The King's Possession ✔️

SIX

Word Count: 2858

I can't tell what hurts the most. My head, or my back.

Grimacing, I battle past a swarm of colour, forcing my eyes open. Beneath me, the ground moves, lurching and undulating with a force that has my stomach turning. I'm staring at a celling, lined with red satin, which stretches down to curtains that match.

My memories reshape themselves in my mind slowly, battling through a foggy haze that surrounds my mind. The moment they do, I jerk up, nearly striking my head against the ceiling. I'm in a carriage, splayed out across a plush bench. A carriage, which means I'm travelling, which means I'm not at Blue Glass Inn.

I've been kidnapped.

I look straight at Marek, who sits opposite me, watching me silently. His eyes have darkened, to the point those cornflower blue irises I began to trust have turned navy blue, like the deepest depths of an ocean I've seen only in pictures. His slick black jacket consumes his figure, making him all the more intimidating. Yet I refuse to give him the satisfaction of flinching.

"Where am I?" I growl, keeping my voice low. Looking out the window, we pass through snow, which means we are still in the Azure Province. But grass is starting to peak through, the ice becoming sparse. I feel panic rise within me, but as the fog layered over my brain starts to fade, I assess how I need to react to this situation, and it's not what I'm considering.

"Somewhere close to the Azure Province border," he tells me, glancing out the window vacantly. I look down, seeing a blanket has been draped across my legs, which I kick away immediately.

Does he think I'm going to believe his feigned pity?

"Why me? What do you want with me? You drugged me," I say, voice hoarse. Pain still echoes wildly between my temples, whatever herb he used in the drink must have had me out for hours. It renders my limbs practically useless; not as if I would stand much of a chance if I flung the cabin door open and leapt into the snow outside, which blurs vividly at the pace we move.

"I'm hoping you will be willing to impart some valuable knowledge to me," he tells me smoothly.

My eyes widen, bewildered. "Willing? You've kidnapped me?"

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm taking you home," he says calmly. The tension within me deflates, but with his expression remaining as frozen as the ice we glide over, my nerves still persist. The kind, attentive man I met at the Inn has vanished, replaced by this stoic, serious hunter.

"Home? To my village?"

"Close. To the Jade Province at least."

I fall back into the seat, gaping at him. His passive serenity is a dichotomy to this situation, this kidnapping. Surely he realises how serious the charges would be if we are found; he could be thrown or prison, or worse. I'm not familiar with the authority in the Azure Province, but I have no doubt it will be harsh, uncompromising.

I pull my legs to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. "What knowledge do I have that you need?"

"I'm going to kill your Tani. I want to know everything about him. Habits, where he may be, how powerful he is," he affirms flatly. I flinch. I'm not sure what stuns me the most. Of course the idea of him killing my Tani leaves my stomach hollow, but the way he has changed so dramatically has my breath halting at my lips.

"You think I'm going to allow you even a chance to kill my Tani? You're insane," I growl, letting my anger surface for a fleeting moment. I turn, pressing my shoulder against the seat as I rest my head, still blinking through the fog.