her eyes were half closed with exhaustion-- a cruel trick of her body, because she knew even if she got back into bed she would only have worn out her sheets with tossing and turning.

It was midnight. She had tried to sleep for the past two hours, but like the nights before it was useless. As much as she hated that Irina was pulling her out of bed for this, she wouldn't have been sleeping anyway.

Still, it was an effort to cross the room and open the door. She had no idea where her body was pulling energy from at this point.

"You look terrible."

She also had no idea how Irina could make an insult sound so sympathetic and caring.

"It's midnight," she muttered.

"Mm. I brought you this." Irina held out the mug she was holding and Nemia took it automatically. Fragrant steam billowed up into her face. She wasn't sure if it was supposed to be tea or coffee or chocolate but she took a large swallow of it anyway, gasping as it burned her throat. Irina looked concerned, but whatever the mug held was good and she assumed would keep her from falling off her own feet.

"Thank you," she said quietly, holding it so she could feel its heat through her hands and against her chest. Maybe it was hot enough to melt the coldness inside her.

"You're welcome. Come, the faster we go the faster you can go back to bed."

Joke's on you, Nemia thought, my bed and I aren't on good terms. She wished Morie were there so she could say that out loud. She would have thought it was funny. Lord, Nemia, what did you do, cheat on it? Nemia would have said with a sigh-- oh yes, I was horrible. I fell asleep at the table and now the bed is convinced we've been meeting secretly.

All she said to Irina was, "Where are we going?"

Irina had come up with a plan, after she'd offered to help find Morie, to retrace her steps before she'd left.

"How can we do that?" Nemia had asked warily. She was a private person. Intruding on other people's privacy, especially Morie's, seemed to be hypocritical beyond her limits.

"There's always clues to be found," Irina said cheerfully.

"I thought we were just going to look at the ship records Luca found."

"We will. But we can't rely on them alone." She's put one hand on Nemia's arm. "We're just trying to find her. Isn't that what you want?"

What she wanted? Even Nemia didn't know that. But finding Morie, that sounded like a step in the right direction. So here they were.

"We're starting with a place in the lower city. I've heard of some rumors that we should investigate."

Investigate. She made it sound so clean and easy and purposeful. Nemia just sighed and gulped from the mug, then asked shortly, "Where?"