none of them?”
Patrick kept his voice steady. “Yes, Cah’lia, you may as well come to accept it now. Sehn will die, and there’s nothing we can do. But he can, at the very least, play a role in saving this world, and you can help him. I’m sorry that he won’t get to chase his dreams, but you must not let him know any of this. Keep him focused. Keep him moving. He can’t die until we’ve used him up.”
A tremendous fury entered Cah’lia’s eyes. They hardened and turned to steel. “Used him up? How can you speak that way of him?”
“Not easily, I assure you, but if you care about your family, your loved ones, or even your home, then you must remember that Sehn is nothing more than a tool. Save your tears for later, because I promise you that, if we fail at this, what is to come will be worse than any pain you have ever felt and they will surely be needed.”
Patrick grimaced as Cah’lia pushed him away and ran out of the room.
He was not an evil man. He did not delight or take comfort in the suffering of others. But seeing what he had seen, knowing what he had come to know, he had been forced to make himself numb. Sehn would die in six months with or without his interference, and that was a fact. None of this was Patrick’s fault, nor would he take the blame.
How many Elves, Patrick wondered, had ever seen the brazen Suhn, chief of Elvar, weep into open palms after learning of his child’s cursed fate? Patrick had made the man a promise, one he intended to keep.
He would try harder than he’d ever tried at anything to bring Sehn back to the place of his birth, so that his father may say his goodbyes. But regardless of all other factors, Patrick would not sit idly by and let the world burn to preserve the happiness of one woman.
Chapter 10: Bankruptcy
Sehn’s eyes popped open. Seeing the afternoon sunrays falling over his bed, he realized he’d overslept. Patrick insisted on keeping their stay in Koringrath brief, and Sehn was not willing to whittle away the time sleeping. One could make quite a fortune buying and selling in Koringrath, and even though Sehn had lost money every other time, he had a feeling that this time it would be different.
The inn room was comfortable; five queen-sized beds were spread out around the room, with sitting areas, tables, and exotic paintings of the plain’s wildlife hanging in various locations along the walls.
Sehn sat up and growled as he spotted the sleeping form next to him.
“Nero, what kind of man are you? Sleep in your own bed.” Sehn gave him a nudge, and the little Elf sat up, wiping his eyes. He appeared dazed as he looked around him.
“Ah! I must have fallen asleep waiting for everyone. I wanna go see the city. How could they let me fall asleep like this?”
Nero tried to sprint out of the room, and would have, had Sehn not grabbed him by the ankle. “Hold on a second, Nero. I would love nothing more than for you to go out alone and get murdered, but Cah’lia would never let me hear the end of it. I’m going with you.”
Nero jumped out of the bed, spinning, twirling and clapping. Sehn was going to put a stop to that one of these days; happiness was a forbidden emotion.
“Where did everyone else go, Sehn?”
Only then did Sehn realize they were alone in the room.
“Who knows? Hopefully they died.”
Nero laughed and followed Sehn out of the room. They walked down the narrow hallway of the inn. Looking out of the occasional window, Sehn could see they were on the second floor. The thought grated him.
I am so tired of residing on only the second floor of things! The Great Sehn should sleep among the clouds
.
Sehn knew that the day would be long and tiring. As soon as they exited the inn and Nero’s little foot touched the first piece of stoned pavement on the Koringrathian streets, he refused to calm down. Sehn was dragged to places he didn’t want to go, literally dragged as Nero tugged on his shirt and pulled him along.
Patrick kept his voice steady. “Yes, Cah’lia, you may as well come to accept it now. Sehn will die, and there’s nothing we can do. But he can, at the very least, play a role in saving this world, and you can help him. I’m sorry that he won’t get to chase his dreams, but you must not let him know any of this. Keep him focused. Keep him moving. He can’t die until we’ve used him up.”
A tremendous fury entered Cah’lia’s eyes. They hardened and turned to steel. “Used him up? How can you speak that way of him?”
“Not easily, I assure you, but if you care about your family, your loved ones, or even your home, then you must remember that Sehn is nothing more than a tool. Save your tears for later, because I promise you that, if we fail at this, what is to come will be worse than any pain you have ever felt and they will surely be needed.”
Patrick grimaced as Cah’lia pushed him away and ran out of the room.
He was not an evil man. He did not delight or take comfort in the suffering of others. But seeing what he had seen, knowing what he had come to know, he had been forced to make himself numb. Sehn would die in six months with or without his interference, and that was a fact. None of this was Patrick’s fault, nor would he take the blame.
How many Elves, Patrick wondered, had ever seen the brazen Suhn, chief of Elvar, weep into open palms after learning of his child’s cursed fate? Patrick had made the man a promise, one he intended to keep.
He would try harder than he’d ever tried at anything to bring Sehn back to the place of his birth, so that his father may say his goodbyes. But regardless of all other factors, Patrick would not sit idly by and let the world burn to preserve the happiness of one woman.
Chapter 10: Bankruptcy
Sehn’s eyes popped open. Seeing the afternoon sunrays falling over his bed, he realized he’d overslept. Patrick insisted on keeping their stay in Koringrath brief, and Sehn was not willing to whittle away the time sleeping. One could make quite a fortune buying and selling in Koringrath, and even though Sehn had lost money every other time, he had a feeling that this time it would be different.
The inn room was comfortable; five queen-sized beds were spread out around the room, with sitting areas, tables, and exotic paintings of the plain’s wildlife hanging in various locations along the walls.
Sehn sat up and growled as he spotted the sleeping form next to him.
“Nero, what kind of man are you? Sleep in your own bed.” Sehn gave him a nudge, and the little Elf sat up, wiping his eyes. He appeared dazed as he looked around him.
“Ah! I must have fallen asleep waiting for everyone. I wanna go see the city. How could they let me fall asleep like this?”
Nero tried to sprint out of the room, and would have, had Sehn not grabbed him by the ankle. “Hold on a second, Nero. I would love nothing more than for you to go out alone and get murdered, but Cah’lia would never let me hear the end of it. I’m going with you.”
Nero jumped out of the bed, spinning, twirling and clapping. Sehn was going to put a stop to that one of these days; happiness was a forbidden emotion.
“Where did everyone else go, Sehn?”
Only then did Sehn realize they were alone in the room.
“Who knows? Hopefully they died.”
Nero laughed and followed Sehn out of the room. They walked down the narrow hallway of the inn. Looking out of the occasional window, Sehn could see they were on the second floor. The thought grated him.
I am so tired of residing on only the second floor of things! The Great Sehn should sleep among the clouds
.
Sehn knew that the day would be long and tiring. As soon as they exited the inn and Nero’s little foot touched the first piece of stoned pavement on the Koringrathian streets, he refused to calm down. Sehn was dragged to places he didn’t want to go, literally dragged as Nero tugged on his shirt and pulled him along.
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