The Seer

by Rowan McAllister

  “I guess if you stay like that, I could try to get him draped over you.” He worried his lip as he eyed Horse skeptically. “Then I can try to climb on, maybe?”

  Plan made, Ravi began the agonizing process of trying to pull Daks’s heavy, inert body over packs. At one point, he was tempted to leave the packs behind to make the process easier, but he had no idea if he’d need their contents. He was sweating and panting by the time he got Daks in place and had to take a break to catch his breath.

  “And he said I was heavy,” he gasped.

  Before Ravi could muster the energy to secure Daks somehow or climb on himself, Horse apparently decided he’d had enough and got to his feet, with Daks slung precariously over his back. Ravi yelped and lunged to keep Daks from sliding off, even as he scowled at the animal and cursed under his breath.

  Before the wave of dizziness his sudden movement caused subsided, Horse had already started walking away, back the way they’d come.

  “Hey!”

  Ravi staggered after him but could barely keep up. He had no idea how far they walked. He was so absorbed in his misery and just putting one foot in front of the other that he literally ran into Horse’s rump, knocking himself back on his ass in the mud, when the animal suddenly stopped.

  Thinking all kinds of nasty thoughts, Ravi lifted his head to scowl and glare but stopped when he spotted the dark shape of a building through the rain. After scrambling awkwardly to his feet, he staggered toward it, his hopes rising until he got a good look at the place and he groaned. Three of the four walls of the small log structure were still intact, but the fourth and part of the roof had been caved in by the large tree that had fallen on it. It was obviously abandoned, but it would provide shelter out of the rain, and Ravi didn’t think he could walk any farther.

  “Hello?” he called out as he approached, but received nothing but the splat of rain in response. He tried again in Sambaran, for good measure, but still nothing.

  At least the tree hadn’t hit the door, so he wouldn’t have to clamber over the trunk and through branches. He never would have been able to get Daks inside, if that were the case. He wasn’t sure if he’d even have the strength to drag Daks through the doorway, as it was.

  When he pushed on it, the slightly rotted, moss-covered door creaked loudly on rusted hinges. Gray light streamed through the door and filtered through the branches spanning the hole in the roof. Strangely enough, part of the tree was still alive, despite having toppled over, and small green leaves sprouted along the branches and caught the rain. Ravi wiped away the water still dripping into his eyes and scanned the mostly empty space bleakly before taking a deep breath and jutting out his chin. He’d lived in worse over the past decade.

  He stomped a bruised and battered bare foot against the floor to announce his presence to any current inhabitants. Only small rustlings and scurryings answered him, which was good. He wouldn’t have to try to wrest the place from anything bigger. A quick survey showed him the fireplace and chimney were still intact, and he allowed himself a weak smile. There were a few bits of old, broken furniture strewn around, and some of the branches on the underside of the fallen tree looked dead enough to burn.

  He limped back to the doorway and found Horse calmly waiting outside with Daks still slung over his back, unmoving.

  “Right,” he said, mostly to encourage himself to keep going. “Let’s see about getting the big jerk inside. Are you going to cooperate again?”

  As if Horse understood him, the animal dropped down before Ravi even reached its side. Ravi stared wonderingly into Horse’s eyes for a few seconds, before turning away again with a shiver. He dragged Daks from its back, wincing when his strength failed and they both hit the ground harder than he’d intended.

  Horse whickered at him, and Ravi huffed. “I know. I know. I’m trying, but you obviously felt how heavy he is. And if you hadn’t noticed, I just survived a flood.”

  With a series of grunts and curses, Ravi managed to drag Daks into the abandoned cabin and out of the rain, but only as far as he needed so the big lug’s body wasn’t blocking the door. Ravi shouldn’t have been surprised, but Horse tried to come through the door right after them, only to be stopped by the bulk of the packs tied to his saddle. Horse turned to look at them, as if they offended him, and Ravi let out a raspy chuckle. The stallion then swung a baleful eye in his direction, and Ravi laughed harder, only to start coughing soon after.

  “Looks like you aren’t as mystical and amazing as you like to let on,” he wheezed after the coughing subsided.

  Horse lifted his head haughtily and turned away from him.

  Ravi studied the animal in the rain for a few beats before shrugging. He really couldn’t afford for Horse to wander off, and the cabin had plenty of room. With effort, he stood, limped over to it, and began undoing the straps holding the sodden packs to the saddle. After all four had plopped to the ground outside the door, Horse primly stepped over them and entered the cabin to take up residence against the far wall.

  “Anything else I can do for you, Your Highness?”

  Horse swung his head over his shoulder toward the dripping saddle on his back and Ravi groaned. With numb fingers, he fumbled at the straps. The saddle hit the ground with a loud thud, but that was the best he could manage.

  He shuffled out into the rain one last time and dragged the packs inside. He had no idea if anything in them would still be useful, but he remembered Daks had stowed the last of their food in one of them, and he’d be hungry eventually.

  After closing the door, he sank down by Daks’s side and searched the man’s face. The cut on the side of his head had mostly stopped bleeding, but he still showed no signs of waking.

  “Don’t you dare die on me,” Ravi whispered to him, fighting another spate of tears. “You promised me you’d get me to Scholoveld. I’m not there yet, you big jerk.”

  Unable to move even one more inch, Ravi spooned against Daks’s back, draped an arm over the man’s waist, and fell into a damp, cold, miserable sleep.

  DAKS WOKE to the crackle and pop of a fire and the smell of wood smoke. The second he tried to open his eyes, he regretted it, as pain stabbed through his skull. He let out a moan and winced, but that was a mistake because his side reminded him of the knife wound he’d gotten only… how many days ago was that now?

  “Daks?”

  At the quavering note in Ravi’s voice, Daks forced his eyes open despite the pain. Ravi knelt next to him, silhouetted by firelight coming from a hearth Daks didn’t recognize.

  “Where are we?” he croaked through cracked, dry lips, and Ravi immediately offered him a waterskin.

  Daks drank greedily, surprised at how thirsty he was.

  “I don’t know. Somewhere in Samebar,” Ravi answered with a shrug. “Horse led me here…. I’m so glad you’re awake, I can’t even tell you.”

  Ravi’s voice broke on those last words, and Daks pushed the water skin away to look at him. Ravi’s gorgeous auburn hair lay in lank tangles about his face. Daks’s spare jerkin hung overly large on his lean frame. What he could see of Ravi’s trousers was dirty, wrinkled, and torn at the knees. Dull, dark-ringed amber eyes gazed back at him over sallow, sunken cheeks.

  Gods, he looked awful.

  Daks tried to sit up, but his body was surprisingly slow to respond. He reluctantly gave up after a few unsuccessful tries and sank back beneath the pile of heavy wool covering him with a grunt.

  “What happened?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  He strained, trying to think past the throbbing in his head. “We were on the ferry to Pazar. Then the flood hit.”

  As if triggered by the memory of it, Daks started coughing, and he had to close his eyes and ride the wave of pain for a few moments before he could open them again. His chest ached dully, he was as weak as a kitten, and his vision blurred in and out. Beyond that, he absolutely refused to acknowledge the stirring panic in his belly when old and new memories of struggling
in the water threatened to surface.

  He wasn’t in the water anymore.

  Ravi studied him with glassy, haunted eyes, his brows drawn down in worry, so Daks pulled himself together and cleared his throat. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

  “I’m okay,” he said, though not particularly convincingly.

  Daks’s own concern only increased as Ravi’s gaze turned a bit vague and he shivered.

  “Ravi, how long have I been out?”

  “Two days,” he replied hollowly.

  Two days?

  In dismay, he searched Ravi’s face again. “Have you slept?”

  He nodded. “That first night, sort of. I couldn’t stay awake. But not since. The wolves. I had to keep watch.”

  “Wolves?”

  “They came for the—” He grimaced and swallowed as he focused those haunted eyes on Daks again. “For the bodies… along the riverbank, from the flood.” He paused again and hugged himself. “I couldn’t bury them. I didn’t have a shovel or anything, and I had to get back to you. They come after dark. I can hear them out there.”

  The more he rambled, the more worried Daks became. He looked like he might fall over any second.

  “I found food, though.” Ravi jerked his chin toward the wall, and Daks followed the movement to a small wooden cask next to the hearth. “It’s just grain, but it’s better than nothing. It didn’t get too wet inside, so it should be good for a few more days. You want some?”

  He started to stand, but Daks caught the edge of his jerkin and tugged, not hard, because he didn’t have the strength, but Ravi sank back down anyway.

  “Ravi, look at me.” He waited until Ravi met his gaze. “You need to sleep.”

  “Can’t. Wolves. Need to keep watch.”

  Daks shook his head. “I’m awake now. I can keep watch.”

  Ravi frowned at him. “You’re hurt.”

  “And you’re dead on your feet.”

  Ignoring the pain, Daks pushed himself up enough to brace on one elbow and lift the pile of clothes covering him aside, which seemed to take an appalling amount of effort. Cool air rushed in despite the fire in the hearth and goose bumps broke out across his naked skin, but he was more concerned with how much his arm shook trying to hold that little weight.

  “I’m not that hurt, Ravi. Come on. Get in. Lie down. You’re exhausted.”

  Ravi jutted his chin stubbornly and shook his head.

  “Look at me,” Daks said, more forcefully this time, drawing Ravi’s bleary gaze back to him. “I’ve got this. I know I failed you on the river and after. You had to do everything, and I’m sorry for that. But I’m awake now, and apparently, we have Horse too, somehow. We can keep watch while you sleep. I’ll wake you if anything happens.”

  As if his body had only been waiting for the right excuse, Ravi crumpled onto the nest of grasses next to him. Gritting his teeth against his body’s complaints, Daks scooted closer, rearranging the pile of cloaks and spare clothing over both of them.

  Ravi stiffened slightly and looked up at him when Daks brushed his side, and Daks smiled gently down at him. “Don’t worry. I won’t touch you more than necessary. But you’re freezing. We need to get you warm.”

  Ravi held Daks’s gaze for a few beats before his face softened into a tired smile and his body relaxed. “It’s okay to touch me now. I want you to. It’s been so long. Please. I need—”

  His voice caught, and something stirred in Daks’s chest, a worryingly familiar sensation he hadn’t experienced in over a decade. He scooted closer to Ravi, curled against his side, and cupped a hand to his cheek. Ravi’s eyes fell closed as he nuzzled into that hand, and that thing in Daks’s chest flared brighter.

  “I thought you were dead when I found you by the river,” Ravi whispered brokenly, his eyes still closed. “And then you wouldn’t wake up. I kept hoping, calling to you, but you wouldn’t wake up.”

  A tear slid from beneath his eyelashes and down his cheek, and Daks’s throat closed. “I’m sorry, but I’m awake now,” he murmured back. “You did that. You saved me. Now it’s my turn. Let go, Ravi. I’ll be here when you wake up. Trust me.”

  “Not your fault.”

  “Go to sleep.”

  As Daks tenderly smoothed the hair away from Ravi’s forehead, he watched the man’s struggle to stay awake and it made him smile, Ravi being as stubborn and contrary as ever.

  Daks stayed with him for a long time after he finally lost the battle and his breathing evened out, just watching him and enjoying the warmth and solidity of his presence. If Shura could see him now, she’d give him no end of grief for the disgustingly sentimental smile he couldn’t seem to wipe from his face.

  Gods, he missed her already.

  Let her be safe, he prayed to who or whatever might be listening. He threw a nervous glance over at Horse, but he didn’t have the strength or desire to try to unpack what the stallion’s presence meant just then.

  Inevitably, he grew restless after an hour or so, despite his exhaustion. If he stayed in that warm cocoon, he’d definitely break his word and fall asleep. Besides, according to Ravi, he’d lain around uselessly for two days. That was long enough.

  He eased away from Ravi’s side and struggled to his hands and knees. Climbing to his feet took far longer than it should have, but he managed it, and he only had to wait a few seconds for the dizziness to subside.

  After finding his leather breeches and his other tunic in the nest of clothing and grasses Ravi had built for him, Daks shuffled to a roughly repaired chair—the only stick of furniture in the whole cabin—to try to get dressed. Horse whickered from his corner of the room, and Daks’s lips twisted in a wry smile despite the throbbing in his head.

  “I don’t know how you did it. And your preternatural abilities are starting to make me question some of my most firmly held beliefs—particularly since I’ve sensed no magic on you whatsoever—but I’m glad you’re here.”

  He still flatly refused to explore the implications of Horse’s presence any further than that. Sure, he’d left the animal on the other side with Shura, and now he was alone on this side, but that didn’t have to mean anything. Ravi would have told him if he’d seen Shura along that riverbank. Daks wouldn’t panic, at least not until they made it to Pazar and learned more.

  Fading orange light filtered through the tree branches near the roof of the cabin when Daks heard the first howls echoing outside, and his blood chilled. But Ravi had done a great job of finding shelter for them. The cabin walls and door were still sound, and he’d piled branches as a barrier around where the tree had broken through. Ravi had done a fantastic job at taking care of them all around, and Daks cast yet another proud, sappy look at Ravi’s sleeping face.

  Gods, he wished Shura was there to give him shit for it before he went completely soft.

  “Come on, you,” he murmured to Horse as he stood up. “We need more water and wood before the sun goes down, and I’m not sure I’m up to both collecting it and carrying it.”

  He’d regained a little of his strength from downing two more skins full of water and the last of the cold grain porridge Ravi had made, but he definitely wasn’t at full strength yet. Hopefully the wolves would be content with what they could scavenge along the riverbank for one more night and they could all agree to leave each other alone. At least Horse still looked in fine fighting form. The damned beast didn’t have a scratch on him.

  When full dark had fallen, Daks had a second pot of porridge bubbling in the cookpot, plus a decent reserve of downed branches to feed the fire. He’d already eaten the first full pot on his own with a small portion of dried meat from the packs that seemed to have survived Horse’s swim. The grain had been a lucky find, though he was pretty sure whoever lost it wouldn’t agree. He felt a slight twinge of regret for all the people on the ferry, but there wasn’t much he could have done for them. Hells, he couldn’t even save himself.

  Ravi finally stirred and sat up, rubbing his eyes. />
  “Hey, I’ve got dinner going… such as it is,” Daks said.

  Ravi bit his lower lip before smiling shyly back, and Daks’s heart squeezed disgustingly again.

  “How’s your head?” Ravi asked, climbing slowly to his feet.

  “Better. A little food and some more water took care of most of the pain. I’ll make it.”

  Ravi looked much better too. He was charmingly rumpled, but the dark circles under his eyes and grayish cast to his olive skin had faded.

  After accepting the wooden bowl of gruel Daks offered him with a nod of thanks, he sat cross-legged on the dirty plank floor of the cabin, refusing the chair Daks offered to vacate. That stung Daks’s pride a little, but if he were honest, his pride would have taken a bigger hit later when he couldn’t get up off the floor without help. His little supply gathering mission earlier had wiped him out.

  They ate in silence for a while, and Daks thought the gnawing pit in his stomach might have finally been satisfied by the time he finished his second meal. With a sigh of relief, he stretched his legs toward the fire and patted his full belly. The makeshift bed looked awfully good right now. He just needed to force himself out of the chair to go to it.

  “How long did I sleep?” Ravi asked somewhat hesitantly, drawing Daks’s gaze back to him.

  “Probably not enough. The sun only went down an hour or so ago.”

  After another couple of beats, Ravi cleared his throat and dropped his gaze to the empty bowl in his lap.

  “Uh, about earlier,” he murmured without looking up. “You were right. I was pretty out of it. I’m sorry for the whole tears and begging you to hold me thing. It had been a rough couple of days.”

  “You don’t need to apologize for anything.”

  Ravi grimaced. “After the other day by the river, and you saving me in bogs… hells, this whole trip, I haven’t been exactly myself. And then last night… I’m never that weak and needy, I swear. I can’t afford to be.”