Eremis inwardly winced at the pain he heard in Alex's voice. For as long as he could remember, he couldn't bear seeing anyone suffer. That explained why he'd developed an interest in healing at a very young age.
"Shhh, you should rest not talk now," he said while drawing a cool, damp cloth over Alex's face. Instead of quieting down, his patient went on to ask him to retrieve some vials from his pack. Eremis rested the cloth on Alex's forehead before grabbing the pack off the floor in the corner and rummaging around inside until he found the requested items.
The healer had already mixed some pain killing herbs in a cup of water Kato boiled for him on the coal stove in the kitchen, but he ignored that in favor of Alex's vials. Sometimes a patient responded better to concoctions they were familiar with and trusted. And, since Alex had requested these particular vials, he undoubtedly had a lot of faith that the bluish liquid would ease his pain. Faith often worked wonders at helping a patient heal faster.
Once again he shushed Alex after sitting down beside him on the bed. "You'll have plenty of time to talk later when your strength has returned." He removed the cloth then slipped a hand behind Alex's head, lifting it gently before pressing a vial to his lips. After he swallowed the blue liquid, Eremis eased his head back onto the pillow.
"To answer your earlier question, Soran is very much alive. He has a minor head injury and an awful lot of bruises and strained muscles, but he should be as good as new by tomorrow if he gets some rest."
Eremis tucked wayward strands of hair behind Alex's ears then patted his face and neck with the damp cloth. "We were brought to the safety of an abandoned building by a girl named Weave, who was pretending to be a boy called, Huck for some reason. She claims she can help us prove Soran is innocent of the theft and murder charges placed on him after he found a ruby brooch in that huge fountain earlier."
The healer smiled down at this patient when he noticed he rested a bit easier now, thanks to the blue liquid. "You gave me quite a scare Alex because I thought I might loose you while I was repairing some damage to your kidney. I'm glad you're a fighter."
He set another vial on a small table near the bed so it'd be readily available if Alex needed it later. "Weave and Cas went to get some food. You probably won't be able to eat much yet, but I'm going to feed you a couple spoonfuls at least since a little food will help you regain your strength faster. I'll be nearby for the rest of the night so if you need something, just ask."
*******
Although weary to the bone, tenseness prevented Soran from falling into a deep sleep. He dozed on and off while Rowan and Huck...Weave, discussed the situation. Why the hell did I have to stick my hand in that godsbedamned fountain? His foolishness had turned, what could have been, a pleasant visit to a new city into a disaster. He jerked fully awake when he started to have a dream about being hung from the gallows for crimes he didn't commit.
Rowan tried to sooth him with elfish words he murmured into his ear, but Soran was too wound up to truly relax. With a yawn, he pulled away from his lover a little and rubbed the back of his head. The herbal capsules Eremis fed him eased most of his earlier pain, enabling him to think a bit clearer now. Worry lines crossed his brow when he vaguely remembered hearing Weave say she wanted 3000 gold in exchange for helping to prove his innocence. "Where the fuck are we suppose to get 3000 gold?"
Rowan ignored his language and pulled him into an embrace. The elf's fingers ran though his hair while he whispered that everything would work out all right. For a moment, Soran felt himself relaxing in his lover's arm but the tenseness returned once he envisioned a noose being slipped around his neck.
"How do we know we can trust Weave?" he asked, pulling away again. "What if she's just stringing us along with a bunch of lies? Instead of listening to her, maybe we should try figuring out a way to sneak out of this city."
Soran remembered the guards saying the city gates were locked at midnight. If they fled during the night, they'd have to climb over the high walls surrounding Annib before any of the guard patrols saw them. They'd need to buy grabbling hooks and ropes before undertaking such a task unless Alex or Kato could make things easier with magic.
"What the hell's wrong with me?" he said aloud. "Alex might die from his injuries yet here I am thinking about asking him to help me escape by using his magic. That makes me seem like one heartless bastard, doesn't it?"
"Calm down and try to rest, sari," Rowan said.
After a deep breath, Soran laid his head on the elf's shoulder but bolted upright again when he saw a shadow approach. It turned out to be Kato, offering them mugs of tea he'd brewed up in the kitchen once he got the stove to light and found a pot. "Thanks," they said in unison.
Soran took a sip of the tea and stared off into the distance for a while. "Maybe I can hide in the back of a farmer's wagon that's about to leave the city in the morning, or I might be able to find a group of people leaving at the same time and slip out with them. Of course I'd need to disguise myself first."
"But you'd still be wanted for murder," Eremis called out. He'd stepped out of the bedroom to get himself a cup of the freshly brewed tea. "There are posters with a pretty damn good likeness of you drawn on them tacked up all over the city. The 1000 gold piece reward they're offering for your capture might interest a couple of bounty hunters who will stop at nothing to find you. And if they decide to increase that reward you'll have a lot more people keeping their eyes open for you here, and outside of Annib."
A deep sigh escaped Soran. The healer spoke the truth. Returning the brooch to the authorities might make them willing to wipe away the crime of theft but they'd still consider him a murderer, and some cities executed murderers on the spot. He watched Eremis disappear back into the bedroom then shifted his green eyes to Rowan. "What the hell am I going to do, sari?"
*******
Jeremy was starting to worry after seeing no sign of his companions after nearly two hours. Sure, he wanted Soran out of the picture and hoped he'd get arrested and tossed in some dark dungeon because then Rowan would have no choice but to forget about him. But, he didn't want to see the elf or any of the others get hauled off to jail since he held no grudges against them. He was a little upset with Rowan for dumping him like a hot potato but knew that would change once Soran wasn't around any longer to influence him.
Relief filled him when Xue finally showed up to tell him the elf and the rest of their friends were hiding away in some run down, uninhabited building in the poor section of town. Why the hell did everyone need to hide out when Soran was the only one the guards were after? IF he could get Rowan and the others away from the blonde for a while, he'd send an anonymous note to city hall with directions to Soran's hideout.
Jeremy corked up the bottle of wine he'd bought, shoving it into his backpack along with a loaf of bread and some cheese before he followed Xue out the door. "This guy Soran's nothing but trouble. Sometimes I think we'd all be better off if we dumped the hooker and moved on without him." Jeremy glanced at Xue as they headed to the bad part of the city. He wondered how she'd react to his words. If she happened to agree with him, he might have an ally in his desire to get rid of Soran once and for all.
