Vanish (ONC Finalist)

22. Choices

This was weird. Wonderful... but definitely weird. Aled was kissing him, something he had only allowed himself, briefly, to imagine in his dreams.

Marius closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the kiss—the warmth of his lips, the taste of his mouth—instead of seeing Dax's all too familiar features, but Aled pulled back after only a moment.

"What do you want me to do? The portal is still open. I can go with Dax if you don't think we can make this work, if I make you too uncomfortable." He was looking earnestly into his face, waiting for his answer.

Marius swallowed. His heart was thudding hard in his chest.

"Stay, please. I can't promise it will all be smooth riding, but I want you to stay."

He took a deep breath and put his arms around Aled, drawing him close once more. His fingers traced the curve of hard muscle down his shirt-covered back until they reached the scar. This was Aled. That first kiss had been tentative, more than the light brush of lips which might be bestowed by a favourite aunt, but not yet the intimate kiss of lovers.

"Let's try that again."

But Lupei broke into the moment, jogging down from the granite outcrop. "The portal has disappeared," she announced, a trifle breathless. "I hope you both know what you're doing."

Aled gave a wry grin as Marius hastily dropped his arms. "So do I. Still, if something is worth having, then it's worth making an effort."

He spoke to Lupei. "I want to look less like Dax. Is there a plant here that people use to change their hair colour? And did Dax ever grow a beard? Those are two things I could do for a start."

Marius's eyes brightened, he liked the idea of Aled with rough stubble along his jaw, and maybe his hair a rich dark brown, like murse fur.

Lupei was nodding. "That's a good idea, Aled. There is a common dye used by seamstresses, made from the leaves of the fiva bush that colours hair as well as cloth. The bushes grow in this sort of dry country, so with any luck we can have your hair changed before we reach Skyber."

"Are you familiar with this part of Thera, Lupei?" asked Marius hopefully. "If I'm right, Skyber is a long way to our east. We won't be able to use the caves again, this time we'll have to travel over land to get there."

"You're right," agreed Lupei. "I haven't travelled this far west, but there was a good view from the top of the outcrop and I have a rough idea of where we are. If we head pretty much due east, we should come to familiar territory in a few days, and hopefully a hamlet or at least a small-holding."

"I suppose we have to go to Skyber?" asked Aled, hesitantly.

Both Lupei and Marius stared at him. "Where else would we go? We certainly can't return to Angarth!"

"But have you thought about how you will explain me? I can't be Dax, not if Marius and I... might become lovers."

Marius flushed scarlet, imagining the awkwardness, not to mention disgust, if people thought he was having a relationship with his half-brother.

"The story we told at Angarth," continued Aled, "seemed like the right idea at the time, but... it's made matters complicated. If I appear as myself, Lady Liviana will demand retribution— from Dax's supposed imposter!"

Marius and Lupei exchanged worried frowns. Aled was right to be concerned, but they had lived their whole lives at Skyber Hold, neither could imagine living anywhere else. With Dax missing, Marius would very likely take his place as the Lord Holder. They had responsibilities; Skyber's people depended on them for their livelihood.

"I think we have to return to Skyber," announced Lupei, after a lengthy pause, looking from one man to the other. Only Aled had even a change of clothes and neither she nor Marius had more than a few coins between them. "We are scarcely equipped to go anywhere else. At least we have a couple of days travel before us to devise a better explanation for Aled's presence!"

Marius was nodding. "I fear you have the right of it, Lupei." He gripped Aled's shoulder as if he would keep hold of him. "Will you come with us and trust us to keep you safe, Aled?"

Aled hesitated for only a moment before placing his hand gently on top of Marius'. "I will. In for a penny, in for a pound as they say in my part of the world."

Marius grinned in relief. He had no idea what a penny was but the meaning was clear.

"So that's settled then," announced Lupei, squinting up at the sun. "I'm hoping we'll find food along the way, but can I suggest we drink our fill now, while we have a water supply, and then fill all possible containers with water? I don't know when we'll get the next opportunity. It's going to be a long walk. This outcrop is a lot nearer to Angarth than it is to Skyber."

The second day's walk found them entering very different country. Dryland scrub gave way to forest covered hills and grassy valleys; a creek bed—though dry for the most part—wound its way through the valley ahead. They hadn't seen a single settlement or sign of human habitation during their trek across the dry country, but this land was more fertile and they came across the occasional ruin, evidence of a farm or hut long since deserted.

Eventually they reached a small farm with smoke rising from the chimney. Not surprisingly, the farmer was highly suspicious of three scruffy strangers appearing out of the blue and refused to open the door. However, after Marius and Aled withdrew to a discreet distance, Lupei was able to persuade the farmer to part with some bread and hard cheese in return for her second best hunting knife. Her initial offer of coins had been rejected with scorn.

"The nearest village is Dempsey, about a day's walk further east," Lupei told the two men as she handed out supplies. "And Dempsey is beholden to Skyber. I know it is one of our furthest settlements, but I don't remember how large it is. I was hoping we might be able to hire horses there but we'll see."

"Horses?" said Aled, with an odd look on his face. His hair was now a rich brown and he'd added some of the dye to his emerging bristles as well. Marius thought it was wonderful how much difference that made. This journey was neither the time nor place for romantic encounters, but... he thought he was becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea that something was going to happen between them. Soon.

"Don't you have horses in your world, Aled?" asked Marius, about to explain further. "They-"

Aled interrupted with a rueful laugh. "Oh we have horses, it's just... I've never ridden one."