“Need any help with anything?” the human asked. Taegan was sitting on the floor with the last of Zorvut’s clothes in his hands, folding them and placing them in a neat pile. “Wow, you made quick work of it.”
“Yes, I think we’ve gotten just about everything already,” he said, glancing around the room. “Just the bedding for tonight and clothes for tomorrow... Everything else has been mostly packed up. I’m glad I washed our clothes yesterday, so it’s all clean.”
Tom sighed, rapping his knuckles against the doorframe in a visibly nervous gesture. “I’m sorry to see you go so soon,” he said finally, not quite meeting Taegan’s gaze. “I, um... Well, I know we didn’t really get to know each other very well, but Zorvut always spoke very highly of you. Maybe next time you and I can learn a bit more about each other.”
Taegan watched him as he spoke with furrowed brows, but when the human glanced over at him, he pressed his lips into a smile. While it was not exactly an opportune moment to hear the sentimental words, he thought, the kindness behind them was unmistakable.
“Thank you,” he said slowly. “Yes, next time, certainly. We really do appreciate your hospitality.”
Tom only nodded in response, seemingly at a loss for words. Finally, with a sigh, he stepped back. “I’m, ah… I’m going to go see if Zorvut needs any help.”
With that, he was gone. Taegan looked back down at the clothes in his hands before glancing around the room. Much as he had wanted to go home, this was not the situation he had hoped for, and he thought he might even miss their little room by the sea. But the very idea of missing what they had here filled him with guilt. He had gotten his wish after all, he thought, but the bitterness of it made it feel like ashes in his mouth.
Chapter Eleven
Theyplannedtoleaveat dawn, but Taegan found sleep would not come. He laid awake for most of the night, looking out the window to the partially obscured midnight sky. He could feel Zorvut’s waking mind thinking, also kept from sleeping with anxious energy, but neither spoke to the other. What could be said that would soothe either of them? All he could do was count down the minutes until they could finally set out.
When the first rays of sunrise started spreading across the horizon, Taegan sat up, hardly feeling the weariness in his eyes. He padded to the bathroom to wash his face and gather the last of his toiletries, and when he returned Zorvut was sitting up in bed with a pensive expression. They exchanged a knowing look that neither of them had slept, and packed the rest of their things in tense silence before heading downstairs for the final time.
Tom was also awake, though clearly much more sleepy, and was making a pot of coffee in the kitchen as they descended.
“A bit of breakfast for you,” he said with a yawn, gesturing to the table where a few slices of toasted bread, butter, and jam were set out. “Coffee’s ready in just a minute.”
Taegan hesitated, glancing at the door where their bags were placed, but Zorvut raised a calming hand to him.Waitcame through the bond, and begrudgingly Taegan nodded. They sat down for the light meal, though he tasted nothing as he ate, taking only a few bites of a single slice of bread. When Tom set a mug of coffee in front of each of them along with a small pitcher of cream, he managed only a few tiny, polite sips before the trembling of his hands made him set down the cup.
“Thank you again for everything,” Zorvut said softly as they finally stood to leave. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. Hopefully couriers will still be able to get through.”
Taegan nodded wordlessly.
“I’ll keep an eye out,” Tom said, then opened his arms to hug Zorvut tightly. They embraced for a long moment, and when they finally pulled away Taegan could see the human’s eyes glimmering with unshed tears. “Please, stay safe.”
“We will,” Zorvut said with a firm nod. Tom looked over at Taegan and offered him a hug as well—Taegan returned the embrace lightly, but pulled away after only a moment.
“Thank you,” was all he managed to say, but the human nodded in understanding.
“Ready?” Zorvut asked, gesturing toward the door. They gathered up their belongings, Zorvut slinging most of the bags over his shoulders, then Tomlin held the door open for them and they stepped outside.
“Goodbye,” the human called out as they left. Zorvut turned and waved to him, but now that they were out in the street all Taegan could focus on was getting to their horses and leaving town. His fingertips buzzed with the anxious energy, and though he usually had to jog to keep up with Zorvut’s longer stride, they were now evenly matched as he hurried along the cobblestone road.
Though it was still quite early, they passed a few sailors and fishermen on the street heading in the opposite direction, toward the harbor. A few looked at them curiously, and one even turned around to walk backward as they went by to stare at Zorvut for a long moment, but eventually they made their way to the tavern unhindered. A stable boy was sitting sleepily in front of the stable, but startled awake as they approached.
“Closing out?” he asked, eyeing their bags. “You’re the ones with the big ol’ stallion, right? I think you have a few more days left you paid for—”
“No need,” Taegan said quickly, raising a hand to interrupt. “Keep the change. We’d just like to saddle them and go, please.”
“Oh—of course,” the boy stammered, clearly taken by surprise, but jogged to follow them into the stable and help saddle the horses. He could not quite reach high enough to help prepare Graksh’t, but brought all their gear and passed over saddlebags as they got everything together quickly. Ember whickered and stamped excitedly as they saddled her, but soon seemed to sense Taegan’s anxiety and stilled, her eyes glancing about and watching each movement he made with concern.
Though he could not seem to leave fast enough, they were eventually mounting their horses and trotting out of the stable.
“We have to pace ourselves,” Zorvut said softly, and Taegan gave a terse nod. As much as he knew it, it was still a struggle to keep from kicking the horse into a full gallop.
They had not discussed what, exactly, they could do when they finally made it back to Aefraya, and the thought of it rattled around in his head as they trotted through the cobblestone streets and out of the city gate. If the king were truly in hiding, it was unlikely they would be able to find him either.
Their best bet, he considered, would be to stop at one of the land baron’s estates before getting too close to the capital, to seek refuge and whatever information they might have to offer. They would pass a few on their way northward, though none directly on the path they would take, and he was unsure which of them might know the king’s whereabouts, if any. They would pass several farms, but all would be on land owned by a baron, so there was no point in stopping at a farm only to be told to speak with the landowner. If his memory served, there were three large parcels of land owned by noble families along the way that were sufficiently far from the capital that Taegan did not think they too would be under siege, but were still close enough that they might reasonably have some idea of what was going on and could give them helpful information.
He mulled over his thoughts for most of the day, afraid to speak them aloud—as if putting them into words would give them a kind of finality that felt unbearable in the moment. Everything still felt like a bad dream, but forming a plan would cement the situation in reality.
He did not want to stop for lunch, but Zorvut convinced him to get off the horse for at least a little while so they could all rest.
