9. Sorcha

Chapter nine

I awoke the next morning, stretching my legs over the sofa's edge. Though it wasn't the most comfortable sleep, it was good enough. My body was sore from riding such a large horse all day, but honestly, being able to lean against Zarios made it less difficult.

When I got up, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, sharpening his blade. He looked up at me, his neutral face still a mystery to me. "Morning," he said, his voice rough from sleep.

"Good morning."

"There's porridge on the table," he said. "We should be in Ashmore by lunch, so no need to pack extra food. We'll leave soon."

I nodded, grabbing the bowl. There was a bit of honey and fruit scattered over the top, the same breakfast I ate at home every day. Though we'd seen each other a couple times at breakfast, I was surprised he remembered. I took a bite, savoring the sweetness.

When I was finished, I set my bowl aside and went to the bathroom to change. I freshened up and got dressed before heading back to find Zarios was changed into new pants, though they still hugged his thick thighs so tightly, it looked as if they might burst.

We gathered our things and went downstairs to meet Damyr and Kiaza, who were already there. The horses were out of their stalls, ready to go.

"Good morning, lovebirds," Damyr said as we approached. "Sleep well? Hopefully not much," he added with a waggle of his brows.

"It's too early for you," Zarios said, but it lacked any real anger. It seemed they were closer friends than I initially thought. His attention shifted to me. "Can I convince you to take the carriage?"

"Not a chance."

He let out a huff I was starting to understand to be his irritated one, and I followed him to our horse. He was tall and gray, with darker spots scattered around his coat. I'd been able to ride a horse since I was a child, but these seemed like a different beast all together. Minotaurs were large, so it made sense their horses would be as well, but these were massive. My legs barley dangled on either side. Yesterday I found myself sitting comfortably cross-legged a few times with how wide their backs were. And though it was fairly uncomfortable, it was better than being in the carriage. I didn't want to be seen as the helpless princess who needed to ride in the carriage, even if that's exactly who I was pretending to be.

Zarios helped me up then followed behind me. There was something comforting about his large body surrounding mine. Though I didn't need to be comforted, I could admit it was nice .

The rest of the way to Ashmore was much quicker, though I was even more sore when we started through the larger village surrounding the capital. Their castle itself was very different from Peradona's. It was a dark stone, without any large spires sticking from the tops. It was mostly level, save for the rounded dome that flew a massive Valcor flag from its peak.

When we arrived at the front, there were no servants waiting around to assist. Zarios hopped off the horse and again offered me his hand. I once again ignored him, snaking down the horse myself, careful not to catch my foot this time.

I managed it well enough, flattening my dress as I landed. He shrugged but moved to grab our bags. I tried to help, but he shooed me away. When I argued, he just ignored me, his hooves clicking on the cobblestone as he made his way inside.

I followed after him, having to hold a brisk pace to keep up. The interior was dark, with stone floors and sparsely lit large spaces. It wasn't bleak per se, but it wasn't like Peradona, with the white marble and large windows everywhere.

We walked a bit further before I ran into something hard and warm.

I had been so focused on my surroundings, I hadn't realized he stopped. He turned, and I averted my gaze, mumbling my apologies.

"Tired from the horse, Princess?" he asked.

I glared at him, crossing my arms. "I'm perfectly fine. You should let someone know when you' re stopping."

His brow rose under his fringe. "You want me to tell you every turn I take?"

Red flooded my cheeks. "Let's just go," I said, trying to push past him.

As I did, he turned into me, putting his hand above the door, blocking me in. We stood there, his large body looming over me, his dark eyes piercing through me. "What?" I asked, sounding more breathless than I meant to.

"I'm turning to open the door," he said, voice low. "I thought you might want to know."

I smacked him in the chest lightly. His fur was softer than I expected, like a cozy blanket. It reminded me of the fuzzy one Sage kept on her bed, though that was wool.

He smirked, and my heart skipped a beat. We stayed like that for another moment. My breath came up short at his closeness. His gaze was molten until something in them shifted. I wasn't sure what, but it broke the spell, and he opened the door behind me. When I turned, I was shocked to find a cozy looking space. Though the walls were the same dark stone, most of them were covered by large bookshelves, filled to the brim. There was a crackling hearth to the side, along with a few scattered sofas and sitting chairs, multiple doors around the bookshelves.

Zarios set our bags down. "Are these your rooms?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, his tone flatter than before.

"Huh," I said.

"Is it that strange?" He started pulling things from his own bag .

"I just expected more…weaponry."

"I do keep a sword beneath my bed, but weapons aren't my idea of good décor."

He pulled a few files for his bag and headed for the door. "Where are you going?" I asked.

He wouldn't meet my eye. "I have duties to attend to before we leave in a few days."

"Okay," I said. "What do I do?"

It was obvious he hadn't thought about it. "I don't care. You'll probably see Lunar at some point today for measurements, but do whatever you want otherwise."

"Measurements?" I asked.

"Yes. Kiaza mentioned something about preparing outfits for you. I'm not sure."

"Shouldn't we prepare, though?"

"The plan is very straightforward," he said, sounding exasperated. "We don't need planning."

I wanted to argue, but his tone reminded me too much of my mother's when she was about to shut me down. His gaze never met mine, as if he was annoyed simply by my existence. "Fine."

He nodded and left, clicking the door shut behind him. I looked around, trying to figure out what to do next.

I guess if he didn't want to do any planning, I would have to. I perused his shelves of books, knowing one must be helpful. I grabbed a few addressing some basic history and even some fighting technique before settling in.

Though my eyes skimmed the words, my mind fluttered back to our previous conversation in the hall. His closeness made me feel warm all over, but when we got in here, it was like a switch flipped, and he turned cold and distant. I wasn't sure what was going on, but whatever feelings were bubbling within me had to be cast aside. This was my first mission, probably the most important one I'd ever have.

With that thought in mind, I brought my focus back to the words and got working.