𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

08 | Mind Games

Such a task had not done much to deter Kyran as she made the journey back to the palace with Luca, her face still splattered with the blood of the man she had killed. Sīdereus had joined her on the way, and she did not speak at all to anyone, not even Falling Feather.

     Luca mercifully kept silent as well, once in a while starting a conversation about their journey which would die off after a few sentences. They hadn't reached the palace yet, but they were close. Kyran could tell Luca was growing more nervous by the second and she wondered why.

     Was it because they couldn't finish the rest of the list? He had told her there were more targets needing to be taken care of, and that they didn't have the time to do it so he'd leave tomorrow morning to finish the job. She didn't know how to feel about it.

     Countless times Kyran had offered to just get it done now instead of waiting until the last minute, but he'd refuse her every time with excuses that would grow more absurd by the second. What was he hiding from her?

     Sīdereus sensed it as well, and every so often he flickered his gaze toward the boy to study him. Only for a few seconds, however, before he altered his gaze to focus elsewhere.

     Finally, she had enough. "What's going on?" Her voice was low and deep, not as dry and scratchy as it used to be however.

     At the sound of it, Luca's head turned towards her in confusion. "What?"

     "You know what," Kyran grunted. She didn't look at him.

     "Nothing, I'm just distracted for now," The Assassin replied in an even tone. Kyran could practically feel the lie.

     The redhead narrowed her eyes, and her snake hissed in annoyance, curling up tighter around her neck and pushing his face against her. But then again, it wasn't her place. It could have been something personal, or maybe even having to do with the court itself. Sighing deeply, she decided to let the matter go and instead gently stroked Falling Feather's mane.

     "Do you want to stop somewhere to eat? Or head straight back to the palace? Because normally I grab food," Luca began to ramble, obviously changing the subject.

     "Nah we can eat at the Palace," Kyran answered as she adjusted her position on her mare. "We should get back as soon as possible after all."

     "Yeah, good point," Luca agreed and the conversation was over just like that. The male turned his attention to the long path yet again, his face molding into an unreadable expression.

     The redhead let out a deep sigh as they continued onward, and soon, the palace came into view on the horizon. Sīdereus had fallen asleep and was loosely curled around her neck, his breath gentle.

     Luca coaxed his shire horse to move at a quicker pace by digging his heel into her side gently. Kyran followed in silence, blinking the exhaustion from her eyes and shaking it from her bones. She was tired, and wasn't feeling well, but she held her head high to hide it. It was survival instinct, really. Even with people she trusted, she would not let them see her weak.

     Luca slowed his horse to a stop and dismounted her, immediately beginning to lead her to the stables quickly. "You go on ahead. I'll take Falling Feather in for you."

     Kyran dismounted the mare and took a glance at her, gently stroking her mane before nodding with a sigh. "Alright. I need to clean up anyway. Should I check in with Asteria before I do so?" Her bones were almost numb with exhaustion.

    "Nah I'll do it for you when I'm inside. Go wash up and rest. You look exhausted," He answered as he continued leading his horse to the stables. When he was finished, he went to get Falling Feather.