The Crow King's Wife(15)

“May you all rot in the Darklands.” Caleb snarled and his words were punctuated by the snapping of chains. Within a Breath Caleb was at his side and his arm was bracing him. Broken chains dangled from his wrists and ankles and the expression on his face was positively murderous. “Bloody heartless bastards.” Caleb muttered as he ducked low enough for Shade to get an arm over his shoulder.

Once again the laughter behind him had died and Shade glanced over his shoulder to the Blights and then back to Caleb. All four of the guards wore nervous expressions, and none of them seemed inclined to recapture Caleb. “You mean you could have broken your chains at any point and yet you are still their prisoner?” Shade whispered.

“How far do you think I could have made it with the forest this infested with Blights with no provisions or weapons?” Caleb asked quietly as he half-carried Shade down the trail.

“Valid point.” Shade murmured his gaze dropping once more to the ground. Twice was enough, he wasn’t about to let another tree make a fool of him.

“Two hundred miles in case you were genuinely curious on that point. I’ve escaped three times so far, and that is likely the only reason you are alive currently. If Granger hadn’t been hunting me down, he never would have stumbled across you. That’s the reason I wasn’t in the prison the night you were brought in. Your arrival bought me extra time and I was five miles from the Arovan border before he caught me that time. That was the two hundred mile jaunt, the other two times I barely made it fifty miles. Three escapes and all three times it was Granger that caught me.” Caleb said with a smirk.

“You sound half way fond of the man. I thought you hated all Blights.” Shade observed quietly.

“I hate some of them for what they do. I don’t hate the race itself. Granger has been decent to me despite the trouble I’ve caused him, and I have to respect his skill. There aren’t many that can track me down when I don’t want to be found. I’m not saying he is a drinking buddy, but I don’t despise him by any means. All three times he has accepted my surrender without a fight. Had I been closer than five miles to Arovan, I might have fought him the last round, and I really can’t say which of us would have won. Granger is formidable and I was unarmed.” Caleb explained as he carefully hauled Shade over a washed out spot in the path. “Careful here the rocks are loose.” Caleb warned quietly as he lowered Shade fully back to the ground once more.

“I miss paved roads.” Shade muttered sourly. It was humiliating to be in the state he was in, and Caleb’s presence was the only thing that made it remotely bearable. If not for the Arovan he would be crawling to Onvalla’s door and he knew it. If he had even managed to get a meeting with her in the first place, and that in itself was doubtful. He wasn’t sure what Caleb had done to secure this meeting, but the Blights had given the Arovan the opportunity to try and they barely gave him a second glance.

“I miss more than I can bear to think about. My family and friends, my city, good hot meals, bathing, soap, by the Aspects I miss soap. Clean clothes, my weapons, and my horse.” Caleb’s voice trailed off with a sigh and he shrugged his free shoulder. “We will have some of it back soon though.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone speak so lovingly of soap before. It was almost like a yearning in your voice. You could sing love ballads that would have women weeping and all you would have to think about would be soap.” Shade teased in a pathetic attempt to pull Caleb’s mind back from the depression he could see growing in the man’s eyes.

“I’ve been in captivity for months Shade. I have creatures living in my clothes and hair that have been thriving there so long I’ve got names for them. I do love soap and I could sing ballads for it right now. I would settle for a dunk in a watering trough if the bastards would allow it, but they seem to delight in keeping me in filth. I’m so envious of the mages that learned cleaning spells right now it’s pathetic. I will learn every spell of that nature I can once we are out of here.” Caleb replied dryly.

“If any of your pets crawl off onto me would you be so kind as to tell me their names so I can tell them to return to you?” Shade asked with a smirk.

“Bitey and Itchy have already migrated and I doubt they will return. You are greener pastures than me at this point, too much competition over here and you likely smell better than I do.” Caleb returned with a completely serious expression on his face despite the bizarre nature of the conversation.