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The first night in the cavern was awkward and strange. The beds were comfortable, warm, and dry, which was drastically different from what he’d become used to over the past few months. Even the taverns they’d stayed at along the way had never been all three at once. Dusk found himself tossing and turning as the night went on, unable to stay asleep for very long.
At long last he gave up, reaching over the side of the bed to the small silver lantern Selussa had given him. He turned a flat metal knob like a key on the side of it, opening the shutters so that a low orange light glowed from within it. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed he lifted it so that it sat next to him. His bow and quiver were leaning against his bed along with his pack. Having them on the other side of the room made him nervous. He lifted the bow and looked over it in the dim light. The arms of the bow were delicately curved and scrolled at the very ends. Along its surface, he could make out a finely embossed pattern of intertwining vines and leaves, something that hadn’t been there before it had been changed by Fayard. It was lighter, easier to pull back, and if the incident in Birchwood had been anything to go by, much more accurate than before. Dusk ran his fingers across the delicate, but amazingly strong braided unicorn hair string. If it hadn’t been for Fayard’s blessing, Lex would most likely be dead, speared through by the soldier that had tried to stop them.
He still missed Maribel terribly, but as he had to keep reminding himself, she was better off and much safer. It occurred to him that he’d trusted the unicorn almost implicitly, hardly questioning why he was taking Maribel away. But then again, who was he to question a unicorn? Up until a few weeks ago he didn’t believe they were real. Even after Meadow’s incredible tale about Fayard, he still didn’t believe they existed. But once he met Fayard face to face, it felt foolish and somehow wrong to refuse his request. That and Maribel had seemed so eager to go with him.
Dusk set the bow down, leaning it back against the bed. Pulling up his pack he rummaged around, looking for the one thing that brought him comfort. He pushed aside the Inahandrian crown and the bags of magic dust until he found his book lying at the very bottom. It looked a bit more weathered than when Captain Duillearga had given it to him. Lifting it up he turned it so that the silver foil pressed into the cover caught the light. Star of the Fallen shimmered, the delicate calligraphy still as beautiful as the day he first saw it. On their trip he’d read through the book at least half a dozen times, if not more. Passages of it were committed to memory and he was dying to know what became of Jax as his journey went on. It suddenly struck him as odd that he was so eager to go on an adventure with this make-believe character, but so reluctant to go on with his own when it was sitting right in front of him.
A small knock at the door drew his attention away. “Yes?”
The door latch lifted and swung open a couple inches. “Are you still awake Dusk? I thought I saw your light,” Lex asked, standing in just his trousers with a small silver lantern in his hand.
“I couldn't sleep,” Dusk replied, setting the book in his lap.
“It’s too comfortable, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Mind if I come in?”
“That’s fine,” Dusk said, scooching over on the bed so that Lex could sit beside him.
Lex closed the door quietly behind him and crossed the room to the bed. He was barefoot and shirtless, his injured arm out of its sling, but still bandaged. Blond hair stuck out at odd angles, like he’d slept on it for a moment. It had grown long and was in need of a trim. He plopped down next to Dusk on the pile of furs and blankets, setting his lantern on the floor. Putting his hands in his lap he slouched forward, looking at the book balanced on Dusk’s knees.
“Reading that again?” he asked with a smirk.
“I was thinking about it.”
“You must’ve read that a dozen times by now. That’s all you did on both the ships.”
“I don’t remember how many times I’ve finished it,” Dusk grinned, shaking his head. “I was slow the first time, but I’m much quicker now.”
“What’s it about?”
“It’s about a Rhyka named Jax,” Dusk began, slowly searching for his words. “He goes through some pretty bad stuff with his village, but then one of the gods chooses him to go on a quest. He doesn’t really know what it’s all about or what to do, but as he goes on he slowly begins to figure it out.”
“Sounds like all of us,” Lex chuckled, his teeth catching the light as he smiled. “We’ve been a lot of bumbling fools ourselves on this trip.”
“Me more than the rest of you,” Dusk sighed.
“Really? I would have picked myself as the worst one.”
“Why? You at least knew how to fight, how to socialize, and how to move around without standing out. I didn’t even know how to talk to people.”
“But look at the massive mistake I made,” Lex shrugged, hanging his head. “I almost lost you because I was too afraid to admit who I really was to you.” He turned his head, those green eyes looking up at Dusk. “When we first met I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d run when you heard my name. Then I didn’t tell you because I despised you for getting us trapped in those ruins in Alamond.” They both laughed, remembering that misadventure far below the surface of the earth with the goblins. “And then, as I came to enjoy your company, I knew I couldn’t tell you because of what it would mean. I... I guess part of me was hoping you’d never find out about Alexander de Ronja IV. I wanted to just be Lex to you.”
“I’m sorry I got so upset,” Dusk said, keeping his gaze locked on Lex’s. Lex began to retort, but he held up his hand to silence him. “No really, I am sorry. I was so hurt over Yarick and so upset that we never got a moment’s peace, that your... heritage made me feel betrayed. But at the same time, I’ve done the same thing the entire time we’ve known one another. You only know bits and pieces about my life. I haven’t shared anything with you.”
“I didn’t want to ask,” Lex said, brushing a lock of hair out of his face. “I don’t know how slaves are treated in the mines, but I knew it had to be painful to live through and to remember. I didn’t want to make you live through it again.”
“Maybe I need to.”
“What do you mean?”
“Would you stay up with me and listen to my story?” Dusk asked, biting his bottom lip. “I know it won’t be pleasant or good, but maybe if I finally tell someone everything that happened to me, maybe it will hurt less, you know?”
“I’m always here for you, whatever you need,” Lex replied, reaching forward and taking one of Dusk’s hands. “If you’re sure this is what you need, I’ll listen.”
“Thank you,” Dusk smiled, cupping his hand on Lex’s jaw and pulling him in. He planted a small kiss on his cheek. “I guess I should start at the beginning.” He took a deep breath, readying himself for what he was about to do. “I don’t remember much from being a child. I don’t know who my parents were or how I came to be alone, but I do remember begging for food on the streets of Eblesal as winter set in almost eleven years ago.”
And as the night went on, Dusk continued his story. He told Lex everything he could remember from living on the streets in Eblesal to being captured and brought to the mines. The days of hard work, how they all blended together after a while, and how he attempted his first daring escape only to be captured and beaten. He told how his life became one long night after that point, getting up before dawn to work and only leaving the mines once the sun had gone down. He found himself absentmindedly rubbing the places on his arms where the chain scars used to be, but nothing remained of them, only a small patchwork of white scales from the first magic he’d done dappled his skin. Lex looked at the almost unrecognizable tattoo on Dusk’s forearm as he talked about getting each of his marks. Dusk even mentioned Nine, the young redheaded boy he’d discovered Tephyss’s cave with, and how he felt responsible for Nine’s death. He talked about his final escape thanks to Brand’s thugs, the few days he spent with Juniper, and then finally the day he came across Lex hogtied in the middle of the road. Both of them laughed about the way they’d met and how Lex had been so obnoxiously talkative. Dusk even admitted to wanting to leave him behind because he never shut up.
Eventually, without either of them realizing, they’d shifted their position so that they were lying next to one another on the bed, both of the lanterns glowing from the floor. Lex had his head on Dusk’s chest as he continued to talk, drawing swirling patterns on Dusk’s forearm to show he was still awake and commenting in all the right places. Dusk continued, sharing his feelings about their journey and the obstacles they’d come through. He felt a sense of ease now that they’d finally accomplished what they’d set out to do, even if it took some figuring out to find the goal. When it came down to it, he knew they were safe in Lyra’s care and with her help, they’d figure out how to get rid of Tiernan before he could do any real damage. He stopped himself before he mentioned how much he really didn’t want to be the crystal’s keeper, knowing he didn’t have much of a choice anyway.
Slowly they came to a comfortable silence, neither of them needing words any longer, but enjoying one another’s presence. It wasn’t long before Dusk felt Lex’s breathing shift, and small snores echo up from his chest. He smiled to himself, running his fingers through Lex’s hair, and closed his eyes, finally letting sleep take him.
“Time to get up you chucklefucks!” Tara yelled, throwing the door open so that it crashed into the wall.
Dusk shot up out of bed, launching a sleeping Lex off the side and onto the hard stone floor. He had his bow in his hand and an arrow in the other before he even had time to think.
“Shoot me! I don’t care!” Tara cried, stretching her arms above her head. “I slept so fucking good that I feel like I could take ten arrows today and not even flinch!”
“Tara!” Dusk called back. “Don’t scare me like that! I could have shot you!”
“Please... shoot her,” a groggy voice said from the floor.
Both Tara and Dusk craned their necks to see Lex lying in a heap, rubbing his head where it must have hit the floor.
“Aim for her knees,” he hissed. “I don’t want her to walk again.”
“You two sleeping together again?” Tara asked, turning her gaze to Dusk.
Dusk looked down at Lex. “How many arrows?”
“Several.”
“Well unless you’re going to shoot me sometime today, I would suggest you two get dressed.” She put her hands on her hips. “We’ve got a lot of training to get done today. Lyra wants you to stay fit and I’ll be damned if that’s not my favorite way to torture you both.”
“Lyra doesn’t need me to stay fit,” Lex whined, pushing himself up from the floor and dusting himself off. “Besides, I’m injured.”
“Walk it off, soldier,” Tara laughed, waving to them both as she exited the room.
Lex looked at Dusk, a large smudge of dirt on his cheek. “By the gods I hate her. I truly do.”
“I’m starting to understand why,” Dusk scoffed.
He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleepiness out of them. He knew he couldn’t have gotten more than an hour of sleep, if that. Lyra had told him to rest, not to be woken up at the break of dawn and pummeled all day long by a maniac.
Tara’s head popped back in through the door. “Seriously, I’m starving and I need to hurt someone. Let’s get a move on twinks! Chop chop!”
“If you don’t shoot her in the knee today, I swear...”