XXIV
They packed their stuff up, the two knights hauling the blankets and other items back into the wagon and prepared the bad-tempered horses.
Fletcher sustained he couldn't assist them because he was physically weak whilst James didn't give an excuse and instead laid down on his back on the grass, stretching out and sunning like a cat.
Even though Thomas gave him the stink eye for his laziness, he didn't dare challenge him.
Alex, on the other hand, was avoiding eye contact altogether, as if ignoring him made him stop existing.
He doubted anyone else noticed the strange behaviour, the man was normally a grouch in the best of moods.
?He could hear the faint delicate steps of Ino approaching him from behind and he didn't move, closing his eyes to enjoy the warmth. The orange light that played his eyelids was suddenly gone and darkened, her body blocking the sun and casting a shadow upon him.
?"You're blocking my sun." he informed her, not opening his eyes.
?"You're lying in my shadow." she shot back.
?James waited but she didn't move, nor did she say anything more. He cracked open one eye, looking up at her in disdain. She wore the same soul-sucking black dress as the day before and gloves on her hand that hadn't been there before. James frowned at them.
?"What's with the gloves?" James asked. The weather was too warm for extra accessories, James himself was sweating under his newly-replaced arm covering.
?"I've come to an unsettling conclusion." Ino articulated carefully.
?James nodded ruefully. "Your wardrobe."
?She lowered herself down next to him, her movements slow and deliberate.
James himself often moved in the same way and he wondered if it was the result of growing up in slums, where others would look for any opportunity to strike at someone they think is unsuspecting.
They had nothing else in common, other than their affinity for death.
?"Not my fashion sense, no. I'm meant to dress modestly. I just think you should be careful."
?James gave her one long inspection and then closed his eyes again, losing interest. "I don't need to be careful about my outfit, my good looks make up for it."
?"I think there's a lot about relics that we still don't know." she went on, undeterred. "Don't let Eris act without your permission."
?Interest rekindled, James opened his eyes again to read her face.
?"What makes you say that?"
?Ino looked at him out of the corner of her gaze, her lips pressing together. "You'll realise soon."
?James clicked his tongue. "Do you get off on being so cryptic, or what?"
?Ino watched the two knights bicker in the background. "You wouldn't believe me if I said it out loud, so you need to put this puzzle together yourself."
?"I hate puzzles." James muttered, not having any reason for the compulsive lie.
?"Suck it up." she said, not a hint of humour in her voice. She stood up, blocking the sun once more. "Luckily for you, the pieces are quite eye-catching, so I think you'll be fine."
?James watched her leave, walking over to where the two knights stood.
Alex leaned down as she balanced on her tiptoes, whispering in his ear.
Whatever she said, it must not have been good as Alex's face screwed up like he's gotten a taste of something sour.
Even though Alex didn't look his way, his attention completely shielded, James did notice one of Alex's feet shifting to point in James direction.
?"They're shit talking me." he murmured to Eris, the words came out as if he was offended even if he wasn't. His voice had a habit of doing that; filling in the gaps for emotions that were supposed to be there. "The pricks."
?James turned his attention to Thomas, who had been standing close to them.
Without being asked, he'd stepped away, letting them talk in private, unperturbed.
It seemed Alex had one professional subordinate, at least. He wondered which noble family Thomas was from; all the king's guards were nobles; commoners suffered from a glass ceiling unless they'd gathered enough funds to purchase a title.
He didn't know how capable the knight was, so he'd have to test him once they returned.
?Ino tore off her gloves once she finished what she had to say and went back into the temple, waving a hand without looking back. James frowned at the action, perhaps the gloves were intended for him to notice rather than to simply warm her hands. That was one puzzle piece found.
?Whatever she said to Alex may have been the second piece, considering she hadn't taken them off until after.
?James paused his thoughts. Damn her. She knew him well, somehow. James did always enjoy the odd game and puzzles used to be his speciality as a child. They gave him a blank one once just to see if he could manage. Though, he never did get to finish it in the end.
?Alex looked at James for the first time since that morning and hesitated before strolling over. The sun was blocked once again, much to his annoyance.
?"Get off your lazy arse and help." Alex said.
?James raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you are talking to me then?" he drawled dryly.
?Alex glowered at him, quite severely. James put his hands up in mock surrender and suppressed a smirk, though he had a feeling that Alex would pick up on his humour anyway, he was perceptive like that.
?"Only when it's necessary, I don't really enjoy torturing myself."
?James bit his lips the words that threatened to pour out. He needed to be patient.
?"What did Ino tell you?" James asked, sitting up to offer the possibility of his physical assistance in return for an answer.
?Alex glanced him up and down. "She wants me to ask my dad to increase his donations to the Moira temple." he said, turning away to continue the carriage checks.
?Alex was a very good liar, James commended him for that. It took a liar to know one.
?James was a good liar in a different way, he threw so much information at people that it was impossible to discern what was truthful or not.
Alex, on the other hand, had some way of going cold and cutting off the emotions so you couldn't get a solid read on him.
It was possible that James had already been fooled numerous times without realising it.
?"Hey!" he called, standing, Alex turned his head to consider him. "If you're not the duke's biological child, why does he use you as his dog instead of one of them?"
?"It's because I'm not his real child that I get used like this." Alex appeased him. "That was the whole point in adopting me in the first place."
?Even though their conversation was loud enough to be overheard, Thomas ignored it in the background, fiddling with one of the saddles. Fletcher, on the other hand, seemed too concerned about writing something down in his notebook.
?"What's your real name?" Alex asked back.
?A lie almost spilled out unconsciously and James reeled it in. This back and forth was the only untainted trust the two men shared for each other, James wasn't going to lose the little he had.
?He rested his hands on his hips and bowed his head, shaking it in scorn. He was half-tempted to answer truthfully just to get the satisfaction of seeing Alex's shocked face but he wasn't ready for that. There was no way their dynamic would remain the same if they knew him.
?"You're a shit, you know that right?" James grunted. Clearly the duke was a sensitive topic for Alex, because the question he'd posed to James was never meant to be answered; it was just there to shut him up and stop him from asking more.
?"Cry about it."
?James watched as Alex went back to saddling up the horses, unconcerned that he'd just pissed him off.
?"I'll fucking make you cry." James muttered under his breath, kicking the grass.
"Should we just stab him?" he asked Eris, but he got the feeling she disagreed.
Who was King William kidding? James would never make a good king himself; diplomacy wasn't a word he even knew. Violence was more his forte.
?He remembered what Ino said, that relics could get a read of people just through touch; Alex had touched Eris so she must know a lot about him that he didn't. Clearly she'd seen something in the man that was good enough for her to advocate for him to stay alive.
?Before going over to help, James silently stalked behind Fletcher and took the book straight out of his hands, scanning the contents.
?"Hey!" Fletcher protested and stood in a scramble to try to snatch it back, but Fletcher was a lot shorter than he was and not nearly as quick.
?"Another poem about Ankaid royalty?" James scoffed, reading it over in scorn. He threw it back, not wanting to touch the disgusting pages for any longer than what was possible, like he had horse shit in his hands. "Since when did you care about that megalomaniac?"
?Fletcher hugged the book to his chest, like his skinny arms could actually protect it, wary of James.
?"Why'd you call His Highness that?"
?"Call him what?" James asked absently, already walking away.
?"A megalomaniac." Fletcher's voice was close, following after him.
?"That's a big word, son, don't hurt yourself."
?Fletcher overtook him and planted his feet into the soil, his arms outstretched, blocking his way like a small petulant puppy. He could feel the knights watching them so he didn't push the kid out of the way, placating his attempt to be an obstacle.
?"Why do you think His Highness King Fabian is a megalomaniac?" Fletcher insisted on asking.
?James chuckled without feeling the humour of the situation.
"Probably the fact that his entire family died under suspicious circumstances.
" he hummed. "The part where he then starts genociding people based on an innocuous eye colour was also pretty funny, didn't his dad and brother have red eyes? Hilarious."
?"Okay, break it up." Thomas said, guiding Fletcher away by the shoulders. "Be careful James, not even you're immune to the law. What you're saying is treasonous."
?James practically giggled at that, holding his hands out and gesturing around them. "Dude, I'm already fucking under arrest! And I'm sure Fabian will survive some little words said by a little person in the middle of nowhere."
?"You talk as if you know a lot about him." Fletcher muttered.
?James' smile dropped like a coin, his gaze cold as he stared the man down. He withheld his urge to say a lot of colourful words to the weaker man and instead instructed him to; "Shut up," in a low murmur. Fletcher nodded, flinching at the low words and then allowing Thomas to pull him away.
?"He's a scholar, he's nosy by nature." Thomas explained, although he looked a little pale himself.
?James didn't buy the excuse. Fletcher had been fishing for information a little bit too close to the bottom when he hadn't been before.
He glanced at the temple, wondering what happened for the man to suddenly start holding some valid suspicions.
Perhaps he had read something, or James had said something.
?Fletcher probably wasn't a spy, he had no motive to be; King William had funded all his research since he was an unknown teenager from a commoner family.
He was just some kid that was hungry for knowledge.
James actually liked the guy, but that didn't mean he'd let him get away with digging for the skeletons that James had meticulously buried himself.
?"Tell him to put his shovel away and you won't hear me being treasonous again." James smiled brightly, sidestepping them to claim one of the horses that wasn't attached to the carriage. He preferred being mobile and in control of his own transport.
?Fletcher was put on the carriage bench like last time.
However, Alex had told Thomas to drive it instead of him, which left James and Alex riding side by side in front, the carriage trailing behind them a few paces.
At some point, Alex's horse got just a little too close to him, which caused his own horse to sidestep and nearly buck him off.
He flailed to stay on, looking down at where his hands grasped at the saddle to make sure they didn't slip.
?Alex muttered an apology, but James hardly heard it, his ears pounding, blood freezing, staring down at his hands in an incomprehensible shock. His head was cold and lightheaded like someone had poured icy water over it and an ache welled up in his chest as he gaped at them.
?"Alex..." he said, his voice wobbly.
?Alex picked up on the tone and did a double-take at him in worry, scanning him and their surroundings for danger. "What?"
?His tongue felt heavy in his mouth. "I didn't kill anyone last night, did I?"
?A tentative silence passed them and James looked Alex directly in the eye, his face giving every single emotion away, every fear.
It was one thing for James to hold a conversation without realising, it was another for him to find his hands burned and scabbed over by Eris' bite when he had no recollection of ever using her.
?It couldn't have been an old wound; his hands had completely healed in her absence. The ones he saw were new.
?"No, James, you didn't." Alex explained carefully, treating the matter delicately like he was trying not to startle a beast that was on the edge. Alex looked down at the palms though and his lips pressed into a tight line.
?"How sure are you?" James demanded, he would have grabbed the man by his collar if he could. "This is important, Alex."
?Alex shook his head, his brows furrowed. "James, I'm positive you didn't leave the temple last night and when you did, I was there. You couldn't have killed anyone."
?James let out a breath but the uneasiness persisted. Was this what Ino was trying to signal to him?
?"Alex, what did Ino tell you?"
?The man was facing forward again, his posture stiff; but he hadn't shut off his emotions yet; James could see the internal battle that was going on in his head.
Was this what Ino had been talking about when he told him to be careful of Eris?
But, why would Eris bite him if she hadn't killed anything?
There was no reason to draw his lifeforce from him.
?Eris, just what did you do?
?Alex glanced back to him and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by someone in the distance.
?"Oi, there!" The voice yelled, gruff and aggressive.
?Alex cantered ahead to where the men loitered, their uniforms matching. They stood looking around the bloodied scene that James had made the day before, the smell festering and carrying over despite how far they were.
?Alex didn't disembark his horse once he reached the men, even though he heard the men order him to get down.
Some other knights came up to support their superior, grunting harshly at Alex, who remained unimpressed and unmoving.
James could tell the knights weren't part of the royal order as they were missing the blinding dark blue details on their clothes, it was likely they were in a lower division; the sector which normally deals with general civillian crime.
?Thomas cursed once they saw the men become more agitated, they were within hearing range and it didn't sound good.
He jumped off the bench and hurried over to where the argument was heating up.
Once Thomas got there, the knights gestured wildly, pointing an accusing finger at Alex.
Thomas warded them off with an insistent hand.
After that, they mostly ignored Alex as they started talking with Thomas instead.
?James frowned at the sight befolding in front of him, a glance at Fletcher showed he also felt sour about what he was witnessing.
?"What was that about?" James asked as the two men returned.
?Alex steered his horse back round next to James, shaking his head.
?"They didn't believe that we were actually royal knights." Thomas explained when Alex didn't, returning to the carriage. Fletcher helped him up, a gesture that was purposed with kindness more than it was actually helping.
?"They didn't believe I was a royal knight." Alex corrected, impassively. It was said casually, like it was a common occurrence that heeded no more attention but James could see the tension hidden under the forced slackness.
?Whilst James had met all kinds of people in his travels, he'd never stuck around the same people to witness how they constantly lived.
He knew in his head that Ashadis were treated poorly but he'd never particularly felt it after witnessing a scene.
It was a string of strangers encountering a single instance, because he never stuck around very long, rather than one person constantly taking hit after hit.
?James was no saint, he probably had looked upon them in the same way as a child. It wasn't until he learned that slaves were kind enough to pretend not to notice when you picked their master's pockets that he'd built his own opinion.
?The knights glowered at them as they let them pass, they tried to skirt around the bodies best they could and James admired his own work from up high.
There was a time he used to feel bad about taking a life, about death in general, but he'd witnessed too many of those to emotionally respond anymore.
In another life, he would have made a good Moira priest.
?The knights all broke into laughter once they'd gotten ahead of the scene, it didn't take a genius to guess what they joked about.
?"Do you want me to kill them for you?" James asked. He wanted to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling under his skin and murder seemed like an easy solution.
?Alex chuckled like he thought James was joking. Thomas didn't join in, though, probably because he was too scared of him. Fletcher just had an uneasy smile, looking ill from the gore.
?James shrugged, the question left unanswered. He had remembered those men's faces, he would just decide for himself if they ever had the displeasure of meeting him again.
?That would probably get rid of his discomfort.