A Shimada's Love (Shimada Destine Trilogy - Book 1)

Chapter 13 - Small Revelations

(Y/N)

20:13 🕗

I woke up, rolling my eyes. I felt as if nothing happened, as if that I'm warmly home. From the corner of my left eye light blazed dimly, probably a source of heat. I lied on a wooden sofa covered in bear fur, and I feel that I don't wanna get up, like I wanna sleep forever to get out of this mess.

It seems that I was in the sala. I managed to get posture and start roaming the room in curiosity while the lumberjack is still out. A hearth blazed in front of the sofa, middled by a short round wooden table of different small wood sculptures scattered to the right and some books to the left. Also there is a flower vase in the middle, small periwinkles already in full bloom. Guess he was a wooden sculptor or a voodoo man who uses the figurines to his bidding. I chuckled with the bizarre idea. The wall was adorned with the preserved heads of different wild animals-never thought that he was also a hunter,only to prove my assumptions by the long flechette encased in a glassless rectangular wooden box that hung beside the heads- a white stag with a long branchy pair of antlers protruding upward in each side. A grizzly bear with an open mouth showing its big sharp row of teeth built for grasping fish. And a leopard with meek eyes staring at me like a predator's gaze. All of them seem to be alive but nonetheless their fur don't seem to decay as I touched its persisting smoothness, except for the bear which hide has gone a bit rough.

Heavy footsteps then filled outside the room where I'm resting, giving me the thought that someone's approaching. I quickly glanced to the door and I sat back at the sofa in order not to be caught. Must be the lumberjack that saved me from the criminals. He came into the room not long, bringing a bowl containing hot liquid.

"You're awake." He paused. "Here I got you some dinner." He placed the food atop the table with a spoon. His voice was quite deep and low.

I stared longingly at the hearth as my thoughts turned to the events happened earlier. Then

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked, the concern had affected my brows.

"2 hours at most." He wiped off his hands with a towel, not looking at me. "You fainted and I carried you away fron those miscreants. Luckily you're not heavy." He shook slightly in facileness. I didn't even mind my weight. I was just about 119 pounds.

"What happened after I passed out? What about them?" I came into the point of this needed conversation. I am also concerned for him not only because I needed him in one piece to get out the woods. Then he took a wooden chair from the back and sat to formally start the talk.

"I took a shortcut. A secret passage from a bunch of tall bushes and here into my house. Those dogs won't discover us here, they didn't even know the terrain they have recently infiltrated." There was some slight recognition in the latter sentence, more specifically the two words. Did he know something about this? Or maybe he was one of them trying to lure me in? Nonetheless he showed me the insignia of Overwatch and that was sufficient in taking the trust.

Taking the new idea, I asked another question, since he is an Overwatch agent. "Do you know these bad guys? Since you worked in Overwatch and-" and cut me off.

"I don't work for Overwatch." He emphasized the first three words will a rising tone but not a slight spall of anger noted his reply. "That was years ago. But I know of these guys. They're not just criminals. They are assassins and they're not from here." I was startled by this sudden disclosure. Maybe I asked too much from him. This information feels to be confidential. Although I'm itching for some facts a bit more. Anyway I need to know about my enemy.

"What do they need of me? Do I have something that they need?" My mind went in shambles as I desperately need answers I must know.

"I think I have frazzled you too much. I should eat my dinner. The soup is getting cold." I started to take a spoonful of the thick liquid and poured it into my mouth. It was warm, the taste of fresh vegetables and bits of meat engulfing my whole mouth. I nodded in delight.