Brute (29 page)

She wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. “What happened to your eyes?”

“I f-found some golden raven’s eggs and tried to steal one, and sh-she pecked out my eyes. Then she flew me high in the air, higher than the mountaintops, and she dropped me. B-but my giant caught me. See? I broke off his h-hand. But I was saved.”

The little girl’s brown eyes had gone very wide, and her mouth had dropped open. She turned and ran toward the bow, yelling at the top of her lungs: “Papa! Papa! I found a giant!”

Aric followed her with Gray in tow. Aric had a vision of Gray as a very young man, cocky smile in place and eyes flashing with mischief, charming everyone who came within reach. “A golden raven?”

“Th-they’re rare and very strong. You d-don’t want to cross them. But you caught me.”

Two men were leaning against the railing. The older one was listening to the little girl as she waved her arms and babbled about birds and ogres. The younger one had skin the color of a storm cloud and hair and eyes as black as iron. Aric had seen men who looked like him a few times during his walks around Tellomer. Warin said they came from some exotic kingdom far to the west, a place where housecats grew as big as horses and where the gods made the earth itself tremble when they grew angry.

“See? See?” cried the girl. “I told you, Papa!”

The captain and the first mate gave Aric and Gray long, level looks. “How can I help you?” the captain asked, more cordially than Aric expected.

“We’d like to secure passage to Racinas, sir. The man by the gangway said to speak with Mr. Noft.”

“Why do you want to go to Racinas?” asked the man Aric assumed was Mr. Noft. He had a strange accent, a bit musical in its intonations.

“My friend’s been sick, and the healer said a change of air would do him well. He has family from Racinas, so we thought we’d try there.”

“And you are willing to accompany your friend on this rather urgent journey?”

Aric lifted his chin. “I am.”

“They can’t be thieves, Mr. Noft,” said the captain. “The giant’s far too big for it, and the pretty one’s far too blind.”

“We’re not thieves,” Aric confirmed. He’d never stolen anything but Gray Leynham. He’d even returned the wheelbarrow to Cearl, and inside it were the quilts they’d taken from the palace.

“It is not their… honesty that concerns me now, Captain,” said Mr. Noft. Then he turned back to Gray and Aric. “What are you to one another?”

Aric hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond, and Gray jumped in. “I love him,” he said simply but a little fiercely.

Mr. Noft’s bushy eyebrows rose. “You love…
that
? It is because you are blind and do not know how he is, perhaps.”

Aric blushed with anger and shame and gritted his teeth. He’d become used to the easy acceptance by the palace staff and had almost forgotten the sting of casual derision. But Gray frowned and stepped closer to the first mate, his hands fisted at his sides. “I know
exactly
how he is, asshole, and that’s why I love him.”

Aric expected them both to be thrown off the ship at once. But instead, Mr. Noft and the captain burst into laughter. When he calmed a bit, Mr. Noft gave a courtly little bow. “I apologize. There are those who have heard that my captain prefers his lovers to be male and a bit… unusual, and at times these people seek to make sport of it.”

Gray shook his head. “I don’t c-care who you or the captain f—um, prefer.” He turned slightly red, probably remembering the presence of the captain’s daughter. “We just want to g-get to Racinas.”

“Very well. The
Ouragan
is a cargo ship, not a passenger transport. We have no cabin for you, and the crew’s quarters and hold will be full. But you may sleep on the deck so long as you remain out of the way. The weather should be fine for this journey, and we will provide meals and blankets. Three silver coins.” Mr. Noft smiled a little. “One for you and two for your large friend, who I presume eats twice as much.”

It was Aric who answered. “All right.” He fumbled with his purse—always a bit awkward with the missing hand—and withdrew the coins, which Mr. Noft took with another little bow. Meanwhile, the captain’s daughter was bouncing up and down and clapping her hands, apparently pleased with the new passengers.

Mr. Noft ended up summoning a scrawny sailor, who showed Gray and Aric a bit of the deck they could call their own. It was a tiny spot just barely big enough for the two of them, wedged between the curved railing and the forecastle. The sailor ran off and then returned a moment later with a pile of thin blankets, explaining how the blankets and Aric’s satchel could be secured against the inside of the hull by ropes when not in use. “Bell rings five times fast when it’s time for meals,” the sailor said. “Just follow the crowds down to the galley to get yours. Grub’s usually not bad heading north this time of year, and everyone gets two pints of ale a day. Cap’n doesn’t much like drunks.”

Aric and Gray thanked the sailor, and he hurried away. Gray’s legs seemed to suddenly give out, and he collapsed to the deck. He scooted until his back rested against the hull. Aric sat down next to him and sighed with relief. “I’m going to be hungry by the time we set sail.”

“M-me too. Last thing I ate was that b-biscuit you brought me.”

“I should have bought us something as we were walking here.”

“Your m-mind was on other things. It’s okay. We won’t s-starve.”

Aric suddenly yawned so hugely that his jaw popped. “Do you think the captain and Mr. Noft are lovers?”

“Maybe,” Gray said through a yawn of his own. He slumped against Aric’s side.

Men were still rushing back and forth across the deck, cargo was thumping into place in the hold, and sailors were yelling out to each other as they climbed the masts and set things in place. The sounds from shore were still loud as well: vendors calling, carters shouting for people to clear their way, wagon wheels rattling against the cobbles. The fugitives weren’t free of Tellomer yet, and they were far from safe. But Gray had slept very little the night before and Aric not at all, so exhaustion and nerves soon caught up with them both. Long before the
Ouragan
raised anchor, they were both fast asleep.

“I’
M
GOING
to die,” Aric groaned. “I
want
to die.” He wasn’t exaggerating. Someone could have run him through with a sword and tossed him overboard and he’d have sunk happily—gratefully—to the bottom of the sea, pleased to have the roiling in his stomach finally stop.

Gray only chuckled. “You’ll be fine. D-don’t know what the problem is, really. The seas are calm. The first time I sailed to R-racinas it was winter and a storm hit, and the ship p-pitched and heaved—”

“Uh!” Aric scrambled to the railing and did some heaving of his own, much to the amusement of several bored sailors nearby. If he’d been capable of making the effort, he might have thrown himself right over the rail. They were only one day into their journey, which meant they had another four or five days remaining.
Might as well have been four or five centuries
, Aric thought, and sank back down to the deck, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Gray nudged him. “H-here. Drink this.” He held a tin cup to Aric’s mouth and helped him drink, just as Aric had helped him during Aric’s first few nights in the Brown Tower. Gray had begged the cup and a jar of fresh water from a sailor and had kept it at hand. Aric wouldn’t starve if he missed a few meals, but Gray said he didn’t want him to become dehydrated.

“Sorry,” Aric said miserably, after swallowing a few mouthfuls. “I’m supposed to be helping you.”

“You’re d-doing fine. You brought me here, and the f-fresh air is lovely. I can f-feel the sun on my skin. Do I have a b-bit of a burn?”

Aric tried to focus. “You’re a little pink.”

Gray laughed delightedly. “Wonderful! And I’ve been finding my way around quite well. Even a b-blind man can’t get too lost on a ship, and Delly’s b-been enjoying leading me about.”

Delly was the captain’s rather wild young daughter, and she had apparently fallen in love with Gray. She stuck close to him whenever she could escape her chores. Aric could understand her adoration, because Gray had a seemingly endless collection of tales for her—mostly ones in which Gray got himself in some fantastical mishap and Aric ended up saving him. “The Saga of the Seasick Giant,” Gray was calling his stories, which made Delly giggle and Aric groan.

Now, Aric curled into a ball on his side, squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to pretend he was on solid ground. It took him a few minutes to realize that Gray was humming quietly, one of the songs Aric used to soothe Gray after his nightmares. One of the songs Aric’s mother had crooned to him long ago. Gray’s long fingers stroked the hair away from Aric’s brow very lightly, as if he wasn’t sure his touch would be welcomed. “I-I don’t mind helping you for a change,” he said. “It’s nice to f-feel useful. I’m sorry I can’t h-heal this.”

“Mmm,” said Aric, because if he opened his mouth he might vomit again. But he smiled a little when Gray laid a damp folded cloth across his brow. As miserable as he was, it was almost worth it just to be taken care of.

“
C
AN
you see the city yet?”

Aric squinted at the horizon. “No. Just trees. Lots of trees.”

“Oh.” Gray leaned against him, and Aric put his arm around Gray’s shoulders. Over the past few days, his stomach had settled into a constant but light queasiness. At Gray’s insistence, he’d been able to manage a little soup and dry bread three times a day. But he was still very much looking forward to solid land, and fervently hoping that he never again had to travel by sea.

“How far is it from the harbor to the Vale of the Gods?” he asked. He and Gray hadn’t yet discussed their plans for when they reached the city. One obstacle at a time seemed to be enough, really.

“It’s almost a day’s walk. W-we should stay at an inn tonight and g-go tomorrow.”

“All right.” An inn sounded good. Hopefully they could find one nicer than the White Dragon, but Aric would have gladly slept in a pigsty rather than spend another night on the
Ouragan
.

After a while, Gray bumped up against Aric’s side. Aric had noticed that his lover liked to touch him often. Not just sexually—there had been none of that since they left the palace—and not just for comfort or to help Gray find his way. It was as if Gray wanted to confirm the reality of Aric’s presence often, like he needed to reassure himself that Aric was real. As for Aric, he couldn’t get enough of looking at the other man, of seeing him standing under an open sky, clothed and free of chains. He liked to watch Gray interact with Delly as well, or even with the sailors, because then Aric could get glimpses of the man Gray had once been: vibrant and spirited, a natural flirt and entertainer. No wonder he had caught a prince’s eye.

“We d-don’t have to go to the Vale,” said Gray, interrupting Aric’s thoughts.

“No, we don’t. But if you don’t get rid of the dreams, and we don’t have the guards to warn the people you dream about… can you live with that?”

Gray turned his head away. “N-no.”

“Then we’ll go to the Vale.”

“And what w-will it cost me to give the gift back? What d-damned price must I pay this time?”

“I don’t know,” Aric said out loud. But to himself, he added,
None at all. It’s my price this time
.

Gray didn’t have to know that, not yet.

R
ACINAS
had a small natural harbor, holding only three large ships, a scattering of medium-sized fishing boats, and a flotilla of small craft. There was no palace on a hill—only a gray stone fort near the harbor’s mouth. After the captain and Mr. Noft and Delly and several of the sailors had wished Gray and Aric well, Aric shouldered his satchel and led Gray to land.

Racinas might have seemed overwhelming to Aric when he was fresh from a small village, but after a year in Tellomer, this far-flung city felt quiet and sedate. The buildings were made of wood rather than brick or stone, and none were more than three stories tall. Taverns were clustered close to the port, just as in Tellomer, but there were fewer of them, and they seemed sleepier, as if the sailors here would rather eat and drink instead of gamble and fight. Even the whores—male and female—seemed a little lazy. They did nothing more than call out cheerful obscenities from in front of tavern doors.

The captain of the
Ouragan
had recommended an inn and given them directions. Aric found their way with only a few missteps and was very pleased to see that the Four Wolves appeared clean and well kept. The landlady was a tall, heavy woman with a shrewd eye. She quickly appraised the quality of Aric and Gray’s clothing and gave a satisfied nod. Aric had learned in Tellomer that his expensive-looking clothes helped business people overlook his size and face. “I’ve a room for you. It’s a large one, and the mattress is almost new. Ten coppers for the both of you with dinner and breakfast.”