What Matters Most Page 7

  "Oh," Theri said, her face falling. She and Ailynn were friends, Raslin knew. "Of course. I'll let everyone know to not mention it to her."

  "Thanks," Raslin said, smiling crookedly. He looked up at the men on the carriage. "It's nice of you to help Kyros out like this."

  "Kyros is a good friend," said the man sitting on the right.

  His voice was the complete opposite of his companion's, rough and accented, though Raslin had no chance of placing the accent. "We're happy to help."

  Raslin nodded, gesturing across the square. "The house is down that way." Raslin led the way, waving to Theri as they passed; she looked unhappy at the news Raslin had dropped on her. Hopefully she'd spread it further, as well as keep people from pestering Ailynn about it. Theri was good at gossiping, but also well-respected enough that if she said to leave something be, people listened.

  "You're Raslin?"

  "Yes," Raslin said slowly. "Who are you? I didn't get your names."

  "Jallen," the man with the smooth voice said. A quicksilver smile flashed across his face as he jerked a gloved thumb at his companion, who was guiding the horses at a slow walk to keep pace with Raslin. "This is Ambry."

  "Did the snow slow you much?" Raslin asked curiously, because for all intents and purposes the roads nearby should be terrible. At least the names Jallen and Ambry matched with what Kyros had told him. There was every possibility the two men were imposters, but Raslin didn't see what the purpose of such subterfuge would be.

  "More than we'd planned," Jallen replied easily, as though it didn't matter to him that he was arriving days late. Raslin nodded, lapsing into silence as he led the way through the village. Jallen and Ambry didn't make any attempts at conversation, and Raslin passed the short trip trying to figure out what to do if they turned out to be imposters.

  Ailynn's house came into view far too quickly, and Raslin left Jallen and Ambry outside with a somewhat terse order to stay with the carriage. Letting himself into the house, Raslin shut the door loudly behind him. Kyros was settled in a chair in front of the fireplace, and he looked up sleepily at Raslin's entrance.

  "Two men just showed up," Raslin said without preamble.

  "They say they're here to help transport Ailynn to Tristowne."

  Kyros stood, all trace of sleepiness gone. "Where are they now?"

  "Out front," Raslin said, not moving away from the door.

  "They said their names were Jallen and Ambry, but I wouldn't know them from guards."

  "Right," Kyros said, moving to one of the tiny windows at the front of the house. He twitched the curtain back a few inches, looking outside. "That's them." He visibly relaxed, and Raslin let out the breath he'd been holding.

  "Good," Raslin said, even though he wasn't sure he meant it. On the one hand, it was good that Jallen and Ambry weren't imposters and working for the council, but it did mean that Kyros and Ailynn were that much closer to leaving. Kyros let the curtain fall back into place and crossed the room to where Raslin stood by the front door. "Do you want me to go tell Ailynn?"

  "No, let her stay at Hally's for now," Kyros said, pulling on the boots he'd left by the door in quick, impatient jerks. "We can figure out whether we need to leave immediately before we disturb her."

  Raslin moved out of Kyros' way as Kyros grabbed his jacket and headed outside. He followed Kyros back outside, not surprised to find Jallen and Ambry had already climbed down from the carriage seat. Jallen was standing next to the horses, speaking softly to them while Ambry was leaning over the top edge of the carriage, digging through a small trunk.

  Kyros greeted them familiarly, but without an abundance of enthusiasm. Raslin hung back, watching the three men and feeling out of place. Kyros had spent the last five years with these two men, had plotted and worked with them. He trusted them—he was trusting his mother to them—and Raslin was nothing more than an interloper on the edge, watching.

  "We should go inside," Jallen said, glancing around. Raslin fought the urge to snort; the village was full of gossips, it was true, but Jallen's look insinuated that he anticipated someone would purposely listen in whatever it was he had to say.

  "All right," Kyros agreed, glancing at the horses. "Did you want to settle them in, first? Ras, where—" Kyros turned to look at him, and Raslin forced his brain to work again.

  "Might need to take them out of town, unless you split them," Raslin said, frowning. "I think MacRaflin's only got one other spot."

  "We can sort it out after we talk," Ambry suggested, giving Kyros a significant look. Raslin's stomach sank; it sounded like Ambry expected to be underway without needing to stable the horses. Ailynn wasn't going to like that. Raslin didn't like that, but he didn't have any say in the matter.

  "He knows," Kyros said, shrugging. "It's fine."

  "If you say so," Ambry said, frowning as he watched Raslin with narrowed eyes, obviously doubting Raslin's integrity. Raslin stared at him flatly, daring him to say anything. The quality of his clothes clearly marked him as a city boy, and Raslin doubted Ambry could back up the unspoken threat in his glare.

  "Inside, then," Kyros said, turning to go back into the house.

  Raslin hesitated—they shouldn't leave the horses out here unattended and untethered, but that wasn't his problem. Raslin followed Kyros back into the house, leaving Jallen and Ambry to follow or stay as they wanted.

  Raslin glanced back at Jallen and Ambry when he reached the door. They were having a hushed discussion; Jallen was cool and collected, but Ambry was angry, leaning close and whispering fiercely. Jallen replied, shrugging, and Ambry thrust a folded satchel at him before storming back to the carriage.

  Jallen didn't seem bothered by Ambry's anger; he walked towards the house, his face composed.

  "We have a few days lead," Jallen said without preamble, sitting down on the sofa. Raslin stood awkwardly, reluctant to sit near Jallen despite not having anything against him— anything rational, that was. Kyros didn't seem to notice, taking a seat in the chair he'd been dozing in. "Unfortunately, that's all we have. The council somehow learned you're in Ourenville, and they're headed here with all due haste."

  "A few days," Kyros repeated, frowning worriedly. "How are the roads?"

  "Terrible, but that won't slow them much. There's at least a dozen, and they're spreading word that you're dangerous and liable to harm anyone who gets in your way," Jallen said, cracking open the satchel in his lap. He withdrew a sheet of paper and handed it to Kyros.

  Raslin caught sight of the word WANTED at the top in large letters. The rest of the page was covered with a passable rendition of Kyros' face, and Raslin swallowed hard. No doubt the notices were plastered everywhere; even Ourenville occasionally got notices of the sort—usually when the tax collector came around—but most everyone ignored them.

  "We should leave as soon as your mother is ready," Jallen said calmly, and Raslin bit back a protest. As soon as Ailynn was gone, Kyros would leave as well.

  "I can go fetch her," Raslin offered, even though he didn't want to do any such thing. Ailynn would be upset, especially with the festival in just two days.

  Kyros looked at him like he'd forgotten Raslin was there. He didn't answer, but studied the WANTED paper again. Then he shook his head, crumpling the notice into a ball and throwing it onto the fire. "No. Let her have today, at least."

  "We really should—" Jallen began, but Kyros cut him off.

  "I said no," Kyros said sharply. "You can leave in the morning. I'll be headed south, and there will be enough rumors here saying she's going to Tristowne that no one will think to look for trails heading east. They won't follow you and an extra half day of travel won't gain you anything more than leaving in the morning will."

  "All right," Jallen said, apparently unperturbed by Kyros'

  sharp tone. "You get to tell Ambry, though. He won't be happy."

  "Nothing makes him happy," Kyros muttered as he ran a hand through his hair. He frowned, then shook his head and stood. "Come o
n, then. We'll get your horses settled somewhere for the night. You two can stay here—" Kyros broke off, looking at Raslin questioningly, and Raslin belatedly realized that Kyros was asking for permission.

  "In the loft," Raslin said. "I can set up bedding down here for us."

  Jallen nodded, giving Raslin a curious look before standing himself. "Thank you for accommodating us."

  "It's no problem," Raslin said, startled. He hadn't expected Jallen to be so polite, especially after the way Ambry had behaved. They were as hassled and harried as Kyros, no doubt.

  "You can probably leave the carriage out front; no one will bother it there and you'll only have to worry about the horses then."

  "Thank you," Jallen said again, offering a faint smile. Raslin returned it, though he didn't feel like smiling. Kyros stepped past him, hesitating briefly before heading back outside. Jallen followed, but Raslin stayed where he was, not particularly wanting to subject himself to Ambry's obvious ire again.

  It was stupid. He'd known Kyros was leaving. It shouldn't upset him now that it was set in stone when Kyros was leaving.

  Probably in the morning, as soon as Ailynn was gone. Raslin bit his lip; what would he do when he was alone?

  Pushing the thought away, Raslin sighed and went to go set up bedding for the evening. The plan to keep busy to distract himself from Kyros and Ailynn's pending departure was still sound, even if that departure was more definite and harder to ignore.

  *~*~*

  "Are you certain our departure cannot wait two days?"

  Ailynn kept her voice low as she sat at the kitchen table. Raslin was washing dishes nearby, while Jallen and Ambry were camped out near the fireplace on the other side of the house, speaking quietly.

  Kyros nodded tiredly, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry."

  "I did promise I'd leave if it came down to it," Ailynn said, though she still didn't seem happy about it.

  "I know," Kyros said, wincing, and Raslin ducked his head to stare at the pot, wishing he could do something other than wash dishes. He hated seeing Ailynn upset, hated seeing Kyros upset and worried, and hated knowing that, come morning, he would never see either of them again.

  Finishing the dishes, Raslin hesitated, unsure what to do with himself. He'd spent most of the day doing odd errands, but there was nothing else to do without tripping over someone or another. He was too keyed up to sleep, but the thought of sitting around having awkward and tense conversations didn't exactly fill him with enthusiasm.

  "I'm going for a walk," Raslin finally said. Ailynn nodded distractedly, lost in thoughts. Kyros hesitated, then stood.

  "Mind if I join you?"

  "No, that's fine," Raslin said, unable to say no to Kyros.

  Snagging his jacket, Raslin waited for Kyros to do the same before heading outside. It was much colder now that the sun was down, and it was snowing again. Kyros shut the door behind him, casting them into darkness. Light peeked out around the curtains of the house, and around the curtains on the neighboring houses, but it barely made a dent in the dark night.

  "I take it you're leaving in the morning, as well?" Raslin asked, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets for warmth. He took a few steps away from the house, but didn't go any further, unsure where he wanted to go.

  "As soon as my mother is safely on her way," Kyros said, his voice quiet and tense. "I wish we could stay."

  "I wish you could stay too," Raslin said, then bit his lip, hoping he hadn't given too much away. Kyros didn't reply, but he stepped in close, close enough that Raslin could reach out and touch him easily.

  Raslin sighed quietly and wished he could convince Kyros to not return to Alesdor or to let Raslin go with him. Kyros was stubborn, however, and he'd made it more than clear that he wasn't going to be dissuaded from going back, never mind that doing so would, without a doubt, be the death of him.

  "The box is still in my bureau," Raslin said, suddenly remembering it. "Do you want me to get it?"

  "It can wait until morning," Kyros said, shrugging. He was quiet for a moment, before speaking again. "This isn't walking."

  "Right," Raslin said, stepping forward, into the night. They could walk to the square and back, he decided; there were enough houses to keep them from wandering too far off the path. Venturing into the forest or trying to get to the ruins at this time of night would be asking for disaster.

  "I know you're not happy about this," Kyros said quietly, keeping pace with Raslin easily despite the uneven path and the slippery snow beneath their boots.

  "What does that matter?" Raslin asked bitterly, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "I'm staying here."

  "Did you want to go with my mother?" Kyros asked after a moment.

  "Who would look after her house?" Raslin asked, hunching against the cold and scowling at the ground. "Besides, I'm sure it's more suspicious to have both of us disappear."

  "The house doesn't matter. Neither of us can come back here," Kyros said tiredly. He sounded despondent, tired, like he'd given up, and Raslin wanted to shake him.

  "But it is more suspicious," Raslin insisted, angry despite knowing it wasn't Kyros' fault. Well, Kyros being obtuse was Kyros' fault, but what right did Raslin have to dump something else on Kyros' plate? He'd offered to do whatever Kyros needed, and Kyros apparently just needed him to stay behind and pretend he'd never cared about Kyros at all.

  "If you disappear, they'll start looking for you, too," Kyros said quietly, almost too quiet for Raslin to make out.

  Raslin frowned, not sure that was actually true. If he disappeared, it was more likely people would assume he was close to Ailynn, not close to Kyros. Especially since Kyros had been gone for five years, with little to no contact with home.

  "I'd go," Raslin said softly. He didn't want Kyros to leave him behind again, but he couldn't make Kyros let him go along. Not that he could leave with Kyros, Raslin realized belatedly. Kyros was travelling by horse, not by carriage. Raslin didn't have his own horse to ride along, and if he tried to tag along with Kyros, he'd just slow Kyros down to the point that it would be easy for the men after him to catch up.

  "I know you would," Kyros said, sighing tiredly. "It would put you in danger, but you really could go with Ailynn. You should probably run it by her, though."

  Raslin didn't say anything. He was sure Ailynn would object; if she didn't want to leave Ourenville, why would Raslin? Truly, Raslin should have all the reason in the world to stay. His family was in Ourenville, and because of Kyros and Ailynn leaving, he was about to come by a very nice house by dint of Ailynn and Kyros not returning to Ourenville ever.

  It was poor consolation for never seeing Kyros and Ailynn again. He hadn't been lying when he'd told Kyros that Ailynn was like a mother to him. He wasn't tied down in Ourenville, either; he was too different from his sister, and he hated her husband. Raslin didn't see their relationship getting any better, either.

  They reached the square, where the bonfire was still burning high. It threw enough light to display the decorations hanging from every available surface, including the nearby houses, the trees in the square, and a few improvised stands scattered around. It also showed off the snow falling, thick and heavy, to the ground.

  "Do you think the snow will delay you?" Raslin asked, frowning at the sky.

  "I don't know," Kyros said, sounding troubled. His face was hard to read in the dim light of the fire. "I don't know we have much choice but to leave."

  Raslin wanted to protest that leaving in bad snow could be worse than waiting until the weather cleared. It wasn't true, though; waiting could be much, much worse, and Raslin didn't want see what would happen if the council caught up with Kyros.

  "I'm sorry," Kyros said, suddenly turning towards him. Raslin blinked, startled.

  "For what?" Raslin asked. Kyros was close, closer than Raslin had realized until that moment. Raslin was suddenly vividly reminded of the other night, when they'd been outside Ailynn's house.

  "For dragging
you into this," Kyros said, shaking his head. "I didn't want—I was just supposed to get Ailynn and leave, not drag you into this or spend so much time …"

  "So you're apologizing for not keeping me in the dark?"

  Raslin asked, annoyed. Kyros really needed a good shake; maybe that would jar some sense into him. Raslin curled his hands into fists inside his jacket pockets to keep from doing it himself.

  "No, I'm apologizing because I'm sure you'd prefer to not have your entire life shaken up like this," Kyros said, scowling up at him through the hair that had fallen into his face.

  "You're sorry you inconvenienced me?" Raslin demanded, belatedly realizing he was yelling. Kyros furrowed his brow, as if he was confused as to why Raslin was upset. Dropping his voice, Raslin stepped closer and jabbed Kyros in the chest. "I'm not upset about that. I'm upset because I'm losing two of the people I care most about, and will probably never hear from either of you again. Especially you, since you're set on going off to die tragically."

  "Raslin," Kyros started, still looking confused, as though he couldn't figure out why Raslin cared. Raslin couldn't deal with it.

  Shoving his hand back into his pocket, Raslin turned and stalked away, ignoring it when Kyros tried to grab his attention.

  Raslin headed back to the house. He half expected Kyros to catch up with him, to stop him, but Kyros did neither. Raslin glanced back once, when he reached a turn in the path, but Kyros was still standing in the square, lit by the bonfire and surrounded by falling snow. Raslin turned away with a scowl and quashed the urge to go back. There was no point.

  *~*~*

  The snow was still falling, thick heavy flakes that buried everything with a pristine white coating. It had nearly snowed them into Ailynn's house, had put out the Solstice bonfire, and worst of all, made the roads impassable. The bonfire had been restarted—more firewood had been fetched to keep it burning against the snowfall, and the festival was in full swing.

  The snow that was blanketing the square did nothing to muffle the noise of the music and laughter that filled the village.