The Emperor's Head

16. Sanctuary

As their horses picked through flat rocky terrain at the base of the Dragon's Teeth, Jun discreetly shifted his gaze towards Bolin, careful not to draw attention from their escorts. The two stoic masters stood by his side, blocking his direct line of sight toward his intended target, who followed closely behind. Bolin seemed to sense Jun's interest and met his eyes momentarily, but his expression remained inscrutable.

What is he thinking?

Jun shifted in his saddle and blew a frustrated breath before his mount felt his tension. The arrival of the Sanctuary masters had disrupted the dreamlike peace he and Bolin had created at the waypoint. Though he had known it would have to happen eventually, Jun couldn't help resenting their arrival and Bolin's response to it.

Three days and you haven't said anything to me. Am I to forget everything that happened? Have you?

Noticing his hands clenched around the horse's reins, Jun relaxed and tried to stop thinking about Bolin. His efforts were met with images of the man's bare chest and elusive smile.

Damn it! I am not a child! There are more critical things to think about than Bolin.

He turned to the silent male master that rode to his right. The man's diminutive height surprised Jun when they met. Remarkably few males stood shorter than Jun, but his stature was his only resemblance to Jun. The stocky man's flat face and broad nose blended into his wide neck and shoulders, like stacks of bricks haphazardly built into a triangle or pyramid.

The female master with the bent nose waved for them to halt, distracting Jun from his contemplation of her partner. Jun thought she might be a bit older than his adopted mother would have been but had a solidity that delicate woman had never possessed. Bolin had introduced the plain woman and the quiet man the first day, but in Jun's distress at their unexpected arrival, he failed to retain either name. It didn't seem to matter since they never spoke, but Jun wished he could remember them.

"Someone approaches," she announced, her gravelly voice startling Jun. She turned her horse and walked it toward the newcomer, then nodded her head at someone past Jun. "Take the boy."

Jun turned his head to Bolin, whose horse now overlapped his own. Bolin leaned over and wrapped his arm around June's waist, pulling him out of his saddle. His strength and swift movements distracted Jun from his indignancy at being called a boy. Immediately upon touching his lover, he felt calm wash through him. As he settled, he could finally feel Bolin's emotions through the blood bond. A torrent assaulted Jun's senses. Lust, anger, fear, and affection battled for control before being suppressed behind a layer of ice. But that small glimpse into Bolin's emotions reassured Jun that he was not alone in his feelings.

Jun pushed a bit of his fire through the ice to allow for an exchange. Bolin stiffened but didn't fight Jun's effort. It was subtle, and Jun didn't think anyone would notice his magic use. The complex mixture of emotions mirrored Jun's feelings, so he took comfort in their presence and was grateful that Bolin allowed him this connection.

A rider in familiar green and black approached them carefully and unnecessarily loudly from behind. Bolin's body relaxed incrementally when he recognized the colors. The Green Clan had already relinquished their claim on Jun, so this rider was not an enemy, though perhaps he was not a friend either.

"Master Dronma," the small man in green bellowed from two horse lengths away. The man's broad smile raised the corners of his wide-set grey eyes and high cheeks, giving him the pleasant look of someone's uncle or good friend and putting Jun at ease without reason. The female escort's shoulders relaxed, and a small smile softened her face as her eyes fixed on the new arrival. "May I approach?"