It was all I could think about, all I could care about.
Without acknowledging the other fae males in the delegation, I slid into the back of the van and took a seat on one of the side benches, right next to the body bag that laid in the centre.
My eyes remained pinned on the zipper, hands shoved into fists during the time the males settled themselves and the engine started. I continued to lock my full attention on Galenor’s body as the car started moving, the motion of the wheels jutting us along with the bag.
“Be fucking careful!” I shouted at the driver and his co-pilot while Valeyan pressed his foot against the side of the bag to keep it from getting injured.
“How long?” the commander looked at me with eagerness, probably as desperate to release his friend as I was.
“Ten minutes till we exit the village and twenty-two until the unit’s fence clears,” I replied instinctively while tapping my fingers against the bench and watching the body bag intently, sharing the same desperation as Valeyan.
All of us kept quiet, too focused on the road ahead, on leaving this place. Some of the males were restless, tapping their feet on the floor or sighing heavily, all of us counting the minutes that would take us to freedom. That would allow me to open that fucking bag and get Galenor out.
I kept quiet and waited.
Did I ever think I would willingly lock myself in a small space with fae males? Not in a fucking million years. But here I was, watching them with determination and distrust, hoping that we all had the same goal.
I waited until the first set of gates opened for us after a brief document check and head count and I waited again until the second gate, the surveillance one, closed behind us, letting us share the journey with the meadow resting on both sides of the road.
The way to the Wind Realm was a long one, at least ten hours’ drive but the final control would be at the realm border, giving Galenor plenty of time to wake up by then.
I didn’t wait for the go ahead from the driver and as soon as I heard the gates close behind us, I launched myself at the bag, ripping the zipper to reveal Galenor’s body.
The air around froze at the sight of his beautiful face and my heart started pulsating at the sight of him. The engine of the van rattled away while the males in the back exclaimed various sighs and curses, but all I could do was smile.
When I pulled the zipper of the body bag down, I expected to see whitened, colourless flesh, I expected him to look like a body, all traces of blood washed away from his skin. Instead, Galenor was his beautiful self, fanning those long dark lashes with his mouth slightly parted, something I had always observed about him when he spoke, and small bubbles of air danced around his mouth while his chest flowed up and down in a barely noticeable motion. His cheeks became rosy once again, colour returning to form the portrait of beauty on his face.
I risked a glance at Valeyan to see him gazing at his friend with longing and pride. “It worked,” he confirmed my hopes with a gentle nod, as if to reassure both me and my heart that he would soon wake up.
“Don’t just stand there, help me,” I heard myself ordering the males while I did my best to lift Galenor’s head out of the body bag and held him in my arms to protect him from any bumps and curves on the road.
Instantly, the males moved and as one, lifted him and placed him on one of the side benches, allowing his body to lay flat while his head remained supported on my thighs. They were kind enough to give up the comfort of their seat, two of them moving on the other bench while the other two crouched on the floor, their backs resting against the wall separating us from the driver’s seat.
We must have travelled like that, in silence, all eyes pinned on Galenor, for hours, none of us daring to say a word, too focused on monitoring the state of the fae. I ripped part of his shirt to observe the wound my dagger had caused and cleaned the dried blood with my sleeve, while watching in fascination how the injury was slowly closing.
How, with every invisible breath, his chest became stronger, his muscles more tense and his sleeping movements sharper. After a while, he started looking like he was taking a long nap, so I remained content to observe him and pray to all the gods that he woke up soon.
Given any other situation, I would have ran for my life. Who in their right mind would travel with eight faerie men, in a car with no security, with no plan and no weapons? But, during the long hours of silence, a sort of camaraderie bonded between us. We spoke with our eyes, first observing curiously, then analysing and finally, sustaining gazes and questioning looks, nodding at one another in warning at sharp bends on the road or even sharing a smile or two when Galenor shifted in my lap.
Sleep started taking over me, the fatigue and accumulated stress making my eyes droopy. With the addition of the lack of conversation and constant rumbling of the engine, I found myself dozing off for a few seconds or minutes, all the while my hand continuing to caress Galenor’s hair or forehead. I found myself unable to stop, desperately needing the contact of his skin, hoping that I would transmit some sort of peace to his induced sleep.
Until his eyes flew open, large emerald shards stabbing into me.
“Galenor,” I exclaimed, my hands paralysing on his skin.
With an abrupt shift, he lifted his upper body, his gaze scanning around, trying to grasp the details of his new reality.
I spotted the exact moment he recognised his friends, because his lips curved, a wide smile blooming.
“You bastards!” he laughed harshly, in a combination of joy and admonishment.
“Took you long enough, brother,” Valeyan jumped from the other bench and placed strong arms on Galenor’s shoulders, shaking him in an embrace, both of them brimming with joy at the reunion.
Next came the other fae males, Fratnuk and Orynth, both of them following the same structure, patting Galenor’s back and exclaiming either insults or brotherly greetings. Galenor took the time to greet and thank everyone by name, including the driver, who had kept silent for the entire journey. I even thought he wasn’t able to speak, until he turned to us, looking Galenor dead in the eye and dipped his chin reverently in greeting.
“My prince.”
The smile that had been plastered on my face while observing the exchange vanished. Why was this man greeting Galenor like he was his superior? As if he was meant to be treated like royalty.
