Yore slept with his arms around the mage, the smaller body tucked in safe and secure against his. He'd missed sharing his bed with another person, though as he'd had to make clear this was not like that. Still, it didn't have to be for it to be nice. There was something about the warmth and the smell of another person that made him feel soothed.
He wasn't so sure it made the mage feel soothed, though. His heart had calmed down eventually, but it was clear that there was a lot about this situation that made him nervous.
That was fair enough. He was entirely at Yore's mercy and he was having to tolerate Yore telling him hardly anything. Someone had badly hurt him and Yore didn't even feel like he could promise that he wouldn't without risking giving away too much.
It would be over soon, though, or at least Yore hoped it would. Today they would pass by the Griffin's Roost campsite, and if anyone was there they would hopefully be able to point him towards Lucas' whereabouts. The mage couldn't be allowed to see the campsite, though. Not when there was still a possibility that he was acting as a spy.
Early that afternoon, Yore carefully put the mage down next to a tree stump and set the bag down next to him. "There's something I need to take care of quickly. You sit here and have something to eat and drink and I'll be back soon. Don't go anywhere, okay?"
"Yes, sir," the mage murmured, head down. He had started out with a bit of defiance in him, but over time he seemed only to have become more submissive.
Well, for now that was useful. Hopefully they could get this situation cleared up soon enough and be honest with one another and then the mage could stop being scared.
The campsite was far enough away that there was no risk of the mage seeing or hearing anything he shouldn't, but not so far that there was any sense in shifting. The smell of a campfire on the air told him someone was there.
Three men and two women were gathered around the fire, fresh fish filleted and laid out on a grill that sat over the fire just starting to cook.
The first woman who spotted him started to reach for a weapon before recognition slid over her face. "Oy! You're one of those werewolves, aren't ya?"
The man who had been laying out the fish to cook looked up from his work and let out a bark on laughter. "Nah, he's the werewolf. Yore, wasn't it?"
"That is my name."
"You're like the werewolf prince, yeah?"
"Mm," Yore said. That wasn't exactly true, but he didn't feel like explaining their power structure and where he sat in it to a bunch of bandits. "Do you know where Lucas is by any chance?"
The man who had spoken frowned and shrugged, looking between the others.
"He's at The Inn," the woman who hadn't spoken yet volunteered. "Burton got hold of some fancy alcohol and sent him up there to see what he could trade it for."
"Ah, that'll be popular. Think he'll still be there by the time I get there? I've got someone with me, so I'll be walking on two legs."
"Yeah, should be. He's always up there for at least a few days. Likes to socialise. Not sure if that means networking or fucking, though."
"I'm not sure those are entirely separate things for him," Yore said. "Thank you. I'd stay and chat, but I have someone waiting for me."
"Careful if you go near the water," the man with the fish told him. "I swear something tried to grab me when I was gutting the fish. Got out of there real quick."
"Smart man," Yore commented. "And thank you. I'll be careful."
#
Fanner hadn't expected to be handed an opportunity like this. Part of him really wanted to just ignore it and wait for Yore, but he knew it could be his only chance of escape. And maybe — probably — escape would mean death, but he just kept flashing back to being tied down on the table, helpless, as Whelan cut into him...
He couldn't let that happen again, and no matter what Mr Burrows had planned Fanner highly doubted he'd abandoned the idea. If he didn't escape it would happen, and it would be worse because Mr Burrows would make sure it was done right next time. Part of his body would be removed and he would have to live with the horror of that as it slowly grew back, just like his finger had.
Fanner took a bag of shelled nuts from the bag and left everything else. He would probably regret it later, but taking things without permission felt like stealing. Though technically he was property, so running away was the biggest theft of all.
He tried not to think about that as he started walking.
Fanner tried to move quickly, but the terrain was rough and his side hurt and his body was screaming at him to just lay down and rest for a while. But he couldn't. Yore would be back soon and if Fanner wasn't far enough away, he would find him.
Ahead of him the ground gave way to a rocky ledge. The drop was only approximately as tall as he was — and he was not very tall — but he was afraid of what trying to drop down would do to his wound. He could try to go around, but that would slow him down.
There was a tree root growing down over the drop at the far end. It was a bit further to the ground at that end, but if he could climb down he could avoid jarring his injury.
He grasped the root firmly in his hands and dug his feet into the side of the rocky wall as he eased himself over, and then he abruptly realised he was stuck. He didn't have enough strength to hold on with just one hand. If he let go to try to lower himself down or even pull himself back up, he would fall.
The rocky wall crumbled beneath his feet as he scrambled for a foothold and he could feel his hands starting to slip. He braced himself for what was about to happen...
And then a hand wrapped around his arm and effortlessly pulled him back up.
Yore's eyes met Fanner's, and he didn't look happy. "What are you doing? You—"
Fanner grabbed hold of Yore's wrist and Yore looked down, confused, as Fanner pulled. He wasn't trying to kill him, just render him unconscious like he'd accidentally done to the cow once, but as he drew energy from Yore he found the pool was far deeper than he had anticipated. Whelan hadn't had anywhere near this much energy.
Confusion flooded Yore's face and he started to pull away. Fanner pulled harder, rapidly drawing energy from him now he was no longer worried he would kill him. Yore wavered on his feet and then fell to the ground, unconscious but — Fanner made sure to check — definitely not dead.
Fanner had to get away. If Yore woke up and caught him again, he would be in so much trouble. He had never done anything like this before, never been openly defiant, and certainly never attacked someone. At least... not on purpose. He had to keep reminding himself that he had killed someone.
He found the shortest point in the drop and slid down as gracefully as he could. He felt a sharp jolt in his side as he hit the ground, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd been expecting. With Yore's energy coursing through him, he felt high.
He was moving faster now, clearing enough ground that he might actually be able to get away from Yore. He'd heard stories of children who got lost in the woods accidentally simply because their parents took their eyes off them for a few minutes and they wandered off. If a child could become so difficult to find accidentally, surely he could do it on purpose.
His stomach cramped from hunger and his mouth felt dry. He found a narrow river and gulped down the clear, fresh water, and then sat next to it and ate some of the nuts he'd stolen. Despite everything else he'd done, he still felt a little guilty about the nuts. He felt guilty about a lot of things.
Fanner could feel his body healing itself. His side hurt less already. He finished the nuts and knelt next to the stream again. He would have another drink and then he would keep walking, putting more distance between himself and Yore. What he would do after that... well, he would worry about that later. He was afraid he'd lose his nerve if he gave it too much thought, and there was no going back now.
Fanner reached his hands down and just as they touched the surface of the water, something grabbed his wrist and yanked him forward, into the river.
YOU ARE READING
Healing Ties (Ties, Book 2) | ✓
Fantasy[Sequel to Frayed Ties] Fanner has spent his entire life being an unwanted failure of a Companion, so even if training to become a healer means a life of isolation and pain it isn't so bad because at least it's something he's good at. At least he's...