life in a windowless cage where he almost welcomed being roughed up by the guards, simply because it meant that someone still remembered he existed.
Reid flashed a few sharp signals to Caj, whose lips pressed together tightly. Caj carefully loosed the sword he carried, his eyes focused on the path behind Ty and Reid.
Another minute and the horses were in view. The riders wore the dark blue of the city guard, except for one prominent exception, a woman in a deep scarlet—a King's Mage.
The horses thundered to a stop a few feet away, the lead guardsmen studying them intently. Ty waited for them to charge, or demand they surrender, but neither happened.
"I don't see how they could've gotten through this way, ma'am," the guardsman pronounced. Ty stared, but then, Reid had cast some sort of magic. Glancing at the mage, Ty frowned in concern. Reid was pale and sweating, mouthing curses and gripping the mane of his horse tightly.
"There's another path near here," one of the guardsmen in the back spoke up tentatively. "They might be on that one instead."
The King's Mage guided her horse closer, and Ty wondered what she saw when she looked straight at him. She stared at them for a long minute, and Ty held his breath, waiting.
"Let's go then," she ordered, and their horses were moving quickly again, back down the path the way they'd come. Reid waited until the noise of their passage was almost completely gone before gasping loudly.
"Go," Reid said wanly, gesturing forward.
"Are you okay to ride?" Caj asked with concern. Reid was pale, his scar more livid than usual, and he was leaning heavily against his horse.
"I'm fine. I won't be of any use if they come back ." Reid stressed the last, nudging his horse into motion. Ty watched him with concern for a moment—Reid might be a jerk, but he was one of Ty's rescuers, and he wouldn't be sagging so much if it weren't in protection of Ty.
"We need to catch up to Ari," Caj said after a moment. "Can you two ride any faster?"
"I can ride as fast as the horses can go," Reid declared, sitting up straighter. He still looked pale, like he might pass out at any moment. "Ty?" He asked slyly, challengingly, and Ty couldn't help but roll his eyes at the blatant attempt to rile him.
"I can ride as fast as you need me to," Ty said, directing the comment to Caj. He could ride faster—whether he'd be able to walk at the end of it was another matter. At least if Reid had the energy to be a jackass, he likely had the energy to ride faster.
*~*~*
Ty all but fell off his horse, not particularly caring that Reid was watching his less-than-graceful dismount. He ached , and though yesterday it had been almost pleasant to feel the strain, today he was over the novelty.
"There's a stream through those trees," Reid told him, ducking around him to collect his horse's reins. "You should bathe, if you can walk that far."
Ty would have snapped something in return, but he was too tired to make his brain think quickly. They'd ridden straight through the evening and well into the dark before Ari had decided they could stop.
Disgustingly, Reid had perked up the further they rode and had spent too much of the ride trying to get a rise out of Ty.
"I don't think I can walk that far," Ty said after a minute, taking a wobbly step. With his luck, his legs would give out as soon as he reached the stream and he'd drown. Sighing softly, because it would almost be worth it to feel even a little cleaner, Ty crossed the clearing slowly, sitting down a few feet away from where Ari and Caj were murmuring softly to each other.
"That's just going to make it worse," Reid declared from behind him. Ty groaned softly. Why couldn't Reid leave him alone for five minutes?
"Make what worse?" Ty asked, not making any move to get up. Reid squatted down next to him, his face half-hidden in the dark.
"You won't be able to walk much tomorrow if you don't loosen your muscles up a bit now," Reid advised, reaching out and poking
Reid flashed a few sharp signals to Caj, whose lips pressed together tightly. Caj carefully loosed the sword he carried, his eyes focused on the path behind Ty and Reid.
Another minute and the horses were in view. The riders wore the dark blue of the city guard, except for one prominent exception, a woman in a deep scarlet—a King's Mage.
The horses thundered to a stop a few feet away, the lead guardsmen studying them intently. Ty waited for them to charge, or demand they surrender, but neither happened.
"I don't see how they could've gotten through this way, ma'am," the guardsman pronounced. Ty stared, but then, Reid had cast some sort of magic. Glancing at the mage, Ty frowned in concern. Reid was pale and sweating, mouthing curses and gripping the mane of his horse tightly.
"There's another path near here," one of the guardsmen in the back spoke up tentatively. "They might be on that one instead."
The King's Mage guided her horse closer, and Ty wondered what she saw when she looked straight at him. She stared at them for a long minute, and Ty held his breath, waiting.
"Let's go then," she ordered, and their horses were moving quickly again, back down the path the way they'd come. Reid waited until the noise of their passage was almost completely gone before gasping loudly.
"Go," Reid said wanly, gesturing forward.
"Are you okay to ride?" Caj asked with concern. Reid was pale, his scar more livid than usual, and he was leaning heavily against his horse.
"I'm fine. I won't be of any use if they come back ." Reid stressed the last, nudging his horse into motion. Ty watched him with concern for a moment—Reid might be a jerk, but he was one of Ty's rescuers, and he wouldn't be sagging so much if it weren't in protection of Ty.
"We need to catch up to Ari," Caj said after a moment. "Can you two ride any faster?"
"I can ride as fast as the horses can go," Reid declared, sitting up straighter. He still looked pale, like he might pass out at any moment. "Ty?" He asked slyly, challengingly, and Ty couldn't help but roll his eyes at the blatant attempt to rile him.
"I can ride as fast as you need me to," Ty said, directing the comment to Caj. He could ride faster—whether he'd be able to walk at the end of it was another matter. At least if Reid had the energy to be a jackass, he likely had the energy to ride faster.
*~*~*
Ty all but fell off his horse, not particularly caring that Reid was watching his less-than-graceful dismount. He ached , and though yesterday it had been almost pleasant to feel the strain, today he was over the novelty.
"There's a stream through those trees," Reid told him, ducking around him to collect his horse's reins. "You should bathe, if you can walk that far."
Ty would have snapped something in return, but he was too tired to make his brain think quickly. They'd ridden straight through the evening and well into the dark before Ari had decided they could stop.
Disgustingly, Reid had perked up the further they rode and had spent too much of the ride trying to get a rise out of Ty.
"I don't think I can walk that far," Ty said after a minute, taking a wobbly step. With his luck, his legs would give out as soon as he reached the stream and he'd drown. Sighing softly, because it would almost be worth it to feel even a little cleaner, Ty crossed the clearing slowly, sitting down a few feet away from where Ari and Caj were murmuring softly to each other.
"That's just going to make it worse," Reid declared from behind him. Ty groaned softly. Why couldn't Reid leave him alone for five minutes?
"Make what worse?" Ty asked, not making any move to get up. Reid squatted down next to him, his face half-hidden in the dark.
"You won't be able to walk much tomorrow if you don't loosen your muscles up a bit now," Reid advised, reaching out and poking
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