Requiem for a King [MxM]

Hiding

Hutton sat at the easternmost point of Avaly, edged by open ocean to the east, rocky outcroppings and cliffs to the north and dense forest to the west. The former king said it was his favourite place to retire to on the rare occurrences he got time to himself. Jaredeth had no idea what his father got up to in these parts, nor had he cared enough to ask.

The air on this side of the country was crisp and salty, cleaner than the winds that blew off the gulf in the capital. While Jaredeth usually found a cool ocean breeze calming, his mind was revealing with thoughts of his mother.

He and Quintus had spent an hour searching through the woods and found nothing. Not even the slightest trace of struggle. Now they were headed into Hutton to meet with the last possible candidate for his Council—if said candidate was still in the land of the living. Hopefully, they'd also have information on what happened to his mother. It happened in broad daylight. Someone had to see something.

"We shouldn't stay here too long," Jaredeth said. "If Havers couldn't arrange a meeting with Evalline and Lord Berevon, I'll need to do it myself." When no answer came, he looked over to make sure Quintus still rode alongside.

He did, but his eyes were rapt on the way ahead, the reins fisted tightly in his hands and his jaw set.

"Quintus?"

No answer.

"Quintus!"

He jumped, the sudden movement almost sent him over the side of his horse. "What?"

"Is something the matter? I've been trying to talk to you, but it's like you're in another world."

Quintus shook his head. "I just got lost in my head for a bit. Is that the gate up there?" He nodded to the way ahead, where two stone pillars marked the entrance to Hutton.

It was the smallest of Avaly's towns, only half the size of Carrina. The grove to the west and the mines at the north brought in most of the village's income. Rich deposits of amber and jadeite were a hot commodity for those visiting Avaly from the north.

But water was a problem here, with it being so far from the river. Poor town planning on his ancestor's part. The former King had assembled a team of researchers and engineers to work on a way to convert salt water to fresh water so they wouldn't need to transport so much from Carrina.

"Hm..." Quintus hummed, cutting into Jaredeth's thoughts. "I thought Necromancy was banned."

Jaredeth's heart skipped a beat. "There's a necromancer? Here?"

He nodded. "I need to talk to them."

"Why? Exposing them could be dangerous, Quintus," Jaredeth said. "I won't be able to protect them in my current position."

"There will be no exposing done, and no protection needed. You'll need to talk to them too, so I'd suggest you follow me." Quintus worked his horse into a canter and went down a side path to the village's east.

Jaredeth huffed and followed. He didn't know what Quintus was getting at, but he'd never led him astray before. Whether Jaredeth would have found peace and elation in Hutton's gentle winds, it seemed Quintus had found trouble. Maybe he was rethinking their arrangement after the previous night. A barrel of ale, a coat and a cathedral weren't worth the trouble of playing politics.

The thought of Quintus leaving him with his unresolved feelings wrenched at Jaredeth's heart. Perhaps that talk they had that morning wasn't a good one. There was more that needed to be said.

Quintus had stopped at a house at the end of the street. It was hewn from variegated stone with a chimney stack topping it. It looked no different from any of the others, save for the wind chimes hanging from the rafters.