Airie

Chapter 26

Dusan woke up to a knock on the door. He sat up on the bed, wincing at the bright morning light. The air was warm, and the blue sky outside the window promised a bright day. Next to Dusan, Reijo shifted in his asleep, his hand searching blindly for the blanket that had slid to the floor during the night.

Dusan rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had dreamt the sound that had awakened him. Then, the door opened, and a man in a long dark robe decorated with silver flowery patterns stepped inside.

He stopped by the door and bowed, holding his hands, mostly hidden by the wide sleeves, clasped to his chest. He looked familiar—the dark hair, the black eyes, the long, sharp nose. After a moment of confusion, Dusan recognized him as one of the men who had stood behind the throne yesterday—the one whom the king had praised for his healing ointments. The king had mentioned his name, too, but Dusan couldn't recall it for the life of him.

"Good morning," said the healer. "I'm Tobias. I hope I didn't wake you up?"

"Morning," Dusan said, choosing to ignore the question, since the answer was obvious. Next to him, Reijo raised his head, blinking sleepily. Both he and Dusan had their tunics and pants on, yet under the piercing gaze of their visitor, Dusan felt an urge to cover up. Was it acceptable here, to just burst into people's bedrooms like this? The man had knocked, but nobody said he could enter.

"Did you find your accommodations comfortable?" Tobias asked, coming closer, his long, multi-layered garment making swishing noises. "Is everything to your liking?"

"All is fine," Dusan said.

Tobias stopped by the bed.

"I'm pleased to hear that." He nodded at Reijo who had already drawn himself into a sitting position. Dusan didn't like the man's unblinking gaze. He lowered his feet to the floor, preparing to get up.

"Please don't bother," said Tobias. "I only came to inquire about your wellbeing."

"That's nice of you," said Reijo, finally finding his voice. "You do that for all the guests?"

A smile touched Tobias's lips. "Only for the special ones."

"Aha," Reijo said. "I see."

He slid off the bed and stood in front of Tobias who towered a good head above him. For a moment, they regarded each other in silence, making Dusan wonder what kind of unspoken communication was going on between them.

"Are there many 'special' people here?" Reijo said.

"I've seen a few arriving throughout the years." Tobias shrugged. "I'm not exactly meeting them on daily basis. They're staying in a separate wing of the palace, not mixing up with the regular people."

"Aha," said Reijo. "So, we're not in that wing yet?"

"No, you're in the regular guests' quarters. You're still on probation, expected to prove yourself. As for myself, I must go out to find the right herbs for my potions, so I can't exactly be locked up."

"Locked up?" Slowly, Dusan got up and stood next to Reijo. "Do you mean that the others are not allowed to leave?"

Tobias shrugged again. "From what I know, they're enjoying the best living conditions and all their needs are tended to, so, there's no need for them to leave. It's a position people dream of achieving, not something they'd want to escape. Either way, if you are offered to join them one day, you could refuse or negotiate the conditions. The king is quite kind to those he considers useful."

"I'd love to be useful," Reijo said. "Yet I'd hate to be locked up."

"It's all negotiable, as I said. As you can see, I'm free to go wherever I want." Tobias spread his hands. "Anyway, it's questionable if your talent is of much interest to the king. Predicting the weather is a bit... how do I put it? Underwhelming." Tobias crossed his arms on his chest, regarding Reijo. "Is that all that you can do?"

"That's a strange question," Reijo said. "Why would you ask that?"

"Just curious." Tobias tilted his head. "Are you only predicting the weather, or are you actually affecting it, too, by any chance?"

"How could anyone affect the weather?"

"Airies can."

Dusan felt as if his heart fell through his chest right into his stomach. Thankfully, Tobias wasn't looking at him, and Reijo's face remained unaffected.

"Airies probably don't even exist anymore," Reijo said.

"I wouldn't be so sure. We do hear stories of people seeing them every now and then." Tobias rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes never leaving Reijo's.

"Well, I'm not one of them," Reijo said evenly, although Dusan thought he could hear a note of bitterness in his voice. "Airies can't be shot, can they?" He pulled at the wide neck of his tunic, exposing his shoulder where the pink scar from the arrow wound was clearly visible on the otherwise perfect skin.

"Oh," said Tobias, the amused expression leaving his face. He reached out and touched the scar. Dusan felt an urge to push him away, but the touch was fleeting, and the man was already taking a step back. "You poor thing. This must have hurt."

"It's mostly healed now."

"I have ointments that could make the scar less prominent."

"Really?" Reijo raised an eyebrow. "I thought your ointments were only intended for the king."

"I treat all the high standing officials in the palace." Tobias smiled. "Also, anyone I like."

"You like us?" Reijo shot Dusan a glance before turning back to Tobias. "You've only met us yesterday."

"Let's say, you make me curious." Tobias bowed a little. "Would you like to come with me and get the ointment?" He looked at Dusan. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait here, for I never allow more than one person into my chambers."

"Absolutely not," Dusan said. "I go wherever he goes."

"Wait." Reijo turned to him, putting a hand on his arm. He glanced hesitantly at Tobias, then at Dusan again. "It's fine. I think he means no harm." He gave Dusan an apologetic smile. "Will you wait for me here? I'll be right back, I promise."

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