Chapter 3

CHAPTER3

It normally worked.

That was what irked him. A man like Elric—whether he was a king or a peasant or whatever—shouldn’t have been so filthy that Athan’s magic didn’t work.

But the dark speck he’d seen sitting just underneath Elric’s heart hadn’t gotten smaller. If anything, it might have grown after they’d fucked.

That was why Athan had agreed to this. He didn’t particularly want to fight a dragon, but it would buy him some time to figure out exactly what the cause of Elric’s issue was.

Not just the dark speck, either, but the small, almost invisible holes in him, like sharp, thin needles had been driven in.

“Why did your brother cast you out, then?” Athan asked, slowing down for Elric’s sake. They’d already made it back to the main road, and the path Elric suggested would probably take them to the next closest human settlement.

Elric visibly tensed at the question, and he was quiet for a moment. “Treason,” he finally said. “I am the rightful heir, but the dragon destroyed a city. In the aftermath, he and my brother used everyone’s fear to turn them against me.”

There was more to the story, obviously, or Elric wouldn’t have hesitated over his words. The answer explained how, but not why, Elric had come to be exiled.

It was probably the usual thing, where humans fought for dominion over each other. Athan had met a few kings and queens throughout his lifetimes, and it always devolved into somebody wanting his power to give them a stronger rule or to oust somebody else or…

The usual.

“You realize he’d still have an entire army at his beck and call, right?” Athan said. “I agreed to slay a dragon. I’m not getting involved beyond that.”

“They will be loyal to me upon my return,” Elric said firmly. “The only reason they did not rise up was the dragon. They were too afraid, and now the dragon is terrorizing the people at court.”

Athan stared at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set. If they kept walking at their current pace and stopped to accommodate Elric’s need to eat and sleep, they’d probably reach the capital in two or three weeks.

Hopefully, that would be enough time to figure out what was going on with Elric and fix him.

It would really be so much easier if Athan could see something broken and simply discard it, but he didn’t like to give up so easily, especially after he’d already started. A sunk cost fallacy, maybe, but Athan had never been good at letting something go.

There was something about Elric that compelled him, too, something he hadn’t felt about a mortal in decades.

“Tell me if we need to break for the night,” Athan said, stopping on the road. “I’d hate to see you collapse from exhaustion before we’ve even entered your city.”

Elric was silent for a moment longer, but Athan could nearly feel him thinking. He was obviously tired, in need of a bath, and likely longing for food as well. The would-be king was on the too-thin side for a supposed royal as it was. “I can keep going until we reach the next village,” he said.

Athan’s eyebrows rose. “It’s at least another two hours of walking. It’ll be dark. Cold.” He looked up at the sky. “No moon, either, not tonight.”

Elric set his jaw stubbornly. “What else should I do? Lie down on the side of the road and hope not to be beset upon by bandits?”

“How did you manage before me?” Athan asked, truly curious. “Your kingdom isn’t so densely populated that there’s always a town within walking distance.”

This time, Elric averted his gaze before Athan could catch his expression. “I did not always travel alone.”

The dark speck underneath Elric’s breast pulsed.

Athan had no idea what that meant, but he was certain now that continuing whatever course Elric wanted was a bad idea. He chewed on his thumbnail, thinking, before he took a step off the path.

“I’ll start a fire for us,” Athan said, pushing long grass aside. “Bandits are unlikely to bother us.”

Elric seemed like he was about to say something, but his mouth closed without him offering anything. He inclined his head in a nod instead, finally saying after a moment, “Thank you.” He hesitated though, shuffling uncomfortably while looking around. “How should we… sleep?”

Athan rolled his eyes. “On the ground? It’s soft grass. We just fucked on a hard wooden table. The ground will definitely be more comfortable than that.”

Elric sighed, but he waved a hand. “I simply meant… Never mind.” He reached into his robes, though, and his lips pursed into a thin line. “As you wish.”

Asking Elric to put together a makeshift fire pit would probably be too much, although Athan was tempted just to see how Elric would react. Would his desire for Athan’s help win out against the indignity of acting like a servant?

Athan picked a spot far enough away from the main road that they had privacy, and carefully singed the grass to create a clearing for them. A soft breeze blew the ashes away. Athan took a deep breath, smiling at the familiar scent of death and life all at once, the ash ready to bring something new into the world.

Elric sneezed and waved at the air in front of him to disperse the ash and smoke. “Was that necessary?”

“Yes,” Athan answered with growing annoyance. Never mind about not ordering the “king” around. Elric could make himself useful. “Grab some rocks and set them in a circle. Twigs and bigger sticks, too, if you can find them.”

Athan had thought Elric would argue, but instead, Elric dipped his head in a curt nod. He turned on his heel and walked off, returning first with some stones and placing them in a neat little circle just big enough for a fire pit. He didn’t say a word, simply going back out and starting to collect the twigs and sticks, piling up the small branches he retrieved.

They ended up with a decent little fire pit, and Athan had to admit he was a little impressed with Elric’s silent completion of the task.

“Don’t worry, I won’t make you try to light it,” Athan said, smirking. He tapped one of the twigs, letting his natural flame spread to it. Soon, they had a small fire going.

Elric huddled next to the fire with his arms around his knees. He’d apparently discarded whatever misgivings he’d had about sitting on the ground—or whatever his hesitation had been about.

“I could have,” Elric said, staring at the flame.

Athan lowered himself to the ground next to Elric. “Could have what?”

“Lit it. I do have a flint.” Elric shivered a little. “I know how to take care of myself.”

“Your royal tutors taught you that?” Athan opened his travel pack and rummaged around until he found the small sack of seeds and nuts. He took a few for himself, then passed the bag to Elric.

Elric seemed confused by the offer, but after a few seconds of hesitation, he took the bag and began to snack on the nuts.

“Not my tutors. I used to go hunting with my father. There’d be retainers, of course, but my father insisted I learn how to care of myself should we ever get separated from them. He made me practice for hours, kindling and re-kindling a flame. He used to say we weren’t allowed to actually hunt until I’d lit our campfire. I got very good at it.”

Athan watched Elric’s expression with fascination. The hardness that had been there the entire time they’d been traveling—the entire time Athan had been around Elric—melted away as he spoke, a true, clear fondness for his father evident.

Athan had been right. Before the rust had taken hold of Elric, he’d been a very beautiful man.

“Of course, that all changed after…” Elric paused, frowning. His expression flickered with something very close to panic for a split second. “After…”

Another pinprick appeared, but Elric quickly regained control of his features.

Elric shook his head, feigning dismissiveness even though there was still a haunted look in his eyes. “Never mind. I don’t remember what I was going to say.”

Athan looked around, trying to find the needle that had pierced Elric, but there was nothing, as if it had melted and evaporated into thin air.

That was… not good.

“Do you have a lot of trouble remembering things?” Athan asked. He itched to plunge his hand into Elric’s chest, to touch all the darkened parts of Elric, but he didn’t think it would help.

Elric stared down at the fire, and his shivering slowed as he edged closer to the flames. “Sometimes,” he said. “It’s nothing to worry over.”

It was a lot to worry about. Athan had seen other humans whose memories were shaken and tattered, but they hadn’t had holes in them.

Athan didn’t push, though. Whatever was going on, Elric didn’t know, or wouldn’t share, the cause.

Yet.

Athan simply had to be patient, and he’d find out.

Elric picked up a stick and moved some of the twigs around, looking for all the world like he was trying to keep himself busy but didn’t know what to do instead of playing with the fire. He didn’t speak, either. His mood had clearly tanked considerably when he’d lost track of the memory.

Despite his proximity to the fire, and his fine clothes, Elric was still shivering.

There were a lot of things in Athan’s pack, but a blanket was not one of them. He didn’t generally have to worry about the cold, and it was better to travel light.

It would serve Elric right to freeze to death, but that would sort of defeat the purpose of fixing Elric. Athan could do a lot of things, but bringing an already-dead human back to life was not one of them, no matter what the rumors said. At most, he could heal a dying person, but the cost of that was often far too high to be worth it.

Athan bumped his shoulder against Elric. “I’ve heard that humans will sleep pressed together to share body heat.”

Elric looked up at him, startlement on his features. “You mean… cuddling?” he asked, the word sounding like he’d never uttered it before in his life.

“Yes. Cuddling.” Athan smiled at him. “We’ve already fucked. Cuddling is tame in comparison. And I think you know by now that I’m naturally very, very warm.”

Watching Elric, Athan rather suspected that even if Elric had had bedmates, they hadn’t stayed overnight. It was a shame, really, because there was a lot to be said for staying close to another person. Athan was solitary for the most part, but even he enjoyed company every now and again.

“Then… Yes, I suppose we can do that,” Elric said stiffly. “Thank you.”

Athan extended his arm to make room for Elric. There was a moment where Elric stayed tensely in his spot, but the promise of warmth was enough to move him in the end. He scooted closer, their sides touching, and Athan draped his arm around Elric’s shoulders.

Elric huffed softly. “You’re every single cliché I’ve heard about phoenixes.”

“Heard a lot about phoenixes, have you?” Athan asked, torn between annoyance and amusement. “If you don’t want my heat…”

“I have, actually,” Elric said, but he didn’t turn away from the touch. He didn’t press into it either. “And I didn’t say I didn’t want it.”

“The stories are always more romantic than the truth.” Athan let his fire burn a little warmer, enveloping Elric in warmth. “Is that what you do in your free time, then, when you aren’t attempting to steal a kingdom? Listen to fairy tales?”

“I’m not attempting to steal a kingdom,” Elric said, glowering at Athan. “It was taken from me. I’m only trying to return it to its rightful ruler.”

They always said that.

Athan drummed his fingers on his thigh. “I met a queen once who assured me it was her right to rule… I forget, somewhere near the ocean. Anyway, I had nothing else to do, and she had a spark about her… but it turned out she’d promoted herself greatly in my presence and used the threat of my support to promote herself to everybody else, too.”

He should have seen through that lie, but he’d had fun with her, and she really had been very bright.

Not at all like Elric, who was definitely lying about something, and was scuffed and dirty and rusted.

Elric let out an impatient sigh, starting to draw away from Athan’s touch.

Athan didn’t let him, though, pulling him in closer to radiate more soothing warmth.

“I am the eldest, the true heir to Kithage. Through lies, deceit, and the manipulations of a dragon, my kingdom was stolen from me,” Elric insisted. “I am what I tell you I am.”

“That eldest thing is silly,” Athan remarked. “What if the eldest doesn’t want to rule? What if they’re unfit to rule? Some places require feats of strength to prove worthiness to rule. Others will have the reigning ruler simply pick a successor, regardless of bloodlines.”

“Well, that isn’t how it works in Kithage,” Elric snapped. “The crown goes to the eldest. Period. Certainly not to some half-witted, thieving, spoiled younger brother under the command of a dragon.”

That was a lot of hatred for his own brother. Athan frowned at him. “That’s your own brother. Have you no affection for him?”

Elric was quiet for a long moment. “I do.” He paused, then amended, “I did. But he betrayed me. Because of him, I lost everything I worked my entire life to earn. I worked hard to learn everything I needed to on how to rule. I—” He cut himself off, shaking his head. “I’m tired. I wish to go to sleep.”

There was something more to it, something that made the dark speck pulse and shoot little tendrils out, something that made the edges of the holes dissolve into more rust.

Athan touched Elric’s jaw and rubbed at it, considering Elric’s answer. Part of him wanted to push more, to get to the heart of the matter as quickly as possible. Maybe if they fucked again, if Athan forced his warmth into Elric to make him melt and open up…

But pushing too hard and too fast could make things break worse.

Elric glared at him and pushed his hand away. “What? I said I’m tired.”

Right. Repairs were slow processes that needed a delicate touch.

“All right. You can sleep against me. Don’t worry. Nothing will bother us during the night.” Athan used his travel bag as a pillow and stretched out on the ground, patting the space next to him.

Elric averted his eyes. Those new edges of rust crumbled just a little more, but everything went still when Elric settled next to him.

Elric didn’t fall asleep immediately, not how someone who said they were tired from long travel might, but Athan stayed awake until he heard the man’s breathing even out. Then he, too, drifted asleep, settling in for a warm, comfortable night.