Page 5 of The Centaur
Khush hummed. "Well, I'm glad you apologized. How's he doing now?"
"He asked Nolan for help!"
"Huh. So maybe chewing him out worked."
Yeah, maybe it did, but I wasn't sure. It felt more like our conversation yesterday had somehow been the push he needed, but I didn't know how.
"Maybe we can come home before the baby arrives," Khush mused, and I hummed.
"I hope so. Zephyr asked for help with the anchors, according to Zamir, so I don't know if that will fix the Sanctuary, but I'm sure it can't hurt."
"Yeah. Keep me posted, okay?"
"Of course," I said, then chewed my lip. I wanted to tell him about my age. He was the first friend I'd made when I came here, and he was truly like a brother to me. Would he be mad that I'd lied to him?
"What is it?" he asked, somehow sensing my struggle.
"There's something I wanted to tell you."
"I'm listening."
"I—uh, I'm not eighteen. I'm twenty-one," I mumbled, and Khush was silent for a long moment. "Khush?"
"Ah, so that's what you said. Damn, Keoni, you were brutal."
"What?" I asked, confused.
"If you're twenty-one, that means you're three years older than you said you were. Something must've brought it up for you to tell me this now. Your correct age means that you were seventeen when you came to the Sanctuary, and not fourteen. An adult according to centaur standards. Zamir told me you whispered something in the headmaster's ear that left him looking like he'd been struck by lightning. Putting all that together, I think you told him you're mates."
I stared at the wall, shocked. Holy fuck.
"Okay, Sherlock Holmes," I mumbled when I found my voice. "That was creepy."
"It's pretty boring here so I've been reading mystery novels on my phone. Guess some of it rubbed off on me," Khush said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Don't tell anyone yet, okay? I don't know how Zephyr feels."
"I'll only tell Dustin," he assured me, and I knew better than to ask him not to do that.
"How's he doing? Is he bored too?"
"You bet. His friend visited last week, so that cheered him up a little, but he's tired a lot these days so I'm just making sure he stays in bed."
"I'll try to come by to see you guys in a few days," I promised. Maybe I could get Zephyr to come with me. He might not want to leave the Sanctuary, but maybe he would if it was to see Dustin and Khush?
After the call ended, I walked to my bedroom, pressed the button on the side of the straps that kept my back half tied to the cart so I could walk, and fell into the bed. My hind legs were still strapped to my back half because they would be all floppyand in the way otherwise, and I adjusted myself with my hands. Strapping the cart in place again was always a headache, but it let me walk around, so I'd never complain.
Three
Zephyr
The silence between Nolanand I was uncomfortable, and I knew it was all my doing. I didn't know how to talk to him without remembering that day, didn't know how to push past this hurdle. But I knew I had to, for the sake of the Sanctuary.
"What do I need to do?" Nolan asked as we paused in front of the exit, and I focused on the task at hand.
"You just need to channel your magic into the spell as I work it. I'll handle the rest."
I snuck a glance at Nolan as he nodded. He looked just like he had when I'd first met him all those years ago, though he hadn'thad those piercings then, and his hair had been glossy and black. His green eyes were the same, and so was the strong magical aura he carried. His strong magic was what had prompted me to ask him for help. He was stronger than my captor had been, and I'd hoped that meant he could help me.
