They spent the rest of the day hiking through the Zerlanese hills in the direction Elrann indicated, taking care to look out for any Imperials whenever they reached a vantage point. None appeared. Ryn’s shins began to ache from the walking, but it was nothing compared to the torture he had experienced at Vorr’s hands on the train.
He stayed at the back of the group so he could deliberately avoid Nuthea. She walked about ten paces in front with Sagar and Cid on either side, with Vish and Elrann leading the way about another ten paces in front of them. Just once Nuthea looked over her shoulder at him, presumably to check where he was. But only once.
Stupid girl. How can the others just carry on with her so easily? He supposed her actions hadn’t led to the destruction of their hometowns. Find Vorr. Get Vorr. Kill Vorr. Get away from Nuthea.
Just as the sun was beginning to dip into its final descent beyond the hill-line, they sighted a settlement: Wooden houses and cabins built right atop three hills.
“Nevva!” Elrann said. “We’ve found Nevva! I used to come here with my mother for holidays in the Summer!”
“A holiday…” said Sagar. “Just what we need about now.”
“One night,” said Nuthea. “We stock up on provisions, and stay one night.”
The town had a calm, peaceful feel, the people polite but reserved, acknowledging their arrival with nods and smiles but keeping out of their way. Although that might have been because they were still dressed in Imperial armour.
There were no genuine Imperials to be seen. Elrann explained that even though Zerlan was a vassal state of Morekemia, like all the other countries in Dokan, the Empire saw it as so small and insignificant that there had never really been much of an Imperial presence here at all. Apparently this applied to the invasion too—the Emperor hadn’t even seen fit to occupy Zerlan, but merely passed over it on the way to Manolioa.
“Why does he care about it so little?” Ryn asked.
He was taken off guard when Nuthea answered. “Because what he is most interested in is the Jewels.”
Yeah, because you told him where to find them.
The innkeeper at the inn they stopped at confirmed this. Thinking they were Imperials, he was extremely obliging, perhaps fearing that Zerlan was next on the list for invasion, but Sagar made up a story about them only being out on patrol to keep the peace. He told them the town hadn’t seen any other signs of the occupation, except the occasional movement of Imperial airships in the skies, and only knew about it from people traveling from Imfis who had got out just before. He offered them free room and board for the night, but Cid insisted he take their coin for it, saying that it was the Emperor’s policy.
“Why did you do that, old timer?” Sagar whispered as they climbed the creaky stairs to their rooms.
“We can’t exploit him and take his food and rooms for nothing just because we’re still dressed as Imperials.”
“Why the hells not? Suit yourself; it’s your coin.”
The inn had two separate dormitories for men and women, as was Dokanese custom, so the men parted from Elrann and Nuthea at the top of the stairs. Nuthea said an abrupt “Good night,” and entered her room without even looking at Ryn, or any of them, but he only felt angry at himself for the little sting of hurt he felt.
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There were no other travellers staying at the inn so they had the room to themselves.
“Now will you give me my poppy, old man?” Vish said the instant their door was shut.
Cid paused for the briefest of moments. “Yes. I said that I would, after all. And my word is my word.” He rummaged in his satchel and eventually brought out another of the small black seeds which he handed to Vish.
Vish didn’t thank him, but merely pulled down his face scarf, revealing his blackened mouth, and popped it in at once.
“Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh,” he sighed, and fell back onto one of the beds immediately. His eyes rolled into the back of his head.
It looked quite enjoyable, really. Ryn wondered if he should try it, if only to sleep better and escape from the night- and day-mares that plagued him, even just for a little while. But no...it clearly led to not being able to stop and became all-consuming if you started taking it. He had enough demons and emotional baggage to contend with already.
“What a loser,” said Sagar. “Time for a bath, methinks.”
While they had been eating their dinner of bread, cheese and wine the innkeeper had filled a wooden tub in the corner of the room with hot, steaming water.
Sagar took the first dip for himself, and Ryn couldn’t be bothered to fight him for it. Cid offered Ryn the second, though.
The water was still very hot, and as Ryn lowered himself into it, trying not to think about the dirt from Sagar’s body now in it, his muscles relaxed in the enveloping warmth and it soothed his shins. He couldn’t help from letting out a sigh of relief.
Bliss. Or the closest I’ve got to it in a long time.
The others seemed too tired to talk, and Ryn was no exception, so he lay enjoying the bath and his mind was left to wander.
This was not a good thing.
The usual thoughts crowded in on him at once. Mum. Dad. Cleasor. Find Vorr. Get Vorr. Kill Vorr. Get away from Nuthea.
When he thought of Nuthea, he couldn’t help from imagining that somewhere, in the women’s room, she might be having a bath too. In spite of himself, the thought got him excited. But it wasn’t like he could do anything about that right now, in the bath, with the others in the room. He shifted his legs around, hoping that they couldn’t see, and tried to direct his thoughts somewhere else, to focus on the warmth of the bath, to let it soothe his aches. Eventually his body calmed down, so he washed himself and got out to let Cid have a turn.
He dressed in his underclothes, hit the bed and was asleep in a matter of moments.
He dreamed of many things. As usual he dreamed of his mother being impaled on Vorr’s sword, of the houses of his hometown all aflame, of the light going out of his father’s eyes. He had thought and dreamed of these things so many times by now that even as he dreamed them he knew that he was dreaming, and simply watched them happening again, aware of this, with his sleeping mind’s eyes. But then he had a different dream. He dreamed of Nuthea getting undressed for her bath, taking off her armour and pulling her dress over her head.
Then Vorr appeared in his dream again, in the room where Nuthea was about to have her bath, in his black suit of armour, his huge sword on his back, flaming hair exposed. He took Nuthea by the hand and they began to dance together, she still naked, their bodies moving in time, and she giggled and jiggled and twirled for him.
“Tell me,” Vorr crooned in the dream. “Tell me everything. Tell me your secrets. Tell me where the Jewels are. Tell me where the Fire Ruby is.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” cried Nuthea jubilantly. “I’ll tell you everything and more! I’ll give it all to you! You’re actually quite handsome when you’re not on duty!”
And then Vorr drew his huge sword and ran her through the chest, just like he had done Ryn’s mother. Nuthea stopped and went still, looking down at the sword, rivulets of red running from where it entered her, making trails over her white stomach, then looked up at Ryn, seeing him in the dream for the first time.
“You couldn’t save me,” she said quietly to Ryn. “You didn’t do anything to rescue me. It’s all your fault. You’re a failure.”
“NO!” Ryn shouted, and woke, lathered in sweat, sitting up in bed.
“Oh will you just shut up, pup?!” Sagar complained from the next-door bed.
Cid stood over him. “Don’t worry, lad. You were having a nightmare. Again.”
Ryn blinked and looked around. The bedroom in the inn. The middle of the night.
His mind had forgotten that last part was a dream.
He was panting, but eventually his breathing slowed. Cid mopped his brow with a cloth and gave him a sweet-tasting herb to chew. Ryn turned over onto his other side, trying and failing not to think of Nuthea being seduced by Vorr to reveal the location of the Jewels and his horrible nightmare. Eventually the sweet scent of whatever herb Cid had given him overpowered the memory and lulled him back into sleep.
He did not dream again that night.