Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Seven
My threat seems to have been enough for Malion to get the hint that I will not be intimidated, and the rest of our meal passes by with little incident. Mirin manages to hide his sore body until his plate is clean, surprising me with how much he ate. Malion also ate his fill as instructed, all but licking his plate of crumbs as if he hasn’t eaten a meal in days. Considering that he hardly ever leaves his temple, I suppose that may be true. Who knows what lengths the Chaplain is willing to go to in order to prove his dedication to gods who couldn’t care less about his existence.

Malion pats his lips with his napkin before setting it over his plate, offering a polite smile that is a bit too tight to be considered genuine as he pushes himself from the table. His golden eyes glimmer in the candlelight as he folds in a bow, glancing up at Toshiro through his lashes once more before turning to address me. “It was a lovely evening. I do hope to see the three of you at service this week.”

I remain impassive as I swirl the last bits of wine inside of my gauntlet, holding his gaze. I think we both know that the chances of us attending his services are slim at best, which I make sure is interpreted in my expression. “Of course. Give my regards to the others, Malion.”

Toshiro remains silent, regarding our guest cooly as he makes one last attempt to please the Fox god, to no avail. Toshiro does not share the Chaplains parting smile or turn to watch his exit, though his ears swivel behind him to ensure that the golden Faerie does in fact, leave before he speaks again. As soon as his eyes fall on mine, I know for a fact that there was something in my drink, though he stubbornly insisted on drinking the entire thing while making eye contact with Malion as if to prove his immunity to any poisons. Toshiro removes his mask of indifference now as he leans over in his chair, resting on the arm of it as he reveals the true effects of whatever the toxin in my beverage was.

“Oh my god, what was in that?” I keep my tone lowered in case Malion is still within earshot, shoving my chair back as I shoot to my feet. I reach to touch his forehead, feeling his cool skin beneath my touch, though a thin sheen of sweat coats his brow. Toshiro growls softly and swats my hand away, leaning away from me.

His breathing seems a bit more labored than usual and he places a hand over his stomach, turning his profile to look at me. His black eyes blaze in the flickering candlelight, forcing a tight smile. “I’m fine. It’s just a stomach ache. That poison would have killed you immediately. That Chaplain is not to be trusted.”

I reach for a napkin and press the cloth against his brow, mopping up the sheer perspiration despite his attempts to bat me away. “As if I don’t know that,” I snarl, glaring at the empty chair. “Someone put him up to this.”

Toshiro tilts his head to the side and regards me with a tired look, grabbing my wrist and forcing the cloth away from his forehead. “Stop your fretting, I said I’m fine.” He glances pointedly to Mirin on his opposite side, who leans forward in his chair pensively, unsure of how he can help.

Understanding what his look means, I sigh and snatch my arm from his grasp, throwing the napkin on the table in frustration. I suppose that to a god a bit of poison is probably no worse than dairy is for my stomach, though it is still uncomfortable, to say the least. My reaction is only making Mirin worry more than he needs to, so I take a step back to compose myself before I can make the situation any worse. I pinch the bridge of my nose and begin to pace the length of the table, needing some way to expel my nervous energy. “I wonder who convinced him to come to meet me tonight. Whoever orchestrated this knew that I trusted Malion the most out of any of them, since he is the most disarming as the head of their church,” I muse, mumbling beneath my breath as I stalk back and forth. “I should make an example of them.”

Mirin stands from his seat to watch me, his forehead creased with exasperation. “Chaplain Malion tried to poison you? That is why Toshiro looks so unwell?” He concludes, finally catching on to the gravity of the situation. He balls his fists at his sides, looking as frustrated as I feel as he glares past me at the door, likely contemplating if he should go after him or not.

I quell Mirin with a look, pausing in front of his chair at the table. “Don’t even think about it,” I warn him, giving him an all too knowing look. “You are nowhere near capable of taking on a Noble Faerie yet. Let Toshiro handle this, please.”

Mirin clenches his jaw at my order, his eyes shaded in the dim lighting. He lowers his head to gaze at his feet, flexing his fingers at the exasperation of being told not to do anything about the attempt on my life. I know that it’s exactly what he’s being trained for, but since he is still so new as a guard in training, I’m not going to risk his safety to investigate this.

“I know it’s frustrating,” I add, attempting to soothe his anger. “But that is why he’s here. Toshiro is fine and should recover shortly, and then we will look into this further. As for you, I need you to remain fixated on your studies, do you understand?” I ask reaching to touch the back of his shirt cautious not to cause him any more pain than he is already in. Only once he lifts his eyes to mine in begrudging compliance do I continue, making sure that he is listening to me well. “You have to gain strength and knowledge before you can be of assistance to me. Remember that.”

Though my words may seem harsh, it seems that they strike the correct chord in his mind as his shoulders slacken beneath my touch, giving up on his anger. His sigh remains frustrated though, as he nods once in agreement. “I understand. I will continue to work hard,” He lifts his head to look at me, jutting out his chin to prove his resolve to me. “May I be excused for the night?”

I turn to glance at Toshiro, ensuring that he is making progress towards recovery from his sour stomach. He meets my gaze and jerks his head towards the door, giving me his permission to expel Mirin from the room. I turn back to my charge and nod, stepping aside to let him through. “Alright, you are free to go,” I say, catching a sliver of steel shards inside of his eyes. “Don’t work too hard, Mirin. We need to begin early tomorrow morning.”

Mirin’s eyes widened the slightest bit in confusion as to how I could so easily guess his motivation for leaving, but nods in the understanding of my request. As if I wouldn’t guess that he is going to practice more with his wooden sword, fighting off invisible enemies as if they were the culprit who attempted to take my life tonight. Despite his exhaustion, I get the insight that he’s going to train until he collapses on the floor, too exhausted to hold the hilt any longer. I recognize his motivation because I’ve had the same look in my eyes before, so many times.

I used to solely rely on the thought of getting my sister back in my arms to keep me from falling into a deep pit of despair. As a matter of fact, I realize that for the first time in forever, I haven’t thought about Alice in almost twenty-four hours straight. I feel a twang of guilt at the realization but shove it away with the explanation that I have far more going on right now to dwell on it. I clench my fists and turn back to Toshiro, turning back to the matter at hand.

He now sits upright in his seat again, though his skin still seems pale, even more so than usual. His black eyes flicker to mine as he steadies himself, a ghost of a smile lighting his lips. “You defused him well,” He surprised me with the compliment as he leans back in his chair, closing his eyes.

I sigh and lean against the table, facing him. “I’m sorry, I know it must be painful,” I say, my voice sounding far too soft in my own ears. “Thank you.”

Toshiro opens one eye to regard me, expression impassive. His throat bobs as he swallows, forcing himself upright again and wiping the sweat from his face with the same napkin I used earlier. “Don’t ever do that again,” I’m about to ask what he’s talking about, but he cuts me off by pushing himself to his feet and nudging me towards the door with a look. “Let’s take a walk.”