Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
TYNAN
Ireturned Alina to her room and paced the corridor, still trying to control the demons that stirred deep inside.
Everything that was happening to me in the palace was as pleasant as having my skin sliced with a dull letter opener.
This rotten place kept us apart and some days I could not figure out why I have not taken her away already.
The sound of footsteps made me lift my head and scowl at Frid and Victor as they approached. They looked like they were having a good time enjoying the palace. I still could not believe that no one, not one soul, had caught them using someone else's suits and walking freely around the place.
Frid laughed at something Victor said and the latter looked slightly uncomfortable.
“ . . . come on. Don’t tell me that you retired.” Fris continued.
“I’m not saying that.”
“All those poor women just don’t know what they’re missing.” Frid barked out a laugh, and Victor just shook his head.
Since I knew what could happen between the two of them, it was almost painful to see Victor’s face every time he glanced at Frid. He had it bad for her, and she had no idea how desperate he was. I wondered how long it would take for them to figure it out.
“Ty? Is everything alright?” Frid asked when they got closer.
“Yes.”
“How come you’re so nice to him?” Victor gave the girl a side eye.
“What are you talking about? I’m always nice.”
“When you're asleep, maybe.”
“It’s time for me to teach you a lesson. Don’t you think, Ty?” Frid glanced in my direction.
“What lesson?” Victor asked.
“We haven’t sparred in a long time. I remember the satisfaction of throwing you on your ass. I think we should do that again.”
“Are you mad?”
“What? Are you scared?”
“No.”
“You’re scared, aren’t you?”
“It’s not that.”
“What is it then?”
“Frid, I hate to be the one to tell you, but . . .” Victor tilted his head. “You’re a girl.”
“So?”
“I am not going to fight a girl.”
“That’s so disrespectful!”
“How’s that disrespectful?”
“You don’t see me as a serious opponent. You only see me as a girl.”
“Um . . . but you are a girl.”
“If you don’t accept my challenge, I will tell everyone that you’re too scared to face me.”
“Just out of curiosity; by everyone, you mean . . . Sol?”
“Oh, shut up.” She turned around and marched away.
“Thank you for your help, by the way,” Victor muttered.
“Has anyone questioned you staying here?” I asked instead.
“Here?” Victor chuckled. “They’re terrible at running this place.
I had no idea how bad it was. You can literally live here year round without anyone noticing.
We don’t come for training, we don’t sleep in the common rooms. No one cares.
Aside from some weird looks I get sometimes, no one ever bothered us; even with Sol single handedly consuming half of the rations and never showing up for practice. ”
Footsteps sounded at the end of the corridor and I turned to see Frid had come back with a murderous look on her face.
“What now?” Victor muttered.
“Now. You and me. Let's settle this once and for all.”
I rubbed my eyes. Sometimes it felt like I had assumed the role of a parent without realizing it. Distancing myself from their conversation, I sat in the chair and picked up my book.
I was just finishing my wash, when four men entered the bathing room. It was well past midnight and usually no one used the facilities so late. I straightened and threw my towel over my shoulder.
“Did you think we forgot about you?” One of them snickered.
Slowly, I turned to face the group. An ambush. I bet they thought being naked would somehow make me weak.
“There’s no one here to help you.”
“Didn’t you get enough the first time?” I asked, quickly summing them up.
“You got lucky, that’s all.”
“I tell you what . . .This time, I’ll break both of your . . .”
Not even finishing my sentence, I lunged forward and kicked the first guy in the stomach and finished the move with a powerful blow to his nose.
The sound of cartilage and bone breaking was my signal to move to another.
As I turned, I raised my fist, pointed it upward, and hit the second one in his jaw.
His head snapped to the side, taking his body with him.
Before he was even on the ground, I was already by the third.
He had a little more time to prepare and his arm was already swinging toward me, his body following.
I deflected him with a simple elbow block, and used his momentum against him.
When his movement was interrupted, and he hyperextended his body forward, I brought up my knee and got him in the groin.
His arms dropped to protect himself as he bent over in pain.
I put my hand on the back of his head, and slammed it against my other knee.
The room was filled with grunts and whimpers, as I turned to the last man standing, but he was already running away.
Fucking coward.
I walked around the laid-out bodies, back to the bench to fetch my clothes.
“You won’t get away with this,” one of the men growled from the floor.
“Haven’t you had enough?”
“One day, when you least expect it, I’m gonna get you.”
I returned to the place where he was slumped against the wall.
“Are you trying to get killed?” I asked.
“You’re an intruder!”
That statement interested me. I grabbed him by his hair and lifted his face up.
“What did you just say?”
“You’re not one of us. You used the attack to get closer to the bride. You cheated.”
“And where did you hear that?”
“I ain't gonna tell you.” He spit on the floor, forcing me to grab the swollen part of his nose and squeeze a little more. “Stop! Fuck! My nose!” he wailed.
“Who did you hear that from?” I repeated, applying a little more pressure.
“It was Adger, alright!” the man shouted.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. The game turned more dangerous with every day that passed. Lord Adger was suspicious and went so far as to plan an ambush for my removal. Without saying anything else, I rinsed my knuckles with cold water and put on my flying suit before leaving the room.
As much as it irritated me, staying in the common quarters was not ideal. I went to the top of the stairs and with a well practiced movement, opened the window and sat on the window sill, before carefully fastening it behind me.
When I got to Alina’s window, I peeked through the gap between the curtains and quickly relaxed once I saw that she was already asleep.
Carefully, I opened the window and stepped into the room.
When the floorboard creaked I stilled, watching her peaceful face partially concealed by the shadows.
For someone who did not expend a lot of energy during the day, she slept plenty.
My lips twitched, and my stupid, good for nothing heart ached.
Even after our fight, when I was so mad that I thought I could not stand being in the same room with her, I could not simply walk away.
Deep down I always knew how things should be between us, we would argue and fight but at the end of the day, I would still come after her without any trace of pride or resentment.
I needed her as much as I needed water, nourishment, and the air to breathe.
If I could not have her, there was nothing else that I wanted.
I stood for a moment, listening to her quiet breathing and without thinking it through, I stretched on the bed beside her, careful not to wake her up.
As if knowing that I was there, she turned in her sleep and her head landed on my chest. She sighed, and placed her hand on my abdomen.
That is how our nights went. She would wrap her arms around me and relax, instinctively knowing she was safe, and I would stay up, guarding her until the first signs of the rising sun.