To Be Honest (MxM) (18+)

Chapter 9: Feelings

CW: Contains allusions to genocide and war, marked off with ****

Chapter 9: Feelings

I watch Xian head back to the room Hyrah is staying in. I can't help it; he has a very nice figure, and the way he walks is quite attractive. I try to at least lift my gaze from his ass, to be respectful, even if it's hard for me.

Sally notices my gaze and snorts as she eats. "Keep it in your pants, Simone. Nobody at this table wants to see you drool over the stableboy."

Murphy grumbles, stabbing at some of the salted meat in his bowl of soup. "You have better things to focus on than some stowaway. Getting the new trade routes for James' ships. Finding out what the bastard wants secret ocean routes for."

"Something to do with Elethserin."

"Is it? Is it truly about the stupid sanctuary city, or is it about how its routes are concealed?"

I frown at him, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "What are you on about, old man?"

"If the bastard learns how Elethersin is protected, he could gain access to other places."

Ciden tilts his head. "There aren't any other places protected in the way that Elethersin is...are there? What other places could there be?"

Murphy sighs then abruptly stands up from the table and walks out, leaving half his food uneaten.

"What's he up to?" Ciden asks, glancing at Aiden for a moment before focusing on me again.

I shrug in response. "Who knows. He'll be back to finish his food; it's Murphy. Until then, how was Hyrah healing, Aiden?"

"He-"

Sally holds her hand up to stop him. "Uh-uh. Don't you change the subject. We were discussing how much you want to bend Xian over and torment him."

"Be that as it may, it's hardly an appropriate conversation to have over dinner. I'm more concerned with Hryah's condition, if you wouldn't mind letting Aiden speak?" Sally glares at me, a look that promises further discussion later.

Aiden dabs at his mouth with a cloth before he speaks again. "He seemed to be healing at a slightly slower rate than Ciden and I, but I've no real comparison to the typical healing speed of mers. If he continues to heal at this same rate, he should be able to go home in the next few days at the earliest, as soon as his stitches can be removed safely. I'll check his bandages and reapply a healing salve when I do so, then I will report back to you on his condition if you would like me to."

"I don't think that will be necessary. I trust you to care for him as needed."

I look up when Murphy re-enters. He's got one of his old journals in hand, both covers tattered and a bit blood-stained. He tosses it on the table before collapsing back onto his chair and unceremoniously opening the journal to a seemingly random page. "Lunara Island, Atlas Isles, Dark Shore Caves, the Asheeran Islands, and, now...Elethersin. And those are only the ones I'm privy to. There may be dozens more locations protected by magic forces. Who knows. Elethersin is the one James is most likely to be able to weasel his way into, as it's still a lot newer than the rest, and closer to his existing territories."

Ciden leans forward, food forgotten in his awe-struck state. "Why do you know all of this? How do you know all of this? Who trusted you enough to know this?"

"Less about trust, more about knowing lots of people all across the seas...And one or two poor dogs on their deathbeds, wanting me to take them to their homelands so they could pass away where they were born."