New characters: Sadiq (Turkey)

CHAPTER FIVE

Fire crackled in the night. It spat up sparks and ate up the dry wood piled in the pit for it.

They'd walked the distance of the tunnel and—true to his word—Francis had three horses awaiting them on the other side. They'd ridden for hours towards the mountains. The further they got from Dorado and the closer to the mountains, the cooler and grassier it had become. They had stopped to make camp when Yong Soo had begun to nod off on his horse, complaining drowsily that the mountains were too far away.

Though Yong Soo had been the one dozing in the saddle, it was Xiang who'd dropped off to sleep the quickest. Though he'd recovered from the poisoning sickness, he wasn't as strong as he would have been with more days of rest.

Yao muffled a yawn with his hand.

"Brother's sleepy too, huh?" Yong Soo said with a teasing edge, leaning slightly against him, peering at his face. Yao leaned back at the disconcerting proximity, willing his face not to become hot. Yong Soo, unbothered, threw an arm over his shoulders and leaned his head against his.

"It's been a long day." Yao bit back another yawn, just giving up and letting Yong Soo do as he pleased.

"Want me to keep watch while you sleep?" he asked, grinning.

Yao gave him a surprised look. He didn't seem like the type to do it—or take it seriously, but Yao really was very tired and less inclined to worry as usual. "Really?"

"Yeah! I told you—I'd repay you with my body!" Yong Soo pumped his fist in the air energetically.

Yao groaned quietly, slapping his forehead. "Stop with that, already," he muttered, flushing despite himself. He lay down before Yong Soo could notice, rolling over on his side.

Yong Soo beamed down at him affectionately. "I'll protect you, brother," he told Yao. "I invented bravery, after all. And dependability."

"Liar," Yao mumbled thickly, falling gladly into the comforting blackness of sleep.

Too-bright sunlight beaming down onto his face coaxed Yao to stir and slit open his eyes. He looked blearily upwards at a pale morning sky, vision half obscured by something black that waved slightly in the breeze.

"What the—" Yong Soo was sleeping away soundly next to him, heavy frame almost draped over his body. His hair brushed Yao's face with every one of his breaths, chin nestled over his shoulder. Yao swallowed quietly, but then perked up as he heard someone shifting further away.

"You've sure turned into a careless guy, Yao," a deep voice commented. Yao struggled to sit up and Yong Soo whined sleepily at the movement.

A familiar figure was sitting on a rock nearby, his legs stretched out casually.

"Sadiq?" Yao asked disbelievingly. "It's just 'meet old acquaintances' week, isn't it…"

"Acquaintances!" the masked man said, a bit indignantly. "Thought we were friends, man."

"Sorry. Friends."

Sadiq made a grumpy noise, which dissolved into a brief laugh. "Heard you're on the run now," he commented.

"Heard? From who?" Yao asked, sitting up slowly after he'd manoeuvred the young man off of him. Yong Soo wriggled in his sleep, his arm finding his way around the slim man's waist.

"Oh," Sadiq said enigmatically, "a little birdie told me."

"Ah, I see." Yao sighed. "Yeah, I'm on the run…apparently. I'm not sure from who, though. Or why, exactly."

"Could have something to do with that letter," Sadiq said and stood. He was grinning down at Yao, tilting his head expectantly on an angle. "Should have a read of it, huh?"

"No—it's for the king's eyes only," Yao muttered.

Sadiq laughed. "You're such a boring guy—it concerns you. Since you're the one delivering it and risking your life for it." He jabbed a finger at Yao. "Am I right or am I right?"

"I'm not opening it. I know you just want to read it."

"Damn, you know me too well," Sadiq groused. He turned his head and paused, seeming to look in Xiang's direction. Yao looked as well, saw the boy's eyes open and sharp, and fixed on Sadiq.

"Who is he?" he asked. His tone was wary and distrustful.

"An old friend," Yao assured him. He twitched with surprise as the arm around his middle tightened suddenly and Yong Soo peered up at him through sleep-mussed hair.

"You've got weird 'old friends', brother," he said.

"Punk," Sadiq said, snorting. "I'm not at all weird." He crouched down and set to reviving the fire. "And you should be grateful—I scared off the wolves while you were sleeping."

"Wolves?!" Yong Soo yelped. He sat upright and clung to Yao, who heaved a long-suffering sigh.

"He's lying. Stop that, Sadiq," Yao scolded. Sadiq only guffawed and grinned, pleased with himself, rubbing his jaw with one hand. "Sadiq is a bounty hunter—Sadiq, this is Yong Soo and Xiang."

"Hm." Xiang eyed him.

"I'm the best hunter around," Sadiq boasted.

Yao smiled a bit. "I've met people contesting for that title," he said. Sadiq snorted at that, scornfully—like any bounty hunting newbies could ever hope to be better than him.

"Anyway," Sadiq said loudly, resting his hands on his knees. "Did my good deed for the year, keeping an eye on you kids."

"Going now? How about breakfast?" Yao offered. Sadiq paused. "Hmmm?"

"Breakfast, then I'm goin'," he said firmly.

Sadiq told them that he'd just come from Bavonia. "Caught a glimpse of their king—he's just a kid! Real brat, arrogant little snot! Thinks he's all that, I could tell just lookin' at him," he explained as he chewed on strips of meat. "Apparently, his dad just up'n died, so he got to take over because he's 'of age'." He snorted at added in a mutter, "Kings used to have to damn well earn their royalty back in the day."

"Want some tea, old man?" Yong Soo asked, cheekily. Sadiq grumbled at him good-naturedly.

He did have tea, though, when Xiang poured it. He gulped it down and explained, "It's only because you don't have anything stronger that I'm drinkin' this. Hey, Yao, why is the first thing you pack tea, even when there's more important things?"

"Tea is important," was the reply. Yao sipped from his cup delicately.

Sadiq rolled his eyes under his mask, grinning a bit.

"By the way, I'm goin' to the city, so you can have my supplies. The mountains are just downright savage this year." He shuddered for emphasis.

"Thank you, Sadiq," Yao said, sincerely hoping that he was just being overdramatic.

END CHAPTER FIVE

I've never written Turkey before, haha.