The Stableboy's shadow (BL)

Chapter 10

When I opened my eyes, I couldn't really see. The world was dark and fresh and cool. Night time. The only thing I could hear was the deafening ringing in my ears that didn't seem to calm down and the nearby cricket sounds of the night. How long had I been out? I tried to sit up and got stopped by a shattering pain in my back and ribs. I moaned through my teeth.

Almost immediately, a wet rag was pressed to the side of my head, and I hissed. I couldn't jerk away, so I just tightened my fists, planting my fingernails into my palms to take the pain somewhere else. The rag slowly and gently went up and down multiple times before it stopped. I tried opening my eyes wider.

It was Percevin, sure enough, dumping liquid from his waterskin on the rag. Why was he doing this? He wrinkled the tissue and got it back to my wound, but I grabbed his wrist in its way and squeezed. He jumped, surprised, then got closer to where my head was resting.

- What in the hells were you thinking, he whispered-shouted through his teeth.

Yeah. What in the hells had I been thinking? I drop-kicked one of my assailants in the head, what for? So he wouldn't touch the boy? I saw red and nobody was allowed to hurt that boy. But why?

- I... they..., I groaned. I'm sorry.

- What?

- They are trying to get rid of you. 

I tried to sound as alarmed as I could so he could understand the severity of the situation. I felt him shake his head with confusion.

- What do you mean?

I scoffed and tried to yank myself on my elbows to be able to see him properly through my swollen eyes. My whole body protested the movement. I clearly had some broken ribs. When I managed the maneuver, I could see the shock in his face.

- If you bring me back with them, you're entitled a part of the reward. They are already a dozen. You're extra. I've seen it before.

- These guys have been nothing but kind to me since I met them, which is more than what I can say about you, he immediately refuted.

- Yeah sure, since you're still useful, I snapped. That guy sure didn't have a knife ready to plant in your back or something. But hey, I'm just a liar and I wanted to get one last beating before they chop my head off.

I released his arm and laid back down. What had I been thinking? I was stupid, so stupid. I shouldn't have cared he was to be eliminated. He didn't answer me. We were silent a moment. The dizziness in my head seemed to calm down and the tinnitus became tolerable.

- Why are you even doing this, I growled. I'm gonna be dead in two days. Go back to your asshole Alessio before it's too late for you too.

- Why aren't you leaving, he asked instead of answering.

I turned back toward him. He was standing there, rag in hand, staring again like he was seeing me for the first time. That fucking spark in his eyes. I frowned, and winced at the tug of pain it created, to encourage him to explain himself.

- You said that if you wanted to leave, you'd already be gone. So why aren't you?

I shrugged and grabbed the bars between us. I did my best to avoid hurting myself even more to pull myself in a sitting position.

- Funny you should ask, I scoffed, leaning my shoulder on the bars. It appears that I have lost my will to live somewhere. It usually comes back.

I gave the best impression of my signature smirk with my current face. He just frowned at me and fell silent. I could feel, almost see, the gears rolling in his head, making connections and assessing new information like he always did. Very carefully and thoroughly. And looking at him, I realized. He had learned to not ask question. I had known people like that once. Asking question are a bother to people. To avoid being a pain in the ass, those people would learn to observe and think a lot, making connections and explanations in their head, taking time to formulate needed questions precisely to get the most important missing information and as much material as possible. And I remembered their scars, too.