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“Holy shit, it worked.” Cy’s breathy awe-struck words smacked Noel in the chest once he hit the pavers again. Her bubbly, disbelieving laugh tore through his stunned state until he looked to Grey.
Relief—Relief was written all over his face, woven into his sway, vibrating off every part of him that’d been wound so tight Noel had mistaken it for that freeze of not knowing what to do. “Are you okay?” Grey asked.
Noel nodded, trying to hold his head steady as he peeled off his glove. “Yeah. I’m fine.” He forced a smirk and pushed down the fluttering in the pit of his stomach. “That bought us the rest of today, so we should move. The quicker we get out of here, the better.”
“Let’s get the fuck out of here then,” Cy said, turning on her heel and heading for the garage.
Grey moved to follow, but with his slow steps and his neck twisted to look back at Noel, he could tell there was a lingering question there.
Noel frowned. “What?”
“Did the fair folk say something else? You don’t seem okay…”
I was prepared to give myself up to save you because I’m too much of a coward to tell you how I feel.
He ran a hand through his hair and started alongside Grey. “It’s nothing. I was just overthinking things. Letting my head get the best of me.”
Grey nodded, his head dipping down while he picked at the ribbed knit of his hoodie sleeves. Was that the wrong thing to say? Should he have said more? Less? Maybe being honest would be the best choice?—
Noel cleared his throat. “Thank you for finding that.” A sorry excuse to speak, but one that he could at least put his heart into. Grey stood a little taller in the final stretch of their walk, feeding Noel a fraction of that pride by proxy.
The rev of Cy’s motorcycle tore his attention back to the present task, along with a newfound hesitation as Grey continued past him to collect his bag. That pressing question of whether he’d rather ride with her instead choked him until Grey started for Noel’s bike. So he scooped up his bag and jogged over to leave.
* * *
Winding trails up the mountain turned into an ascent of chasing sunlight. Cy’s warning to stay away from the trees kept Noel on high alert with the shift of every shadow and rustle of every leaf. Grey, however, relaxed against him, almost like he was swept away by it all to a different world altogether.
When they crested the cliffside, Grey perked up as the three of them idled to take in the sight of the Queendom stretching north. Towns they’d visited were little specks among thick forests and rolling fields. Noel couldn’t help but wonder if they’d be able to make out a little piece of his home if they made it to the top.
A small break to eat and refill their canteens at a stream, and they returned to the bikes to push uphill again.
“I’m getting a little worried about fuel,” Noel said, tucking his bottle back into his bag. “Where are you taking us, exactly?”
“Macharomancer town,” Cy said, throwing her leg over her bike. “It’s maybe another twenty minutes, but I’m not sure if the Grand Capital has sent anyone up here yet.”
Noel cringed, unable to refrain from stealing a look at Grey. “What if they have? How fucked are we?”
She shrugged. “I’d say fairly fucked, but there’s only one was to find out. It’s the closest place, not to mention that it’s pretty out of the way, so it’s possible we’ll be fine.”
Grey shrank down in his seat, his arms wrapping a little tighter around Noel once they were situated again. The engine purred to life again as he patted Grey’s hands—a small reassurance that he’d protect him. Because he always would, so long as they stuck together.
When green gave way to the towering metal, cinderblock, and brick that pierced the sky like a beacon of safety, Cy slowed her bike to a crawl. Noel rolled up next to her just in time to catch her growing scowl.
“What?” he asked, glancing back at the corrugated metal walls. “Something wrong?”
“Do you hear anything?”
Noel paused and cocked his head, feeling Grey shift and pull away to look around. “No?”
“Yeah, that’s what has me worried,” she muttered, pushing ahead.
Grey’s arms looped around him again, and they followed, tracing a circle around the barrier until Cy’s wheels skidded to a stop at one of the gates. One that was completely folded open without a single guard in sight—not a single soul in sight.
“What the fuck…” Cy murmured. She turned to roll inside, looking up and around like something might leap off a roof on her way through. Noel left some distance between them as he trailed behind.
Ash trays with half-smoked cigarettes sat on the railings of a bar’s makeshift outdoor area. Flies swarmed knocked over trash bins. Doors swung on their hinges from the breeze.
Grey squeezed Noel’s torso a little tighter. “I don’t like this…”
