Airie

The sky was clear, without a trace of the storm clouds that had covered it during the night. There was no one on the fields that stretched on both sides of the road, for it was too early for the peasants to start their work. Horseshoes sounded softly on the dust road that unwound ahead of them, disappearing in the distance.

Dusan glanced at Reijo who rode next to him, wrapped in a cloak to keep the morning chills out. He couldn’t see his face under the hood, but he saw the wrists of his hands that were holding the reins, and the red marks left on them by the shackles. Each time his eyes fell on those, he felt his anger rise again. The damn perverted king! Dusan wished he could get his hands on the bastard, make him feel some pain. Even though he knew the man had done much worse things than this, the sight of the chaffed skin on Reijo’s thin wrists hit him stronger than that of the brains of some unknown victims kept in glass jars.

They had to get away from the capital before the king was back—and when he got back, he was going to face some justice.

“Will you continue to serve him?” Reijo had asked Tobias when they’d been leaving.

The healer shrugged. “It’ll be suspicious if I leave now—but I don’t plan to stay for long. I’ll be returning to my lands to enjoy some peace and quiet.” He smiled at Reijo. “If you change your mind, you can always join me there.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Reijo said. “But will the king let you go?”

“Probably not,” Tobias said. “As long as he’s alive, that is.” His smile changed a bit, in a way that sent chills up Dusan’s spine. “Not all of my potions prolong lives, you see. Some might actually shorten them.” He glanced at Dusan. “I hope you remember that, too.”

“What do you mean?” Dusan said.

“You better take good care of him.” Tobias nodded at Reijo. “Otherwise, a tree might fall on your head one day.” With that, he turned around and headed back towards the palace, leaving them standing on the road, holding their horses by the bridles, as the light of the dawn gradually appeared at the edge of the sky.

Despite Dusan’s mixed feelings about the healer, he couldn’t help but admire his respect for Reijo’s choice. He hadn’t tried to change his mind or prevent him from leaving. He’d also been generous enough to give them some money and the horses, which, combined with what Reijo had earned during the time they had spent at the court, made them into a couple of fairly wealthy travelers. Whatever awaited them, they were much better prepared for it now.

“Hey,” he said.

Riding along, Reijo glanced at him, then pulled his hood off to see better. He looked drawn and pale, which was no surprise given the kind of night they had survived, but then he smiled, and Dusan felt at peace again. If he could only continue seeing this smile for the rest of his days, he knew he would need little else to be content with his life.

“What?” Reijo said.

There was nothing Dusan had intended to say, so he just voiced his thoughts.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Oh?” Reijo’s smile grew wider. “I know that, but thanks for the reminder.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Dusan said. “Perhaps we could buy a house somewhere—in the forest, if you like.”

“That’s sweet of you to offer,” Reijo said. “Or maybe we could travel the world, like you wanted?”

“Yes,” Dusan said, “it’s a possibility. But no more ships, and no more kings, all right?”

“I agree.” Reijo tilted his head, looking thoughtful. “It still leaves plenty of space for adventure—and in the end, we could settle in that forest house you’ve been talking about.”

“Works for me,” Dusan agreed.

Risking falling off his horse, he leaned over and pecked Reijo on the lips, and then they continued to ride towards the sun rising over the valley.

*** T H E E N D ***

*** Read on for the Afterword! ***