Tattered Allegiance: MM Fantasy Romance: A Luminia Novel by Lee Colgin

Author:Lee Colgin [Colgin, Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781970161328
Publisher: Colgin Enterprise
Published: 2023-07-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Jindal

I’m grumpy, and my body hurts.

I haven’t had a good night’s rest since Rahz left, and I feel the effects in the tension of my muscles, the headache throbbing low in my skull, and the inflammation around my joints. It’s easy to forget how important sleep is to your health until you’ve had seven long nights without it. Tossing and turning, reaching for an absent lover, is the stuff of nightmares.

I keep thinking I’ll get used to this. I’m the lucky one, still sleeping in our bed. The sheets still smell like us, and if I stuff my face into Rahz’s pillow, the lingering scent of his hair brings me comfort. But not sleep. Poor Rahz. He’s out in the middle of nowhere, sleeping on a pad on the ground, without knowing what the next day will bring. Knowing it’s worse for him only makes me more upset.

Ugh. And if I have to listen to Vander complain about “the humans this” or “the humans that” one more time, I’m going to cram a nillyslug so far down his throat he’ll choke on it.

Today has been another long day in a string of long days. Rahz’s absence makes my father’s presence even more grating than usual. I hadn’t realized how much Rahz served as a buffer between us until he was gone and I was left to handle the old man myself. He’s ornery, unreasonable, and getting on my last nerve.

Sometimes I wonder what Mother ever saw in him. One day, after she’s awoken and we’ve gotten to know each other, perhaps I’ll ask. I like to think her waking will cheer him up. That suddenly he’ll become jovial. Appreciative. That maybe he’ll even love me.

But this line of thought is pointless. Mother is dormant. Rahz is gone. I’m exhausted, and the only thing I can do to get my mind off my woes is head to The Golden Wing, our local tavern. I’ll drink some ale and take pleasure in the company of our friends.

Hopefully, Vander isn’t there.

Vander is there.

After I shove open the heavy wooden door, he’s the first thing I see, seated at the bar, drink in hand, mouth spewing some story no one seems to be paying much attention to.

Curses. Just my luck.

My bad mood dips lower. Oh well, I’m here now, and I won’t leave because he’s here too. But still, can’t one thing go right? One thing?

Luckily, Bird is at the other end of the bar, so I make my way over to her.

The inside of The Golden Wing is warmly lit with a combination of flickering oil lamps and magically charmed lights, which glow golden and flutter around the thick wooden rafters in pairs of tiny, perfectly shaped wings, hence the name. A dozen tables are scattered throughout, booths line the far wall, and a large hearth frames a cold fireplace, not currently in use. Colorful tapestries, woven locally, mostly by Lemon and Salah’s family, adorn the walls. Beautiful landscapes, bountiful farms, frolicking unicorns, and fields of flowers lend a whimsical feeling to the place.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.