Servitude [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 34

[Soleil]

I pulled up the hood of my cloak, making my way out of the back door of the inn that we had taken refuge in.  A few faes stood in the alley, scantily clad and whispering to each other.  One of them giggled, her eyes meeting with an opened window far above us.  A window which led into the inn's washroom.

My cheeks flushed, and I ducked my head as I walked past them.  My stomach twisted slightly in guilt - I'd left Silvian in our room without a word.  He'd probably heard me leave, but he hadn't stopped me.  He trusted me, even though I'd hardly spoken a word about what had happened down in those cells.

I didn't need a shoulder to cry on or somebody to talk to, I needed a drink.  Just for a night, I wanted to be free and from what I had gathered, the travelling town was the perfect place to be just that.  Everyone here was so cheerful - even into the midnight hours, they swarmed the streets in droves of colour and laughter.  Obscure creatures from all across the world gathered to dance, drink and sing with each other.

To them, I'm sure it didn't matter what the Council were doing under our noses.  I needed to feel like that, too.

I stepped out onto the crowded, cobbled streets and felt myself being pulled along by the flow of people travelling from shop to shop - in and out of bars.  The air smelled like expensive incense and sugary food.  I could remember my night here with Silvian so vividly, a smile spread on my face before I could stop it.

A small tavern stopped me in my tracks, the wooden sign catching my eye as it reflected the warm glow of nearby gas lights.  The Leaping Hare, small and shoddy.  Its harsh white exterior was lined with dark wood - laced together intricately to create crisscrossing patterns overhead.  Its windows were small and lead-lined, letting out only a few snapshots of the patrons inside.  They were drinking merrily, eyes crinkled with joy as they sang drunkenly together.

It was hard to believe that my life with Silvian had started behind this tavern - that he met me slumped in the back of a dirty cage and now we were lovers.  My lip twitched into a half-smile, and I walked up to the door of the tavern, pushing it open to let the noise from inside escape out onto the street.

The singing was accompanied by a single fiddle player in the corner of the room, standing in front of the fire with a large dog, who laid lazily against the warm stone of the fireplace.  Men and women banged their fists on the table to the beat of an old drinking song, watching as a few men handed pints of ale to each other with hearty laughs.

When the men were given the pints, they drank as quickly as they could.  The crowd started singing more quickly - so fast that I couldn't understand the words.  When they were done singing, the men had to pour what remained in their cups over their heads.

A couple of the men remained dry, but the rest cringed as ale poured down their necks and soaked their clothes.  I couldn't help but laugh along with the crowd at their antics and felt myself being drawn closer to get a better look.

A hand landed on my elbow and I jumped, whipping around to see who had grabbed me.

"Ahulane?"  A stranger asked, holding two drinks in his hands.  He had dark hair, dark eyes, tanned skin - similar traits to my own.  Maybe he came from the same place my father did.  I narrowed my eyes, stepping back slightly, though it was hard to move at all in such a packed room.  His mouth widened for a second, then he shook his head slowly.  "Sorry, I thought you were...  someone else..."  His voice trailed, and his eyes darted around the room.

Then a second later he dove back through the crowd around us and was lost to a see of drunkards.  I could almost have shrugged the whole thing off if it wasn't for the look in his eyes when he saw me.  It was as if he'd seen something he shouldn't have.