Chapter 90 Looking out for you

Chapter 90 Looking out for you
~ Tyra ~

Zaran widened his eyes in shock for a moment, clearly not expecting me to push back against him so firmly.

For a brief second, something uncertain flickered across his face before his expression hardened again, and he looked at me with the kind of determination that told me he had no intention of admitting that I had a point.

"We have wasted too much time already. Any more and we'll miss the open window to get you home. Don't you want to get home?" He asked, and although his voice remained controlled, the strain on his face was becoming increasingly difficult to hide.

His shoulders looked tense, and there was a slight tiredness around his eyes that had not been there before.

"I want to get home, which is exactly why we can't continue like this," I responded, keeping my voice firm. "I don't want to get stranded here because you suddenly collapsed along the way and slept for an extra two days. I also don't want to get eaten by some beast because you suddenly lost strength when we are being attacked."

The explanation came out without hesitation because I genuinely hoped he would see reason and reconsider. I was not trying to be difficult for the sake of it. I simply did not understand why he was willing to risk his health when we were already trapped in a strange place filled with creatures I had no idea how to defend myself against.

"I fight with magic, not only with physical strength," he responded in a heartbeat, countering my logic with the kind of confidence that made it clear he considered the matter settled.

"Right," I gave an exaggerated nod, staring at him for a moment. "I wonder how your magic will hit the right target when you're walking like a drunken master. What if you hit me by mistake?"

His lips pressed together briefly, and his eyes narrowed at me.

"That is not going to happen."

His voice oozed confidence, and for someone who had nearly fallen over moments ago, he seemed remarkably certain of his abilities.

His confidence watered down my concern for exactly two seconds before common sense reminded me that I had already watched him struggle to remain upright.

"Nope," I shook my head. "I'm not taking chances."

I turned my attention away from him, fixing my gaze on Kosi, who had been silently watching our exchange. His expression carried a strange mixture of worry and confusion, and his eyes moved between Zaran and me as if he was trying to understand why his master was being so stubborn.

"You said he needs rest, right?" I asked.

Kosi nodded.

"How much rest does he need to recover?" I threw another question at him, hoping he would give me an actual answer this time.

"Kosi not sure. Master need food too."

"Shut your mouth, Kosi," Zaran snapped at him.

Kosi immediately closed his mouth, lowering his eyes and stepping back slightly. The poor thing looked like he had just been caught doing something wrong even though he had only answered my question.

I turned to Zaran, my brows furrowing in annoyance as I shot him a pointed frown.

"Don't bully him into silence. And I'm not going anywhere with you unless you rest until you are fit to continue traveling. If you want to continue in this condition, you can continue alone."

The words were out before I could reconsider them.

I turned around and walked away from him, putting as much distance between us as I could without actually leaving the area. I found a small stone beneath a nearby tree and lowered myself onto it, crossing my arms over my chest as I stared ahead.

The moment I settled down, however, my rational mind began screaming at me.

Was I stupid to say something like that to the only person who could get me out of this unknown territory?

Yes.

Would he really leave me behind?

I hoped not.

Would I stay back if he really decided to continue without me?

I honestly did not know.

I glanced in his direction from the corner of my eye, trying to read his expression without making it obvious that I was checking on him. He remained where I had left him, and for a moment neither of us said anything. My concerns were valid too.

"You do know if I leave, you will be trapped here for heaven knows how long."

"You already made that abundantly clear. I don't want us to be trapped here, which is why I am not willing to let you ruin the little chance we have of escaping with your stubbornness."

I softened my voice and tone, deciding to try to convince him once more.

"Just lest a little, even if for just thirty minutes, and eat something, then we can continue." My voice came out sweet and soft, exactly as I intended it to.

I even made sure there was no trace of annoyance in it because I suspected that the slightest hint of it would probably send him right back into his stubborn mode.

He did not move for a while. He only stood there, staring at me, while the muscles in his face slowly tightened until his expression settled into an even deeper frown. It was obvious that he was fighting with himself, weighing his need to continue against the fact that his body was clearly asking him to stop.

"Fine," he finally relented, moving toward where I sat before planting his butt on one of the raised roots of the tree.

A smile immediately settled on my face as relief washed over me. I had genuinely thought he was going to walk away and leave me behind. Thank goodness he didn't.

"Kosi, can you go find some more fruits? The ones I have here will not be enough," I said to Kosi, reaching into my bag to fetch the remaining fruits I had thrown inside earlier.

Kosi nodded, apparently ready to obey the instruction, but before he could leave, Zaran's voice stopped him.

"Kosi doesn't know the difference between edible and inedible fruits," Zaran said, his tone carrying a faint note of disapproval.

I looked at him, then at Kosi.

"Then bring everything you can find, and your master will select the edible ones from the inedible ones."

Kosi looked at Zaran briefly, seemingly waiting to see whether his master had another objection. When no other protest came, he immediately shifted into his ghoul form and flew away, disappearing into the distance in search of food.

Zaran turned his attention back to me and shot me a frown.

"How the hell did you get my ghoul to start obeying you?" He asked, the suspicious look in his eyes piercing into me.

I could not help but find his reaction amusing.

"He's not obeying me. He's only looking out for you. Here, you can start with these ones."

I extended the fruits toward him, but instead of accepting them, he looked away.

I stared at him for a few seconds, unable to believe that he was still being stubborn even after agreeing to rest.

"You better stop being stubborn. I know what you did and why you are feeling this way," I revealed.

That immediately got his attention.

His gaze returned to me, and another suspicious expression settled over his features. He studied my face carefully, clearly trying to figure out exactly what I knew and how I had found out.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Heating the alcove with magic, losing strength, and passing out from it. I know everything, so you can stop pretending you're fine because I know you are not."

Surprise flickered across his face for a brief moment, but he quickly replaced it with something that looked suspiciously like anger.

"How dare you, Kosi?" He muttered.

I immediately frowned.

"Leave Kosi out of this. He didn't do anything. He kept his mouth shut until this moment. I only know about it because I was actually awake when you two were discussing it."

He stared at me as if the fact that I knew what he had done was somehow a betrayal. I knew he had gone to such lengths to hide his condition because he did not want me worrying about him. Or perhaps he simply did not want me to know that protecting me had cost him so much.

After a while, he turned his face away again, still refusing to take the fruits from my hand.

I let out a sigh, lowering my hand slowly.

"You don't know how bad I feel that you are like this because of me. The least you can do to ease my guilt and to accept my appreciation for what you did for me is to at least eat and get better."