The storm eased as they walked, the lightning and thunder fading and the torrential rain softening into a constant drizzle. They took care not to leave any footprints in the muddy ground. It made for slow going, but the upside of all the rain was that dogs would be useless to track them.
Despite the conditions and fatigue they pushed through all night and continued on even as the weak light of dawn broke through the thinning clouds.
Lukas could feel his feet starting to drag as they walked, but forced himself to keep going. They needed to put as much distance between Roads End and themselves as possible. The memory of the rough noose around his neck was a pretty good motivator and he couldn’t afford to be left behind.
- - -
Wilt had watched Lukas struggle with growing concern through the night, but as long as he didn’t pass out, they needed to keep moving. Even his own legs ached with pain and his feet felt numb and swollen in his boots. But they kept pushing on.
They had trekked through the forest, crossed streams and newly formed mud puddles, and were now climbing through a rocky outcropping. The rocks and trees were all covered in a thick green moss and the air smelt rich and lush. It reminded Wilt of the tales his father used to tell of fairy forests; all it needed was a circle of mushrooms.
There had been an uncomfortable silence since they had left Roads End but it was hard to hold a conversation when their attention was so focused on where to place each step to keep upright and struggling to breathe with the pace they set. Wilt pushed through a curtain of ivy and squeezed down a narrow split in the rocky terrain and came into a small clearing sheltered by a sheer wall of rock and the high canopy of trees.
“We’ll stop here a bit and rest,” Wilt announced as he slung his pack off his shoulders. Lukas looked visibly relieved and just dropped to his knees, sucking in deep breaths of air.
While the climate in this region was a bit more mild than up north, this gully was particularly cold and after only a few minutes Wilt’s body had cooled down and his damp clothes were giving him a chill. He shuffled back and forth on his feet, trying to generate some warmth, but it was no good and he started collecting twigs and branches for a fire.
“Is it safe to build a fire?” Lukas asked with concern between puffing warm air into his hands.
“We’ve travelled a long way, by a roundabout path and they may not have even noticed the book is missing yet. Also this spot looks to be nicely sheltered and protected by that large stone wall.”
Lukas didn’t protest further and just gave a quick nod.
- - -
“You should try and get some rest,” Wilt suggested as he fed the fire a few larger sticks. “I’ll keep watch just in case.”
Lukas went white as his whole body tensed. “So now that you have what you wanted you don’t need me anymore,” he muttered.
“What?”
“You’re abandoning me out here, running off as soon as I close my eyes? Or am I bait to throw them off your trail?” Hot tears stung his eyes and his breathing became heavy and erratic as his panic began spiral.
“Whoa, trust me. I’m not running off anywhere, I promise.” Wilt said in his most patient and comforting voice.
“Trust you? Promise?” Lukas spat the words back. “Why would I trust the word of a thief?” Lukas slapped his hand to his mouth in an attempt to force the words back in but it was too late.
The forest around them fell silent for a long and painful moment.
Wilt took a steadying breath and reached his hand up to rake it through his hair but as he lifted his hand, Lukas flinched and physically sunk in on himself. Any annoyance or frustration melted out of Wilt.
“I don’t plan to run off on you, but as we have only known each other, outside of dreams, for a short time I don’t expect you to implicitly trust me. So I’ll give you this as insurance.” Wilt slung the satchel off his shoulder and passed it to Lukas. “I think you can trust that I won’t leave the book behind. As long as you have it you won’t be left behind either.”
Lukas looked dumbstruck at the offer for a moment before a hint of suspicion crossed his face. He opened the satchel and checked to make sure the book truly was in the satchel before finally relaxing.
“Sorry,” he said meekly, unable to met Wilt’s gaze.
“It’s been a stressful few days. Try to rest, you’ll feel better for it.” Wilt said and tussled Lukas’ hair.
Lukas curled up close to the fire; the satchel clutched to his chest and soon his breath settled into a soft snore.
“What am I doing?” Wilt mumbled to himself as he flopped to the ground. After everything he had gone through and sacrificed to obtain these books and now he just handed one over like it was nothing. Not that he thought Lukas would run off with it, but still. Maybe after all this time alone, distancing himself from others both physically and emotionally, he was desperate for some kind of connection.
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