Chapter Five
Lumi rode for a good hour and came to the edge of the nearby forest. He dismounted and patted the horse’s furry side. The northern beast would be fine outside. “You can go back later, so I won’t tether you. When you get hungry and cold, you know where home is. You’re a smart boy.”
The horse snorted.
“You won’t find much grass under the snow. Not these days. Don’t wait too long.”
Lumi forced his way through the knee-high snow as more flakes started to fall.
The wind that morning had blown a good deal away and made odd little piles and drifts across the empty plain between there and Havaska.
In the forest, a lot had fallen from the branches and piled up between the trunks.
He struggled through the best he could and wished he could have stayed on the horse since it had snowshoes.
It was better to go on his own now. The river that cut through the area was dangerous to ride by.
The bank was heavily sloped, and one wrong step could send a man and his mount into the icy water.
He wouldn’t be permitted to bring the horse anyway, so why make the poor beast walk further to get back?
The trees were also quite thick, and Lumi had to be careful with all of the fallen branches. Of course, the trees were dying like every other thing.
Under his layers, he started sweating as he trudged through and tried to avoid branches and uneven spots that would trip him. A stiff breeze blew, and a bunch of snow from the branches above landed on him.
“Fuck,” he swore under his breath, trying to brush it off.
Once he emerged closer to the river, he crouched behind a boulder half-buried in the snow and looked around. Things had already been discussed before he’d come. Actually, Lumi had listened to his instructions and promised to obey. It wasn’t like he’d been given options.
He didn’t dare wait any longer, so he’d go tonight. He was probably a bit early. The boat wouldn’t stay in one spot the entire time, but it would come later at night.
He squinted and frowned when he saw no boat. He held back a frustrated noise and huddled to wait. The river could be treacherous in the dark with the ice chunks and rocks, so it might take a bit.
Waiting was dangerous. Thoughts threatened to creep in and knock out the pieces he had so carefully cobbled together. His freedom was nearly over.
A light twinkled in the distance, and he perked up a bit to see, although he wasn’t willing to stand yet. The skin above his scarf tingled with cold, and he was surprised his damn eyeballs hadn’t frozen solid.
The lights inched closer and approached the bank.
With the few lanterns on the boat, Lumi couldn't tell much. He finally stood and watched as it paused. The boat would wait there for him until morning. To be sure it wasn’t simple fishermen dropping anchor for the night, he lowered his scarf and put two fingers in his mouth to whistle.
After a few seconds, it was returned.
“Lumi.”
His heart nearly stopped as he jumped at the familiar voice and turned to see a figure in black. For a moment, he couldn’t fathom who would be walking through the woods so late in the cold. It couldn't be the Prince because he never wore black.
But it was his voice that spoke. “Don’t go.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lumi said stupidly. His breath puffed out, and in the moonlight, the shape drew nearer.
“Don’t give me more lies. I gave you a chance to come to me. I'll protect you.”
Lumi’s gloved fingers scrambled for the rock near him as he shifted his right arm. “You don’t understand.”
“Yes, I do. I know enough. Come back with me. I won’t let Father hang you for treason, and I can protect you.”
“He’s not your Father.”
Prince Jaki paused. “I know he’s not. He was honest with me, and if you’re honest, you’ll be saf-”
“It’s too late.” Lumi’s throat tightened. “If I don’t go back…”
He’d told Lumi he’d find him if he refused to return. He’d tear apart the Kingdom and the whole realm if he had to. There would never be any escape because he owned Lumi.
He’d never had a choice or a chance. It had all been taken from him at the age of fourteen. The last thing he wanted to do was get on the boat even though it was his only option.
His body froze as Prince Jaki came closer.
Maybe he could let the Prince steal him.
It wouldn’t be Lumi’s fault, right? He could have a little more time with him instead, and then.
..A sob hitched in his chest because no matter how he tried to twist it in his head, it was only a fantasy he couldn’t truly have.
Just like his freedom. The lies wouldn't make it true in the end.
“Lumi.” Prince Jaki’s bare hand cupped his face.
“I wanted you,” whispered Lumi. He wanted someone to care and save him. Someone who would protect him from that and give him real freedom.
The metal was cold despite being against his forearm and up his sleeve.
“Then come back with me.”
Lumi's gut twisted while he tried to brace the pieces of his mind. The metal slipped lower.
Prince Jaki’s face came closer. “I’ll give you whatever you want. Anything.”
“We can’t. I can’t.”
“Fuck what everyone else thinks. Come back with me, and I’ll make sure you’re safe. No one will touch you.”
How he’d hoped for someone to rescue him before.
He’d never wanted anything more in years than that and the man before him.
Lumi pressed his cheek into Jaki’s hand and tried to memorize the feel of his touch.
It would be the last time. The only hands that would touch him again were his , and they’d never be so kind or gentle.
Lumi had no choice even though he wanted the gentle side of Jaki forever. If he got a hold of Lumi…
Jaki’s lips brushed his before he made a strange sound. Lumi yanked the dagger out from between his lower ribs and rammed the heel of his hand into his nose. It was such a simple move, but it worked. Jaki grunted, and Lumi turned to run.
“Wait-”
Lumi slipped on the snowy slope, and his cloak tightened around his neck as the Prince clung to it. Lumi started to drag him, so he undid the clasp.
The pressure eased, and he tumbled down. As soon as he hit the bottom which was only a few feet from the frozen edge of the river, he started running. Rocks threatened to trip him as he summoned his fire to one fist and waved.
A figure with a lantern at the railing shouted. Other men came closer with something to lower over the side. Lumi had no choice but to brave the ice, and it crunched like glass under his boots. He didn’t stop even when a piece gave out.
His stomach lurched for a second at the sensation of falling, and he barely managed to stay upright, but the water wasn’t deep.
Its iciness immediately soaked through his trousers up to his knee and poured into his boots as he splashed toward the lowered rope ladder.
He grasped a rung and started to climb as his breathing turned ragged.
He had no idea if he’d killed the Prince or not. A sob threatened to break free.
Elira forgive him if he’d killed Jaki. He’d tried not to and only intended to hurt him enough to keep him at bay, but if he bled out despite the cold…
The men seemed to believe Lumi when he said someone had tried to rob him.
The man must have followed him and thought he’d be an easy target.
People were desperate enough to take such chances, and out in the woods, who would see him or hear his screams?
It explained his panic and why his slim, long knife was bloody when they took it away.
Lumi was stripped and left chained in a room below deck. A lirek collar had been placed around his neck to suppress his magic. The men probably had instructions to beat him or do whatever was necessary if he acted up. They must have been told to not use his ass since they left him be.
They didn’t allow him clothes and free roam about the ship so he could pretend his freedom had been extended. All he saw was the dark, dank room while the ship made its way along the river for days. When he closed his eyes, he saw Jaki dead in the woods, and the image made him sick.
Elira didn’t care about Lumi, and even she couldn’t save him. Maybe she’d protect Jaki. Maybe the Prince would live. He wasn’t weak, and if he got to a healer in time, he’d be fine. Lumi hadn't stabbed his heart.
The chains on Lumi’s wrists let him reach the privy pot and the food and water he received. His bed was a cot with a blanket that wasn’t thick enough to keep away the cold.
He might as well get used to chains and nudity again. At least the swaying of the ship didn’t make him sick.
Rinder’s River was named after the first King who supposedly sailed along it after he received Elira’s gift.
It was swift, and a trip that would take days by horse was much faster since the terrain and snow weren’t a problem.
Ice chunks floated about, but they usually weren’t too big, and any man who knew a few things about sailing would stay away from the edges where the ice could get quite thick.
It went through no-man’s land which was on the border. The guards from either side didn’t mess with lone fishing boats for the most part.
Lumi didn’t get to see any of it as it carried them farther south and west. When he was finally allowed out of the room, it was only so he could be removed from the ship and put into a covered cart. He was now in West Iceland.
Even though the cart was covered, he was cold, and the men didn’t give a fuck. They had no clue who he actually was, and their only goal was to fetch and bring him to the one who paid them. They probably thought Lumi had displeased him in some terrible way to warrant the cruel treatment.
“Can I at least have a c-cloak?” he dared to ask as he huddled in the corner of the cart with his knees drawn up and his tail wrapped around himself in a laughable attempt to warm his bare legs.