Read Online Questing Sucks! Book II by Kevin Weinberg - Free Book Online Page B

I should go back to my room.”
    I must be hearing things
, Cah’lia thought.
Sehn just said he made a mistake
.
    His ears twitched as he stared at the floor, and Cah’lia knew then that whatever troubled him must’ve been serious. She wasn’t certain how to proceed. With Sehn, the slightest mistake in wording would send his pride into overdrive and he’d storm out while sentencing her to an eternity of hell. Thus, she needed to be delicate.
    “If you don’t tell me, I won’t be able to help you.”
    Sehn released an animal-like growl. “The Great Sehn requires no help!”
    Cah’lia placed a hand on his knee and kept alarm out of her voice. It was a foolish mistake—telling Sehn she could “help” him should’ve been an obviously poor choice of words. Yet the fact that he remained was far more troubling than if he’d scrambled away.
    “I believe you. But sometimes help can make your life a bit easier, right? Tell me what’s wrong.”
    Sehn lifted his chin slightly and shifted his eyes in her direction. She could see from the way his brow tightened that he thought deeply on her words. Sehn had never been the type to sulk—at least not for long.
    “I shouldn’t,” he whispered. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
    Cah’lia kept her voice steady. “You’re sure what is nothing ?”
    Sehn’s lips quivered for a moment—unusual for him. “I…I don’t know if I…Cah’lia…”
    Cah’lia began to panic. It took great effort not to grab his shoulders and demand to know what was wrong. She’d promised herself she’d be a rock: an anchor for Sehn. She needed to remain strong, for both their sakes.
    “It’s okay,” she said calmly. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
    Sehn placed his hand on top of the one she was resting on his knee. “I don’t think I’ll be walking for much longer,” he said. “Something is wrong.”
    Cah’lia’s breath caught in her chest. Reminding herself to breathe, she paused a moment, then asked, “What do you mean?”
    She felt his hand tighten around hers. “Everything hurts, Cah’lia. I didn’t think much of it at first. But now it’s with me everywhere. When I ride a horse, when I try to eat—it doesn’t end. It gets worse with every day. This morning when I opened my eyes, everything was dark. I was blinded, and I…I was afraid that I wouldn’t see ever again. But it’s nothing compared to the pain. At first it was just in my muscles, but now it’s inside me, too. It’s like…it’s like a knife is stabbing at me, and it doesn’t stop. Or more specifically, it’s like I’ve got all this… power and it needs to come out. I cannot explain it. My hearing has worsened, too. I strain to hear everything that’s said so no one will notice, but each day I take in less and less.”
    “Is that all?” Cah’lia asked.
    “No, there’s more. It’s getting harder to breathe, and I don’t know why. It shouldn’t be possible, any of this. But it hurts, Cah’lia. Everything hurts.”
    Cah’lia briefly closed her eyes and collected herself. It was the only way to stop them from shedding tears. “Why are you telling me this now?”
    Sehn tightened his grip on her hand yet again, and Cah’lia gripped back. “I need you to…” Sehn paused, lines of frustration forming on his face. Cah’lia could tell it was a struggle for him to continue speaking.
    “I need you to know something. It’s something no one knows about, not even my own father. You must never tell anyone. In my room back in Elvar, under the floorboards near my window, I have a very large stash of gold coins that I’ve been saving for a long time. If…if there comes a need, I want you to give it to Rina and Nero, so that—”
    “Enough,” Cah’lia pleaded. “Please, just stop.”
    “But Cah’lia, I—”
    “Not now, Sehn. Not now. You’re being an idiot.”
    “ An… idiot?”
    Cah’lia nodded. She knew what she had to say next. It would be the hardest thing she’d ever have to