Imre craned his neck skyward to look up at the tall, thickly built man who had saved him from an extra beating earlier that morning.
"Yes," Imre answered. The driving need to know how this man knew his full name overrode Imre's desire to hold himself at a safe distance from his fellow Shaynari.
The larger man folded himself down neatly, descending with a grace at odds with his stature.
Silence sat between them like an added compatriot.
"You should not have helped me," said Imre. "I'm nothing."
"So the Tamerian tell us every day," the tall Shaynari man answered. "That does not make it true."
"What is your name?" asked Imre, his tone more of an order than a question.
Imre felt the heat of the other man's gaze pass over him as surely as the scorch of the hot sun. It ran over his skin making Imre want to brush away the trail it left in its wake. He shifted uncomfortably, forever uncomfortable with being assessed, let alone this closely.
"What need have you for names if your desire is to keep yourself so separate from your people?" The man's voice was low. If there had not been a gentleness to the tone Imre would have taken it as an accusation.
Imre bit back the anger at being examined and opted to respond in a more rational manner.
"You know my name," said Imre "I would know yours."
"Fair enough," the man nodded content with Imre's answer. "I am Heftar."
"Heftar," Imre rolled the name over his tongue. A dim light tried to flicker in the corner of his mind, an almost memory from his childhood. Imre pushed it away. Nothing good came from examining the past-only pain.
"You should not have risked yourself for me Heftar," said Imre firmly, a warning to Heftar not to take that risk again.
"I would do it for any Shaynari," answered Heftar casually as if it were the only course of action that could be taken given the circumstances.
Imre knew better. People, even his people who had been raised to believe were noble and good turned dark when dragged into the dirt.
Still, Heftar's answer had Imre wondering. Was there a chance that Heftar did not know the truth behind Imre's full name? There was a delicate balance to be walked here. If Heftar did not already know asking to many questions would make him curious. Nonetheless...not knowing....
"How do you know my name?" asked Imre unable to leave the question unasked.
"No pleasant conversation for you," Heftar, his eyebrow rising so that it almost rang as a question.
"Pleasant conversion is a waste of time," Imre answered back. Small talk was for people who had too much time on their hands to begin with and anything else was to dangerous to speak out lout lest the Tamerian hear you and twist your words into a plot for treason so as to make an example out of your swinging legs.
"Time is all we have, and good conversation is the one Luxury we are allowed," answered Heftar learning back against his elbows on the grass.
Imre shifted to face Heftar more fully, his posture the opposite of Heftar's relaxed nonchalance.
"Its a Luxury with too high of a cost for my taste," Imre.
Heftar's gaze searched Imre's face once more and Imre looked away.
Don't let him look to close, Imre ordered himself, staring off into the woods.
"You've lost much," said the big man.
"Haven't we all?" Imre shot back.
"Yes," Heftar nodded slowly, then changed the direction of the conversation smoothly. "I know your name," he said pausing to make sure that he had Imre's attention. "Because your friend Jaret told me of you and the task you gave him."
Imre's heart slammed against his ribs.
He felt Jaret's hand on his forearm as they said goodbye.
His mind jumped to another face, one with smoother lines and beautiful eyes that always made him feel like everything would somehow get better. Imre knew that if he could make it back and look into her eyes again he would feel the same now despite everything that had happened in the space since they had been ripped apart from one another.
"Is..." Imre desperately wanted to ask if the message had gotten though, instead he chose the more polite question first. "Is Jaret alright?"
His vocal chords felt tight and the words came out much smaller than he had intended.
"He seemed well enough," answered Heftar and he offered Imre a reassuring smile before continuing "Our masters houses were quite near each other. We spent a few nights drinking together before this..." Heftar gestured around then added "Jaret is a good man."
"He is," answered Imre.
He was glad to know that at least one of them had gotten out of this hell.
"Did he..." the question caught in Imre's throat.
"He gave the message to your lady."
A weight that Imre had not know he was carrying eased off his shoulders and he closed his eyes. A cool evening breeze washed over him and for a moment he felt the tiniest flicker of peace.
"Is she well?" he asked.
"Yes," a simple answer and yet the most perfect one.
"Good," Imre closed his eyes. It had been three years since he had seen her and the lines of her face were blurring in his mind, yet for a moment he could see her clearly. In his mind his hand reached out to touch her face and then she vanished.
Imre kept his eyes closed feeling the sting behind his lids. He fought it and straightened.
"Thank you for letting me know," said Imre.
"You're welcome, though I did it for Jaret, not you."
"All the same," said Imre. "You are a good man that you would risk yourself for others." It was the closest that Imre could get to a thank you for what Heftar had done.
"Have you not done the same?" asked Heftar.
Imre looked at the bigger man and one glance at his expression told Imre that Jaret had run his mouth about the times that Imre had tried to protect him and others. When he had first come here Imre had stuck his neck out for others not caring about his own life.
That was until Varik,the Tamerian slave driver who had taken a special interest in Imre, had figured out a way to hurt him more than a whip ever could.
Heftar thought he was something he wasn't
Something better.
Something like the person he had been before.
"That was...the past" answered Imre.
"Pity," said Heftar. "I thought you stronger in spirit than body."
Imre took the insult. It stung and he wanted to protest, instead he stayed silent not taking the bait. Safer for this man to think little of him. If he thought little of Imre then he would not risk himself on Imre's behalf.
Yes, It was better this way, safer for them both.
"I think there is more to you than you are willing to acknowledge," said Heftar, not ready to let the conversation drop just yet.
"Why do you care?" asked Imre shaking his head.
"Because," answered Heftar "I knew your father."
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