By the time the sun is getting low enough to think about finding a place to stop for the night, they’re beginning to leave even the broken woodlands behind. Rivers and streams in need of bridges are now a distant memory, replaced by shallow fords and the ground is steeper, rougher and more sparsely vegetated.

Swathes of bracken, stunted willow and pine lie scattered across rock-strewn heathlands as far as one can see to the north and south of the road. Off to the west, the almost unborken line of the mountains is now visible in the distance.

Jagged, snow-capped rocky peaks form what at first glance appears to be an endless unbroken barrier to their further progress. Closer inspection reveals the possibility of valleys and passes between the peaks.

“There’s a campsite just ahead,” Peta tells the group over his shoulder. “Are we stopping for the night? We won’t make it to Berak for another half a day at this pace.”

“It’ll be a poor camp,” Alex replies. “Still, we do have to stop and there’s nothing better further ahead. Yes, we camp here.”

“Good job I put those dead twigs on the load this morning,” Garvan tells everyone. “We’d be eating a cold supper without. Still, it’s going to be a cold night unless there’s some fuel about.”

The ‘campsite’ is little more than a roadside clearing, barely big enough for a couple of wagons to be parked side by side. Endless years of use have packed the ground down to a solid grassy area, clear of heather or bracken. There’s no nearby water, but a fire-pit has been dug and ringed with milky quartz rocks at the point furthest from the road.

“Get that fire going,” Alex tells Garvan and Brion. “As small as we can get away with to make the fire last. We’ll scout around and see if we can find any more fuel, but don’t bet on it.”

“That stand of pines looks like a possibility,” Jamie points out, indicating a stand of stunted growth a fair distance up the hill. “They’re pretty small trees, by any standard, but at least it’s close enough to see what’s there before it gets fully dark.”

“Good,” Alex tells him with his first hint of a smile for the day. “Why don’t you and I go and take a look. Keep your wits and senses about you, everyone. Two’s company still.”

Peta nods, even though they can see for a mile along the road in either direction and it is quiet. There’s no telling what might come along in the night and there’s always the possibility of wild animals. There are lynx, bear and wolf up here in the mountains where humans are scarce.

It takes Alex and Jamie a few minutes to make it to the small stand of trees. There’s not a path across the heathland and the going is rough and difficult. Both men stumble frequently, but eventually make it to their destination. The ground drops away slightly, something that wasn’t obvious from near to the road. The stand of trees continues into the small hollow, bigger than it appeared.

“Any dry wood you can find,” Alex suggests. “Just try and stay in sight.”

“So, you’re talking to me again?”

“I…”

“Alex, what did I do wrong?”

Alex isn’t really ready for this conversation, or any possible similar one, but standing here in the gloom and staying silent won’t get them anywhere. Still, right now, it still seems like the better option.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Jamie. I did. I’m sorry.”

“I still don’t understand. What did you do wrong?”

“I let my erm… baser nature get the better of me. I really shouldn’t have allowed that to happen. I am truly sorry.”

“Do you have such a low opinion of yourself, then? Do you really feel that how you are – who you are – is so wrong?”

“No. Of course not. I’m trying to do what I must to keep this mission on track.”

“I see. I’m sorry for being a complication, then.”

“That’s… Okay, I’m shit at this. I was wrong to ignore you today, but I thought that keeping my distance might be the right thing to do. I can see that I was wrong. It’s just… complicated.”

“It doesn’t have to be, though, does it?”

“I don’t know, Jamie. I honestly don’t know. Right now, all the options feel complicated. I’m usually much more decisive than this, but I simply don’t know.”

“I’m not sure that I can help with that,” Jamie suggests, “but I do want to say a couple of things for myself.”

“Of course.”

“In case it isn’t obvious, I’m attracted to you. And, despite what Cato may have told you today, I’m well aware of my own feelings and my own desires. I wasn’t just randomly aroused yesterday, Alex. I was aroused because I was with you, naked.”

“I guessed as much. I tried to rationalize it in terms of you being naked with a bunch of men for the first time in a more general way, but that just didn’t really make any sort of sense, particularly in the cold.”

Jamie manages a smile. “Also, despite what Cato might think, the castle isn’t entirely without at least the opportunity to look and admire from a distance. It’s actually quite easy to watch the guards training while remaining discrete.”

They’ve both been gathering twigs and small branches, moving slowly around the small patch of woodland while they talk. It’s getting to the point where they have as much as they can carry and they are moving closer together and back towards the point where they entered the shelter of the trees.

“I don’t much care if this is complicated,” Jamie tells Alex when they stop close to one another. “Every part of me wants much more than to watch you from across a pool of water.”

“We have a mission. A job that must be done. A task that must be completed.”

“Alex, are you sure that these two things are mutually exclusive?”

“No,” Alex manages after a moment. “I told you I don’t know my own mind anymore.”

“Well, it’s decision time, Alex.”

For just a moment, Jamie sees the pattern of indecision flash across Alex’s features. Then, it’s as if a lamp has been lit and his features smooth and his face relaxes. Alex lets his bundle of wood fall to the ground and tentatively reaches out with his right hand to brush a finger lightly down Jamie’s cheek.

Jamie leans into the caress, dropping his own branches and reaching up to place his hand on top of Alex’s. Alex’s left hand comes up to rest on Jamie’s hip and he draws the two of them closer together, pulling gently until their bodies touch.

“You’ll have to lead,” Jamie whispers as their cheeks touch.

“Hmm…” Alex’s hand slips from Jamies cheek and round to gently rest on the back of his head. The feel of his short, spiky hair barely long enough to feel as he gently turns Jamie’s face towards his own, angling it slightly to one side.

With almost infinite slowness, Alex places his lips on Jamie’s, turning the briefest and lightest of touches into a deep and passionate kiss that goes on and on. Jamie melts into the experience, wrapping his arms around Alex and pulling him closer, not wanting to let go.

It's Alex who finally pulls back and releases his hold first. “Come on, we need to get back to the others with this fuel. It will be dark soon.”

“Hmm…” is all Jamie can manage, a slight wobble in his tone and also in his knees. “Don’t want to be in trouble with the others.”

“No, I think we’re already in enough trouble with ourselves.”