The Stableboy's shadow (BL)

Chapter 3

When night finally arrived, only Percevin and Alban came to fetch Riley from his cell. The knight-to-be was carrying a medium-sized travel back-pack, a short-sword poking out of the top and a blanket rolled underneath it, a longer sword hanging from his belt and a grey thick wool cloak tied around his neck.

The moment the cell door opened, Riley felt a shift, like a pressure lifting from his chest. The magic that dampened his cell was no longer pressing on his mind. It wasn't dramatic, but gradual, like a cold numbness receding from his limbs. Shadows near the ceiling whispered again, just faintly, as if remembering him. The torchlight flickered, weakened, as shadows crept around his own and welcomed him back. He inhaled, as though he could finally breathe with his whole self. His power hadn't fully returned, but it was stirring, raw and hungry just beneath his skin. It was enough to steady him. Enough to remind him of who he was and that he would not falter.

Both men had stiffened as the walls gradually darkened, shadows pouring around their prisoner. When Riley opened his eyes, covered by a black cloud, they felt as if they had just let out a beast that was only waiting for the right moment to strike. They could only watch, shivers running up and down their limbs, hair rising on the back of their neck as if from an invisible touch. 

The shadowmaster breathed in, then out. Blinked once, then twice. Slowly, the white returned to Riley's eyes, and so did the light in the room.

He smirked, satisfied with his effect on people.

"After you, lads!" he said, opening his arms.

They moved quietly through the manor, avoiding the main halls. Alban led them to a narrow staircase through the kitchen that descended below the estate. There, behind a half-rotted wine shelf, was a half-hidden door. Riley recognized it instantly; he did try to escape that way. They lit a single lantern and followed the damp stone corridor downward, the air growing colder with each step. Rats skittered at the edges of the light. Riley resisted the urge to let shadow envelope his body.

The tunnel forked once, then again, before ending at a rusted iron gate half-swallowed by moss and earth. Alban unlocked it with a heavy key, pushed it open with a groan, and gestured them through.

Outside, the night air hit them like a wave. Riley took a deep breath in, tears almost swelling in his eyes. He looked up to the night sky, breathing out, he spread his senses to the shadows around him.

Alban said nothing. He put a hand on one of Percevin's shoulder and just gave him a curt nod, then vanished back into the tunnel. The boy turned back to the shadowmaster and took a moment to observe him.

The man was slim, not quite as tall as Percevin, but he did stand higher than Alban and many men the boy knew. Riley was standing still, arms wide open, facing the night sky. His black hair, dirty from three days in a cage, was descending passed his shoulder.

They left unseen, heading east on the main road away from Alessio's estate. Riley's plan was to get to the place he stashed his bags an hour away and camp there, as traveling at nighttime was a horrible idea. They silently followed the road East, until it was time to enter the forest. Percevin followed, careful and silent.

At that time, it started drizzling, which reinforced Riley's resolve to stop for the night.

Two days passed, and the rain hadn't stopped for a second, even worsen into a downpour. It was considerably slowing them down. What should've been a day-and-a-half journey now stretched endlessly; at this rhythm, they wouldn't be there before night fall. No fire would hold, and the cold clung to them like a second skin, but they tried to shelter themselves as much as they could. That would be their fate for this evening as well. A good part of their traveling, even. Usually, Riley would stay holed up for a few weeks during the Rain season.