Sundown Highway (Day 86)

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Terakiel and Aisen strode with purpose, despite having no clear idea of where their direction might be leading them. The shirtless young man was beginning to grow accustomed to the constant chill in the air but still he eyed his companion's warm clothing with some envy. He didn't have the heart to ask if he could wear the cloak. Instinctively, he knew the cloak was important, perhaps even ceremonial. Once again, the word 'piriol' came to mind. He had never in his life experienced anything that might have explained what that particular cloak was--he knew it wasn't his own memory.

The two of them shared a bond now, whether he liked it or not. He remembered what it felt like when he touched the stone and did not let go. He remembered the terrible heat and the pain. He remembered the lightless Exod, the land of black trees and white stars. He remembered he had somewhere important to go but this was not it. No, this was quite possibly as far away from "it" as one could be.

Some of those were Aisen's thoughts. He realized that now to be true, but it made him uncomfortable. If Aisen's thoughts were creeping in the back of Terakiel's subconscious then the reverse was also true. What did he know? What would he come to remember? Once Aisen found out what Terakiel had done he would run as far and as fast as his feet could carry him. That would probably be for the best, he thought. It is my responsibility to atone, but it is a task I ultimately must undertake alone. 

For some reason that Terakiel could not ascertain, Aisen seemed to put his full trust in him. As sheltered a life as Terakiel had led, he couldn't imagine placing trust in someone he'd just met, especially someone who hailed from strange and unfamiliar lands. He just couldn't begin to grasp the concept. Was he putting on an act? As much as the young man struggled to reconcile the situation, he couldn't conjure any reasoning for why he would need to curry Terakiel's favor. The Lakarans, if they did exist, would not employ such subtle methods. As the legends said, cunning and guile were not foremost among their talents.

"There's a river up ahead," said Aisen suddenly, breaking the other man's reverie. "Wide one, by the sound of it. Good to have a source of drinking water but I imagine it'll impede our progress."

"Can we not cross?" inquired Terakiel.

"It is possible," Aisen conceded, "but depending on the depth and breadth, it might be safer to look for a way around. Let us wait until we get there and we can tell for certain."

As a thought struck Terakiel, he cast a sidelong glance at his new companion and asked, "Why are you so calm?"

"Calm? I don't know, why're you so glum?"

"I--I'm fine. I'm calm."

"That might be, but you're certainly don't have much of an adventuresome spirit."

"You think this is an adventure? You weren't meant to be here. You were going somewhere else."

Aisen paused a moment before responding, halting in his steps. "I don't think you were meant to be here either," he said softly.

"I--I mean, I'd always wanted to--to see what was beyond the woods."

"You did. I believe you. Let's keep up the pace."

Silence fell between the two once more. It was clear that Aisen knew more than he was letting on. Terakiel wasn't exactly in the position to begrudge him his right to be tight-lipped as he'd told him almost nothing about himself. But he knew. He knew things about Terakiel just as Terakiel knew things about him. There were fragments of memories that didn't connect in meaningful ways, but they were there. Aisen knew Terakiel was running, but not why. The young Tombolini intended to keep it that way.