Page 9 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

"I am tired," she said, rising to her feet. "I was so excited about today that I did not sleep well last night, and I would like to rest for a bit before Esag comes. I am sure you would like to rest as well. Ogidu will show you to your room."

He knew she was not tired and was just giving him a graceful way out, without him having to ask to be taken to bed.

"Thank you," he said. "It was indeed an exciting day, and I would like to rest."

She smiled, leaned down to kiss his forehead the same way she used to in the ward, and then she was gone along the hallway, leaving him alone with the Odu and the tea.

Khiann was grateful but also felt a little bereft. He had not expected to sleep beside Annani. It was an absurd idea, even though they were supposed to be mates. Perhaps they had been once, but now they were just getting to know each other again, and neither was ready for that.

Still, he had hoped she would be the one to show him his room.

"Master Khiann." Ogidu bowed. "If you please, follow me."

Khiann put his hand on the stick, and as he pushed it forward carefully, the chair rolled after the Odu at a safe pace.

Annani's house was so quiet compared to the ward. There was no hum of machines, no beeping, no medical staff talking in low voices, and none of his guards mumbling a few paces away. The only sound was the whisper of the chair's wheels on the floor and Ogidu's steady footsteps ahead of him.

It was too quiet.

Khiann had grown used to the noise, and it had been reassuring because it was the only environment he knew and because there were people there who knew how to take care of him if he needed help.

The room Ogidu led him into was beautiful, even though Khiann did not know why and how he knew that. He had no other bedrooms stored in his memory to compare it to. The bed was wide and heaped with soft blankets and pillows so plump they looked as if they would swallow his head. There was a couch, an armchair, and a low table between them, and on the wall opposite the bed hung a large black rectangle.

"That is a far vision," Ogidu said, following his gaze. "It shows plays that were recorded beforehand, so they can be watched at any hour. It also plays music, and there are games you can play on it, though I would not recommend those until your hands are steadier."

"Recorded plays," Khiann repeated.

"Thousands of them, Master. A great deal can be learned about the current state of the world by watching them. Your earpieces will render the speech into the old tongue." Ogidu paused. "Most of the plays are not accurate depictions of life. They are stories and should not be taken as facts."

Khiann nodded as if he understood and filed away the far vision with the incinerators and what powered his chair. He needed to get educated on all the marvels of this new world he had awoken to, but he could not stay awake long enough to learn anything of substance.

He reminded himself to be patient.

Ogidu opened a door on the other side of the room. "This is the bathing chamber, Master."

He stood aside to let Khiann through the doorway, which was just wide enough for his chair to get through.

There were bars mounted on the wall beside the toilet, more bars inside the shower, and a sturdy chair with a wide seat standing under the spout, just like the one in the ward.

Annani had prepared this bathing chamber for him so he could use it as he grew stronger.

The gratitude was mixed with a sting.

"I need to use it," he said, because there was no way around it, and he could not manage it himself in his exhausted state.

"Of course, Master."

The Odu lifted him from the chair as easily as he had lifted him into the cart, settled him on the toilet, and turned to give him what privacy the arrangement allowed.

Khiann closed his eyes and reminded himself that Ogidu was not a person, and that whatever thoughts passed through his mechanical mind, judgment was not among them.

It helped. A little.

When it was done, Ogidu helped him wash his hands and lifted him back into the chair.

"You will not need me for this much longer, Master Khiann," the Odu said, surprising him. "Your body is healing quickly. In a short time, you will manage these things on your own."

Khiann looked up at him.