by Rae Brooks
At that moment, he saw Lee’s brown horse. It appeared through the chaos that Calis had barely noticed in his worry. No, this chaos was the very thing away from which Calis had to get Taeru. Not to mention, he would surely be the target soon—as he had just murdered the king. Oh, but that had felt good. Lavus had more than earned it. Lee was standing over them momentarily, and Calis glanced up to him. Then, he looked down to Taeru. He wanted to check him more thoroughly—to know precisely what had happened and how to avoid causing him pain, but that would have to wait until they were safe. “Lee!” Calis shouted. “Remember the cottage my mother had built for me? The one outside the city—that father never knew about?”
Lee nodded without hesitation. Remembering everything with perfect clarity, as always. Calis was grateful for that. “Take him there,” Calis instructed. “Get out of the city before they close the gate—I’ll meet you there shortly.” His words held no sort of uncertainty. He would not abandon Taeru now.
Warily, Calis lifted Taeru from the ground. This time, rather than whimpering, Taeru whispered a single sound. “Calis.” A plea. Calis felt his eyes widen, and his body stiffened at his name. Tears welled in his eyes again, and he shook his head.
“I’ll be there soon, Taeru,” he promised. He held Taeru like a small child, still cradling the boy’s head against his chest. Again, he kissed the Cathalari’s forehead softly. “You’ve been so brave,” Calis murmured. “I’m not going to leave you now.”
Without comment, Lee reached down to take Taeru. As the exchange began, Calis jerked back, glaring up at his cruelly efficient friend. His teeth gritted as he glared up at Lee, though the crowd was collecting themselves—they were running out of time. “Be gentle!” Calis cried. “He’s hurt.” The defensiveness—Calis reminded himself of a child protecting a precious toy.
“I know,” Lee answered quietly. “I will do my best. Just make sure you’re there when he wakes up.” Finally, they managed to exchange, and Calis found himself satisfied with the tender way that Lee placed Taeru over the back of the horse.
Calis nodded, eye blazing with intent. “I intend to be, just take care of him until I get there.” Lee unsheathed his sword and tossed it to Calis.
“You’ll need that more than I will. And yours appears to be busy.” Lee tossed a grim look towards Lavus’s corpse, and Calis smirked. “Don’t be long, Calis.” Lee didn’t wait for a response before he dug his heels into the prancing horse—prancing off towards the city gates. Calis had to admit—even he looked like he was galloping at that pace. The moment Taeru was gone from him—Calis felt his anger returning, and the longing for his injured lover was like a chilling, howling wind blowing through his body.
Swinging Lee’s sword, Calis moved towards Talon at once.
“He knew, it was not over yet.”
-A Hero’s Peace v.i & v.ii
Chapter lvi
Lee Keiichi
The body beneath Lee’s hand felt hauntingly fragile. The vision of the rope about Taeru’s neck shimmered periodically through Lee’s mind. If they had been only a moment slower, then Taeru would be dead—if Calis hadn’t—if he hadn’t thought so quickly... If he hadn’t been in that strange daze, the one that allowed him to cut through half of Lavus’s guardsmen without thought—then Taeru would be dead.
There had always been something about Calis. The way he moved, with such a restrained quality, had always slowed him down during their training. Calis had improved, and after a while, he was still better than any of the knights that Lee had seen wielding a blade. Yet, Calis had always seemed too focused on where his blade was going—but before, when he painted the grand hall with blood—there was no thought. Or perhaps there was. Somewhere deep within him, Calis could think only of Taeru, and realizing that others wanted to hurt Taeru—had caused Calis to let go.
And let go he had! The entire grand hall was splattered with blood, as were Lee and Calis. Though, splattered was quite the understatement for what had occurred in that room. A bloodbath, Lee thought, that was what it had been. Lee was not surprised at his inability to be frightened by the situation. He had never been one for worrying over the deaths of those that he did not know—especially if the deaths were merited.
However, deaths that had been plaguing him were those of Taeru’s foster family. They had been hanged, without reason, and Taeru would surely fall to pieces when he realized. Lee’s jaw clenched. Would Calis be the one to tell him that? The pandemonium had worsened, and yet no one seemed to be aware of Lee. They were all shouting Calis’s name—trying to figure out how to react.
Once he’d gotten to Dark District, which was easy as the chaos had left the gates unattended, his path became less clear. There was madness in the city, and Lee didn’t intend to stick around and see how it unfolded. Would there be a revolution before Cathalar even arrived? Or would the people somehow manage to find it within themselves not to cause a slaughter? Lee couldn’t say—as he had seen evidence in both directions. For now, all that mattered was reaching the gate of the city before someone thought to close it.
Very few people were on horses as he hurried through Dark District. Guards seemed to have deserted the place entirely, focusing on the Shining District and the impaled king, certainly. Lee had only let his eyes venture to Lavus once, and the shock that accompanied that was still settling. Calis had murdered his father in cold blood, and for a Cathalari prince. Love truly was as dangerous as Lee had always considered it.
Not that Lavus hadn’t earned that death, but Calis wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone in such a way, even if they were not wholly terrible, if they harmed Taeru. But in Calis’s mind, Lee supposed, hurting Taeru like this would make someone a wholly bad person. Perhaps he was right, but it didn’t matter—Calis believed that, and he would murder to keep Taeru protected. For some reason, the thought brought a smile across Lee’s lips.
Glancing down at Taeru, Lee felt a pang of worry. His stomach was over the horse, and he couldn’t have been without pain. His exposed back was covered in so many crisscrossed lines of blood that it looked less like a back and more like a mangled slab of flesh. Lavus had taken no quarter in the final beating. So, it was only fair that Calis had taken no quarter in Lavus’s death. Lee’s horse maneuvered through obstacles, and though a few men shouted for him to stop, he kept going.
As he neared the gate, he had finally garnered enough attention to know that he had to hurry. One of his hands remained securely fastened on top of Taeru while his other held the reins. “Hurry,” he growled at his horse. Men were following him, and as the gate came into view, Lee could hear those men shouting to the gate guards.
Though, rather than thinking to shut the gate—Light forbid they do anything competent without a direct order—the men hopped down to try and apprehend Lee manually. Without horses, though, they weren’t much threat. That was, until one of them managed to stand directly in Lee’s path. His sword was prepared to remove the legs of Lee’s horse, and Lee could not handle that right now.
He pulled the dagger from his belt, releasing Taeru for only a moment, and then flung the object so that it caught the man’s throat perfectly. The man’s sword dropped first, but he didn’t fall, and Lee’s horse slammed into him. The body went flying, and though Lee’s horse whinnied for a moment, it kept moving. He was outside of the gates, and he twisted along the path—remembering precisely the location of the cottage Calis had mentioned. Lee only hoped that the prince could recall it so exactly.
Now, though, he was weaponless, and a few of the guards had managed to mount horses from the stables and were chasing him. He moved towards the hills, well aware that he couldn’t go to the cottage until he’d lost these men. He pulled his horse down between some of the hills, moving to the side and towards the nearby oasis. The cottage was within a grove of trees to the east, and though it was not the forest Calis frequented to the south—there were enough trees in which to lose incompetent guards.
An arrow whooshed through the air
and cut a line across Lee’s cheek. Impressive, he thought, I didn’t think they knew how to aim that well—even standing still.
“We’ll follow you until you drop dead!” one of the men behind him shouted. Lee highly doubted that, and he pushed his horse to move a little faster.
After a few more arrows, and these were placed in the poorly-aimed manner that Lee had come to expect, trees began to appear around him. They were sparse, and he longed to be in the forest to make this easier. Taeru shouldn’t be riding so quickly on a horse, even while unconscious—perhaps especially while unconscious. He needed medical attention, immediately, and unfortunately, Lee wasn’t sure how to tend to him. Lee would have to hope that there were still a few supplies in the cabin.
The trees and hilly area made the men fall behind quickly. Lee moved in and out of denser areas, slowing his horse when he thought the men had lost him. When another man called out upon seeing him, he hurried into another thicket of trees. At last, once he slowed down for a fourth time, it appeared they had lost him. He could hear them calling to one another in the distance, trying to locate him, but they were far away from him now.
Moving back through the forest, he came out the other end of it—making sure that he didn’t make too much noise. He headed towards another group of hills, leaving the forest, and the guards still most likely lost inside of it, behind. The next group of trees would have been impossible to lose people in, but it was large enough to conceal a small, elaborately made cottage in the woods.
The stone was worn, moss growing along the sides of it. It was small, just a bit bigger than the average Dark District home, with a tiny window towards the back. The door was made of wood, and seeing the place brought on a bout of nostalgia. This cottage had been an early birth sun present to Calis—by Claudia. Calis was always in trouble for running off, out of the city, but while Lavus was genuinely angry, Claudia’s concern had been Calis’s safety.
She’d had the cottage built, and she had somehow convinced Lavus that allowing Calis to live on his own for a few cycles would be good for him. Calis ended up in the cottage for two phases, with Lee staying with him, and Claudia having servants deliver food every sun. Not any sort of hard life, but it had made Calis happy to get away. The prince had always assumed Claudia had built the house in order to let Tareth get the upper hand with their father—in some attempt to murder Lavus—and while Claudia had come up with plenty of those types of plans, her intentions with the house had been completely good.
She had wanted to give Calis something that would make him happy, as he never seemed to be, and she had succeeded, though Calis had never properly thanked his mother for the gift. Nevertheless, the cottage had been home for many phases during Lee’s childhood, and memories flooded his mind as he neared the door. He tied his horse to a post just outside and pulled Taeru off of it gently.
Rather than charging into the stone chalet blindly, and being murdered by some creature living inside, Lee placed Taeru against the wall outside before easing his way in. He checked both of the rooms in the cottage, finding that despite a little extra dust, the place had been maintained fairly well.
The cottage was, again, just a bit bigger than the average Dark District home. The amenities, though, were far greater than what was typically found in Dark District shacks. The floor was made of a soft wood, with rugs splayed out in areas. In the front room, there was a stone pot used for heating and a long counter where food could be prepared. There were cabinets lining the back wall, and even a small sitting chair for reclining. In the center was a small, square table that could fit four, with chairs all around it.
There was a desk in the back room, along with the single window. A small closet stood near the straw bed resting in the corner. Two dressers sat to the side, one had been used by Calis and the other by Lee. Discovering that there were no creatures, save for a small rat that Lee directed off through some hole in the wall, Lee lifted Taeru and brought him to the straw bed in the corner.
Taeru whimpered softly as Lee placed him onto the bed. Compared to the beds back at the castle, this one looked uncomfortable. Though Taeru would be used to this sort of thing—with the injuries, he ought to have better accommodations. There was nothing to be done about it, though, Lee realized. Towards the back of the room, there was a tiny, third room that contained a washing tub. Taeru really needed better than this right now. But rather than dwelling on it, he moved to a small closet to find a few supplies. There was a little bit of white cloth that could be used for bandaging some of the cuts and two feathered pillows.
Lee made sure that these were not inhabited by any foul creatures, either before he brought them to place beneath Taeru’s head. Taeru’s brow furrowed, as though something had bothered him, but beyond that—he didn’t stir. Lee really didn’t want to be responsible for explaining the situation to Taeru if he awoke. After all, Lee was the one that had caused some of these injuries. At last, Lee managed to find a few blankets and bedrolls. Aware that he couldn’t just throw the blanket over Taeru’s ragged form, Lee pulled a stool up to the straw bed. The floor was covered in dust, but inside the small stone abode felt nice.
Lee looked at the cloth and then at Taeru’s bloody face. He ought to wash Taeru, Lee thought dismally. How very awkward that would be. Still, Taeru was coated in blood and bruises. Faintly recalling a well outside, Lee grabbed some of the cloth and headed to get a bucket. Using the rope to lift a bucket of water, he dipped the cloth in and re-entered the house. For some reason, Lee was relieved to find that Taeru had not sprung up and disappeared into the wilderness when he returned.
No, Taeru was still lying on the bed, breathing slowly and erratically. Very awkwardly, Lee moved the wet cloth across Taeru’s face. He began by getting the blood off as best as he could, and then he focused on trying to relieve a little of the pain. “I wish I was better at this, Taeru. Calis isn’t very good, either, but somehow—I think he’ll be an expert when it comes to you.” Oddly enough, the sentence procured a whimper from Taeru’s damaged lips.
Lee sighed, moving the rag over Taeru’s chest gently. “I wish I had a soothing herb for the Prisoner’s Bane—I know that must still be killing you.” Though, Lee actually flinched away from the word ‘killing.’ Using the bucket that he’d brought in from the well, he wet the rag again and started over. As the rag moved over Taeru’s collar, Lee noticed the bite mark in the skin of Taeru’s neck. His fingers instinctively went to it. “Tareth—you monster…”
Doing his best to cover what he could, Lee worked with the cloth for some time. He cut pieces of it, wrapping it around Taeru’s manageable injuries. Occasionally, Taeru would whimper incoherently. Time passed, and Lee found himself desperately wishing Calis would show up. If anything had happened to Calis when this vigilante woke up—Lee really didn’t want to think about that. Taeru really was a mess. His entire face was marred, almost beyond recognition, and his body was no better.
Lastly, Lee tried to tend to Taeru’s broken fingers. Only when he did so did he see the stab wound through one of Taeru’s hands. He winced. Taeru let out the loudest cry that he’d managed, and Lee bowed his head weakly. Taeru’s brow furrowed further, and his lips pressed together while he held in his whimpers. “I’m sorry!” Lee choked. Though, Taeru’s eyes were still closed, and Lee doubted his apology was heard. “Why am I apologizing? You can’t hear me… I guess you do have an interesting effect on people. Well, more than an interesting effect on Calis. He really loves you.” The thought seemed profound said aloud. “So much.”
Through the continued whimpers, Taeru finally forced the word from his mouth again. Lee could just make it out, but when he did, his body trembled in veneration. “Calis…” Taeru whimpered. Perhaps he’d heard Lee talking about the Telandan prince.
After the word was said, though, Taeru’s body relaxed, and he seemed to fall back into darkness. Lee continued his poor bandaging job, and he worked to be more careful with the wounds in Taeru’s hands—broken fingers and a
stabbed palm—that merited very special attention.
The last wound that Lee tried to wrap was the shallow stab wound that had just caught Taeru’s side. Once that was done, Lee stood, pacing the floor and wishing that Calis would appear. He hadn’t doubted Calis when he’d left Telandus, but given the chance, he realized that he was beginning to worry. “Brazen fool,” Lee hissed. No, this worry was pointless. This wasn’t like Lee at all.
He decided to focus on things that were more relevant to him. For one, he had no food, and he suspected that he would not be welcomed back into Telandus. Lee knew how to hunt, but he had never had to live off of it before—not to mention, he had no weapons with which to hunt. Glancing once back to Taeru, Lee wondered just how long they would be out here. Taeru would take time to recover, and yet, on the other end of things, the Cathalari army would be heading for Telandus. They wouldn’t have more than a moon phase.
After a little longer of pacing and considering his options, a knock sounded through the cottage. Though he ought to have been relieved, Lee’s body tensed. Calis was only one of many people that could be outside the door. Rather than going towards the door, he moved to the window, angling himself so that he could see out the window without being seen. Within moments, he saw a flash of red hair. “What?” he hissed.
Instantly, his body moved from the wall and to the door. When he opened the door, there she was, with her soft, blue eyes and worried expression. The setting sun reflected off her hair, giving it an orange appearance, and she seemed to have a halo of light around her. For some reason, Lee flushed at the sight of her. Why? “What are you doing here?” he snapped.
She pursed her lips, as though she were very disappointed with this response. Then, she laughed. “Well, I saw you running out of Telandus with Kil—Taeru, so I followed you… and the guards.” She added the last part warily.