Page 26 of Joy Guardian
“When?” I exhaled.
“On several occasions over the past century. The Source of Joy is our kingdom’s most precious treasure. People constantly attempt to steal it or access it without permission?—”
“Does one require permission to feel joy?”
“In our temple yes, they do but…listen—” He shook his head as if trying to clear his head, before changing the topic of our conversation. “The most important thing right now is to get you back to thesarai. I can’t take you the same way we left. The cloak spell can only work once, and it’s gone now. We’re quite a way from the city here. The sun will be up soon. We should get going if we want to make it back to Kalmena before getting caught in a day storm.”
“Why do we want to get back to Kalmena where you will be caught and executed?” I squinted at him in question.
“Because it’s the safest place for you.”
“Safest doesn’t always mean the best.”
He’d never released me from his hug, holding me to him tightly. And I made no attempt to free myself either, staying in the arms of the self-confessed murderer.
“I can’t offer you much,” he said softly. “The guards will be searching for me all over the city. They will likely travel to the temple to look for me there too. I’m going to the only place that may still be safe for someone in my situation, and it’s a small hamlet in the desert that doesn’t have anything even close to the luxuries of the queen’s palace.”
I splayed a hand on his chest, holding his gaze with mine.
“You asked me about my future, Kurai, remember? Well, I’ve thought about it, and I realized that there is no future for me in thesarai. As a Joy Vessel, I’d never be free. I didn’t escape the prison of my past to spend the rest of my life in another prison, no matter how luxurious it may be. I’m not going back to Kalmena, and I’m definitely not risking your life for that.”
“Would you consider returning to your world?” he asked in earnest, making me realize this option was not just in theory this time.
“Is there really a way for us to return?”
“Not for the humans in the queen’ssarai. They will be guarded much more closely now, it’ll be impossible to break them out. But for you… We could try to make it to the temple in time before the third and the last portal will be open. Is that what you want? Will you go back?”
I had thought long and hard about this question back when he’d asked it the first time. And I had my answer now.
“No. I don’t want to return. The chance of me seeing the people I knew and loved when I lived there is very small. And without those people, the human world is not worth going back to for me.”
The uncertainty with that journey was just too great, and the risk of arriving in a time period when I’d likely suffer was too real. All my life, my family and friends had been the main source of my happiness. Without their love, I had nothing.
“The only friend I have right now is here, in this world. And I don't want to lose him,” I said.
His chest stilled under my palm as his breath halted.
“We can’t be friends, Ciana,” he said in a hollow voice, dropping his arms away from me.
“Yet here we are.” I gestured at the two of us. “Friendships often happen this way—spontaneously and unplanned. I would know. I used to have a lot of friends.”
He blew out a frustrated breath, and I patted his chest in comfort.
“I promise, I’m a good friend to have. I’ll keep you company on your way to that…what was the name of the place where we’re going?”
“Himerum. It’s literally just a handful of shacks in the desert. I’m not even sure why they named it at all. It’s a place to hide, not to enjoy life.”
“Then, we’ll hide together. With the guards looking for both of us anyway, we won’t put each other in any added danger by sticking together. How far away is Himerum from here?”
“About five days on foot.” He slid a gaze down my legs. “But it’ll take us probably twice as long if you come along.”
“Hey, I’m not that slow. I can keep up.”
“Can you? With all the maintenance breaks that humans need?”
“What breaks? What maintenance?” I laughed. “I’m not some piece of equipment to be oiled and cleaned.”
“But you are a delicate creature who needs care.”
