Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
"An illness?" I pause in my fanning to give him a wry look. "You mean like when you were here because you were burned?"
"You didn't speak openly to me then, either. So no, not like that." He holds a hand out, pointer finger in the air. "Pretend I have a very small injury on my finger."
That makes me smile. "Well, if you had a very small injury on your finger and you showed up here, I might poke fun at you for wasting my time."
"A moderate finger injury, then. One that requires you to fuss over me."
Something tells me he'd like that. That he'd get a kick out of me fussing over him. And for some reason, even though I know he's an asshole, it makes me feel…good? Azar clearly values my skills and even if he wants to control the city, he's not trying to control me right now. He already got everything he wanted, and I should hate him for that…and yet he's not being as big of a dick as he could have been. I continue fanning my patient. "I guess I'd chat with you about how hot the weather is."
"Is this hot, then?"
That makes me glance up. As usual, Azar looks cool in his pale linen robes. Most everyone would be sweating patches through the thin fabric, just because there's no air conditioning and it's a typical blistering Texas summer. Being indoors makes things worse, which is why I have all the windows and doors open, to allow a breeze. I'm wearing a very light dress—the thinnest one I could find, even if it's not work appropriate—and I'm still sweating. My hair is down on my shoulders. It’d probably be smarter to keep it up, but thanks to all the product he’s been showering me with lately, my hair looks amazing and feels soft and touchable. It makes me feel normal again to have good hair, and so I leave it down, even if it’s hot and sticky. I turn the paper fan on myself for a moment, making a cooling breeze as I flutter it back and forth. "It's sweltering as far as I'm concerned."
"I did not realize. It is not like this year round, though, correct? I seem to recall it being much colder."
I nod slowly. "It'll be hot for several months yet, but this is the worst time of year. Everyone's miserable." I glance over at him again, and his cheeks aren't even flushed with the heat. He's not sweating at all, while my entire body feels damp and unpleasant. "Is it like this where you're from?"
Azar looks thoughtful. "Much warmer and drier, actually. And it never cools down."
"Sounds terrible."
His expression twists into a wry smile. "It was very beautiful, actually. I miss it."
Well shit. Here I am sticking my foot in my mouth when he's trying to be decent. "I'm sorry if I'm reminding you of painful memories."
"A reminder is a good thing. It will keep in mind what I am fighting for."
"And what are you fighting for?" I ask. I can't help it. This is the first time he's mentioned anything like that.
Azar's expression loses its thoughtful vagueness and he focuses on me once more. "I am going to return home. Somehow, I am going to find a way to cross through the Rift again and return to my world once more."
The Rift? The Rift high in the sky that tore open and let all the dragons in? I'm not entirely sure it's reachable. Not without an airplane…or a dragon. But I don't even know if his dragons can fly that high. I reach down and press my fingers to Jim's forehead, and maybe it's my imagination, but he feels slightly cooler. I return to fanning. "How do you plan on going back?"
He hums to himself. "Haven't quite figured that part out yet. But I'll get there."
"When you go, are you going to bring the dragons with you? Show them how to go home, too?"
"Why would I want to do that?" Azar sounds genuinely puzzled by my question.
I tell myself not to get offended. Not to take it personally and fly off the handle. Maybe it's just something he hasn't thought through yet. "If you leave, the fort is back to where it was before, getting attacked regularly. Except now we'll also have your dragon pets here. And if you don't take them with you, who's to say they won't go crazy again? Just like the others?"
He's utterly silent.
Azar says nothing for a very long moment, and he doesn't have to. I know the answers already, and I'm disappointed. Azar wants to go home, and once he goes home, we're no longer his problem. He's going to play petty lord here until it no longer suits him, and then he'll leave. He'll return home and we'll be as we were before—and probably worse off, because we'll have tasted safety for a brief time. Our senses will have dulled.