6. SOJOURNED

six

SOJOURNED

A bulwark of silver charged at Oliver. The skies had opened up, the downpour needing only moments to soak through his clothes.

He grumbled, "Swiving Sentinels," and, "Sorry, Tau." The most any of them had spoken since leaving Clathestead.

Ahead, Lucetta strode beside Maji, endlessly humouring Maji's demands they stop and rest.

Oliver was sure it was for Tau's benefit, and he was grateful. The longer they walked down winding roads and narrow trails, the more Tau leaned on him.

Once they finally reached Donmere, Oliver practically carried him on his back. His damp grip kept sliding over the near-black metal, those long arms cinching his neck, his skin pruned from walking in the rain for well over a day. Even Tau, ordinarily impervious to the elements, was drenched. His clothes twisted around him in a way that left very little to the imagination. The only thing dry was the fur mantle, that Sentinel magic imbued it now worryingly obvious.

A clock-tower stood tall against dark grey clouds, its pale green spire miles above the town gate. Unfortunately, Oliver wasn't very good at telling the time and could only go by the sky. Early morning, he thought, although the gloom was unrevealing.

The arched gate gave a moment's reprieve from the rain, footsteps and the brool of automobiles echoing. Oliver eased Tau against its discoloured stone, then staggered to the ground with an exhausted grunt. His knees were in agony . It was a wonder his legs hadn't snapped like the twigs they were.

"You okay?" Maji asked, looking just as miserable. A fat droplet trailed from hair slicked to her forehead, straight into an eye. She flinched and winked to clear it. "I can't wait to get out of this."

"Yeah, out of this," Lucetta teased, furiously winking—snorted, when Maji looked at her in befuddlement.

The occasional passersby startled at the sight of Tau, hunched over like an old man, looking strangely human with the way he clutched his knees. They hastened past, Oliver's glare ushering them away. With a pained groan, he struggled upright to lean against the stone beside Tau.

"I'm okay," he mumbled in response to the slight turn of Tau's head.

He fared better than his boyfriend, anyway, whose pointed hood hung so low it looked sad, and his clothes… Oliver stopped himself from raking his gaze over that muscular frame, ravenous for it even in the midst of exhaustion. Now was definitely not the time for his prick to remind him it hadn't received any attention in a while.

"Well," Lucetta began during a lull of gawkers, "no one's causing a scene."

Yet.

Oliver reached over to run his hand down a vambrace. He could only hope the belief Tau was expired would keep others from realising there was a Sentinel among them.

"Ready?" he whispered, then threaded their fingers at the singular nod.

Had Oliver been in a better mood, he might have been able to appreciate the picturesque architecture of Donmere. Brightly painted shutters and the flowers adorning windows, lacing rain-damp air with sweet scents and a faint magical thrum. Puddles collected between cobblestone splashed under their feet, Lucetta once again leading the way to the train station, its pale green roof long and arched. A better refuge from the rain, but it was busy .

Lucetta and Maji collapsed onto a bench near the tracks, their agonised groans loud enough to catch the attention of those awaiting their train. Easing Tau's arms off his shoulders, Oliver guided him to sit, before scooting right up against him and leaning into Tau's sideways slump.

Every part of him ached, throbbed, and otherwise hurt. Just lifting a hand to run an open palm across a toned stomach took effort, drenched dark fabric now almost leathery to the touch.

A dark gauntlet covered his hand where it had come to rest on a broad chest. He glanced up, and Tau lowered his head. Oliver licked his lips, catching droplets running steadily down his face. He really wanted to kiss. Do other things, besides. He'd missed Tau so much, and not had a chance to make up for lost time.

"Someone has to buy the tickets," said Lucetta, now sprawled out on one end of the bench. She didn't look like she would volunteer to go.

"I'll get it," Oliver mumbled. If he didn't, he might lose control and start rutting against Tau right in front of everyone. He staggered upright despite his screaming feet, and stroked the floppy hood. "Stay here with Luce, I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you," said Maji. A relief, when Oliver wasn't especially good with money.

A bushy-moustached fellow stood inside the booking office, his portly frame taking up a large portion of the window. He drummed thick fingers along the edge of the counter. His beady eyes, shadowed by a daft-looking hat, were trained on Tau. As soon as Oliver and Maji approached, he jumped in a full display of dramatics, as if he hadn't seen them until now.

"Good morning!" he bellowed.

Oliver grimaced. "Er, tickets to Malimoure."

"Four, please," added Maji, struggling out of her sodden rucksack to rummage through it.

"There are no direct lines to Malimoure." The booking clerk sounded annoyingly jolly.

Oliver cast Maji a look, his fatigue reflected, along with the start of a very foul mood.

"How do we get there, then?" she asked.

"You would need to take the Clathestead line from here to Baanhule. Then take the train to Idosburgh and change over to the Eystin line. From there, it's by taxicab or cabriolet, or even on foot to Bercord Harbour. It's by boat after that, then you'll be on your own!"

"Give us the tickets for that, then!" snarled Oliver.

"Please," Maji said, more tired still.

That moustache swept from side to side, a great coppery broom in need of punching off. "You'll need to buy each ticket separately. We are encouraged to discourage foolish folks like yourselves from travelling there. It's out of bounds, don't you know. Dangerous and war-ravaged, and all that."

Maji sighed. "Then, can we get tickets to Eystin, please ?"

"Certainly! Four tickets, three adults," those beady eyes flicked to Tau, "and…?"

Oliver and Maji exchanged another look, turning to glance at Tau—who was watching him.

"He's…one of those tree people," Oliver said.

"Don't look like any dryad I've ever seen!"

"Adult, I think." Maji's lips thinned into a line with frustration.

"Of course he is," hissed Oliver.

"Alrighty, then! Four tickets, three adults and an adult tree-person, you think ." The moustache lifted to reveal an infuriating smile. "That'll be three-hundred dollars and forty-three cents, not including meals. Thank you!"

Oliver might not have been very good with money, but even he knew that was too much . Maji's mouth dropping open in shock confirmed it.

"I'll…be right back!"

Maji darted off, leaving Oliver to glower at the man. He was being ignored, the clerk resuming his jolly drum on the countertop and staring at Tau. Until Maji returned with Lucetta, and he jumped again.

"Oh, get swived." Oliver shuffled off, leaving the two to sort it out. He slid back down beside Tau. Although he couldn't catch what Lucetta was saying, even from where he sat he saw her face pinch with anger.

"I said it's top secret, man!"

A buoyant chortle met her outburst.

It was probably safe to guess Lucetta's attempts at bartering hadn't worked as Maji handed over most of their money in dejection. Oliver sighed, tipping sideways to rest his head on Tau's biceps. The other two came stomping back.

"I hope he loses his stupid cap." Maji plopped down beside Oliver.

"What'd you tell him?" he asked.

"That we're transporting a valuable being under Pavlov's orders."

"It's because we look like this!" Lucetta pulled at her shirt, so wet it slurped at her skin.

"At least your hair dries faster."

Maji dragged her plait over her shoulder, squeezing it with a sound of disgust. Meanwhile, the coils of Lucetta's hair were already bouncing back, lingering droplets shimmering like stars despite the dispiriting weather. Oliver had no doubt his hair resembled a soggy nest.

The cold was swift to creep into his bones, pimpling his skin and causing a wobble in his chin. Luckily, loud chugging and the shrill peal of a locomotive lanced the air. Only a handful of times had Oliver been on a train, and was no less impressed by the sheer size and power of the steam engine, squealing to a gradual stop and billowing great plumes of white.

Oliver slung Tau's arm over his shoulder, ignoring the agonised protest of his knees. Others knocked past him, too eager to get wherever they were going to bother apologising for it, or for blocking his path. Manoeuvering Tau onto the train, past passenger legs and seats, took every last grain of strength Oliver had left in him, even with Lucetta and Maji trying to help.

He dropped Tau on a long bench facing the windows and muttered an apology for the roughness. It was warmer inside the train at least, but it came at the cost of being close to people who grew increasingly curious about the gigantic, frumpy being among them.

"I know he's tall," Maji sat down on the bench with a grunt, "but how can he be that heavy?"

"Have you seen him? That's nothing but muscle under there." Lucetta cast Tau a discerning look, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Unless you're all glass, like when you decided to give us a fright by turning into a ball."

"There's a picture I could do without," mumbled Maji.

Although it hadn't seemed possible, Oliver's mood dipped further. His face must have said as much since Maji uttered an apology before her focus shifted. Oliver glanced at the child to his left, curiously peering at Tau over the edge of her seat. Oliver's expression softened, in particular when Tau leaned in to scrutinise her in turn, head at an inquisitive tilt.

"I guess he wouldn't have seen many kids in his life," mused Maji.

Considering Sentinels generally didn't leave their mines, that was a fair guess.

"I can understand him a bit better, I think, since I got the thing ." She pointed at her chest.

It took Oliver a moment to understand. "Oh." He paused. "Were you able to understand Sig–uh, In–Inste—" What was it again? "Nighty?"

Maji's eyes fluttered. "Not especially. It's like Ta–he's the only one who has ever made an effort to communicate with us or even has feelings. Did you notice how the other bad one didn't communicate at all?"

A grimace pulled at Oliver's face. Nu had communicated plenty with him—through violence.

Whatever else either of them had wanted to say fell away at the piercing whistle and abrupt jerk of the carriage. Sending Lucetta crashing into Maji, and Maji into Tau, who didn't budge, his focus back on the swaying Oliver.

"We'll be here for several hours," said Lucetta, crossing her arms and legs at the ankles. "Might as well try to get some sleep."

How they were meant to sleep while puddles collected at their feet, Oliver didn't know. He kicked his rucksack under the bench and made himself comfortable against Tau all the same. Pulled close, he settled a hand on that firm stomach and toyed with the leatheriness of the dark robe.

Donmere's stone structures and bright shutters slipped past, blurring into bare trees and clouds obscuring the mountain's peaks. Fatigue caught up with him quickly, his eyes drooping. Over the noise of the rhythmic clacking, Oliver heard Maji ask Tau if he enjoyed being away from the mountain.

Another reminder that had Oliver not been such an idiot and killed Lauper, they wouldn't be in this situation. He drew the inside of his cheek between his teeth and bit down. A warm-cold thumb pressed between his tangled brows, and Oliver forced away his frown before he looked up, giving Tau what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

The carriage jostled Oliver awake. He groaned in agony at the train's shriek as it came to a standstill. Clutching his throbbing head, he glared at billowing white outside the windows. His friends were in no better shape, struggling to sit up.

"We should get a twenty-minute stop here," grumbled Lucetta. "Let's get something from the lunch counter. Nothing fancy, though."

Stiffly, Oliver got to his feet. Thanks to the heat pumped into the carriage, his clothes were dry. More mercifully, Tau no longer needed his support to walk. Stares from other passengers had yet to abate—increased in suspicion when Tau drew to his full, statuesque height.

Oliver ushered Tau by the hips to follow Lucetta and Maji, into a cramped diner tucked inside the train station. Tau ducked low through the doorway, then abruptly stopped.

"Ta–I mean—Sunshine?" Oliver nudged him in the back. "You're a great blockade, baby, but you need to move."

"Get out of the way already!" shouted someone behind them.

"Shut your gobble," Oliver snarled, his gentle pats on the slope of Tau's backside becoming more urgent. "You'll be okay, just keep going."

Finally, Tau crouched into the diner and stood upright, looking wholly out of place. A stalked, looming shadow against beiges and reds. Oliver gently stroked a hip-bone, hoping to encourage further movement.

"Sit here," Maji called, patting a stool beside her at the counter.

Stiffer than a slab of stone, Tau lowered. He struggled to fit his legs, poleyns bashing into the counter's side. Oliver slapped open palms across his thighs and pushed them apart to help. That prompted Tau to curl over Oliver, a large hand sliding up his back. It drove him wild, his own hands straying up across muscular thighs while he peered into those wonderful black triangles.

Someone cleared their throat, and Oliver startled away. The waitress looked unimpressed and entirely unfazed by Tau, taking their orders of fried eggs and hot drinks without a second glance up from her notepad.

Much like Lucetta, Oliver preferred coffee, although he liked his black and without sugar, while Maji had opted for some kind of herbal tea. They could only afford one fried egg each, and he sucked his down faster than an escaping geode.

"We've never done this before." Maji scraped her fork across the plate to get the last bit of grease into her mouth.

Lucetta raked her plate in similar desperation. "What do you mean?"

Oliver had no qualms running his tongue over the dish and ignoring disgusted looks directed at him. Until he realised Tau was watching him again. He gingerly set the plate back down and folded his hands into his lap.

"We've never gone anywhere together other than Plainwall," said Maji.

"Don't reckon this makes up for all the years we could have spent frolicking instead of mining?" asked Lucetta.

Maji took a thoughtful sip of her tea. "Since we're going somewhere we might die, no. But once we have Ben back, we should all go out together."

"Or," Lucetta began, her eyes momentarily catching Oliver's, "maybe you and I could go somewhere."

"Just you and me?" asked Maji, perplexed.

Oliver buried his attention into the mug, already empty, the last dregs of coffee clinging to its side. That did nothing to cover the knowledge he could never again return to the mine. Or any other mine for that matter, as word was bound to travel. What he'd known for the past five years was gone. It hadn't been great, forever too penniless and cursed to afford even the smallest luxury, but he had family.

Lucetta and Maji could return if they lied well enough, and that meant saying goodbye. He didn't think he could bear it.

A hand curled on his shoulder. Oliver looked up into chestnut eyes.

"We better get back," said Lucetta, her softened voice an aching comfort.

He slid off the stool and clasped Tau's hand. "Come on, Sunshine."