Chapter 12
There was still melted snow in the creases of his clothing when he reached Watanuki's cottage. He had not stopped upon reaching the Guild, taking only a few painful minutes to fetch food from the kitchens and leave the heaviest of his gear in his room. For weeks since the ranger's retelling the story of the witch woman and her mysterious apprentice had dogged Doumeki's thoughts like a hungry beast. Practically since the ranger had uttered the word boy he had imagined Watanuki in his mind's eye, for the warlock was long and pale and beautiful, but the account that had followed had almost proved to some small, stubborn part of him that the boy and his warlock were one and the same.
He wanted to know it all. He wanted to hear the story, if it was his, from the spellworker's own mouth, in his own sweet voice and accented vowels. He wanted to know if he hurt because of it, and he wanted to be a balm for the pain he had taken for granted he would find.
Doumeki's thoughts were as sharp and focused as one of his arrows, and he never considered that his target—the damn warlock—would not be there once he crossed the distance between them. When he came to a halt, panting, he could only look down at the unmoving door handle in his hand in astonishment.
The man was not home. Doumeki almost howled with frustration and disappointment.
For the whole of the night and hours into the next day, the Archer waited for the warlock to reappear. Alternating between agitated pacing and standing by the door, his eyes scanned restlessly for even a sign of Watanuki's fox.
His efforts went unrewarded; the young man he wanted to see so badly did not mystically appear, as he had led himself to believe he might. Hunger and a dogged weariness deep in his bones forced him to heave himself to his feet eventually, and after leaving a hasty message cut into several leaves shoved beneath the door, he sought refuge in the Bowerstone tavern. There he washed directionless passions away with watered drink and slept the rest of the day and the following night.
Short chapter.
-Oceans