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The King’s Obsession 39
~AkaraI freeze, staring at him as the information sinks in."Where is she?" I question breathlessly.Tai's mother survived, or at least that is what I've been believing since I read Tai's journal, and now, this confirms it. I must have figured it out prior to reading the journal, meaning my distrust of Tai during that time was impossibly high."She's staying in the room next door," Grey tells me. "I found out where she was and wrote to her regarding you. Thankfully she came here to speak to you."I breathe out slowly, processing that. This is just what I need, to talk to someone who has a deeper insight about who Tai is."Take me to talk to her," I demand, closing the gap between Grey and I. Maria...I know her name only because Tai uttered it once.He grabs my arm, stopping me from barging past him and out the door. "Woah...hold on. Can't we talk first?""Grey, you need to understand that you and I will never happen, okay?" I tell him firmly. There is no point hiding it from him, tha
The King’s Obsession 1
A horrid, foul smell rouses me.For a long moment, it's like I'm submerged, fighting desperately to reach the surface. And then consciousness knocks me square in the chest, and I'm sitting up, gasping for air.Violently coughing, I lean over, overwhelmed by the smell shrouding me, by the bitter taste rising up from the back of my throat. My body aches, muscles weak as I finally allow my eyes to crack open, bracing my arm up against the shadowy light.Looking up, I realise I'm in some kind of shallow hole. Trees surround it, roots creeping down through the dirt and into the hole I'm in, protruding unnaturally from the ground...Wait, are those really roots?
The King’s Obsession 2
~AkaraStaring blankly at the unfamiliar face in front of me, I try not to panic that I’ve spent two weeks unconscious under their roof."So you're telling me you don't remember anything about the Azure Province?" I’m asked. I shake my head, squeezing my eyes shut as I rake back through the fog that’s concealing my memories. Each time I do so, I come back with nothing more than an ache between my temples."No, I'm from the Jade Province,” I tell the man. He’s Meredith, the woman who woke me earlier’s husband. He’s a healer, named Alex, having walked in moments ago w
The King’s Obsession 3
~AkaraShivering, I push the front door open with my shoulder, struggling not to make any noise and I move my stuff out to the carriage outside.I said my goodbyes to my family last night, who seemed reluctant at my idea to go to the Azure Province by myself, considering the last time I was there I got kidnapped. But I know I need to go, even if this early hour in the morning is somewhat painful. Marek doesn't know I'm alive, and I have a digging need within me to find him, and let him know what happened to me.Even if I'm still not exactly sure what's going on myself...
The King’s Obsession 4
~AkaraIt feels strange, returning here.The Blue Glass Inn, where it first started. I met Marek here, and part of me hopes we can be reunited here, also. It's unlikely, but it's a place to start, even if the memories are stained with the thought of Jessa. At least she won't have the courage to come back here and try to find me.And this weather helps keep anyone tracking us far in the distance...Nakoa seems reluctant to step out into the snow once we reached the Inn, eyeing it as I jump into it, reaching out my hand for her to follow. It's evening, lik
The King’s Obsession 5
~AkaraSnow laced wind whips against my face, as I nudge my horse on.It took me a day to prepare. Fran pointed me in the direction of someone who could lend us horses and enough gear to take us partially up the mountain. We also attained a map, which thankfully highlights that the Snow Demon territory is relatively close to the base of the mountain.Marek should be there. He will be there."Do you have any idea how dangerous this is," Nakoa yells over the wind as we c
The King’s Obsession 6
~AkaraIt looks more frightening than I could have ever imagined.It stands tall, scorpion like in it's appearance, with glossy white scales like ice. It has no eyes...In fact, it doesn't have a distinguishable face. But it doesn't need to have massive fangs and a drooling mouth to be terrifying. It's large tall curled up over it, with pincers that have Tai's unconscious body snagged around them.There are no thoughts in my head as I start trudging through the snow toward it. I don't get very far, as a hand comes out to grasp my arm, yanking me back curtly."No...Akara no, that's not what you think it is,” Marek hisses.I blink
The King’s Obsession 7
~AkaraNo one spoke the entire way down the mountain.By the time we made it back down to the Inn, we were all equally exhausted, and rattled after what happened with the Snow Demon. Nakoa nodded at us once we stepped inside, before slipping into her room. I don’t stop her, knowing she needs some time to decompress and come to terms with the fact that she nearly became a victim to an ancient Tani.With legs like lead, I drag myself into my room, collapsing into the chair next to the bed. Marek lingers at the doorway. When Ms Grier sees him, she’s going to be in for a surprise."I can't believe you're alive,” he murmurs, resting against the doorframe.&nbs
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The King’s Obsession 39
~AkaraI freeze, staring at him as the information sinks in."Where is she?" I question breathlessly.Tai's mother survived, or at least that is what I've been believing since I read Tai's journal, and now, this confirms it. I must have figured it out prior to reading the journal, meaning my distrust of Tai during that time was impossibly high."She's staying in the room next door," Grey tells me. "I found out where she was and wrote to her regarding you. Thankfully she came here to speak to you."I breathe out slowly, processing that. This is just what I need, to talk to someone who has a deeper insight about who Tai is."Take me to talk to her," I demand, closing the gap between Grey and I. Maria...I know her name only because Tai uttered it once.He grabs my arm, stopping me from barging past him and out the door. "Woah...hold on. Can't we talk first?""Grey, you need to understand that you and I will never happen, okay?" I tell him firmly. There is no point hiding it from him, tha
The King’s Obsession 38
~AkaraWith a bit of Zavian's help, I've managed to track Grey down.Someone in the men Zavian hired to infiltrate Tai's estate knew of a man who was once asking questions around town about me. From there, it didn't take long to have a note passed onto Grey, who unsurprisingly, hasn't left the Jade Province.And just like I suspected, he came to the meeting spot I mentioned in the note; about a thirty minute walk away from Zavian's estate."I wasn't sure I would ever see you again," he murmurs, coming to stand a few feet in front of me."You were meant to run away." I was hoping I wouldn't see him again. Not because he's apparently in love with me, but because I don't trust him. I need to trust my instincts, even if I don't know what my state of mind was during that time."How could I, when you're here," he says earnestly.I fight the urge to roll my eyes. This love sick act has to drop soon, I mean, he knows I'm in love with Marek, and I'm to be married to the King, and yet he still
The King’s Obsession 37
~AkaraI stare up into Zavian's earnest blue eyes, stunned.“I’m sorry…What?”“Think about it,” he breathes, going to grab my hands, but I pull them away quickly, unsure of his motivations, scared I'm about to be forced into another marriage. Zavian is my best friend, not someone I want to marry. “It would be a way around the law, if you became engaged to another King.”“I…I guess," I stutter. He's right, it could be a way around the law, but how would Tai retaliate? And the thought of this being something different...I've lost way too many friends. I refuse to lose Zavian.“It wouldn’t be for long. Just until Tai is no longer a threat," he assures me, seeing my flustered expression. Despite my panic, I believe him. He knows what I've been through, and wouldn't put me through that again without good reason. And being forced into a marriage with Tai is definitely a good one.I shift on my feet, lowering voice. “This idea is good, Zavian, but Tai is holding something over me.”“What?”
The King’s Obsession 36
~AkaraWe walk for a while, in tense silence.Eventually, Vaia's complaints become too frequent, so we have to stop, dead in the middle of the forest, with no civilization for at least an hour's walk from here. It doesn't bother me, though, because while I'm here, I'm not locked away in Tai's estate, and if I wanted to, I could run in a single direction and get far, far away from him."We are going to have to sleep under the stars tonight," Marek says, shrugging his long hunting coat off, laying it down across the forest floor."We don't have anything to sleep on?" Tai turns in a circle, looking distastefully at his environment.I stare at him blankly.Has he already forgotten what it was like to live in hardship? We did it for so many months together, and he rarely complained. It's as if those moments are lost on him now, having disappeared into an inescapable void."What do you want? To go to a village and maybe be torn apart by people who may not like you any longer?" Marek asks, k
The King’s Obsession 35
~Akara"We should go down and-"Tai grabs my arm, yanking me back from approaching the door. I yelp, wrestling out of his grip, frustrated. He has no shortage of guards who are downstairs, where something dramatic is clearly is happening."Are you insane, Akara? Were you not there for Vaia's rebellion?" he questions. I frown, rubbing where he had gripped me.Of course I remember that night vividly. I nearly died at Vaia's hand, but whatever is happening downstairs feels different from that night. There can't possibly be another Rebellion, right? Vaia is safely locked up, and people are relieved the political uproar has finally settled with Tai returning to the throne."Yes, I know, but-""We need to hide. This could be anything," he says, glancing at the door anxiously. My eyes narrow, realising that this isn't coming out of nowhere. Tai isn't shocked at the estate being attacked again, having anticipated it, because he knows his new motivations have angered people."Anything? But wha
The King’s Obsession 34
~AkaraWhatever headspace I was in before I lost consciousness cannot have been a good one.But I've never been more grateful for my own self preservation.Pacing back and forth through my room, the warning I wrote for myself is scrunched up in my hand. My instincts have failed me. I thought I could trust Grey, that he was nothing more than a victim to my incessant need to get back to find Marek.Marek and I spent the rest of yesterday afternoon checking every inch of that motel room, only to find nothing. The girl at the desk wasn't very helpful either, claiming she had only just started working there, and couldn't confirm whether I was alone that day with Grey, or whether I indulged where I was going."Akara..."I turn, having already felt the cool breeze coming through my opening window, heard the soft footsteps fall onto my bedroom floor. I knew he was coming tonight.Advancing on Grey, I slam my hands against his shoulders, sending him hurtling back a few strides. His eyes widen,
The King’s Obsession 33
*Mature Content Warning! Read At Your Own Discretion!*~AkaraI stare at the old motel. Huh.Nowhere in my memory do I remember coming here recently, but I have stepped foot into this shabby old place before. My parents brought me to this town once when they were preaching, and we stayed in this exact motel, which is how I figured out where it was after my dream about Grey.Marek isn't impressed, standing next to me with his hands shoved in his pockets, frowning.He wasn't reluctant to spend the day with me. When I revealed my motive, however, he was far more sceptical, wondering if my source of information is accurate.I need to see though...I need to come back here and see if anymore memories come back to me, so I can track my exact movements, and determine how I came to kill a Summoner, and who this mother is.And I already waited all week for Tai to spend a day elsewhere so I could sneak out and get this done.Marek glances at me. "So we are doing all of this because of...""A dre
The King’s Obsession 32
~AkaraStaring out the window, I admire the sun setting over the forest as I wrap my towel around me, stepping from the bath.I wish the Jade Province still felt like home to me. But when I look out toward the forest, all I see is hidden memories, and endless amounts of pain and suffering.Out there, Marek is somewhere, hunting down who hurt me. I wish I could call out to him, have him come here and save me. But mostly, I wish I could save myself. All that matters is finding a way to get the antidote for Marek, to save his life, before I start concentrating on how to save my own.Yawning, I wander out from the bathroom, only to see Tai sitting on the edge of my bed."Ah!" I yelp, backing away a few steps."Woah, sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," he says, holding his hands up defensively. He's trying not to make me panic, and yet I watch as his eyes trail down my body, only covered by a towel. I shudder. This isn't good.I narrow my eyes, wondering how I could physically force him
The King’s Obsession 31
~AkaraI struggle to fall into an effortless sleep, plagued by flashing dreams...or memories.Through the haze of unconsciousness, I can feel someone's lips pressed up against mine, urgent, desperate. But they are unfamiliar, until my eyes open, and I'm looking at Grey.And just like that, my dream sucks me under."I could kiss you forever," he murmurs against my lips. My hands wind through his hair, tugging at the dark locks.I pull back, examining his face. "So you've decided then?""I'll take you anywhere you want, as long as I get to spend all that time with you." He grins, capturing my lips again. I allow him a few more kisses, before I gently push his shoulders back, holding that dark gaze of his. In some universe, he would be attractive to me, but my interests lie elsewhere."Of course. That's the whole point," I say coyly, tilting my head, painting a not-so-platonic smile upon my lips. He won't sleep with me...I won't allow it. But making him think he will is all a part of the
