Healer of Sakkara

Chapter 31 - Parting

Whenever someone called for something from a storeroom or cellar, he volunteered to fetch it, thus learning the locations of such places and what each contained; and often, if he could do so without it being noticed, he took more than he was sent to collect.

In helping to provision Obi, Triss, and Behn for their travels, Galen had seen a storeroom full of gear. Like most places in the Haven, it wasn't locked, and after seeing off his friends, he had returned there and selected a small pack for himself. Having managed to get it back to his room without being seen, he stowed it beneath the pillows on his bed and filled it with the things he 'collected' on his errands.

In short order, the pack was full, and nearly as well-provisions as those Triss and Behn had been sent off with. Then, Galen had nothing more to do but wait.

In the meantime, he rested and ate, and did everything he could to regain his strength. For the first few days he tired easily, but by the fourth he walked the perimeter of the valley basin before noon and spent an hour sparring with Iksthanis in the evening. At first, the larger man went too easy on him, but Galen had grown increasingly proficient with the staff, and finally coaxed the gentle giant to really challenge him. When he had as many bruises as he usually got from Triss, he was satisfied.

Later that evening, when the valley was dark and the sky lit with stars, he went to one of the naturally heated pools to soak his sore muscles and consider the next phase of his plan, which was nearly upon him. He had heard the Hands had finally cleared the entrance to the tunnels, and suspected Sevhalim would depart the following day.

For his part, Sevhalim seemed determined to avoid him, and had not spoken more than three words to him since the evening they had argued in his room — the night Sev had kissed him and claimed to care for him as more than a friend.

That was the other reason he kept himself busy. As soon as he held still long enough to think, his mind went straight to that, and to what 'more than a friend' meant, which caused a strange, tingly sensation to flutter at the base of his stomach.

He didn't like it. It was a complication he didn't need or want, and he was happy enough to ignore it for the moment.

Dragging his mind away from such thoughts, Galen closed his eyes and went through the list in his head again — everything he'd stored in his pack, the steps he would take, and when he would take them.

Soft footsteps interrupted his mental inventory, and he opened his eyes to see Sevhalim coming down the path towards the pool, dressed in a bathing robe with a towel over his shoulder. It seemed he hadn't seen Galen yet, so he swished his hand through the water to make a sound and alert the other man to his presence.

Sev looked up, saw him, and stopped.

"Galen. Forgive me for disturbing you."

He turned to leave.

"You're not disturbing me," Galen called, surprising himself as much as Sev. "There's plenty of room."

Sevhalim hesitated, and for a moment Galen thought he would ignore the invitation, but at last he turned back and approached again.

"Thank you. I will join you, then, if you don't mind."

Galen nodded, then looked away as Sev shed his robe and slipped into the water at the opposite side of the pool, as far from Galen as he could get.

For a while neither spoke; then Sev broke the silence.

"They've broken through to a passageway," he said. "It's in bad shape, but definitely Dweller-made. Tomorrow they'll shore it up a bit, make sure it goes somewhere, and then..."