Xion's attention was taken away by the carriage standing just a few steps away.
Built from black minewood and pulled by towering snow beasts with silver manes and curling horns, the carriage loomed large and imposing.
Xion barely registered the sight of the strange creature when he was settled inside.
The warmth inside the carriage hit him like a lullaby.
It felt like the one they'd traveled in before — only this one was much larger. Or maybe his brain was just too tired to tell.
Xion instinctively tried to sit on the opposite seat, but Darius tugged him back on his lap.
"Let me hold you for a while... Please."
The words were spoken so softly, almost pleadingly, that for a moment, Xion wondered if he'd imagined them.
They carried none of the cold authority of a man who ruled the battlefields.
How could Xion say no to him? Especially when he didn't have the strength or will to move on his own anymore.
So, he let himself be pulled into Darius' lap.
