Hatam-Ile, 9th of Seventhmoon 3045
The room was dimly lit when Ren’i opened his eyes and realised he was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. The support beams differed from the ones in the palace, and the walls were decorated with carvings. The air was strangely hazy. It made the carven figures appear unreal, almost dream-like. Their features rippled back and forth like waves melding into one another, changing and breaking apart whenever he blinked. He felt as if he ought to have recognised the images from somewhere, but they always metamorphosed just as he was starting to grasp their meaning.
Something smelled lightly of smoke, of something overly sweet. It made his nose itch and he sneezed.
”Oh, you are awake, then,” an amused voice said.
Ren’i tilted his head. Next to him sat an elderly akheri woman whose cloud-like curls were more white than brown. Ren’i blinked slowly and tried to focus his gaze on her.
”You don’t remember how you got here, do you?” she asked, interpreting the flummoxed look on his face correctly. Ren’i shook his head. ”I’m Mineha, Hatam-Ile’s healer. Your hunting companions brought you here.”
”Healer?” Ren’i repeated. His voice felt rough in his throat.
She stood up, holding a small bowl. ”Don’t try to talk just yet. Drink this.”
Ren’i took the bowl in his hands. She supported his head as he drank and took the empty bowl from him. The effort left him exhausted and Ren’i laid his head back down on the berth, letting his eyes slip closed again. He felt the floor quaking beneath him.
”Where am I?” His tongue felt heavier than usual. The words were thick and clumsy in his mouth.
”In the elder’s house,” Mineha replied. Ren’i heard her walking around the room, shifting things.
The haze was slowly abating. Ren’i felt the soft furs against his bare back and pushed his fingers deep in the silken hair. His right arm was tingling all over, and he felt the muscles resisting every movement, as though he’d not used the arm for months. He lifted it and found himself staring at a series of small, pink scars that marred his skin from elbow to wrist.
”Let your arm rest,” the healer said emphatically, and Ren’i let his arm flop back down on the furs. ”You can thank your luck the lynx didn’t break any bones. I can knit tendons and muscles back together, but bones are slow to heal. It’ll leave a scar, though.”
”I don’t feel particularly lucky at the moment, to tell you the truth.”
Mineha granted him a lopsided smile. ”Just wait until the medicine wears off.” She doused the candles scattered around the room one by one, opened a small window to let some air in, and the sweet scent started to evaporate.
Ren’i stretched. The quilt wrapped over him slid lower and left his upper body bare. The cool air was a relief, and it was only then that he noticed just how warm it was indoors. The reddish light of the evening sun was filtering in through the open window.
”I’ll let the others know you’re up,” Mineha said and left the door slightly ajar. She glanced at Ren’i. ”You have a visitor, by the way, if you’re ready to receive him.”
Ren’i sighed. He was not ready to face Hamr. ”I’m not getting any readier than I already am. Let him in.”
The healer laughed and pushed the door wide open. Ren’i heard the faint murmur of her voice when she spoke, ”he’s awake. And you’d better make sure he’s exactly as I left him once I return.”
The approaching footfalls were soft and lacked the metallic clinks that normally followed the captain everywhere he went. Ren’i yawned, mentally preparing for a proverbial beating, and froze mid-stretch when the visitor entered the room.
”Oh,” he managed. He cleared his throat. ”It’s you.”
Hawk’s glare was sullen, his brows drawn into a deep scowl. His hands were clean, but there were dried blood stains smeared all over his clothes, and everything that had transpired in the woods came back to Ren’i in a flash. He remembered the pain, the lynx, the face hovering above him, and felt his cheeks burning.
All of a sudden he was unpleasantly aware that he was lying naked in a strange house under the judgmental scrutiny of someone who definitely disliked him, and shifted the quilt more firmly over himself, trying to regain his composure.
”Apologies for my current state of being. I don’t usually entertain visitors dressed like this,” Ren’i said and tried to conjure his best – and only – diplomatic smile. He turned on his side and felt the quilt sliding again. ”Are you here to weep next to my lifeless corpse? Or to laugh at an idiot who can’t even shoot properly?”
Hawk’s hands balled into fists. To make matters worse, not even he could tell why he was still there, or why he’d entered the room in the first place. He didn’t know why he’d stayed and waited for Ren’i to wake up, either. He’d stolen one glance at the prince’s unconscious face and felt himself freeze as though he’d grown roots and hadn’t been able to make himself leave the waiting room, like some invisible force had been holding him there. Even Mineha’s chanting coming to an end had not set him free: he had to see with his own eyes that the wretched man lived. He hated the sense of relief that washed over him at the sound of Ren’i’s voice.
It was against all of his principles. He didn’t care, nor was he supposed to care if there was one less demon in the world or not. No one would have stopped him had he stormed back to his cottage and left Onniar to clear up the mess and ensure the demons didn’t torch the city out of spite. He’d done his part, and not even Ared would have asked any more of him.
A single glance told him that Mineha had succeeded. Apart from new scars Ren’i looked exactly the same as before, and, worst of all, he was still in one piece. Hawk kicked the door shut behind himself, noting with some satisfaction that Ren’i jolted at the sound.
”You’re just as arrogant as the rest of your kind,” Hawk spat out. ”Do you think the world revolves around you just because you’re royalty?”
”No, to be totally honest. Should I?”
”Either you’re a complete moron, or you did it all on purpose.” Hawk’s eyes narrowed dangerously. ”Was that your plan? Get yourself in trouble to get an excuse to attack Hatam-Ile and burn it to the ground?”
Ren’i stared at him, mouth hanging wide open.
”Are you serious?” He laughed disbelievingly. Hawk’s expression darkened and Ren’i went on, ”okay, I suppose you are. No, I didn’t get mauled by a wild animal for fun. Believe me. It was unpleasant enough that I’d never, ever be willing to experience that voluntarily.”
He looked and sounded genuinely disgruntled, and Hawk knew he was telling the truth. Hawk shrugged and took Mineha’s place on the room’s only chair. Ren’i attempted to change positions and hastily caught the quilt before it managed to slide on the floor entirely. He certainly did not look very regal at the moment. His hair was messy and stood up on one side, his face abnormally pale under the dirt.
Ren’i squinted as he suddenly remembered something essential. He pointed at Hawk. ”Hang on, now. You slapped me. Back in the woods,” he blurted out.
Hawk quirked an eyebrow. ”I did. If you’re planning to have me executed for that, go on ahead. I’m not apologising.”
”Why the hell would I want to— I didn’t say you had to— Do you have to be like that?” Ren’i sighed and brushed the sweaty hair off his face. ”It hurt, you know. You didn’t need to manhandle me like that.”
”I was trying to keep you awake, idiot. You can’t let the wounded fall unconscious.”
”Oh.”
Hawk crossed his arms. ”Or would you rather be dead? I can arrange that, if that’s your wish.”
”That, uh, won’t be necessary.” Ren’i was silent for a moment. ”Thanks. For helping.”
”I didn’t do it for you. I don’t care whether you live or die.”
”I know. I’m still grateful, though.”
Hawk snatched a towel from the table, dipped it in the water bowl and handed it to Ren’i. His face was still a mess of blood and dirt. ”Wash your face. You look awful.”
Their eyes met when Ren’i took the towel from him. Ren’i’s gaze was transfixed on Hawk’s eyes, the same bronze-coloured eyes that had stolen all his attention earlier, and he entirely forgot what he’d been about to say. He sat up, glad for an excuse to cover his flushed face with something.
Hawk’s gaze followed Ren’i’s every move, every curve of his body unintentionally, pausing to stare at the sunlight dancing on his skin and the hair cascading over his shoulders. He had the body of a soldier – strong arms, strong chest – and Hawk forgot to breathe momentarily when Ren’i turned and sunlight illuminated his features. In the evening sun his eyes were startlingly green, like newly budded leaves, Hawk noted, and could no longer take his eyes off them.
”Here,” Ren’i said, and the moment was gone. He tossed the towel back to Hawk.
Hawk looked elsewhere as Ren’i threw his legs over the edge and grabbed the folded clothes at the end of the bed.
”You should speak with your captain,” Hawk said while Ren’i got dressed, addressing the wall instead of him. ”He threw a fit when your soldiers brought him here.”
Ren’i grinned. ”I can believe that. He doesn’t know how to take a more philosophical approach towards things, unfortunately. It’s one of his biggest flaws.”
There was a small, silvery pendant resting against his naked chest. Hawk only saw it at a glance as Ren’i shifted, making the pendant sparkle in the sunlight. Ren’i pulled the shirt over his head, hiding it from view. It was only after putting the shirt on that he realised there was nothing but loose threads left of the right sleeve, and though the splatters on the front were not visible against the black, the blood had still turned the fabric hard and coarse.
His scalp stung as he ripped off the tangled hair tie and tried to negotiate his hair on a new ponytail. The outcome was nothing to shout about, but Hawk decided not to mention it.
”Um, did you have something you wanted to say?” Ren’i asked when Hawk made no effort to leave. ”I refuse to believe you came just to keep me company.”
Hawk grunted. ”It seems the elders want to speak with you.”
That the elders had seen him waiting and hadn’t ousted him bothered Hawk more than he was ready to admit. The counsel was still ongoing and outsiders weren’t supposed to step inside the house – they hadn’t even let Ren’i’s bodyguards in the waiting room –, but Ared had simply left the message with Hawk and asked him to deliver it once Ren’i was awake, as though knowing Hawk would be waiting.
Ren’i felt sudden anticipation fluttering in his belly. ”What for?”
”Don’t get excited prematurely. I don’t think they’ve decided anything yet.”
Ren’i pulled on his pants, laced his boots all the way up and got to his feet, holding on to the edges of the bed for support. Hawk stood at the door and pushed it open without saying a word. Ren’i followed him. The front door of the house stood open, and the sun hanging low in the evening sky blinded him as they stepped out.
The square was more crowded than usual. Children were playing at the other end, running around and tossing a ball to each other despite the heat. Akheri adults sat on the seats, keeping a casual eye on the children’s games while chatting and laughing among themselves. Fruit and all sorts of pastries that Ren’i didn’t recognise had been brought in the stalls, but their scents made his mouth water all the same.
Captain Hamr was facing a gray-haired akheri woman, his expression stony. They were speaking too quietly for Ren’i to make out the words, but he could tell from the captain’s body language that he was agitated. Linnee and Yurau were sitting on the lowest row of the seats right behind them, looking quite like they’d rather be anywhere else at the moment. They were both still in their messy hunting clothes, Linnee twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.
The woman turned as Ren’i and Hawk approached, and Ren’i recognised her as the same woman who’d acted as the elders’ spokesperson during their earlier meeting. ”About time. Your prince is awake, captain.”
Yurau poked Linnee with her elbow. Many of the akheris sitting around glanced at Ren’i curiously.
Hamr looked ready to blow up. ”About time, indeed!” he shouted. The childred playing at the far end of the square stopped and turned to look. Ren’i did his best not to grimace. ”Are you all right, your highness? Can you believe that these primitive maniacs wouldn’t even let me come see you?”
”Calm down, captain. I am perfectly all right,” Ren’i said in soothing tones. ”You can’t just barge into the infirmary, either, when the doctor’s hard at work.”
Hamr lifted his chin. ”You should have been taken to our infirmary and not some local quack doctor.” Linnee and Yurau looked embarrassed behind him. ”Why didn’t you tell me that you wished to go hunting? We would have arranged you a proper hunting party, bodyguards included.”
”I assure you that the idea was my own, and that my injury was not the fault of my hunting companions. Let’s discuss this further at the camp.”
”But your highness…”
”That will do for now, captain. Return to camp. We’ll talk once we’ve both had some proper rest,” Ren’i interrupted him, turning his attention back on the akheri elder instead. Hamr saluted Ren’i with some reluctance and turned at his heels, muttering to himself. Linnee and Yurau rushed to follow him. ”Your healer’s skills are remarkable. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for the care I’ve received.”
The woman smiled wryly. ”I trust that you’ve recovered, then?”
”Completely. It came to my knowledge that you wished to speak with me,” he said, stealing a glance at Hawk from the corner of his eye. He was somewhat surprised to notice that the man was still present.
”The council has not reached a decision yet,” the woman answered his unvoiced question. ”The matter is complicated and does not touch just Hatam-Ile, but our people as a whole.”
”I understand. Those who speak for their people bear a great responsibility to represent them fairly,” Ren’i said. ”I am ready to wait, no matter what decision you reach in the end.”
”And if the decision is ’no’?” Hawk interrupted. ”Are you going to force us either way?”
The woman’s expression remained serene despite the interruption, but Ren’i knew that she, too, waited for his answer just as much as Hawk did. Ren’i turned to look at him. He met Ren’i’s gaze defiantly, as though challenging him.
”I won’t lie to you. The empress has made her will clear: the Hytherlands are part of the empire,” Ren’i said. He directed the words at Hawk and looked him straight in the eye. ”But I’ve been raised a soldier and know that someone forced on the battlefield against their will won’t make a good one. If your people wish to have nothing to do with the war, I will honour that wish. I’ll do my best to keep the frontlines as far away from your homes as possible and your civilians away from the battles.”
Hawk’s expression did not soften a bit. ”Can the commander-in-chief of the empress’s armies go against her will?”
”The commander-in-chief follows the empress’s orders, but Ren’i son of Oerei follows his conscience.” Ren’i couldn’t help smiling. ”You’re the one who told me that titles don’t matter here. Let’s just agree that here I’m just Ren’i.”
He’d expected Hawk to throw something sarcastic at him in response, but he remained silent.
”The reason I wished to speak with you,” the woman said, breaking the silence, ”was that us elders wish to extend you, and those of your underlings that are willing to participate, an invitation, as a show of good will.”
”An invitation? To what?”
”The Festival of the Three Moons. It will be held in eight days.” The skin around the woman’s milk-white eyes creased as she smiled. ”The hot summer of the desert is reaching its apex. We celebrate it every year when all three moons are on the night sky at the same time.”
Ren’i couldn’t hide his astonishment. There were celebrations even in Kishan cities when Merenos returned on the summer skies with the other two moons. He pulled himself together and bowed lightly. ”It would be my honour, respected elder. I’d be glad to attend.”
She nodded. ”In eight days then, Ren’i son of Oerei. The lanterns are lit as Merenos rises. Drink, eat, dance and enjoy yourself as though the long drought had already come to a close. If the winds are in our favour, perhaps we’ll speak more as the moons are setting.” She turned towards Hawk and added, ”do make sure that he obeys Mineha.”
Hawk sighed. ”As you wish.”
She gathered her longs hems, marched across the square and vanished inside the same house that Ren’i had just exited earlier. He stared after her for a long while and realised he still hadn’t asked for her name.
Hawk didn’t look particularly happy that he’d been left alone with Ren’i once more. ”Well?” he grunted when the silence had gone on for some time.
”Well what?”
Hawk rolled his eyes. ”You heard her. Go back and rest.”
”Why? I feel perfectly fine already.”
”Mineha wants you to spend the night in the healer’s room.”
”But she healed me already.”
”It wasn’t a suggestion.”
When Ren’i made no attempt to move Hawk grabbed him by the wrist, and not exactly gently, either, half-leading, half-dragging him back inside the elder’s house. Ren’i hadn’t prepared for this and only barely managed to remain on his feet as he scrambled to follow Hawk. The laughter of the townspeople still watching the scene followed him all the way to the house.
Ren’i massaged his wrist when Hawk dropped him off at the healer’s room. ”You have a firm grip, you know.”
Hawk didn’t answer. He threw himself on the bench across the door, a mulish look on his face, and Ren’i got the gist of the situation wordlessly.
”All right, all right, I get it,” Ren’i sighed. ”You don’t have to keep an eye me.”
The words had no impact whatsoever. Ren’i hadn’t expected them to, either. He laid down to wait obediently for the healer’s return, resting his head on the pillow and wishing intently that the elder’s house had visiting hours. He wasn’t sure he’d catch a wink of sleep if Hawk sat outside the door all night.
Little by little, Hawk is starting to see that Ren’i really isn’t as bad as he wants to think. xD And you’ve portrayed that change beautifully! <3