Deserter

TEN

{Chapter Triggers: mild distrust, mention of blades, bar mention. Those are all I can think of/figure out from reading through the chapter, I apologize if I missed any and feel free to inform me.}    

Logan took a long, deep breath, silently reminding himself that Roman was simply trying to occupy himself.

The knight had been singing for at least a kilometer, casually leaning back in his saddle as they rode. Logan would have preferred silence, or at least a simple conversation, but Roman was insistent that a ballad would be most appropriate.

It was driving him mad.

Roman threw his hands in the air, singing about the girl made of chaff who fell in love with a farmer.

"That is highly illogical," Logan interrupted him, finally deciding to put a stop to it. "The idea that a gust of wind could be sentient is absolutely unreasonable, and said gust of wind becoming a woman, falling in love with the man who gathered the chaff she was made of, is... highly inaccurate."

"It's a ballad, Abacus." Roman leaned forward in his saddle and rolling his eyes. "It doesn't have to make sense, it's a story in a song. Have you not ever read song poetry?"

Logan sat up straight, keeping his eyes ahead. "Of course I have. But everything I've ever read makes more sense than... that."

Roman muttered something under his breath, but didn't pursue the matter further. Logan let his eyes flick along the sides of the road, watching for anything out of the ordinary. He couldn't hear anything, other than the soft sounds of horse hooves on dirt.

"Do you really trust Patton with what we left him to do?" Roman asked suddenly, sitting up in his saddle a little.

"I do not see why not." Logan shrugged, relaxing a little bit. "Patton is an adult, he's intelligent and he knows what needs to happen for the castle to function."

"I meant with Anxiety," Roman said flatly. "Do you really think he won't let the man out?"

"Well, he did promise."

The knight made a derisive noise. Logan sighed and peered down the road, trying to see if anyone was heading in their direction. "Patton understands the gravity of the situation, Roman, I am sure that all will turn out well."

Roman grunted and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back. "Are we eating in the saddle?"

"I believe we should. We need to keep moving until we can find another person to confirm that we are on the right path to find the physician." Logan reached over into one of the frontal saddlebags of the pack-horse to grab a small parcel that the cooks at the castle had put together for them for their midday meal.

The best part about eating was that Logan got several minutes of silence as Roman sated his appetite. By the time they had finished the meals, they could see the next town in the distance.

Roman sat up as they passed the guards at the edge of the town. Logan's horse had an engraved chest-plate signifying that they were of the king's court. As they looked for somewhere to stop and ask around, Logan's eyes flicked back and forth.

"Logan. Logan look-"

He turned in the direction Roman was looking. A familiar horse was tethered in front of one of the inns.

"That is Doctor Picani's horse, is it not?" Roman raised his eyebrows, grinning.

Logan nodded slowly. "I believe it is."

They tethered their own horses on the other side of the building from the animal they'd seen. Logan adjusted his traveling cape to show the small metal pin that matched the chest-plate his horse was wearing.

The barkeep looked up as the two of them walked in. Clearly these two men were not normal patrons, the man with the longer red hair kept a hand on his sword-hilt as he looked around and the taller of the two, with the simple spectacles, was wearing a metal pin on the front of his tunic.

As the two walked over, the barkeep recognized the symbol on the pin and hurriedly set down what he was doing.

"What can I do for the king's finest?"

Logan let Roman peer around the inn's dining area as he leaned against the bar, crossing his arms. "We're looking for someone. The traveling physician, we recognized his horse outside."

The barkeep nodded after a moment. "Yes, he has booked a room here, but he told me he may not be around for two days."

Roman and Logan exchanged a glance. 

"Very well. Is the room next to his open, by chance?"

The barkeep paused. "I believe so."

Logan nodded and fished several coins out of the coin-purse he always carried when he left the castle. "If that does not cover how long we are here, you will receive the rest when we leave. We will be taking that room until we have a chance to speak to the physician."

~~~Two Days Later~~~

Roman froze, midsentence. For a moment, Logan thought he had lost his train of thought, then he saw the knight's gaze flick to the wall between their room and Doctor Picani's.

Logan silently rose to his feet, his hand falling to the knife on his belt. He rarely used a sword, he preferred the smaller weapon in most situations.

Roman crossed the room, light enough on his feet to produce almost no sound. He picked up his sword-belt and carefully unsheathed his sword.

The two crept to the door and Roman inched it open.

He pulled away from the opening, glancing at Logan and mouthing 'It was him. He went into his room by himself.'

Logan nodded and made a motion for Roman to go.

The knight slipped into the hallway. Logan followed him, and by the time he'd gotten out into the hallway fully, Roman was bursting into Picani's room.

The physician's head shot up, but before he could do anything the point of Roman's sword was against his neck. Freezing, he held his hands up in surrender. "Easy, Sir Roman."

Logan pulled the door to their room closed, then stepped into Picani's room and closed that one too, eyeing the man.

"Ah, Sir Logan. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Picani smiled.

"We have a couple questions for you."

"Is this to do with the king's state?"

Roman growled. "What did you do?"

"Roman," Logan said warningly. "Hear him out."

Picani nodded to him a little, sitting up carefully. Roman eyed him, but backed off a little.

"King Thomas will be fine, I can start with that. And I can promise that this was important-"

"Who paid you to do it?" Logan asked bluntly. The physician looked up at him, surprised.

"How did you-"

"You're a physician. Unless this was someone else's doing, those of your profession refuse to harm others."

Picani chuckled, nodding. "As always, brilliant, Sir Logan."

"So someone did pay you?"

"Yes."

Logan raised his eyebrows, waiting for a name.

Picani leaned back on the bed, propping himself up on his hands. "I was paid well for that, and I knew it wasn't going to kill the king, because the man who paid me would never do that."

Roman twitched in irritation.

"I was given that job by the Lost Prince."

Logan froze.

{I had Roman call Logan 'Abacus' because it would have been the closest thing they had to a calculator in those times. Made me chuckle}