The Last Favor

Chapter 17

When Tristan came around, there was an unbearable headache along with a heavy body controlling him. He was used to shaking off any sort of pain but this one was too much for him. His throat was dry, his eyes heavy, and he felt pain invading every last muscle.

“Ada! Ada!” he heard a familiar voice booming which felt like a bang to the head, “Look, he’s up. Good morning, Tristan!”

It took him a moment to understand what was going on. He tried recollecting his last memories that were fading. He remembered a glimpse of a monster, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, the smell of bitter almond -poison- and a painful thud to the floor as a kid yelled for help. Bryce.

“Here.” An eighteen-year-old offered him water which he second guess taking. “If I wanted to get rid of you, Tristan, I would have while you were still asleep.”

Adelaide. He remembered her as an obnoxiously loud bullhead. She was the one who for no reason whatsoever felt responsible for the kid.

“How long?” he asked with a hoarse voice.

“You’ve been out for a week,” she explained, “It’s a miracle you were able to make it. I was starting to lose hope. The gods must really like you.”

“It’s the devils who don’t want to see me,” he mused as he noticed the green in her eyes.

It appeared she was the one who came to his rescue. He couldn’t quite get it; didn’t she hate him? It must be a Neroc thing. These people are too attached to their ridiculously righteous beliefs.

Tristan slowly tried to sit up but Adelaide immediately stopped him.

“You fool,” she scolded, “you still need to rest. You’re a long way from recovery.”

“Why?” he wondered

“Why what?”

“Help.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she sighed, “it was for the boy’s sake not yours. He wouldn’t leave without you. Besides, no matter how horrible you are, I couldn’t just leave you to die. I could never live with myself if I did.”

“I was right,” Bryce interrupted, “you are an idiot.”

The hunter glared at the kid, disapproving of his comment.

“You almost got yourself killed.” He stated as a sort of explanation.

“I was just hunting the Bablek.”

“I know what I saw, Tristan of Noria. Thanks to you, I can now tell an i***t from a survivor and you, companion, you are an idiot.” Bryce smirked and for once Tristan smiled back.

“Well, enough with the two of you,” Ada chimed in, “Tristan needs to rest and you have a book to finish.”

Bryce grumbled as he walked out obediently.

“You taught him how to read…”

“He’s useless to me illiterate,” he explained, “I spend a lot of time researching before a hunt, something you should try.”

“Would you look at that!” she exclaimed, “you can talk!”

“How much?”

“Why can’t you ever utter a complete sentence? Do you have any idea how annoying you can be?”

“For the healing. How much do I owe you?”

“If I wouldn’t have to heal that” she shrilled, “I swear in the name of all seven hells, Tristan, I’d slap your face off.”

“I don’t want to owe you.”

“You won’t. Because from now on we’re companions and you’ll have plenty of chances to repay me in other ways.” She declared with a smug look on her face. “You didn’t think I would leave Bryce in such horrible company, did you? Don’t get me wrong; I know you practically died saving him but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a horrible role model for him. For crying out loud, you saw him for like what? 15 minutes? And you had already taught him to be a suicidal dumbass.”

“At least we know he listens to me.” He tried to pull a cocky smile while ignoring the pain.

“You need to rest.” His pain was easily detected by the girl.

It’s been ages since the last time Tristan was able to have a normal conversation with someone. But there’s a reason for that; for why he wasn’t letting anyone close. He had made a decision and he wasn’t one to change his mind. Two companions aren’t part of his plan. They’re better off without him. He had to sneak out when they’re busy.

“Oh, and before you do anything stupid,” Ada yelled on her way out, “I put a defense spell that’ll forbid you from leaving the room. Bryce’s idea.”

***

After a few days and a lot of magic, Tristan was back on his feet and ready to be on the move again and Bryce couldn’t have been happier. To him, he felt like everything was falling into place once more and this time he was sure nothing could make him doubt Tristan. Or at least, he tried to convince himself while ignoring all his unanswered questions. He was too scared of asking which is why he found that ignoring them was a better a solution.

Adelaide on the other hand knew better and realized that all these secrets were terribly unhealthy and bound to suffocate their relationship which is why she needed to talk to Tristan alone.

Getting Bryce busy was not exactly hard. The boy with wild imagination and passion for adventure had a bad habit of often wandering all by himself and Ada had every intention of using one of these moments to talk to Tristan.

“You know,” she began as soon as Bryce was out of ear shot, “eventually, you’re going to have to tell him, Tristan. He has the right to know. You can’t keep this up forever.”

Tristan, who Ada knew by now wasn’t a big fan of talking, did what he always does: he royally ignored her giving her the silence she fully expected.

“Look, if you don’t tell him, I will,” She warned, “he will find out eventually and it’s better if he hears it from you. After all, it is your story to tell and I can barely explain to him half of it. The other half… well, I believe you owe that to the both of us.”

When they both expected yet another silence, they were surprised to hear the kid’s shaky voice.

“Tell me what?”

Was this finally going to be the moment of truth, Bryce thought.