“We should huddle up when we sleep. It will be warmer that way,” Rue stated nonchalantly while arranging the bounty from her foraging. Anaya looked at her for quite a while before speaking.
“Are you just… messing with me?” She looked away. She was pretty sure her face was rather red. The day had turned rather chilly toward the evening, considering it was the middle of summer, so the night was likely to be even chillier. Of course, she was aware that being in physical contact allowed sharing body heat to stay warm, but the way the witch had been behaving throughout the day…
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb. I highly doubt you’re so blind that you don’t notice how I feel being near you.”
“Ah.” Rue turned toward Anaya, though the latter was still looking away. “I shall be candid, then. No, I am not ‘messing’ with you, as you put it. What I said is simply the practical truth. But that aside, if it eases your mind, know that I have no objections to your feelings, so you need not feel uncomfortable because of them. And I am not saying this because of any lingering effects from alcohol, nor out of gratitude for your help. I do not repay favours or debts with intimacy.”
“Really?” Anaya turned her gaze on Rue but then blushed even more. “Not that last part, but…” She noticed Rue was smiling and returned it slightly awkwardly. “Very well, then. Let’s do as you suggest.”
After a cold and rather unsatisfying supper, they started getting ready for bed. Though she felt nervous about taking off her armour, she knew from experience that trying to sleep while wearing it made for very poor rest. And if they were going to keep each other warm, layers of cold steel were not exactly conducive to that. As such, she took the armour off, leaving just the soft layers under it.
It was also a bit risky, but she decided to take off the saddle from the horse to allow it to rest better as well. That also allowed her to commandeer the saddle cloth for their own ‘bed.’ It didn’t exactly smell good, but it was better than lying directly on the ground. Though the grass and moss were soft, they were also moist and cool, which could get uncomfortable in the long term when the goal was to stay warm.
After spreading the saddle cloth on the ground and settling on it, Anaya cleared her throat nervously and looked toward where Rue was making something from the herbs she’d gathered.
“I’m all set,” Anaya called out, and Rue looked at her.
“Someone is eager,” came the reply.
“I simply would rather not get woken up after I fall asleep,” she muttered. She’d considered taking turns to keep watch, but realistically they were both simply too tired for that.
“Very well, then.” Rue finished whatever it was exactly that she’d been doing and came to lie down on the cloth. She then snuggled up against Anaya, her back against the taller Anaya’s front, and placed her cloak over them both. Anaya had one bent arm under her head, but she wrapped the other around Rue after adjusting the cloak a little.
“It really is comfortable after all,” Rue mused at length. “Your lap.”
“Stop that. Now that we’re here, I must confess I am not sure if my heart will allow me to sleep like this.” It was embarrassing to say, but also the truth. This was even more to handle than riding the horse together had been.
“I could look for some herbs to help you sleep.”
“Hmm. No, thank you. I imagine it could be problematic if we are found during the night.”
“You make a good point.”
After a moment of silence, a low, soothing sound got Anaya’s attention. She realized it was Rue, humming. Or singing. Anaya wondered what the witch thought she was doing. She wasn’t a baby, after all.
And yet, after only a couple of minutes, Anaya fell asleep before even having time to consciously realize it was happening.
When she woke up, it was very early morning. She suppressed a pang of disappointment over Rue already having gotten up before her. However, that was soon pushed away from her thoughts as Rue, who was crouching nearby, raised her right index finger to her lips as a sign to stay quiet. As silently as she could – and it was not wearing her armour that made being silent possible – she picked up her sword from where it was lying next to her, got up into a crouch and joined her companion.
“Someone’s coming,” Rue whispered. That was certainly unexpected, especially if it was someone following them. The light of dawn did allow for safe travelling already, but it hadn’t for long. She would’ve expected any pursues to not be up and about yet. Perhaps she’d underestimated their determination. The captain certainly wouldn’t be happy about his broken hand, and Nesbit… the man had delusions of grandeur, so anyone not dancing to his tune was in danger. And the two of them had certainly stepped on his toes. Quickly but silently, they hid behind a nearby tree. It didn’t take very long until a lone figure cautiously stepped onto the clearing, eyeing the horse and everything else there.
“Uldon?” Anaya whispered. Then it hit her. Uldon was one of the best trackers in the guard, so it made sense he’d be the one to find them. What didn’t make sense was that he appeared to be alone. She turned to Rue. “Can you sense anyone else?”
“No, at least not nearby. There’s… I believe it’s his horse.” Anaya let out a long, silent breath and made a decision.
“Stay here.”
She drew her sword and stepped into the clearing. Uldon spun toward her at the sound of her footsteps.
“We meet again,” Anaya said dryly by way of greeting. Uldon looked at her warily but raised his hands. His sword remained sheathed. “I would ask what you are doing here, but it seems obvious.” Her words caused Uldon to shake his head.
“No… I mean yes, I am here because of you. Obviously. But I am not here to catch you.”
“Really? Why is that?”
“Look,” Uldon began and sighed. “I guess I never exactly stood up for you, but I’ve never had anything against you, either. And I looked up to your father. I don’t blame you for what you did. The whole thing smelled rotten. I didn’t hear what they talked about, but I was outside Lord Nesbit’s chancery when we were suddenly called in to apprehend the witch. Something felt off, but…”
“I don’t suppose it was you who I have to thank for my headache, then?” came Rue’s voice from behind the tree, followed by the woman herself. Uldon’s suddenly reddened face answered for him. “I see. I’m of a mind to return the favour.”
“I wouldn’t blame you. I am sorry. I acted out of… I don’t know. I guess I’m just too used to taking orders.”
“All that aside, why exactly are you here?” Anaya demanded.
“To apologize. And… to tell you that I’ll do my best to cover for you. I don’t know how long I can manage to mislead them, but…” He shrugged.
“And why come here just for that? It could have the opposite effect.”
“Perhaps,” he admitted, and Anaya sighed.
“Well, fine, I’ll take your word for it. You could’ve already led them here, after all.”
“I… thank you.” He shifted on his feet. “I imagine it is unlikely we’ll ever meet again. I’ll not ask where you’re going, but I’ll wish you luck instead. I’m sorry it came down to this.”
“Well, it’s not your fault. I should’ve just left long ago. But at least now… maybe I did some good while doing it.”
“Maybe.” Uldon flashed a melancholic smile. “Well, I’ll go now. You two better get moving too, in case my attempt to misdirect them doesn’t work out.”
“Oh, by the way. Just how many guards did he send after us?”
“Thirty, including me.” Anaya raised an eyebrow. That was more than half of the town’s active-duty guards.
“Wow. I almost feel honoured.” In truth if anything, that was unbelievably foolish. Even though Illion, like most towns and cities in Merrel, also had their reserve guard members in addition to the active-duty guards, sending half of the latter out on some petty fool’s errand was beyond irresponsible.
“Perhaps you should.” Uldon flashed another smile. “But now… goodbye.” Anaya just waved her hand and watched the man disappear back into the forest. Then she turned to Rue.
“Let’s go.”
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