I Am Seer - Book 3

Chapter 6 - Fate Is A Cruel Master

The soft light of a lantern being uncovered revealed the three of them standing nonchalantly on either side of the window I had just exited. Their expressions told me they knew exactly what I was trying to do, and I shut my eyes as realization coursed through me. They were going to drag me back inside and lock me up in that room, and then...my vision...

Desperation thudded in the pit of my stomach, and tears welled in my eyes. I'd tried so hard, but nothing seemed to be right. I knew I had to do this, but Kotaro—even Azrul—didn't think I should go, and even if Kotaro finally agreed to it, he'd want to come with me. Right now was my only chance to ensure that the one I loved remained safe.

"Did you honestly think I believed what you said about being okay?" Ayan sounded genuinely curious.

"No." I replied softly, finally mastering control of my vocal chords. "But you have to believe me when I say there's no other option." I lifted my gaze to look him in the eyes, letting him read the sincerity in their depths.

"You know there's no way we're going to let you leave, right?" Ayan said as if there were any mystery to clarify.

I was caught, trapped. And Kotaro was going to die.

"Alone, that is."

Shock coursed through me, and my eyes darted from one to the next of them. What was he saying? The three of them were looking grimly at me as if they understood the measure of my resolve, but there was a hint of fondness in their eyes, too, as if knowing what I felt, they were determined to help me.

"Kotaro doesn't think I should go." I said softly, wondering if reminding them might break the spell. "He especially won't like it that I went without him and without talking to him."

"And Kotaro's opinion is the only one that matters?" Martimus raised a brow. "You're one of us now, and there's a weight to that which you probably never imagined when we first started this fool's errand."

"You think I should go?" The idea that I wasn't alone in my plans was a warm hug in the cold of this lonely night.

"We didn't say that." Ayan said quickly. "Since you already know the hell Kotaro will raise when he realizes you've left without a word to him, I won't attempt to educate you." There was steel in his tone which made me acutely aware that he was utterly against my leaving.

"Then why are you doing this?" I looked him in the eyes.

"Because knowing what I know, you wouldn't leave him if it weren't for his sake." He understood the pain I was feeling in leaving Kotaro behind, but as if he'd somehow seen my bloodstained nightmares, he seemed to know I had no other option.

"The fact of the matter is," Bohai finally spoke up. "We know you feel there's some need for you to go and for you to do so without Kotaro's knowledge, so it's not right for us to try to hold you back when you feel so strongly about it—especially not when we haven't seen whatever...sights you've been cursed with."

I didn't have the time to fully process his statement, but I knew that the power I'd been born with no longer seemed like a gift of salvation to him. Not after the information Azrul had disclosed. He'd once looked at me with such awe as if he could see the brightness of his future laid out before him now that I was present, but over time, that expression had been dimmed by reality.

"But obviously, you cannot proceed on this voyage without the security of companionship." Martimus offered me the ghost of a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he lifted a pack of his own to his shoulder.

My heart welled to the bursting point as I looked at the three of them. They'd all sacrificed something to come on this journey in the first place, and now, they were willing to follow my path beyond the veil of uncertainty. If I hadn't been pressed by the urgency of the situation, I probably would have cried, but at the same time, the implications of their decision made me hesitate.

"But Kotaro—" I began.

"Will be alone?" Ayan finished for me with a snort. "I'm not going to leave with you."

Relief flooded me at the blunt statement. I might have known he wouldn't—couldn't—leave Kotaro. After all they'd been through together, he'd rather Kotaro killed him for letting me go than leave Kotaro's side.

"What are you waiting for?" He raised a brow. "Don't wait for me to change my mind."

His voice was gruff, but in the depths of his eyes there was a murmur of warmth and good wishes. Bohai and Martimus moved to my side, and I sent Ayan a slow nod of thanks before turning to face the darkness.

"Our horses are tethered over here." Bohai murmured, and surprise coursed through me again.

"What? Did you honestly think I was going to walk the entire way?" Martimus snorted beside me. "You're lucky enough that I'm coming with you in the first place, but walking?"

"How did you—" I started.

"Have enough time to get them there?" I could almost hear him raising his brows in the darkness. "You took a hell of a long time to get dressed, sweetheart."

My tears finally overflowed, but a smile touched my lips. I was going off into the unknown again, but somehow, I still wasn't alone, and there was a certain courage to be gained from that. No matter what the outcome of this journey was, there were people willing to see to it that my night terrors remained nothing more than just that.

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Well, what do you think of that? Is Bree making the right decision? Are Ayan, Martimus, and Bohai doing the right thing by helping her, or should they have stopped her? What do you think will happen next?

This chapter is...eh...I am planning to do some major editing on Bree's story in the near future, but for now, finals are next week...which is nice in a way, because then I'll be going home and will be able to devote a lot more time to my writing/planning! Plus, I get to celebrate my birthday at home and the holidays are always super fun at my house, so I'm just excited in general. Having to do the final exams is another thing entirely, however...can I just skip that and stick with the grades I have in my classes right now?? That'd be phenomenal, thanks. Anyway, I guess I should go study...or get sick really quickly so I can go home early and not have to do in-person exams.... :P