“Stop... you’ll make it worse...” Kyle’s gentle touch, his grey eyes filled with love. He was carrying a big satchel and reached down to him. “Let’s go, get up!” With an ultimate will, Marius rose, leaning on Kyle’s shoulder. “We’ll follow the stream upwards not to leave prints... come on!”
He led Marius in the water, the icy stream freezing their feet off but soothing his pain. They walked then, slowly.Too slow,Kyle’s eyes darting back to the cart, disappearing with the valley turning. He had no idea where they were, probably in barbarian lands, far from everything.
They had walked for hours in the icy flow, until they could walk no more, their legs numb, and Kyle led Marius towards the woods again, making him sit against a tree.
“Here... eat.”
He pulled some raw horse meat out of his bag and pushed it towards Marius, the dripping meat feeling divine after three days of starving. Marius moaned, the blood flowing down his chin, the chewy meat sliding down his throat.
“Drink.” Kyle pushed the pouch’s neck into his mouth, the icy stream of water washing down his throat. He gulped it down, his tears flowing. Kyle stroked his face. “My poor love...” Marius just cried softly; his eyes closed. Kyle looked around, nervous. “Feeling better?”
Marius nodded, his voice weak. “Yes...”
“Alright, put these on. They might be a bit small as they are my size.”
He handed him his spare clothes and boots, helping him dress, not caring about his blood tainting them. It felt so good after weeks of being almost naked that Marius almost lost it again, his mind reeling.
Kyle clutched his hand. “Let’s go... you’ll have time to cry later.”
Marius grinned, despite his pain, but got up, feeling better. He was still dizzy though, his head splitting, and leant on Kyle to continue walking. They went into the woods, walking on the soft leaves, trying not to leave prints. The forest gently sloped here, and they walked upwards, panting, Marius drawing on his military training and discipline to keep going, his jaw clenched.
Kyle panted, holding him by the waist. “We need to be as far away as possible. If they come down to the valley, we need to be out of it....” His eyes scanned the landscape, the trees, remembering what he’d learnt in the woods of his childhood. “Come, let’s climb. See the light amongst the trees? That’s where we’re going...”
Marius focused on that light, pushing his body to the brink.
At last, they emerged above the woods on a large field, the mountain peaks huge around them, utterly and completely lost...
Kyle sighed. “Let’s continue... far from where they were heading.”
Marius slouched on him. “I’m not sure I can...”
Kyle looked at his livid face caked with blood; his hair matted around the large cut in on his scalp. “Just a bit more... please?”
His blue eyes shone dull. “I’ll try...”
They resumed their painful walk, step by step, crossing that huge mountain field to a stony field.
Kyle hurried on. “We won’t leave any prints here on the rock. Come on, just a bit further.”
He felt Marius’ arm tighten around his shoulders, breathing hard, and they plowed on, their jaw clenched, the bare landscape hugging the mountainside, gently sloping upwards.
Kyle went around boulders and there, wedged a bit higher up, he spotted a cave. “There... just to there and we stop.”
Marius steeled himself, and they crawled up there, collapsing onto the hard stone, heaving.
Lothar rode his party down to the valley. The sun was already setting, and they arrived at the horses’ gruesome remains almost at dusk, shadows crawling out of the woods. They inspected the remains and cursed softly.
“They escaped?”
“Are you crazy? That slave boy could hardly wait to get his hands on that Roman...”
“Maybe the Roman has him? After all, he could have survived in that cage...”
Lothar rode his horse down the stream, looking for prints, but there were just a few leading to the woods. He then rode back, following them to the stream.Clever... If he survived, why didn’t he just kill that slave? Why not? And his shackles? He’s roaming the woods chained up?Something was off, but he could not quite place it, and he swore under his breath. “Let’s camp... we’ll hunt them down tomorrow.” Adelbrand had been furious... he had received favorable news from the emperor and they had to find Marius alive...
Kyle rose from the ground, leaning over Marius. “I have to go and gather some things. Just rest.” Marius looked at him, nodding, unable to get up, despite the cold stone chilling him to the bone.
Kyle left then, hurrying before darkness fell, gathering large pine branches with his knife, finding herbs, moss, tall grass. He then found a spring and filled all their pouches to the brim, washing his face. Berries. Some eggs in a nest. He headed back, hurrying, worried about Marius, and found him unconscious, sleeping on the cold floor. He lay the pine branches down, making a thick bedding, laying some moss and grass on it. Kyle then gently nudged him, making him moan.
