Illusion of Safety // DreamNotFound

Chapter 9

     "I can't believe Techno let us go," is the first thing George says when he wakes up the next morning. Clay was barely half-awake, judging by the way he groaned a response. "Does that mean he's not going to chase us anymore, or is he just going to push us towards the border?"

     The fae lazily sat up, and while George couldn't see his expression, he could guess it was probably one of annoyance. Clay sighed, "Either way, we should try to get into Thaeri as soon as possible."

     George agreed, and they started to pack up their campsite. After fleeing Indus, they settled for the night in a clearing. There were few roads in that direction, so Clay put a cast around them as camouflage. Their day had been excruciatingly long, and George was out like a light before his head hit the ground. His companion was likely in worse condition, which was a painful thought.

     Indus' night market wasn't all bad, especially for fae who knew what to avoid. It was a bit of a haven for most, especially earlier in the evening. George had never gone, but he experienced a bit of a fixation on it during one of his travels through Redmere. Checking out books, asking around, meeting sketchy strangers, anything to get more information.

     One renowned thing he learned was that the slave trade was not entirely vanquished. It was more of a rumor that it existed in Indus' infamous market, but even rumors contained a smidge of truth. Part of him knew Clay would have left their room no matter what George advised, but the human still could have given him better advice.

     Last night, he didn't notice the striking change to Clay's mask, but now it mocked him. As much as George rushed to help, they had only just stopped the night market man from forcefully ripping off the fae's face protection. Even though he didn't know what it was there for, or why Clay valued it so much, that struck a nerve with George.

     A crack, jagged and taunting, ran down the front of the porcelain feature. If Clay cared, he didn't bring it up. The smiley face remained unchanged, but it had somehow become more obnoxious than before.

     The royal guards would take care of whatever scoundrels they had apprehended, he was sure of that. Techno was known for having no mercy for those who violated the law, and those awful men would never be outside of a jail again.

     Unfortunately, he knew their tiny traveling group also broke the rules, and that didn't sit well with the guards at all. Techno would never give them that bit of mercy again, but George was thankful nonetheless. Crossing the border as soon as possible was their only chance to experience some sense of safety.

     The thought unnerved George. He'd never been outside Valina, and if it weren't for Clay, he never would. They were ready to start towards the border when his companion gave him some worrying news, "I have to stop using magic."

     "What?" George gaped at the sudden announcement. "Why?"

     "The sensor fae on the road reminded me, but I'm still an outlaw in Thaeri," Clay said sheepishly. "There are plenty of qualified people looking for me, and let's just say my magic is a bit distinctive."

     "So what? We'll just avoid the guards like we do with Techno," the trader retorted. "I'm a master at that, and since you know Thaeri, I'm sure it'll be easy enough."

     Clay shook his head. "The Thaerian Royal Guard consists of some of the most powerful fae in the world. Techno is strong, believe me, but he'd be a lot stronger if he could use magic."

     "Oh, that is terrifying," George agreed. He shivered at the thought of the strawberry blonde guard creating an earthquake, or shifting your reality of the world. Something told the trader that Techno would even find a way to make the worst power into a fearsome force.