Unlike the inoffensive squeaking of the mattress, the hawk flute was definitely enough to wake a light-sleeper.

He can’t be awake at this hour, Ahel thought as she leaned closer to the door. Thankfully, she was light-footed enough that Ray wouldn’t have heard her creeping to the door. She could hear nothing inside. Everything was quiet now.

Ray was completely oblivious to the fact that Ahel was awake. He reached into his pocket and took out a small piece of paper. It was something he had found while Ahel was making dinner.

He tied the paper to the hawk’s leg and stepped back. Without hesitation, the hawk bolted up into the air and disappeared over the horizon. It was on its way to deliver the paper to Ray’s assistant at the Imperial Palace.

Ray was about to close the window when he noticed the bird’s claws had scratched the windowsill. Damn it.

The scratches were so unapologetic that it was immediately noticeable. His remorse only lasted a few seconds before he nonchalantly closed the window. He wouldn’t be staying here long, and by the time Ahel found the scratch, he would be gone.

But he didn’t care if she did find it while he was here. He knew he would just have to tell her he would pay for the damages, and all would be forgiven.

Ray slid the lock securely into place and went back to bed. He laid his large body down carefully, so he didn’t mess up the bandages over the wound on his back.

This place is like the barracks I used to stay in during the war. 

The barracks had been very similar to this; a small place with a decent bed, sparse furniture, the sharp sounds of metal clanging together… The dark red liquid that sprayed over his face when he’d cut off a defenseless opponent’s head.

He took a deep breath now, remembering the smell of the sandy breeze with that faint fishy scent. It was enough to transport Ray back in time…

Cold sweat broke out over his body, and he felt his blood cool with murderous intent. His fists balled at his sides without his permission, and his lips pulled back into a self-satisfied smirk.

Ray didn’t fight the senses welling up in his body. He readily accepted them as part of his being.

I won’t be able to sleep anyway, he thought.

It was good that his senses were so sharp; he had many enemies, he had to be alert. He didn’t know that the light his green eyes, that flickered so eerily in the dark, would dim for the rest of the night.

***

The sound of Ahel’s knocking struck a nerve in Ray as he slept. Pain swept through his body, engulfing his back, and causing him to writhe and thrash around on the mattress as he groaned. It was enough to clear the sleep from his dreamy mind. He clenched his jaw against the pain and grunted, “What do you want?”

“Are you awake?”

At the sound of the woman’s hesitant voice at the door, his eyes flickered open to stare around at the unfamiliar surroundings. That’s when he remembered the wound on his back, and remembered that he was not at the Imperial Palace, but in a commoner’s tiny home.

I thought I was in my room… I thought someone was knocking on my bedroom door. He chewed lightly on his bottom lip in thought.

No one at the Imperial Palace, not even his personal aid, knew that he suffered from insomnia. He usually only managed to fall asleep in the early hours of the morning after staying awake for most of the night, and the fresh wound on his back hadn’t exactly helped his sleeplessness last night.

Back home people know they shouldn’t knock on my door unless they have a death wish. You clearly don’t know that yet, he thought to himself as he swung his legs out of bed. “What is it?” he asked brashly.

“Can I come in?”

Why would she need permission to come in? It was her room, after all.

I guess she doesn’t see me as a fellow commoner. He doubted she would have guessed he was an emperor. She probably assumed he was an aristocrat. Ray’s green eyes sparkled excitedly at the hesitant tone of her voice. I suppose the clothes I was wearing and the way I speak isn’t like that of a commoner.

Ahel was clever and smarter than he had originally thought.

I really do feel worse today than I usually do. But I’m sure I’ll live.

There was something fiercely entertaining about the way they danced around each other, trying to find out more while hiding their own secrets.

If you think of me as an aristocrat, I will do the same for you. The grin on his face widened with excitement. “You can come in,” he finally said.

With his permission granted, Ahel carefully opened the door.