Airie

The door was narrow, and barely noticeable, of exactly the gray color as the stone wall around it. They had missed it completely the first time they had searched the place. It was locked, too, but Dusan didn’t need a storm to take care of that. He stepped back and slammed the heel of his boot into the wood, hearing it crack from the blow. As he regained his balance, his legs got caught in the hem of his outfit, and he had to pause to gather the annoying folds of wet fabric in his fist. Then, he kicked the door again.

It took a few more blows until the lock finally gave in. The door opened a crack, and Dusan grabbed it and pushed it open into a narrow space that looked like a small utility room. It didn’t contain any jars or boxes with body parts in them, thankfully. For one horrible moment, Dusan thought that there was no one there, despite the muffled calls for help that had brought them here. Then, as his eyes adjusted to the almost complete darkness of the windowless space, he saw a pale oval of a face and two eyes, wide open, staring at him.

“What’s in there?” Tobias asked from the corridor. Being an airie, he’d kept his distance when Dusan had been kicking the door, careful not to get hurt, but, apparently, he wasn’t above curiosity. “What do you see?”

“Oh my,” said the person sitting on the floor, rising shakily to his feet. “Dusan? Tobias?”

At the sound of Reijo’s voice, Dusan’s knees went weak. The relief was unimaginable. A part of him had believed he would never see Reijo again, yet here he was, alive, not a box of grinded bones of a brain in a jar.

Dusan stumbled forward and wrapped his hands around him. The feeling of Reijo’s body in his arms was so familiar, his smell, his presence—it was all too overwhelming. Dusan felt his own cheeks, on which the raindrops had long since dried, become wet again.

“You came,” Reijo said into Dusan’s chest. “How did you get past the gate?”

“A tree broke it.”

“A tree?”

“Long story.” Dusan paused, trying to get a hold of his emotions. “Come here.”

He pulled Reijo after him, out of the small room. In the corridor, some moonlight was available, spilling through the tall windows, the glass in some of them shattered by the storm. In its weak light, he saw shackles on Reijo’s hands and feet. A wave of anger rose in him at the sight, but he pushed it down. It didn’t matter now. They could take care of the shackles later. Pale and visibly shaken, Reijo seemed mostly unharmed, and that was the important part.

“I don’t understand.” Reijo looked around at the debris on the floor and the glimmering shards of glass, then at Tobias who stood a safe distance away. “What happened? I heard so much noise, I thought the whole place was collapsing.”

“There was a storm,” Dusan said. “The oak tree fell and broke the gates.”

“Oh.” Reijo blinked. “That’s… lucky?”

“Not lucky—arranged.” Dusan nodded at Tobias who came closer, carefully picking his steps. “He’s… of your kind.”

“Huh?” Reijo looked at the healer with confusion. Then, his eyes widened. “What?”

“You had no idea?” Tobias said. “I was quite sure about you from the start.”

“I had no idea.” Still wide-eyed, Reijo shook his head. “I thought…” He swallowed. “I thought I was the last airie out there.”

Tobias let out a short laughter. “Oh no, there’re still quite a few of us left.”

“Really? Where?”

“For one thing, I own some lands in the south, and many live there. It was one of the reasons I’ve been staying here—sometimes, the ‘special people’ that arrived to offer their services to the king, were airies. When I felt it was safe to do so, I approached them with an offer of a shelter where they could live with the others of their kind.” He smiled. “What else do we need, after all, but a safe place to live? It always pained me how scattered we were, and how powerless against humans. So, as the king gathered his collection of special people, I secretly worked on mine.” He shook his head, abruptly growing serious. “Of course, I never knew what he really did to those that he brought here. I cared little about the charlatans who convinced him they had special abilities, and yet even they didn’t deserve a fate such as this.”

“What kind of fate?” Reijo looked from Tobias to Dusan. “They didn’t tell me anything. They just shackled me and locked me here.”

“I’ll tell you later,” Dusan said. “We better get away now, before anyone came.” The rain was over, and the night patrols could be out and about soon. The broken gates were bound to draw attention.

“Fine,” said Reijo, still looking unconvinced. “But where should we go?”

“As far away as possible,” Dusan said.

“How about joining the others?” Tobias said, and Reijo wandering gaze stopped on his face. “As I said, there’re many airies living on my lands. I could provide you with a house where you could stay. Or maybe you prefer to live in a forest?” Tobias smiled. “A large part of my lands is covered by a wonderful forest that humans do not dare enter.”

He was looking at Reijo as he was saying that, making it quite clear that Reijo was the only one invited. It made sense. If the lands Tobias owned were indeed intended as a shelter for airies, Dusan wouldn’t be welcome there. It seemed that, after all, Reijo was going to get to join the Special Ones, as he wanted, and Dusan wasn’t going to be a part of it. Yet if that was best for Reijo, how could Dusan stand in his way?

“Thank you for your kind offer,” Reijo said, quietly, his shackled hands pressed to his chest. “But I’m no longer an airie, as you know.”

“I know,” Tobias said. “I can only imagine the pain of loss you have to deal with. You’re more than welcome to come and live with us, though—as my dear friend, if nothing else.”

“I see.” Slowly, Reijo turned, and his eyes met Dusan’s.

“Do what’s right for you,” Dusan said, and felt surprised by how soft his voice sounded. His heart was breaking, yet he found comfort in the thought that Reijo would be safe. He would be amongst those who could understand him and protect him much better than Dusan ever could. Reijo had always been too good for Dusan, and now was the time to finally face that fact.

“I see,” Reijo said again, and looked down at his feet. Dusan reached out and rubbed his shoulders, then removed his hands, wondering if this was the last time they touched. They stood in silence for a few moments. Then, Reijo raised his head, turning to Tobias.

“Your offer is generous,” he said, “yet I can’t accept it.” He nodded at Dusan. “This man abandoned everything for me. My place is with him now. Being amongst airies would only constantly remind me of what I lost, and I want to focus on that I’ve gained.” His shackled hands took one of Dusan’s and squeezed it softly. “And I’ve gained a lot.”

*** Ready for the final chapter tomorrow?.. ***