‘How about you?’
‘I feel perfectly normal. Not even slightly hard of breath.’ Ravan laughed. ‘Onwards we go!’
Gavriel and Leo were sitting in a comfortable silence. Dusk had closed on the forest and though the birds had fallen quiet the crickets were just beginning to exercise their legs. Leo had found a decent spread of cold food. Neither of them considered it a good idea to light a fire just in case any of Stracker’s warriors were still straggling in and around the region.
They had talked for hours about Gavriel’s life in the mountains and Leo’s growing up in the forest. Inevitably the conversation had run to talk of the old days, of them trapped in the ingress of the palace and life on the run. Now they’d fallen into a comfortable silence, enjoying the summer’s mild evening.
And so it was with some shock that Gavriel heard the sound just when he had announced he would be turning in for the night. ‘Someone’s approaching,’ he said, leaping to his feet and reaching for his bow.
‘I heard. It’s not one of the men,’ Leo replied, quietly picking up his own weapon, belching as he did so.
‘Are you all right?’
‘I feel a bit ill. I’ll get over it. I probably just miss Lily’s food.’
They instinctively separated and began widening their distance from each other, circling closer to the person they could hear approaching. Gavriel nodded at Leo and ducked behind a large tree, his arrow already nocked. He could still see into the clearing but he’d be invisible to anyone who wasn’t aware he was there.
‘Who comes?’ Leo demanded.
‘Friends,’ came the response. It sounded like a child’s voice.
Behind the tree Gavriel frowned and although he didn’t step out, he did release the tension on his bow. Finding this camp was hard enough for a tracker so whoever was coming was either very determined or knew the way in.
‘Stop!’ he heard Leo say. ‘Name yourselves.’
Gavriel peeped around the tree trunk and could just vaguely make out two shapes, a tall person — a man — and then a shorter figure next to him. A boy?
‘I am called Roddy and this is Ravan,’ said the younger one.
Leo nodded. ‘You call yourselves friends but I don’t know you.’
‘You know Ravan.’
‘Does Ravan not have a voice?’ Leo asked.
‘Yes,’ the man replied. ‘He does.’
‘I don’t recognise it. I don’t recognise either of you. Step into the light or I will order the men who have you encircled to fill you with arrows. We don’t take kindly to strangers here.’
‘Please,’ Roddy said, and Gavriel could hear fear in his voice. ‘We come alone. There’s just the two of us. And Ravan will explain. You are King Leonel, aren’t you?’
Gavriel let go of all tension on the bow and stepped around from the tree fully. He noticed that the man called Ravan saw his movement immediately. Sharp eyes, he thought.
‘You should be careful what you claim,’ Leo said but Gavriel could hear the shock in it. He saw the king rub his eyes. ‘Come into the light of the lantern.’
Gavriel circled behind the pair as they approached Leo. The man registered his presence again, turning once and nodding. Gavriel was impressed by both his keen sense of his surrounds and his composure. He was impressive: tall, strong-looking and with a set of his jaw that looked as though he was used to making his own decisions. His hair was dark, loose to his shoulders and even in this low light seemed to gleam. And though he was clean-shaven and dressed in simple black garb Gavriel’s sense of him was that he was anything but uncomplicated. Even silent his presence was commanding and vaguely reminiscent of someone. He couldn’t place who or why. He frowned again, deeper this time.
‘How did you find this camp?’ he asked.
‘Ravan knows the way,’ the boy answered.
‘Who are you, Ravan?’ Leo asked. Though his tone was pointed, Gavriel thought he looked a little distracted. Was Leo sweating?
Gavriel came around to face the strangers, his weapon by his side.
The man bowed. It was elegant, at the same time humble. His companion followed, far clumsier in his execution. The boy looked unsteady as though slightly drunk.
‘My name is Ravan,’ the man began, ‘but I am known to you under another name. One that will shock. I would ask for your indulgence to hear out our tale.’ He glanced at the boy, who nodded vaguely.
Gavriel’s eyes narrowed. The man was deferring to the boy?
Leo did not miss the glance either. ‘Do you take your orders from a child, Ravan?’
The man smiled but there was no conceit in it. ‘Roddy has a better grasp on the world of men for the time being. He and I are close travelling companions. And we are friends. I trust his judgement.’
‘Over and above your own? How odd.’
Ravan gave a shrug. ‘We share our thoughts.’
‘Stranger and stranger,’ Gavriel remarked. ‘Let me search them first,’ he said to Leo.
Leo nodded, looking pale in the torchlight.
Both raised their arms without having to be asked. Gavriel could see neither had a weapon but he went through the motions to ensure they had nothing concealed about them. He shook his head at Leo.
‘Join us in the light,’ Leo said. ‘I’m afraid you are mistaken about King Leonel. He is not —’
‘Please, your majesty,’ Ravan said, his voice even, with not a hint of disdain in it. ‘I recognise you. I have known you since you were a boy.’
Leo had been settling himself on a log but jumped to his feet.'You will have to explain that. I do not recognise you.’
‘It does need some explanation — this is true. May I politely ask for some food and water for the boy, please?’ He looked at Roddy and frowned. ‘He has made a long journey to meet you.’
Leo glanced at Gavriel, who felt obliged to assemble some cheese, nuts and berries from their meagre rations. He set them down with a fresh pitcher of water. ‘Help yourself,’ he said to Roddy.
‘Thank you,’ the boy said and began picking at the food. Gavriel didn’t think the youngster looked well at all.
‘Yourself?’ Leo offered.
Ravan shook his head. ‘Thank you. You may remember me as Vyk,’ he began without further preamble.
‘The only Vyk I knew was a bird, I’m afraid,’ Leo said, shaking his head. ‘I have excellent recall of faces and names, even from my childhood but —’
Ravan nodded. ‘What sort of bird was the Vyk that you knew?’
‘Well, not that it’s relevant but he was a… …’Leo stopped.
Gavriel also paused in the action of lowering himself to one of the logs. The shock spread through him like fast moving molten. ‘You jest,’ he said, the words tumbling out before he could think them through.
Ravan’s gaze hadn’t left the king. ‘I followed you through the forest. De Vis here would have killed me if not for your compassion.’
Gavriel blanched and Leo’s slack expression told him the king was equally in denial.
Ravan continued, ‘Forgive me, I know this sounds incredible but I can prove everything I say. I led the girl called Lily to you. She helped you,’ he said, turning to Gavriel, ‘with the wound you received from the two poachers. She took you back to her father’s hut. He