Fear me, Love me

Wild Heart

"You look thirsty," Ryder commented stepping out of the caravan. His battered jacket was modestly zipped up for once and he was wearing black fingerless gloves that Harriet had knitted for him. Lewis glanced down at his own matching pair. "Go hunt your breakfast."

Lewis shook his head, "it's my shift."

"I'll cover you." He offered. Lewis looked uncomfortably at the ground. "You and Liam work too hard."

"We're the strongest." Lewis' voice was small and he quickly glanced up apologetically. Ryder sighed. An uncomfortable pause followed. "I'm sorry."

"It's the truth. I'm just a normal man now." 

Lewis' lips quirked up into a hesitant smile.

"There's nothing normal about you." 

Ryder chuckled as he sat down in chair before the dwindling fire. Lewis shuffled his feet, the prolonged silence making him feel awkward. He didn't know what to say, half wanted Ryder to go away - to end the torturous moment, and half wanted him to stay longer. Ryder meanwhile appeared perfectly at ease – staring thoughtfully into the glowing embers.

"Mason's walking now," Lewis commented - at a loss for conversation topics. Ryder made a sound of assent. "When do you think he'll start talking?"

"I think it's different for every child." Ryder continued to stare off – his voice distant.

"Yeah I guess you're right." Lewis cleared his throat, alarmed at how strange his voice had become, "still it's good how confident he's become on his feet. Yesterday Harriet said he-"

"I never thought I'd miss Thorn's silences." Liam commented, joining them outside. Lewis noticed how Ryder's back stiffened. The hybrid's shoulders slumped in defeat. He'd asked Liam about Thorn – curious why any mention of him darkened Ryder's mood.

"Ryder sent Thorn to the underworld."

"He can send people to hell?"

"It's not hell as you're thinking of it. It's not where the dead go. It's where I was born," Liam had explained impatiently. "It's a world under this one."

This hadn't made much sense to Lewis.

"What did Thorn do?"

"He fell in love with someone else." Something about Lewis' expression had made Liam laugh. "Between Ryder and Thorn – it's complicated. There's a lot of history." Lewis glowered at the ground.

"Lewis," Ryder spoke his name softly.

"Yes?"

"Go hunt your breakfast."

In Lewis' quiet moments of reflection, his mind now often dwelt on the conundrum that was Ezra Ryder. The man had been prince of the world – now he was on the run from everybody. But instead of being dejected by this reversal of fortune the former warlock seemed completely relaxed.

"He's biding his time," Harriet theorized when he spoke to her about it.

"For what?" 

Harriet shrugged. They were doing the washing up together – Lewis keeping one eye on Liam who was playing with Mason on the sofa. It was the first time Liam had shown any interest in the kid.

"Ryder tried to shape the world and it got all screwed up. I think he's stepping back. Letting others have a go and once the future's taken shape a bit-  he'll find his place in it."