Elias walked down the path, doing his best to ignore the various pains and aches that plagued him. It became easier if he focused on the figure walking ahead, all but emanating irritation.

Cassian stopped in his tracks, shoulders tense beneath the cloak he wore. Elias stopped as well and waited to see what the necromancer would do next. He was betting on cursing him, but wouldn’t be surprised if Cassian simply threw a rock at him. Somehow, he looked like the sort to do that kind of thing. 

Slowly, Cassian turned—with a glare aimed at Elias, of course. The thief just waited patiently. 

“How far do you plan on following me?” Cassian asked, irritation lacing his voice. 

“I’m not following you,” Elias answered easily. “We just happen to be heading the same way.” 

“And which way would that be?” 

That was a good question—one Elias didn’t really know the answer to, if he were to be honest. Which he wouldn’t be. He looked up at the sky and the dim light of the sun behind the clouds.

“Well, it looks like east to me.” 

If anything, Cassian’s glare seemed to intensify, his eyes narrowing menacingly. Elias almost wanted to laugh. 

“I don’t know what you’re planning to do but I can tell you, following me won’t help. Especially if you’re planning to go after Ethelred.” 

“Isn’t that what you mean to do?” 

At least, that’s what Elias thought Cassian was planning. He’d watched the necromancer rush around his cabin, gathering everything he would need for the trip ahead before pulling on a cloak and heading out. He’d all but ignored Elias during this time, which was just as well. The thief was still struggling to process everything that’d happened in such a short amount of time. 

“Why would I go after the man who wants me dead? I’m not you,” Cassian said, and Elias just knew he should be offended. Cassian turned and began to walk away leaving Elias to hurry after him.

“So, what? You’re running away?” He caught up to Cassian and kept pace with him, walking at his side. He didn’t get an answer—not right away. So, of course, Elias simply stared at Cassian until the necromancer let out a tired sigh. 

“Look, I’m going to die whether Ethelred kills me himself or not. The best I can hope for is to spend whatever time I have left in peace. At best, I’ll manage to die far enough away from Ethelred so as to ruin his plans and that, at the very least, would make me very happy.”

Elias wasn’t going to argue with that last part, but he still had to look at Cassian with clear disappointment. 

“Somehow, I thought you’d be better than that,” he couldn’t help but say. 

“Oh, and you know me so well,” Cassian’s voice was filled with sarcasm. “Just stay out of my way.” 

They walked in silence for a while, Cassian clearly doing his best to ignore Elias. At least he wasn’t trying to leave him behind, seemingly resigned to walking alongside the thief. Elias figured it was about as much acceptance as he was likely to get.

“So, do you have any place in mind to go die?” The question sounded far worse once spoken aloud than it had in Elias’ mind. He wasn’t the least bit surprised at the look Cassian directed at him. 

“None in particular,” Cassian said. “But preferably somewhere far away enough that Ethelred won’t find me so easily,” he added after a moment. It was a far more elaborate answer than Elias had expected. That was probably why he pressed on. 

“Really? No other preferences? Somewhere with warmer weather? Or a nice, scenic spot?”

Cassian glared, though there was a bit of incredulity in his eyes. He looked at Elias as if he were some strange creature. 

“You realize this isn’t a trip done for amusement’s sake,” Cassian said flatly. “And why are you so interested?” He eyed Elias suspiciously, which was uncalled for. It wasn’t like Elias was plotting anything. 

“Just trying to liven things up,” he said with a shrug. 

They were, after all, the only two people walking along that particular road. The only other sounds were those of the rustling of trees as the wind swept past and the steady sound of their steps along the dirt path. It was the sort of quiet Elias had slowly gotten used to of late in spite of how wrong it felt. Maybe it was just that the oppressive silence made his mind travel to places he’d rather not visit, but Elia found comfort in even the simplest distraction. It was a shame that Cassian wasn’t particularly cooperative.

“I think you’ve livened things up more than enough,” Cassian muttered. Elias supposed that was true enough, though he wished Cassian would stop reminding him of the part he’d played in the whole mess they were in. “Do you even have a plan, or are you just hoping Ethelred will show himself to you and let you kill him with that pitiful knife of yours?”  

Elias didn’t appreciate the mocking tone. He was willing to overlook it on account of Cassian willingly continuing the conversation, but he’d rather not have to deal with the sarcasm. 

“I have a plan,” he said, sounding far more confident than he felt. 

“Oh, really? Do share,” Cassian sounded far too much like he was waiting to be told a particularly amusing story. 

“Well, you said Ethelred would be looking for the pieces of the staff.”

“And your grand plan is to do that too and hope you run into him,” Cassian guessed, sounding a mixture of amused and unimpressed that made Elias’ face heat up. 

“It’s a good plan!” 

“It’s pitiful, but then again, so is everything else about you.”

“Do you have to be such a prick?”

“It’s a personal choice, actually.” 

Elias considered turning around and heading back down the path. He was quickly finding out that Cassian was not a very pleasant person to be around. A part of him knew it was fair—especially after all the trouble Elias had caused. Another part of him reminded him that he’d saved Cassian’s life and that had to count for something.

He’s saved my life more times than he should have, some treacherous part of his mind reminded him. Elias chose to ignore it. 

“Well, what do you suggest I do?” he asked, knowing any attempt to justify his plan would be mocked. 

“I don’t care what you do, just make sure to do it away from me. Especially if you intend to get yourself killed.” 

Elias let out a sigh, but he wasn’t really surprised at the rather unhelpful answer he received. Unfortunately for Cassian, Elias had never been the type to give up so easily. He likely wouldn’t have survived for so long if that weren’t the case. 

“You could help give me a better chance at finding him and surviving,” Elias said. When he glanced over at Cassian, he found the other man looking at him, brow furrowed in clear confusion. But, there was also a hint of curiosity—Elias could work with that. “Tell me what you know about Ethelred.”

Cassian’s expression morphed into one of incredulity as he stared at Elias. A moment later, he let out a huff and turned away with a shake of his head. 

“I can tell you he’s petty and cruel, but you already know that. You also probably know that there’s no way for you to beat him.” He looked back at Elias, looking the thief over for a moment with open curiosity. “You’ve seen some of what he’s capable of. Why are you so determined to go after him and put your life at risk?” 

Elias thought about it—about the danger he was knowingly walking into. It wasn’t that he was foolish enough to attempt such a dangerous thing without knowing the risks, nor was he overconfident. He was just angry.

He was angry at Ethelred for tricking him into doing his dirty work only to renege on the promised payment. But, Elias was also angry at himself for being fool enough to believe the necromancer in the first place. It was a decision made out of desperation and a grief so deep he was surprised he’d somehow managed to keep going, but it was still a poor choice. Now, all Elias could do was make sure Ethelred paid for it all—even if it meant Elias’ end came sooner than expected. 

“I have my reasons,” he said, and was glad when Cassian didn’t press for answers. 

Because he doesn’t care, his mind provided. Not about you. Not even about himself. Elias pushed away those thoughts, not wanting to linger on them any longer. 

They walked in silence from then on, until the sky began to shift from blue to a blend of reds and oranges that bled into pinks and purples as the sun drew lower. The air grew colder and Elias found himself wondering how far they were from a settlement. Though he usually didn’t care to sleep outside, things were different now. There was a crazed necromancer who seemingly wanted him dead. 

“How far are we to the nearest town?” he asked after a while. 

“A day away, at the very least,” Cassian said before looking at him with a faint smirk. “Are you scared?” 

Elias scowled, but felt his face heat up at Cassian’s mocking tone. “I’m not scared,” he said, sounding more defensive than he’d meant to. Something in Cassian’s face shifted, the teasing tilt of his mouth fading away into nothingness  while his eyes took on a faraway look before he turned to face back towards the road ahead.

“Maybe you should be,” Cassian said, voice soft enough that Eliass wasn’t sure he’d heard right. 

A chill ran up his spine and Elias knew it had nothing to do with the cold settling over them.