Bacorium Legacy by Nicholas Alexander Read Free Book Online Page B

Something about the girl's presence was bothering him, some sort of strange feeling in the air between the two of them that he had never felt with another person. She was a stranger, and he was not comfortable with feeling such a thing with someone he did not know. This was too much, especially in the aftermath of the attack. He needed time alone to gather his thoughts.
    “I'm fine,” he told her. “You can go, I don't need anything right now.”
    He did his best not to sound rude, but some animosity may have slipped through regardless. The girl, if she noticed, did not show it. She bowed again, like a servant, and left the room quietly. She stopped at the doorway, and turned back to him.
    “My name is Emila, by the way.”
    And with that, she left, not waiting to see if he would tell her his own name. Somehow that bothered him. He felt as though she had just made a move in some unspoken game, securing an advantage over him, simply by telling him her name. He felt like he needed to regain some ground. He rose to follow after her, but stopped himself before crossing half the length of the room, realising how foolish the thought was. With a frustrated sigh, he threw himself back onto the bed, ignoring the aches in his bones.
    “Emila...” he muttered.
    He spotted his bags where the girl had left them. All the belongings he had meant to take with him when he left with Arlea. A pang of guilt struck him at the thought of the girl. He was supposed to have been her saviour - rescuing her from a life of unhappiness in a cold, empty place. Instead, she had following him to her death.
    Perhaps the reason this Emila girl was bothering him was because he saw a bit of Arlea in her eyes.
    He closed his eyes, deciding what he was going to do. A few minutes passed. After he had made up his mind, and once he was certain Emila was downstairs and not about to disturb him again, he rose from the bed and pulled his makeshift clothes off. He grabbed his fur garments and quickly dressed himself, ignoring the stiffness and pain in his body. He did not dress fully, for he would not need the extra layers in such a warm region, and it would only slow him down either way. He grabbed his bag, and threw it over his shoulder.
    His father's sword rested against the dresser. He went over to it, and picked it up slowly, testing the weight of it. In all their years of travels, his father had never let him touch his sword once. Now, with Lodin's death, the blade was his.
    Luca looked briefly, but he couldn't find his old short sword, which he remembered Zinoro's Rixeor Fragment blade slicing in half. It mattered not. He only needed one sword, and it was fitting that he use Lodin's blade to avenge him.
    After sheathing the sword at his belt, he turned and went to the bedroom's sole window. He unlatched it as quietly as possible, then climbed through and jumped from the second storey. He landed on the dirt road below without a sound. Thankfully, the arrow in his leg was gone now, so the landing was soft.
    The town was deathly quiet and empty, even for midnight. Not a single soul was visible on the streets, nor was a single window illuminated. It was as though he and Emila were the only people in the town. If that were true, then he would be leaving her by herself...
    He shook his head. It didn't matter.
    He took off at a run.
     
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    Emila returned to the inn's kitchen and flicked the light-switch, activating the electric lamps on the walls. It was strange that the plumbing in the town was down, but the magitech was still functioning. She decided she would look into it tomorrow. Life would certainly be easier in the abandoned town if she could get the toilets and sinks working.
    Well, she actually wasn't sure what would happen on the morrow. Her unexpected guest had thrown her short-term plans into doubt. What if he didn't want to stay in Forga?
    “No point in worrying about that yet. I'm sure we'll figure this out.”
    She started the stove and