Chapter 41 - Friends...

                                    

                                          
"A-Azrul?" I felt Kotaro's voice rumble in his chest, and he relaxed slightly.
                          
"It is you!" A laugh followed, and it was a comforting sort of laugh that made me feel a little more at ease, too. "After all these years, I never expected to see you up here out of nowhere."
                          
"And I never expected to see you pointing a sword at me again after the last time, but here we are." There was a hint of amusement in Kotaro's tone, but I could sense he was still slightly on edge. "I guess you brought enough help this time to make sure the past can't repeat itself, though."
                          
Azrul laughed again. "Put away your weapons, men. This man saved my life and refused my invitation to come live up here with us." There was a hint of wonder in his tone as if he still couldn't believe such a thing had happened, and I could hear the telltale sounds of his men obeying his order. "What brings you here now?"
                          
Wordlessly, Kotaro got smoothly to his feet, reaching down to help me. I took his hand, rising with less grace than he had managed and turning to face our unexpected guest and his men. Azrul had kind eyes—the sort that had stories behind their depths. His hair just brushed his shoulders, and he was wearing a wide smile as he looked at Kotaro. As his gaze shifted to me, however, his smile faded, and he looked quickly between the two of us.
                          
"So it's true." He breathed. "You're—" he swallowed heavily.
                          
"Yes." Kotaro said quietly. "This is Bree."
                          
The words seemed to confirm something for Azrul, and he shook his head, the ghost of his previous smile tugging at his lips. "I might have known you'd be at the center of the problems the other tribes have been complaining about."
                          
Kotaro smirked, and I struggled not to stare at him. It had been a long time since I'd witnessed him being so comfortable, and I found myself slipping into a hopeful ease. If Kotaro was this comfortable, then maybe we would be able to let our guard down a little, and I thrilled at the idea that we might get a bit of a break after our experience with the Seventh.
                          
"Am I just lucky, or are you always this much of a troublemaker?" Azrul shook his head.
                          
"Consider it a sacrifice of myself to stave off the boredom of your life." Kotaro shrugged. "Besides, my troublemaking skills saved your fat backside."
                          
Azrul sucked in a breath. "Yes, but it's a little different this time, no?" His gaze shifted to me. "The stakes are higher."
                          
For the first time since we'd been with the Ninth, the eyes directed my way were full of baited hope and reverence. There was nothing calculating in his gaze, nothing greedy. Rather, his expression was a mirror of the feelings in my heart.
                          
"The rest of my men should be returning with your other companions in a few moments." Azrul turned to look at Kotaro. "And then I can take you to see the Third."
                          
Right. Ayan, Martimus, and Bohai had disappeared like so much smoke. I shot a glance around our camp, wondering how I could have been so oblivious to their departure. My eyes landed on Kotaro, however, and I knew exactly what had caused the lapse in my cognition.
                          
"How many men did you send for them?" Kotaro shifted uneasily on his feet.
                          
Realization dawned in my brain just before he spoke. Trying to bring Ayan and Bohai here by force...well, that endeavor could only end disastrously. If they happened to kill any of the soldiers, too—what if the hope of having good relations with the Third was snuffed out before it could even be realized?
                          
"Don't worry. I've given them orders not to hurt them." Azrul smiled reassuringly.
                          
"That's not what I'm worried about." Kotaro said wryly.