The Prince of Starlight

Chapter Twenty

Yoshi arrived back at the inn shortly after Cricket asked the innkeeper to take away what was left of the food and tea. Then it was the work of ten minutes (and lots of soft curses and grunts from Cricket) to wrangle Ignacia out of the chair and up the stairs. They barricaded themselves into his and Ignacia's room once there. Cricket tied her wrists to the bed post, then sealed the single window with a spell before they both slumped against the closed door.

"You don't have to stay with me for this," Cricket said, drawing his knees up towards his chest. "I can watch over her until morning."

Yoshi didn't respond, he just crossed his legs into a pretzel, and rested his hands on his knees, making himself comfortable. Or as comfortable as someone as upright and stiff as Yoshi could be.

"I mean it, Yoshi. You should go and get some sleep. This is going to be an all-night thing."

Yoshi still didn't say anything. He didn't even shrug. Shrugging was likely undignified and impolite in his book, Cricket figured.

Cricket sighed, and scooted down so his back was curved more comfortably against the door. It didn't do much. The door was hard. The floor was hard. His body was still aching.

"I'll grab us some pillows," Cricket said, hopping up. He grabbed the pillows from his bed, and went back to the floor. Holding one out to Yoshi, he slumped against the door, and settled the other beneath his curved back.

"I am fine."

"Take the pillow, Yoshi."

Yoshi let out another of those gentle huffs that could have been a laugh or could have been exasperation. Cricket wasn't sure. He supposed he'd have to be really looking at Yoshi next time he did it, instead of adjusting the pillow under his lower back to get more comfortable. When he looked up Yoshi had set the pillow between himself and the door, his posture still upright.

"You can relax. It's going to be a long night."

"I am relaxed."

Cricket huffed, sitting up to mimic Yoshi's posture. "No, you aren't. This doesn't feel relaxed."

Yoshi didn't answer.

Cricket sunk down a little, stretching his legs out, and bumping his shoulder intentionally against Yoshi. Once he was comfortable again, he looked over at Ignacia. They'd laid her on the bed so she could be comfortable, but she hadn't woken yet. He hoped she'd stay asleep until morning. The quiet was nice, after all the screaming downstairs.

Time ticked by, and Cricket felt himself being dragged down by his exhaustion. There had been some hope of a nap earlier on in the day after they'd arrived in Taini, but it had never happened. And perhaps that was his own fault. He was the one who'd insisted they set to work right away. But there was no waiting when there were lives on the line. And how was he to know that Ignacia would be ensnared by the stag and become more of a problem than an aid?

"What do you think we should do?" Cricket asked eventually.

"Hm?" Yoshi tilted his head so he could look down at Cricket where he'd slumped.

"Well, obviously we can't let them continue to hunt it. They're going to get hurt, or hurt it. And I still think it might be a person. Especially after what the healer said."

Yoshi nodded his agreement.

"We have to keep them from doing that." Cricket was thinking out loud at that point. Tapping his fingers in a steady rhythm against his thigh. "And then there's the matter of the stag itself."