Restart Again: Volume 2 by Adam Scott (hardest books to read txt) 📕

delight that Val did indeed emote during conversation, though extremely suppressed, and it was possible to spot if you knew what to look for. “What do you think the Company is looking to achieve?”

“I do not know.” She paused for a moment in what I surmised was frustration. “Politics is not my strong suit, and I lack the knowledge to make an informed assessment of the Company’s aims.” Turning back to the road for a moment, she adjusted the reins to keep the horse on our intended path.

With a sigh, I leaned back against the canvas cover of the wagon. “That’s alright. In the end, it doesn’t really matter what they want.”

She looked back at me with a raised eyebrow. “I believe understanding the aims of the enemy is essential to creating an effective plan against them.”

“Well, yeah, sure it is. But whether the rebels were fighting to free themselves of oppressive tyranny or to raid the city’s treasury doesn’t change the fact that we have to find a way through the walls. It would be nice to know how the Company got paid, or what they’re getting out of the deal, but either way we want them gone.” I held my last thought to myself: It doesn’t matter which dark power wants to ruin your world, because I still have to stop them.

“I suppose you are right, for now,” Val said, nodding. “Though it would do you well to remember that we are not on this mission to be saviors of the city. Our goal is the continued security and prosperity of Kaldan. Should we find that this is accomplished through the continued occupation and fall of Attetsia, we will return to the capital without the need for intervention.”

The thought soured my stomach. “Val, you can’t possibly be on board with that idea.”

She turned her back to me and faced the road again. “The Golden Throne’s relationship with Attetsia has been strained since the city-state’s formation. If the coup holds, we may find the new leadership more willing to cooperate than the previous Attetsian council. It is not our job to look after the wellbeing of the citizens or the interests of the original leadership.”

I opened my mouth to complain, but Lia shifted in my lap and drew my focus away from the argument. She stared straight up at me with her eyes still red from sleep and the previous night’s tears. My annoyance with Val faded away as a smile spread across my face. “Hey, you,” I said softly, pushing a strand of hair from her face. “How did you sleep?”

Lia’s eyes darted around in a brief moment of confusion until she regained her bearings. “Oh...uhm, good, I guess,” she said with a yawn. “My head feels sort of...heavy? Like there’s a pressure pushing out from behind my eyes, and it’s slowing my brain down.” She rolled her head to the side and rested her cheek against my stomach, closing her eyes again. “Maybe it’ll go away if I sleep some more.”

“Maybe,” I chuckled. “You can sleep as long as you’d like today, no training required.” A warmth filled my chest as I caressed her face gently. “You’ve earned it.”

She nodded as she readjusted herself on the bench to a more comfortable sleeping position. “Last night is still a bit foggy; the memories are all disconnected and jumbled up in my head. I trained with Val, we set up camp, then the men showed up…” She paused momentarily, and I saw her grimace slightly. “After the fight, Val took the last man away to ask him questions, and we sat by the fire. We talked for a while, and you—”

Her thought was cut off by a soft squeak as her face turned bright red. “Uhm, d-did you, uhm…” She turned her head to break eye contact and stared blankly into my chest. “Last night, when we were, uhm, talking, by the fire? My head is all fuzzy, I think I’m, er, imagining things.” I could feel her squirm back and forth awkwardly against my lap as she spoke. “Unless you actually...uhm, did you say—”

“Yes,” I said, smiling. As much as I enjoyed watching her adorable wiggling, I found her hand and wrapped my fingers between hers to put an end to her uncertainty. “I did.”

A tingle ran up my arm from where our hands met, and for a moment I could feel Lia’s consciousness against mine. Her presence was intoxicating; a pure, overflowing feeling of love so rich and inviting I felt I could lose myself within it. I wanted nothing more than to let go of all the anxiety and worries I held in the back of my mind and just exist in the moment with her, but Val’s voice interrupted my paradise. “I am glad to see you up, Lia. Are you feeling well today?”

Lia bolted upright and quickly pulled her hand away from mine. “Y-yes! I’m feeling, uhm, quite well this morning! Are you feeling, er, alright?” She spoke down towards the floor as her face burned bright red, apparently not having realized Val sat only a few feet away from us. “That was stupid, of course you are. I’m just...tired. Yeah! I’m still a little groggy from waking up, is all!”

My displeasure towards Val for interrupting our moment fought against my amusement over Lia’s embarrassment, mixing my face somewhere between a smirk and a grimace. I gave Lia a light squeeze on the shoulder in consolation. “I’m sorry we woke you. Val and I were just discussing the new information we received on the state of Attetsia. It would seem that the city has already fallen to a group of rebels, aided by a mercenary group called the Elta’sahn Company.”

Her eyes grew wide at the name. “Pirates!” she exclaimed confidently. I froze, unsure whether to be amused or concerned by the outburst.

“More or less,” Val replied, tilting her head side to side. “The Elta’sahn Company is most renowned for their impressive naval capabilities. With