Since he trusted the young mercenary, Kael thought it was safe to ask.
"Where did you buy it?"
If it were that cheap, he could spend a few coins from his money. Since this young man did not want him to pay for the horse, he figured it would be better to buy his own, for his own purposes as well.
"If it's a good deal, I should get one for myself. Riding together would be too much for the horse. And wouldn't it be faster if it's lighter?" Kael explained. He was really hopeful this time. Because of his bad experience, he was somewhat skeptical of buying horses from anyone.
Eryn tilted his head slightly, considering his words. Then, he swung himself up into the saddle in one fluid motion and extended a gloved hand to Kael.
"Why not ride together?" he offered with an easy grin. "That way, if one gets tired guiding the horse, the other can take over."
That wasn't convincing, Kael thought as he eyed Eryn suspiciously. Why would they be the ones to get tired? The horse was the one who would do all the work!
"Also, the meaning of what's cheap for me might be different from a priest like you," Eryn added.
The young mercenary's tone wasn't arrogant or sarcastic. It sounded like he was simply stating a fact.
Kael only realized it then. This young man worked as an independent mercenary with impressive skills to back him. On the other hand, Kael's earnings from running simple errands for people he met along the way probably didn't even amount to a hundredth of what the mercenary could earn in a single mission.
He looked at the offered hand, then at Eryn, and then back at the hand again. He opened his mouth, then closed it, unable to form a logical objection. In the end, he sighed, placed his hand in Eryn's, and allowed himself to be pulled up.
Kael even caught the smirk that briefly crossed Eryn's face, which made him doubt a little. But thinking it wasn't a big deal, he dropped the subject.
He sat behind the young mercenary, settling himself as steadily as he could on the saddle. He adjusted his posture, trying not to press too closely, but the seat was built for one, not two grown men. Before he could fully figure out where to place his hands, Eryn glanced over his shoulder with a teasing smile.
"Hold on tight," the young mercenary said playfully. "I'm picking up the pace."
Kael glanced into the distance, at the vast stretch of the grassland ahead. If they couldn't cross it by nightfall, finding shelter might become difficult. So, without complaint, he took the instruction at face value and wrapped his arms firmly around Eryn's waist.
He felt the young man's body stiffen under his palms. Did something happen up ahead? Were they blocked? He couldn't see the young man's face, only the tension in his shoulders and the subtle hitch in his breath.
"Is something wrong?" Kael asked, genuinely puzzled.
There was a short pause. Then, Eryn's voice that sounded tight and rigid came, "Nothing."
Kael tilted his head, still curious, but Eryn gave him no chance to question further. With a click of his tongue, he nudged the horse forward, and they surged toward the grasslands. The wind caught their cloaks, and the morning sun shimmered over the dew-covered plains.
Kael did not press the matter. He just held on, unaware of the warmth creeping up Eryn's neck or the thundering beat beneath his palms that wasn't just the gallop of the horse.
* * *
After a whole day of riding the horse, with only a few breaks in between, the two men finally reached their destination by nightfall.
The landscape had changed. The soft stretch of green disappeared, and now, towering rock formations surrounded them. These formations were jagged like broken teeth under the darkening sky. The path had grown narrower, steeper, and the air was colder.
Kael inadvertently felt the scroll hidden in his waistband with his hand. He was closer. It made his heart beat a little faster. The dwarven kingdom lay somewhere behind these mountains, hidden within the stone and sealed behind thick iron gates that only opened at dawn.
But they were too late. Darkness crept into the sky now.
"The gates are closed," Kael murmured. He hopped off the horse with a sigh. "Dwarves sleep soundly at night because they work hard in daylight. Disturbing their sleep would mean incurring their wrath." He turned to Eryn. "We need to wait until morning."
Eryn slid down after him and looked around, probably trying to find an area where they could camp for tonight or tie his horse.
Kael just looked up. The rocky terrain reminded him of a dried riverbed, scattered with stone ledges and flat platforms stacked at odd angles. There were no trees, no canopy, not even a single bush to shield them from the elements. Just wind and rock, and a rapidly cooling night.
These stacked flat rocks weren't here before, Kael thought as he rested his hands on the topmost stone.
Many years ago, when Kael was still serving as a palace priest, he had once gone on an excursion outside the palace grounds. During that trip, he encountered a dwarf nearly dead from thirst and starvation.
This poor soul could no longer move and was already resigned to death. This dwarf was curled up by the side of the road, motionless, so still that from afar, he resembled just another lump of stone. With no strength left to call for help, he had gone unnoticed by every passerby.
Kael wouldn't have noticed him either if he hadn't stopped by a tree to relieve himself. That was when he spotted a few coarse, brownish strands on the ground that looked like dried grass. But upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the dwarf's hair!
"My goodness! Little friend, are you alright?!" Kael had rushed over, gently rolling the dwarf onto his back, stunned to find a living, breathing person in such a dire state. Without hesitation, he offered his drinking gourd and the hard bread from his satchel.
Thankfully, the dwarf survived. It turned out that this dwarf had been captured by a human syndicate to be auctioned as a slave, but it managed to escape and wandered aimlessly in an unfamiliar land. Without food or water, it reached its current state.
When the dwarf had recovered enough to speak but was still too weak to walk long distances, he begged Kael to escort him to the dwarven kingdom. Kael, unable to refuse the injured dwarf who couldn't trust any human again except him, agreed. His excursion was delayed, and he was thoroughly scolded when he returned to the palace, but he returned with something important.
A treasure. A gift from the dwarves. A symbol of their gratitude. It was something that Kael treasured ever since. One that, in time, proved to be more useful than he ever could've imagined.
"We can rest here."
Kael blinked. Eryn's voice pulled him back to the present. He lifted his gaze and found the young mercenary leading the horse to a flat patch a little higher up, looking worriedly at him. The young man must have noticed him in a dazed state.
Kael smiled warmly. He followed the man and the horse while rubbing his arms as a chill crept in. "It's colder than I expected."
"There's no tree and no cover. The heat runs off the rocks as soon as the sun sets." Eryn patted the stone surface with a gloved hand. "Still, this is the best we'll find. At least the wind isn't too bad here."
The horse settled nearby, already chewing on something Kael didn't want to inspect too closely. He dropped the basket, unrolled his makeshift blanket, and laid it on the flattest part of the ledge. Then, as he sat down and tilted his head back, he paused.
"It's the perfect spot, isn't it?"
Eryn's voice echoed from beside him, but he was too awed to answer.
Above them stretched an endless expanse of stars, constellations spread in breathtaking formations like tiny beads or rubies, diamonds, and other gemstones scattered on a surface by some reckless god. The sky was vast, almost overwhelming in its beauty.
Kael let out a quiet breath. "Indeed. You can see everything up here."
Eryn didn't answer.
Kael felt Eryn shift beside him. When he turned, his head almost bumped on the young man's chin. Instinctively, he looked up, but that made it more awkward. Their noses were barely an inch apart. Kael's mind went blank. He stiffened, uncertain of what to do.