Questing Sucks (Book 1) (19 page)

A dangerous glare entered the Elven prince’s eyes. “What makes you think you have a choice, Sehn, son of Suhn?”

Sehn once again rose to his feet. “Because if
you
go,” he spat. “I won’t.”

Saerina stepped in-between them. “Sehn, you are going. I was in Elvar just a few days ago, and everyone there has heard the tale of the Great Sehn, setting off to look for treasure. Imagine what they will think when you return empty handed.”

Sehn blinked. The woman was right, damn her. If he returned without the treasure, he would become the laughing stock of Elvar.

 
“Very well, but the prince may not come along.”

Saerina whispered something into the prince’s ear, and he nodded. “Oh really?” he asked. “Sehn, my sister has just informed me that the only reason you don’t want me to come along is because you are afraid of me, and you fear my presence.”

Sehn bit down on his own tongue. “I demand you journey with us this instant! Or so help me Gods, I shall…wait a minute, did I just? Fuck! You tricked me.”

Saerina laughed. “Cah’lia has told me that not even the Great Sehn may disobey the Great Sehn. You can’t go back on your word now, can you?”

Sehn walked back to his bed and sat down, grumpy and bitter. “Whatever, I don’t care, let the prince come along. As long as he understands that
I
am in charge. Let’s just send Nero and Rina home and get a move on. This is already taking too long as it is.”

Nero and Rina were on their feet in an instant, a repeat of what had happened that very morning. “No!” Nero yelled. “You can’t make us go home. Please, Sehn, I don’t want to.”

Sehn heard the creak of footsteps outside the door and noticed that Cah’lia had returned. She appeared to have composed herself. She entered the room, her eyes red from crying, and both she and Sehn avoided looking at each other.

“Nero, you’re going home, today. Look at me, Nero. I’ve whipped you before, and I’ll do it again.” There was a dangerous look about her, and Nero showed a fear Sehn rarely saw in the boy.

He sighed. “Do I still get to take Rina with me?”

The former slave girl’s eyes lit up. “Does Rina go too, Mistress?”

Cah’lia knelt down and embraced them both in a hug. “Of course, you’re both going.”

“No!”
Saerina shouted, causing all in the room to turn to her. “Those two are coming with us, and that is that. If anyone attempts to countermand this order, then they themselves shall be sent home. Sehn is the only one here who is indispensable.”

Sehn’s ears twitched at the compliment. “Princess Saerina, congratulations. For your words of wisdom, you have just been promoted up to the rank of uncommon-whore, from common-whore. Keep this up, and someday I may even see fit to allow you the position of bathroom-keeper.”

She ignored the remark, instead choosing to keep her gaze focused on Cah’lia.

“I don’t understand,” Cah’lia said. “Why does my little brother have to go too?”

Saerina’s voice turned dark as she spoke. “Because,” she said. “I have commanded it so. That is all you need to know.”

Sehn watched as Cah’lia bowed before the woman—and why? Simply because she was commanded to do so? Hah! What a weakling.

Nero and Rina seemed overjoyed by the news, and Rina was imitating several of Nero’s dance moves. Sehn didn’t know how he felt about Nero coming along—not that he cared about his life or anything—but if something happened to his greatest disciple, it would be a pain to train another one.

“Now,” Saerina commanded. “Sehn, you are to get some sleep, and then tomorrow we will set out. Everyone else, leave him be, he needs his rest. Follow me, and Patrick will take us all to other rooms.”

Sehn shook his head, do women never learn? “Listen to me, woman! You do not get to make demands of—”

“Sellos Miyas!”
she shouted.

A fatigue greater than any Sehn had felt before, washed over him as his head hit the pillow and he allowed exhaustion to take him.

“Did she just…”
he trailed off to sleep, too tired to think.

 

 

Chapter 19: Time to Leave

 

Sehn woke with a start, opening his eyes and blinking in confusion. He had no memory of falling asleep in the first place. He wiggled his legs and was delighted to find that most of the…pleasure from yesterday’s intentional fall had left him.

Looking around the inn room, he made out the sleeping forms of Nero and the two Humans, Rillith and Daniel. Ever since Patrick said something about being a prince, he had been staying at the mayor’s house. Sehn didn’t care that he was the prince of Man-
dar
—or whatever their nation was called—as long as he continued to obey the Great Sehn.

It was almost sunrise and they would be leaving soon. Sehn tried to recall what he’d been doing before he went to sleep, trying to piece together the events leading up to his odd slumber. There was a nervous, almost frightening pain in his stomach as he recalled his kiss with Cah’lia.

Did I really do that?
Sehn wondered.

He swung his feet off of the bed, placing them on the wooden floor. He was careful to apply only a small amount of pressure, testing them, before standing up. There was only a small amount of discomfort, and he seemed to be mostly back to the way he was before.

His memory of the previous day was still a little fuzzy, but he remembered that he had been trying to do something unpredictable, and he’d actually kissed the girl.

Oh, Gods!
Sehn remembered to his own terror.
It’s okay. All I have to do is pretend that nothing ever happened, yes, that will work for sure.

Sehn was both a wise and intelligent God, so he knew that the best way of dealing with a troubling situation was just to pretend it didn’t exist. He threw on some clothing, a fine green tunic with blue trousers, and sheathed his Elven blade. Nero, Daniel, and Rillith, seemed to be slowly waking up. Nero licked his lips, and smiled, probably caught up in one of his ridiculous dreams.

“Rina,
”
he breathed, turning on his side. “You are so pretty.”

Sehn would have to discipline the little Elf later for showing weakness. How dare Sehn’s disciple dream of complimenting someone? Thinking of Rina, Sehn wondered where she was off to—not that he missed the stupid girl or anything—before remembering that she stayed in Cah’lia’s room.

Cah’lia

Even the name bothered Sehn, something as simple as her name. He tried to push it out of his mind.

Don’t think of Cah’lia,
he demanded to himself.
Don’t think of Cah’lia!

Sehn turned his head as he heard the sound of the inn-door being opened. Patrick entered the room, surrounded by an entourage of six armed bodyguards. He walked inside and nodded to Sehn.

“Rillith, Daniel, awaken at once!” he commanded. In an instant, the two were at their feet, alert and standing at attention. They responded so fast, that to Sehn it was hard to believe they were actually sleeping just a moment earlier.

Sehn gave him a dirty look. “Patrick, just because you’re the prince of your race, does not give you the right to make commands without my permission. You two!” he shouted at Daniel and Rillith. “I demand you return to sleep at once!”

They gave him blank looks, and continued to stand at attention before their commander. Sehn growled, and Patrick merely smiled at him.

“Sehn, I am glad that you know the truth about me now. I’ve had to go through great lengths to hide it.”

Sehn scowled at the man. “No one should ever need to hide the truth from the Great Sehn. You’re lucky I don’t punish you for the attempt in the first place.”

Patrick laughed. “So I’ve noticed, Sehn. In fact, it’s one of the things I respect most about you, believe it or not. No matter who you’re dealing with, you see all people as the same, don’t you?”

“And why wouldn’t I? All living creatures are mere pawns, to be used by their great God-king Sehn. Only fools worry about silly things like upbringing or race.”

Patrick shrugged. “Sometimes I wonder, Sehn. If you had known who I was from the start, would any of this have turned out differently? I’d bet my life that it wouldn’t.”

Sehn ignored him, and finished packing. The five of them left the inn and waited on the corner of a wide Koringrathian street. Business was as usual, with merchants both selling, and scampering back and forth buying. There always seemed to be a lot of running in Koringrath. Prices were raised and lowered several times a day, people ran to take advantage of it.

Cah’lia and Rina came trotting out of the Inn a few moments later and greeted them. Sehn refused to make eye contact with the woman, and grew angry when Rina whispered something in her ear, causing her to laugh. Sehn’s ears twitched, he knew the girl had said something about him. Who else would she be talking about?

Nero tapped Sehn on the shoulder, and he turned to look down at the worried looking Elf. “What is it, Nero?”

“Do you think that Rina just said something about me to my sister?” he asked.

“Of course not, why would anyone ever waste words talking about you? Go get me a beverage, Nero.”

Sehn must have been hallucinating, because for a moment it almost looked like Nero frowned at him. Sehn was done tolerating disrespect, from everyone.

Looking over his shoulder, he felt his mood darken as he saw the Elven prince walking to join them with his sister. Sehn wasn’t sure why, but he had the feeling that Saerina had done something punish-worthy to him.

“My good Prince Patrick, the best of mornings to you,” Saerith said.

“I bid the same to you, my esteemed and great Prince Saerith. And you as well, great princess Saerina.”

Sehn moaned. This was going to be an agonizing and long journey if the two of them were going to engage in such unmanly dialogue all trip long. Saerith turned to Sehn, and gave him an evaluating look. The anger he’d held in his dark red eyes had left him, replaced instead by intrigue. Both he and his sister were dressed ridiculously well, in silk-tunics afforded only by the wealthiest of people.

“Good morning, Sehn. It is nice to see you up and about. How are you?”

Sehn crossed his arms and turned his head away. “You and I are not on speaking terms, prince Assrith.”

Sehn waited patiently for him to respond in a rage, but was instead greeted to the sound of the prince clapping and laughing. “What a well-crafted insult, Sehn. Please, you must offer more.”

Sehn felt the first buildings of anger. “What are you clapping about, fool? I said, your name is prince Asserith, and the royal family sucks!”

Saerith continued to clap, and even Patrick and Saerina joined in on the laughter. Sehn began to jitter with rage.

“How dare you not be angered by the Great Sehn’s insults! I shall cut out your hearts and fart in them!”

Sehn spat on the ground, and turned away from all of them. His anger was beginning to reach new pinnacles of intensity. So now they were turning around his own insults against him? Their torture-debt was beginning to grow so high, that when Sehn discovered the secret to immortality, he was going to need to give it to them just so they could spend the time to pay it.

“We should eat before we leave, I think, so that we can make the most of the day,” Cah’lia said.

Cah’lia reached into her bag, and began passing around fruit and cheese. She paused when she came to Sehn. His arms were still crossed, and he had no intention of meeting Cah’lia’s gaze. Besides, he wasn’t hungry anyway.

“Sehn,” she said. “We’ve been through this. You have to eat.”

With his eyes cast to the ground—to avoid meeting her own—he slapped the food out of her hands, spilling the fruit and cheese over the white pavement that made up the Koringrathian street.

Sehn waited for her explosion of rage, or her reproachful looks, and was surprised after a moment to receive neither. Instead, Cah’lia covered her eyes, and sobbed into her hands.

“Cah’lia, are you crying?” Sehn asked. Nero and Rina walked up to her, asking her what was wrong. The rest of them simply gave each other acknowledging remorseful glances. Before he could react, Cah’lia lowered her hands from her eyes, and met Sehn’s gaze. There was something off putting about her. She looked more than deeply troubled. There was a deep sadness there, a sadness that hadn’t been present before.

Sehn mumbled to himself and bent down to pick up the dropped food. “All right, all right, Fool’lia. If it’s that big of a deal, I’ll eat the damned food.” He had to really struggle to devour the fruit and cheese. It wasn’t that the food was bad, quite the opposite, it was among the highest quality in Koringrath. Sehn just wasn’t hungry, that was all there was to it.

She smiled at him. “Thank you, Sehn.”

Sehn mimicked her. “Thank you, Sehn,” he teased in his closest attempt at a foolish-girly voice. It wasn’t very close, because nothing that the Great Sehn could ever say would be anything less than the epitome of manliness.

Patrick led them back to the gates of Koringrath, where they had entered what felt like months—but in reality was only days—ago. Rillith sprinted ahead and exited first, rounding up their horses and wagon.

“My prince,” said one of Patrick’s armed guards. “Are you sure that we cannot accompany you? Surely just a few of us won’t draw much attention.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” Patrick responded. “As it is, we already travel with too many.”

Rillith whistled from beyond the gate, and together they walked past the gates of Koringrath, guarded by four men with cheap-looking weapons. Sehn paused, and stopped in the middle of the gates. There was something he needed to do, something he had almost forgotten.

“Remmos Salas!”
he roared.

The fireball whizzed by, keeping low to the ground, and struck the leftmost guard dead-center in the chest. It was the last thing in the world the man expected, and he flailed his arms and ran around in circles screaming. The other three ran to help the man, putting the fire out.

“Sehn!” Patrick yelled at him. “What in the hell was that for?”

“Silence, Patrick! I told that man on the way in here I’d return for his punishment. He should have been prepared.”

Sehn looked over his shoulder and laughed at the screaming man, and as he turned his head back, it bumped into a fist. Cah’lia, back to her normal self, yelled at him and called him an idiot as her fist collided with his face.

Sehn rubbed his bruising cheek—the only reason it was bruised, was because he had commanded his skin to soften for some reason—and promised himself that Cah’lia was going to pay later for her crimes. He hopped on his horse and looked behind him. Nero had mounted his own horse and Rina rode with Cah’lia until she could teach the girl how to ride on her own.

He was glad to finally be on his way, traveling closer to the treasure. As their horses took the first steps toward the city of Hahl, a very strange, very disturbing feeling came to him, one he tried desperately to rip from his mind. For a brief moment he felt content, happy to be traveling with comrades and heading toward a goal, and setting off together into the sunrise
.