Everything was dark.

Ezo didn’t remember why, but as he tried to open his eyes, his body ached and his head pounded. He groaned, trying to vocalize how miserable he felt. What had he been drinking last night?

“Ezo?”

Kammon called his name, gentle in a way that it never was. Fear had crept into his voice, and Ezo wanted to look at Kammon to understand where he was, but he didn’t have the strength.

“Kammon?” It took a minute, but he managed to lick his lips wet enough to call his lover.

“Ezo, how are you feeling?”

“Were we drinking last night? Something worse than drinking because my worst hangover was never this bad.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

A cool glass was brought to his lips before he could answer, though, and he accepted it, drinking as much as Kammon would allow. He pulled the cup away, and Ezo grimaced. “Leria powder? That tastes disgusting.”

“Necessary,” Kammon said. “What is the last thing you remember?”

He remembered the ride into Desra. They’d gone to the University. They’d… he sat up quickly but had to clutch his head as pain ripped through his entire body.

“Ezo! Stay down. You aren’t in any shape to get up.”

“What happened?” Ezo demanded.

“Please, lie down, and I’ll tell you everything.”

Ezo finally opened his eyes and saw Kammon. He looked a little rougher than usual, but it was all superficial. He didn’t feel him out through the bond. As much as his head hurt right now, he had no desire to make it worse by attempting magic.

Strong hands helped him lay down again, but this time Ezo could see a little of the room he was in. An inn or tavern somewhere, from the looks of it. It was dark out, and there was only a single candle lit. A plate of half-eaten food sat on the table across from the bed. He’d have to make sure Kammon was eating later.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Happy? Now, what happened?”

Kammon sat at the edge of the bed and brought out a bowl with a rag in it. He wrung it out and wiped Ezo’s face. He might complain about being babied, but the cool water felt too good. So did the soothing hands that administered it, but he would keep that to himself.

“I’m not sure what to say.”

Ezo tried to protest, but Kammon stopped him. “Ezo, it’s nothing I’ve seen before. What happened to you…” he leaned forward, and Ezo could see the concern on his face. “It is still you in there, right?”

“Stop being a pain in the ass and tell me already,” he said, though his tone was far more gentle than he’d intended.

Kammon laughed softly. “Guess so.”

He sat up then, and Ezo waited as Kammon collected himself.

“They sent a firestorm down on us. It was meant to rattle me. And it did. I … I was lost, and when I came back to myself … you were holding so much power, Ezo. I don’t know how you survived it. I’ve never seen anything like it. You brought the walls of the University down around them. You weren’t coherent after, but I was able to get us on a horse and get out of there. You passed out soon after, though.”

He didn’t remember it. He did remember Kammon’s reaction to the fire, but nothing else.

“Are you okay?” Ezo asked.

“I’m worried about you,” Kammon pushed Ezo’s concern away. “We’ve been here for three days. You woke up a few times, but you always slid back into unconsciousness before I could talk to you.”

“That explains why I feel awful.”

“I’m afraid there is still a lot of leria powder in your near future,” Kammon said with a grimace. “I’d take you to Tam’s Flat, but my connection to them is too well known. We have to stay out of sight for a while. They wanted me before we showed up at the University. Now they’ll want both of us.”

“I have a place we can go,” Ezo said. “I found it after we separated, but I didn’t get to tell you about it yet. I want to go to Fairhills first, though. I want to find Jacob’s journal. There is nothing left of my village so I doubt they’d look there. If Jacob hid his journals, I need to find them.”

“Rest. That’s what you need. After you’re feeling better, we’ll talk about that.”

“Sounds good,” Ezo said as he closed his eyes. Exhaustion pulled at him again. Kammon pushed him around on the bed, and when Ezo opened his eyes, he realized Kammon was lying down with him. He wrapped Ezo in his arms, and Ezo relaxed.

“I’m so sorry I led us into that, Ezo.”

Ezo wrapped his hand around Kammon’s back and set his head to rest on the other man’s shoulder. “It would take a lot more than that to take me from you.”

He felt the press of lips against his forehead, and Ezo fell into troubled dreams.