Flames

Chapter Twenty

The spy had undoubtedly given him something to think about, something that had already been on his mind. This was becoming a distraction, or at least that is what it would be considered in Roman's eyes. Nix was losing sight of his main intention in the name of gathering more information. He knew that the spy would be quickly reporting to Roman that he had spotted Nix with some woman. Roman would know that Cassandra still lived, despite her supposed to be killed days ago. Nix never waited more than a day to assassinate his target. What made her so different? He had never been one to hold back before, often growing angry and disappointed with the men beneath him that dared show the slightest shred of mercy. What was becoming of him? He answered his own question as a memory of Arienne flashed against his mind. All he could see was her desperately reaching out to him.

Cassandra reminded him of Arienne, how she had done nothing wrong and had begged to be spared.

Despite his uncertainty of disappointing his king, he still raised his head when Joel began pointing towards a wooden cottage coming into sight.

"It isn't much, Miss." His cheeks darkened as he smiled up at Cassandra, a fondness in his eyes. "It's all we have to offer. I hope it's alright with you."

The boy's reddened face allowed Nix to be pulled from his thoughts. The child had been nothing but kind and loving to Cassandra since he met her. He simply chuckled over the sight, fighting the urge to cross his arms. The last thing he needed was more of his shirt smelling awful. It was bad enough with one sleeve smelling that way.

"Of course it's alright, Joel. We can't thank you enough for any hospitality that you and your family have shown us." Cassandra assured, patting the young boy's shoulder. Her own eyes left the boy as her head raised to look at the two figures that emerged from the cottage. "Is this your parents?" She asked as the two made their way towards them.

Without a reply, Joel began to giggle and ran towards the man they both assumed with his father. "I brought them, papa!"

"You did." The man ruffled Joel's already wild curly hair and smiled at the newcomers. He looked far different from the boy. His eyes shimmered a dark blue with skin much lighter than his son's. It was clear he had been tanned by working often in the sun, yet it couldn't compare to Joel's. He was tall, towering over both Nix and Cassandra, with brown hair that was neatly trimmed, stubble appearing around his face. Despite the bags beneath his eyes and the hollow shape around them, he still smoothed out his rugged clothes and approached the two of them with excitement in his step.

Standing at his side was a woman that came to his shoulders. Her hair was black and down in long braids that started at her scalp and came all the way down to her waist, eyes nearly just as dark. Her skin matched her hair and eyes, creating a rare beauty around her. Despite the tear marks evident on her cheeks, she was a sight to behold. The dress she wore was the cleanest out of the three of them. While she smiled at the two, her hand rested on her stomach that was swollen out far past her hips.

As Nix glanced between the family, a realization had hit him. He had assumed the boy was simply tan but by seeing his parents, he now knew that it was his natural skin tone. He wasn't too sure what to think about the couple, though there wasn't a reason to fuss about it. It was merely new. Quite brave of them he thought to himself, but figured they were managing alright. This was Adessa, after all. Adessa was known for being ahead of the times.

Cassandra's smile never fell, though it did grow as she examined the woman she assumed was expecting. "Hello." Her voice was softer than usual as she spoke.

"Hello." The man stepped forward, reaching out his hand to shake it with Nix. "I am Samuel Heartsman, and this is my wife, Cela Heartsman."

Nix shook his hand with Samuel, briefly watching as Samuel reached for Cassandra's hand and kissed the back of it. Wanting to blend in, he reached for Cela's hand and kissed the back of it as well. "My name is Cedric Thomas. This is my wife, Amber Thomas. It's a pleasure to meet you." It was strange pretending that Cassandra was his wife, but they didn't look alike enough to pass as family and it was unusual for an unmarried man and woman to travel together like this. It was simply easier this way.