Page 27 of Quest

My guard’s eyes narrowed upon noticing Ren’s absence; he cast a dark look in the direction of the chamber where he slept. I hastened to explain the situation before he could mutter a complaint. “He was up all night helping me decipher the riddle hidden within the legend of the celestial dragon, so I thought it best if he rest before the journey ahead.”

“Due to his weak constitution and low stamina, we’re already short on time.” Jiang redirected his frown towards the dark circles beneath my own eyes. “Since we’re already wasting the morning, shouldn’t you sleep too, considering you were on the night watch?”

My habitual need not to demonstrate weakness compelled me to hesitate before I conceded with a sigh. “I’ll take a short rest while you two go over the plans for today.” I handed him the scroll detailing my and Ren’s findings. They pored over it with interest.

Kael’s eyebrows rose. “This is quite thorough, and different than the information we initially discovered within the legend. Was Ren holding back?”

“It was hidden beneath a charm masking a hidden script.”

By the subtle way Kael’s eyes narrowed I wondered if he detected there was more to the story, but the shadow that crossed his expression was fleeting, quickly replaced with his usual friendliness. “Essential information often requires additional work and expertise to uncover. Have you acquired all that’s necessary?”

“Enough to move forward for now.”

“Fornow?” Jiang’s gaze once more darted towards the adjoining room where Ren rested, as if ensuring that the subject of his gossip wasn’t lingering nearby for his pending eavesdrop.

I frowned. “I will not tolerate any unfounded suspicion towards a man who has my full trust.”

Jiang ignored my unspoken warning and edged closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially so as not to risk drawing Ren’s unwanted attention in case he wasn’t fully asleep. “There is something about his demeanor that hints at deeper secrets. Are you absolutely certain he can be trusted and isn’t purposefully withholding what we need?”

A strange defensiveness swelled, a protective instinct for the scrawny lad I couldn’t explain. “Of course I trust him. I was present when we uncovered and deciphered the riddles, leaving him no opportunity for foul play.”

“Which were written in a language of which you possess no knowledge, preventing you from checking the accuracy of the translation,” Jiang said pointedly. “If only Ren knows the ancient language the information was supposedly encrypted in, he could easily deceive us about what it says. I would hate to waste our precious time chasing fairytales.”

Kael frowned at Jiang’s words and studied my and Ren’s careful notes more carefully. Though his expression gave no indication he doubted their contents, I sensed a hesitancy hidden in his manner much like the words Ren had used his herbal magic to uncover.

“Sir Jiang has a point: we’re placing a lot of trust in the knowledge of a man who is still a relative stranger. Not to mention Ren is the one who created the concoction that uncovered the script. He could have brewed a spell that caused the words that appeared to be ones that would lead us astray.”

I couldn’t deny their speculations were a definite possibility, nor that part of me hadn’t wondered that very scenario several times while Ren and I worked together. I sighed. “Some things come down to faith. Unless Ren gives me reason to think otherwise, I choose to trust him. Doubt will only hinder us, and we have little time for that at present. We have no choice if we hope to move forward.”

Finality filled my statement, indicating nothing more needed to be said. Jiang’s jaw tightened but he bowed in acknowledgment of my authority. Though he momentarily conceded the argument, I sensed this battle wasn’t over. And though Ren and I had only recently become friends, this fight to protect his character was one I felt strangely invested in winning.

CHAPTER 12

Mei

Low, whispered tones gently lured me from sleep. Prince Darcel’s voice penetrated my drowsiness, almost like a lullaby that rose above Sir Jiang and Kael’s gruffer tones. Distance muffled their voices, making it difficult to hear their conversation, but a few words drifted to where I lay in the adjoining room.

“…certain he can be trusted?”

I stiffened and slowly sat up, inclining my ear in their direction, as if the gesture would allow more of their conversation to stretch across the distance separating us and reach where I silently waited.

“Of course I trust him.” Prince Darcel’s defense followed without any hint of hesitation. My heart warmed, an emotion nearly overshadowed by lingering guilt over how I’d previously treated him.

Cynicism nourished by years of darkness made me briefly wonder if the prince knew I was awake and eavesdropping, and only spoke his defense to put on a show. But I no longer gave credence to these negative thoughts, remnants of the lingering darkness that had once filled the land.

Deep down I realized he had no way of knowing I could overhear him, so his genuine defense only reinforced the decision I'd made beneath the sakura's canopy of pink blossoms, allowing me to release my remaining reservations and fully trust him. Embracing this trust brought a peace I—consumed as I had been with defensiveness—hadn't known was missing, allowing sleep to finally claim me after several long, exhausting days.

I woke up some time later to streams of sunshine falling in golden slants across my face, warming my skin. My fingers drifted up to caress the rays and I suppressed a gasp as I brushed against my smooth, feminine skin. I hastily sat up and reapplied my illusion; the scent of herbs filled the air and my face tingled as it morphed and molded my features back into my disguise.

I checked my small hand mirror, examining my masculine appearance from all angles. My shoulders sank in relief. That had been too close a call. Luckily my back faced the doorway and it was unlikely the others midst their busyness would have checked on me, but I would have to be more vigilant in the future.

The others waited in the adjoining chamber. Kael offered a smile that seemed less sincere now that I knew he’d been a participant in Sir Jiang’s suspicions, while the guard cast me his usual dark glower that revealed the full extent of his impatience at being forced to wait.

The prince’s presence beckoned my attention, an invitation that was impossible to resist. I stole a shy peek and was met with his kind look that caused my heart to give a pleasant flutter. His returning smile was as warm. “You’re awake.”

I shifted shyly. “How long was I asleep?”

“Not long at all.”

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