Don't give me such a tragic look, Caes pleaded
mentally.
Aden turned away but he couldn't keep the wetness
from spilling down his cheeks and onto the floor.
Uncomfortable Caes walked away to stand in the door
frame.
It's not like he was a good guy, he thought. He
would have killed us given the chance. Aden made the barest of
sounds. Caes sighed heavily. Why was he bothering to explain this?
Aden knew perfectly well what the man was about and what would have
happened if Caes hadn't flushed him from the rafters. That the
bandit had broken his neck on the fall down was unexpected, but what
was the point in shedding a tear for it? People died. Just like
that. Some, like this fellow invited it by the very way he lived.
Caes held no regrets and the only tingling bit of feeling he did
have for it was due to the huddled mass on the floor behind him.
Let's go, he said firmly. He chanced a glance back
and was relieved to see his partner rise slowly. Together they left
the barn and went out under the high boughs of the Mallorn trees. A
cool autumn breeze stirred and he felt rather than saw Aden pause
beside him. Caes stopped and let the air ruffle his hair. After a
moment Aden spoke. His voice sounded a little worn.
“It's,” he said, “...it's too sudden.”
“What is? Life?”
“Yeah. He wasn't very old. He had time. Why did he
just...?”
Caes didn't really have an answer. He was so often
caught up in the surviving part himself that he hadn't taken the
time to dwell on it in any great detail. Even locked in his father's
dungeon he hadn't thought about death. He had certainly cursed how
miserable life was. Funny how he had never even contemplated suicide
until he learned about his magic. Loosing that, being denied that
freedom... He might think more about death now that he felt he had
something to lose. He wondered if it had ever crossed Aden's mind.
Not likely, in his opinion.
