“He suggested, huh?” Salem raised an eyebrow.
“Well, ‘threatened’ is a strong word.”
He chuckled at that. “He can be persuasive.”
“Will you tell me about him, one day?” Aurin asked. “How you met. How he knew you were injured. It doesn’t have to be today. And probably not while we’re here.”
Salem nodded slowly. “I’ll tell you everything. But first, may I ask one more favour?”
“Of course. Anything.”
“Help me up. I want to take a walk outside.”
“Oh. Well, anything but that. Cern said you must rest.”
“But I’ve been resting so long, I need to stretch my legs and move my body.” The way he gave his bestpleeeeeeasesad-eyes made Aurin laugh.
“Oh, that is totally not fair. You cannot use that weapon against me.”
“Weapon?” he scoffed. “What is this weapon you speak of?”
Aurin leaned in and gave him a smiley kiss. “You know I am powerless against your eyes, and you use them against me.”
Chuckling because he’d won and they both knew it, Salem pulled back the covers and swung his legs over. He tested his feet on the floor and stood slowly, wobbling a little. Aurin was quick to grab him, sliding an arm around his lower back so Salem could use him as a crutch.
“How’s that?” Aurin asked.
He stood still for a moment, getting his bearings and letting his body adjust to being upright. “Okay,” he said, though it was not without some effort.
“If it hurts, you must tell me,” Aurin said. “You must not overdo it. We can stand today, then maybe take some steps tomorrow.”
He shook his head. “No. I’m fine. I need to do this. I need to go outside, even for just a moment. I need fresh air and to move my body.”
Aurin understood that all too well. Their need to be in the outdoors, in the water, in nature, was a real and visceral thing.
“You might regret this,” Aurin said, helping him walk slowly to the door.
He panted. “Why’s that?”
“Fresh air will make you realise how bad the paste smells.”
Salem chuckled. “Are you saying I smell?”
“Well, yes.”
They walked through the small, humble hut to the one and only door. Aurin pushed it open and helped Salem step outside.
He paused to catch his breath, leaning heavily on Aurin. He smiled up at the sky, at the dappled sunlight coming through the trees. He inhaled deeply, then seemed to regret it, wincing and bringing his free arm in to press it against his ribs.
“Salem,” Aurin warned.
“I’m fine,” he said quickly, giving him a tight smile. He looked around at the camp, saw the firepit with some log seats, and nodded toward them.
The camp, as Aurin called it, was rudimentary, though even that was being kind. The dwellings were basically huts and lean-tos made from logs, bark, and branches, but they blended into the forest and mountain so well that sometimes Aurin wasn’t sure he could even see them at all.
He was certain there was a kind of magic that cloaked them to the human eye. So much so that if a human were to hike into these unexplored mountains, Aurin doubted they’d see them at all. They kind of shimmered into the scenery. It was very odd. But no odder than the likelihood of cephamorphs existing, he reasoned. And certainly no odder than the forest folk who called this camp home.
The three men who had come down to Tenebrae with Cern were the same three men who came out with him now. Cern was in the middle, flanked by Fyn, Zaq, and Pax. They were as rustic as their homes. Wearing only shorts made of hemp or hessian, they were lithe and strong, their skin brown with dirt and sweat. Their hair resembled fine twigs.
