Page 9 of Gilded Lies

Jari being free mattered more now that Aurelius’s freedom and chances were gone. He’d already done more than enough and tried to show Aurelius something beyond the brutality that he had grown to expect from men.

He should have tried to go farther. He’d wanted to and thought of it. So much for that. Good stuff wasn’t for Aurelius. Not for long anyway.

He tried to distract himself by feeling around the edge of the hole. It was smooth with no splinters, and he was afraid to stick his hand too far down. If someone riding and following saw that, it might get him in trouble. The best thing to do was to avoid attracting any attention at all.

He remained standing and tried to catch what the men above him were talking about, but he couldn’t.

What little light he had from the hole grew dim, and soon it was dark. He finally sat and kept his ears open. The cart kept going for a few hours and finally stopped. Aurelius jumped to his feet to listen.

“Good Elira, I’m fucking stiff.”

“Quit your bitching.”

The cart jiggled as someone up top stood and stomped across. They must have been climbing down the side. Hooves thumped closer, and someone spoke. He heard something about food and little noises that meant nothing to him. They were probably pissing after so long. Someone climbed back up. Light flashed in one corner by the door, and he pressed himself against the wall. There was a small flap he hadn’t noticed before.

“Here you go, little lion. Eat your food. I know you’re awake by now.”

Something thumped, the flap smacked shut, and he heard a click. That hadn’t been Freckle or Tall.

Aurelius didn’t move for several minutes as the men did whatever. Any second, those doors might open, and it’d be like before when Corvo would come in to threaten, cajole, threaten some more, and force himself on Aurelius.

His breath came in short spurts, and he jumped as a few of the men seemed to be getting back in position on the cart. Someone swore about their back, and they started moving once more.

They must have switched spots. They wouldn’t try anything yet because they weren’t far enough away yet and couldn’t waste time. He had a reprieve for now. Aurelius forced himself to check the corner and found a small sack that contained bread, another water skin, dried meat, and a hunk of cheese.

It wasn’t a lot, but they seemed intent on keeping him alive. A dead man can’t gild.

He forced himself to eat and managed to choke a little down. The rest could be eaten later. All through the night, the horses pulling the cart plodded along.

Jari might attempt to give chase because he was stubborn and thick-headed, but he was one man. He couldn’t ride Mercury forever and go without sleep. Even if he attempted it, he’d come to his senses after a day or two and realize it was a fruitless endeavor. Even if he somehow made it all of the way to wherever, how would he know exactly where the Prince was or get him out?

Aurelius pissed at some point in the night, rested near the hole for air, and managed to doze. The men rotated at dawn again. Aurelius hadn’t paid much attention initially to the underside of the cart when he came, but it must have had a slot for a barrel of water which could be slid in and was held up by wooden slats on the underside. The movement and cursing told him they had dragged it out so the horses could drink. Someone said to hurry up and fill the skins.

Aurelius’s waterskin was running low despite it being large. He’d tried to conserve it, but it was stuffy and warm even with his face near the hole. Things continued as normal until evening when they stopped again. He was positive the horses were being unhitched.

Whatever the others were doing, they weren’t touching him. How long would that last? He could feel the muscle in his cheek twitching, and he couldn’t force the rest of his body to relax. Hooves went away, and the men talked in low voices. A good twenty minutes had passed before someone shouted near the hole, and Aurelius tried to make himself small against the wall even though he couldn’t be seen.

“Listen good, pretty boy. You’ve behaved so far and haven’t been screaming and throwing a wobbly, so you’ll get four waterskins every day and food through the hatch. When I say so, drop the skin and the sack through the hole here.”

Aurelius had barely nibbled on his food, and he quickly took what was left out of the sack before opening the waterskin.

If you refuse, you won’t get any food or water, so you better keep behaving unless you want to go hungry.”

Aurelius drained what was left of his water.

“Drop the stuff now. You better hurry up.”

Aurelius stood near the hole and dropped the items through. He watched hands snatch the items, and he hastily backed away to wait. They must have a chest strapped down on top with food since they’d have to eat too.

They could have been lying, and the food he’d taken from the sack wasn’t much. The hatch opened after someone climbed up. Four waterskins and a new, small sack were dumped through. Aurelius didn’t dare get close enough to try and catch a glimpse of the man. He stayed pressed against the wall where he hopefully couldn’t be seen.

Once it was safe, he checked his new supplies. His food included more dried meat and chippy bean squares. That was bland fare, but it would keep him alive. Since they’d given him more water, they clearly wanted him to be alive when they arrived. Since nobody seemed intent on bothering him, he finished what was left of his bread and cheese from the first sack since that would go off faster.

It took a good hour before hooves returned.

“Nice and fresh,” someone commented.

“Hitch ‘em up.”

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