"You're really sure you're all right?"
It was the third time ZenTar asked him that same question and he simply gave him a critical glare in response.
ZenTar had arrived just before dawn, pretending to be drunk and asking for permission to join their private party.
"But how did they know where to find us? It's still too soon for orders from the Palace to have reached this far."
"Agreed. Which can only mean we were followed."
"By our own men?"
"The Palace's men," ZaiWin corrected sarcastically. That was something he'd learned a long, long time ago. He couldn't trust anyone, not even those who had served and apparently cared for him for a very long time. The only person he trusted was standing right there, in front of him.
"But that's not possible! I made sure we weren't being followed! I checked and checked, and rechecked! I even left some small spies on the road to make sure no one was tracking us," he argued and ZaiWin shrugged.
"Well, we didn't really made it a secret of our destination either. They may have simply traveled directly here, and then waited for our arrival. We were a bit slow on the road, after all," he added. Because the damn brat wasn't used to riding, and so they had stopped more times then they would have usually.
ZenTar sighed, his gaze falling on the bed where Snow still slept, his thoughts probably the same.
"All that ice. His doing, right?"
"Yup."
"I never heard of a Celestial being able to command an element like that. I mean. I heard that they bless crops and livestock, and that they can heal almost every disease. But that level of destruction … The two men were completely frozen to death."
"I was almost frozen to death," ZaiWin grunted, crossing his arms. "If not for the fact that he can't kill me with his daitai I would have surely joined those other two in the afterlife. You'd most certainly be dead."
ZenTar shook off a cold shiver.
"And he just killed them? Just like that?"
"I've been telling you since a long time ago, that bullshit about Celestials being unable to take a life is exactly that, bullshit!" he grumbled and ZenTar sighed.
"And I never doubted you. But, like you, I also know that, back then, those circumstances were … special. But this … He is more dangerous than any of us!"
ZaiWin averted his gaze.
"Well, it's not like he's killing them on purpose, or with the open intention to do so. He just can't control his markings, which, if what we suspect is confirmed, is barely his fault," he grunted again, clearly conflicted about his own need to defend the boy. "From what I gathered, every time he gets scared things turn cold very quickly."
"But he never used that red array again, right?"
ZaiWin shook his head.
"Maybe only pain can activate it. Or maybe it's like a survival instinct, for when he feels that his life is in danger."
"If everyone had survival instincts like that the world population would be cut by less than a half by now," ZenTar mocked in a critical tone.
"What about the innkeeper and the rest of the people staying there?"
"The innkeeper and one of the of the house servants were both killed, their bodies hidden in the back. But no one else seemed to have noticed anything out of the ordinary. They were even looking for the master of the house, wondering where he'd gone so early in the morning."
"So they weren't in on it."
"Didn't look like it, no. I had BigMountain stay behind and get a closer look at the bodies. It took me forever to unfreeze the two ice statues upstairs," he complained but ZaiWin ignored him.
"And? That aside, did you find what we were looking for?"
A deep sigh left ZenTar's chest.
"I did. MenTar is already there, waiting for us. And I also scheduled an audience with the Temple. Are you really sure you want to consult with her in this matter?" he wanted to make sure, clearly praying ZaiWin would give up on his initial idea, but a simple nod was all it took to overthrow ZenTar's hopes, a desperate expression immediately taking over his face.
"I have questions that only a Jundai can answer. And if I have to talk to a Jundai about this, it may as well be her."
"And you trust her to keep your secret and simply go on with her life after you tell her about this?" ZenTar asked, in a last desperate attempt to dissuade him, and ZaiWin laughed dryly.
"As if! But what's the worst thing she can do? Send a report to the main Temple? Send one to the Palace? That will all be done soon enough." ZenTar sighed in defeat. "Besides, I'm sure she misses you dearly," he added in a mocking tone and ZenTar offered him a murderous glare in return. Taking a deep breath, he gave up on on the matter all together.
"Do you really need to investigate all this? I mean, I thought you only wanted to find a way to get rid of the problem."
"That is my main concern, yes. But I still want to understand why and how. And to make sure that this was really just an unfortunate coincidence, and that he wasn't somehow planted inside that box by someone who knew I would be there to open it." ZenTar's expression turned darker.
"You think he may be lying and that he's actually under someone else's orders?"
"Better to make sure now, than to regret later. If this was all an unfortunate coincidence, then all that's left is to deal with it the best way possible. But if not, then I need to know who planned this and why. Because even if we somehow manage to solve this problem it won't be long before something else is thrown my way."
ZenTar nodded and sighed deeply.
"You're absolutely right," he agreed. But, at the same time, he couldn't help feeling sad that, even though ZaiWin was still considerably young, his thoughts were already filled with such sordid possibilities; possibilities that hadn't even crossed his own mind. That that happened more often than not only went to show how much ZenTar had failed in his intentions to protect the child he'd been charged with all those years ago.
The boy sleeping on the bed stirred softly and then sat up with a startle, his eyes wide as he looked around with an alarmed expression on his face, the golden quilt sliding down his bare shoulders and chest. Even though he had now spent several days on the road, he was still as pale as before, mainly because he kept himself wrapped in his warm cloak most of the time, as if it were some kind of armor able to protect him from the outside world. The difference was that he had finally put some meat on his bones. He had also gained some muscle, which meant he no longer looked as if he was about to die from starvation at any moment. The scars covering his chest, however, seemed even more visible, now that his body had regain a healthier appearance. And although most of them were pale white, there were a few red ones that looked more like burn marks than scars left by blades.
"I'll get you two something to eat," ZenTar decided and made his way to the door.
Even though ZenTar didn't like leaving the two of them alone he also knew that there was nothing he could do about it. Taking into account the circumstances, ZaiWin was already being more than accommodating towards all of them, the hard-gained iron control he held over his own emotions working to all of their benefits. There was no point in pushing it and risking pissing him off. One frozen bedroom was enough to deal with. He didn't need an entire brothel turned to dust added to his pile of problems.