The fog was gone the following morning, but none of their overnight problems had lifted with it. There was still the threat of looming attack, there was still the creature in the shadows, there was still Max, and no matter what angle Luhan looked at the situation from, really, this journey wasn't getting any easier. For half a second, he wished he hadn't been so quick to change courses and continue on. Just for half a second though, not that the fluctuating or non-fluctuating state of his mind brought him any reassurance. Because Luhan was having something of a serious dilemma, and all troubles aside, his personal dilemma began and ended and existed with Xiumin. 

Someone coughed next to him. Luhan jerked his head up to face the origin of the deep-voiced grumbler. “Yes, Kris? What is it?”

Kris coughed again, and not for the first time Luhan noted how generally awkward the qunari was, not a usual manner for their race, although it might have just been a personality quirk. “We... about... uhm. The bodies?”

“Oh, right!” Luhan suddenly remembered. “Yes, sorry. Supposed to be burning the bodies. Got it.”

His distraction had absolutely nothing to do with the mage and how close he was currently to Max. Nothing at all. They were trying to get out of here in good time, Jongin wanting to cover as much distance today as they were physically able. Anything to get as far along the road from both Redcliffe and West Hills as they could. In the meantime, first, they took turns washing themselves in the lake while Suho prepared a quick breakfast. Chanyeol oversaw the loading of their supplies, under Baekhyun's expert direction since nobody trusted the warrior's organizational skills anymore. Kris and Luhan were tasked with disposing the bodies of their attackers by setting up another fire lakeside and delivering their ashes to the Maker. All except for Max who was still very much alive and still not terribly disposed to talk. He complained of his wounds and demanded treatment before anything else, therefore Jongin called Xiumin over to them. And that made Luhan worried. 

“Your mage...” Kris began, as Luhan averted his eyes to the sight of Xiumin examining the half-bare, scarred stomach of their attacker. 

“What?” Luhan asked too quickly.

“He is an apostate?” Kris only wanted to confirm.

Luhan shrugged. “Yes. What of it?”

Just the barest hint of a grin appeared on Kris' face. “So, you are not worried about him?”

“I...”  Of course he was, for more than one reason, he worried. But Luhan could not figure out how to communicate that to the qunari, or come up with a reason why he even should. “Why? Does he bother you? Scared?”

Again, Kris almost smirked. “The Tal-Vashoth are not frightened by magic, not so much as your people are.” 

“Then why do you even ask?” He was being defensive, Luhan knew that. But where there was any suspicion on Xiumin, Luhan thought he had a right to be concerned. After all, it was his duty to be concerned with everything his 'prisoner' did or affected. Kris had no cause to know just how flimsy an excuse this really was.

They worked side by side now out of earshot from the others. The bodies they dragged were already much lighter than the night previous since Chanyeol had organized a loot-claiming party at first sunlight. The whole thing had amused Jongdae immensely. The assassin must be well used to leaving behind corpses but, as he related, usually he was so in-and-out that he had no time to stop and actually peruse the body for treasures. He went away with several precious gem necklaces he'd fought Suho over (the dwarf later got one anyways), while even Luhan plucked a ring from one dead man's finger that Xiumin said was enchanted to grant the wearer extra powers of strength. Luhan wasn't sure whether the mage was to be believed. Enchanted jewelry always sounded like a scam to him, and it didn't appear to have done the previous owner any good, but he pocketed the token anyways. 

“He took several potions bottles, you know.” 

Luhan almost jolted and dropped the body he was carrying, irritated to note that Kris was still on his little mini-rant about the mage.

“And?”

“Just curious if he was a healer, or something else.”

“He's not a healer necessarily.” But he did have a mean flair for potions and other aromatic concoctions, Luhan thought grimly in the back of his mind. Based on his experiences when they first met, when Xiumin had essentially drugged him, he knew the apostate wasn't one to mess with. 

“So... not a healer.” Kris seemed especially good at politely infuriating Luhan. He even smiled like he was aware of it.

“He just has some basic skills, that's all I know. And would you mind telling me again why you suddenly have so many questions?” Luhan tried not to fume too loudly. 

“Merely curious about this group of members. I was hired to guard and protect, remember. Why shouldn't I ask more about the people among us?” 

Luhan swallowed almost bitterly. “Unless you are looking at us suspiciously from within, I don't know why you bother.” 

“A warrior can't be too cautious,” Kris supplied. 

“And sometimes a warrior just needs to act when the occasion presents itself. Too much cautious over-thinking and you get caught with your mind out to pasture. If you're set on an interrogation, I propose you ask Jongin. He's the leader of this expedition, not me. I'm just along for the ride, and so is Xiumin.” 

“Perhaps I'll do that then.” 

“An excellent plan,” Luhan agreed to just to get him to shut up. His nose was already starting to clench from the smell of burning flesh. Luhan still hadn't gotten a chance to bathe, opting out until after this task was completed, although by now he was not relishing in the idea of sharing lake water with the overly large and suddenly chatty qunari mercenary. 

“So what about Baekhyun?” Kris suddenly asked, and Luhan sighed long and hard.

“What about Baekhyun? He's an elf. He shoots people with arrows. I told you to direct your inquiries towards Jongin if you want to know more.”

“Yes, but what if Jongin is just a little too close to some of these people? How does him being the leader mean his observations are as sharp as they should be?”

A fair question, but not one Luhan really knew how to answer. “Look, Kris. My advice is to keep your eyes open and your observations to yourself. I think you'll get far that way. Now let's finish up here so I can get this stench out of my hair and we can move on, huh?”

Kris seemed to agree. At least he huffed like he agreed. And then he muttered in a deep and appreciative voice, “Baekhyun though... I like his red hair.” There was almost a chuckle behind that, and Luhan knew it would be a world of trouble if he repeated that to anyone else.

“Did you hear me about the part where Baekhyun shoots people with arrows? Yeah, try to remember that.” 

By the time they were finished and then finally clean, it was to return to the campsite in the midst of an argument, and not surprisingly it had to do with Max, who wasn't even here. Neither were Jongin and Xiumin, and Chanyeol was hot. He complained staunchly to anyone who would listen about the necessity of just killing the boy, and how there was no need to have him interrogated again, especially when done privately.

“Jongin has him?” Luhan verified as soon as they were within speaking distance.

“Yes,” fumed Chanyeol. “Waste of time, if you ask me. He didn't talk last night, why would he talk today?”

“Is Xiumin with them?” Luhan asked.

“He is,” answered Baekhyun. He was doing much better this morning, the shoulder wound nothing serious, although he was a little grumpy and complained about stifled shoulder mobility. 

“I'm thinking they're going to let that boy live, if the treatment of his injuries is anything to go by.” Jongdae was particularly cheerful this morning. Then again, he was always rather pumped after a good skirmish. The gleam in his eyes though seemed to taunt Luhan, who couldn't help twinging at something he wouldn't quite call jealousy but...  Xiumin had paid him almost no attention this morning. All his energies had been directed towards either Baekhyun or Max because Luhan was too stubborn to ask him to look at his sore shoulder muscles. 

“Like I said,” Chanyeol huffed again. “Waste of time. Everyone on the highway seems to want to kill Sehun - sorry, Sehun, don't mean to frighten you - and here we are politely questioning one of them!”

The boy in concern was lounging silently next to a tree beside the pack mule, and he didn't seem at all offended by Chanyeol's heavily vocalized rants. He sniffed and lifted one eyebrow, possibly to contradict the man but then he shrugged instead. Suho stood close by gazing softly towards the lakeside looking strangely relaxed.  

“So...” said Luhan. “We're just sitting around waiting to find out whether Max lives or dies?”

“On point, my friend,” Jongdae answered for everyone.

In a sense, Jongin guessed this was futile. Ever since the morning came, Max had been even less cooperative since he was first nagged. Probably because he felt better from his wounds, but he was now downright snarky with Jongin, a little cheekier with Xiumin. Downright taunting them both like he cared about nothing. The fact that he felt calm enough to even act that way rankled Jongin. Max was better off dead with his brethren. They had no obligation to keep him alive, take him along, or release him. After the fifth direct attempt to ask him to talk, Jongin was starting to agree with Chanyeol. He stood a tiny bit away from the man who lay on the ground, wrists lightly tied but his legs unbound. Xiumin had mostly cleaned and covered the gash on his ankle where Jongdae's dagger had landed. 

'Tell me again why you want me to heal him?' Xiumin had asked privately when Jongin first took him aside. Chanyeol woke up ready to put the man out of his misery outright, but Jongin insisted on one last chance.

'It's uh... like a bait and switch? Give and take. He knows something, and apparently having Chanyeol break his arm last night didn't jog his memory well enough.' Jongin winced at the memory of the bone snapping, however Max had been made of stronger stuff.

Xiumin had sighed. 'Are you sure you know anything about interrogation?' 

Jongin did not answer. Not until Xiumin sighed again and said, 'This knowing is important to you, huh?' 

'It is' Jongin agreed. 'Help me, please?'

He knew the mage, the apostate, was under no obligation to do anything he didn't want to. He was also aware how Xiumin wasn't technically in a position to make his own decisions - Luhan was - but Jongin had little recourse left to do. He granted Luhan one pleading look across the campsite where he knew the templar had been observing them speak, and Luhan had frowned but he nodded sternly soon after that. 

Now though, away from prying eyes, with Max still being uncooperative and Xiumin crouching a foot away from the man awaiting instructions, Jongin didn't know what to do. He had nothing to add to his speculations from the night before and he was no closer to learning if there was a spy in his camp or not. The likeliest explanation was that the Arl's plans had leaked even beyond West Hills and somebody had observed them passing through Redcliffe. 

Jongin drew his sword. The time for dealing with nonsense was over. He thought he even saw Max smirk, as if the boy had been expecting this all along.

“Finally going to put me out of my misery?” he asked, lips in a snarl.

“Since you have nothing else to contribute,” Jongin replied.

“Well then, guess you better get along and do it.” Max smiled, and then he added, “If you can.”

Jongin paused only momentarily. “What do you mean, if I can?” 

Xiumin stood up to approach him, whispering, “Jongin... who's baiting who now? Just do it.”

“Yeah, what your apostate says. Xiumin? Is that even his name?”

Both of them froze this time, Jongin in confusion, Xiumin because the question to his name suddenly made him stop, eyebrows raised. “Excuse me?” he asked the boy. 

“How do you know he's an apostate?” Jongin asked.

Max smirked again. Laying down, tied up and injured, he appeared as cool as if he was orchestrating this whole event. “No particular reason?” He shrugged. “Just by... oh, the way he's dressed? Those are no Circle robes, or none like I've seen before.”

“You're a backwoods soldier serving a second-rate family line, how would you know anything about Circle mages?” Jongin hissed. 

“I've seen his kind before?”

“Jongin, this is a waste of time, as Chanyeol said. Let's just kill him and be done here,” said Xiumin, frustrated. 

“Your mage has some good advice. But will you take it, Jongin?”

Jongin had taken enough snark already. He hovered over the boy and glared down at him, sword in his arm but not yet raised. “And why wouldn't I? Max?” 

Max actually smiled, and that also rankled Jongin wrong. “Can you keep a secret Jongin? I can. I know you can as well.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Jongin, enough with the word play. We should be going...” Xiumin posited impatiently. 

Max, however, paid him no mind. He continued to look directly at Jongin. “Merely saying I know you can keep a secret. I know you... can.”

A chill ran through Jongin’s body at his words, a reminder of something familiar, either in Max’s face or in the boy’s words. Ignoring Xiumin, Jongin stared at the captive long and hard, forehead crinkled, and something about his expression must have shown because Max continued smiling.

“I’m almost a little disappointed, Jongin, that you don’t remember me.”

“W-What?”

“You don’t do you?” said Max.

“Of course I don’t,” Jongin declared, not believing even himself.

“Jongin?” Xiumin questioned suddenly? “Do… you know him?”

“I don’t…”

But Max contradicted him. “You do.”

Aware that the mage was now staring at him suspiciously, Jongin took a few steps back, as if by doing that he could break whatever memory trance Max was slowly luring him into. His face, his eyes, his voice… everything was familiar to him, but fuzzy. Like it had been a long while. As if he’d known Max when he—when they—were both much, much younger.

“Max?” he asked aloud, trying to remember something in the name. “Is that your real name?”

The boy grinned and shook his head. “No, but I think you’re getting close. I have… I have something that may remind you though?” Max looked at Xiumin then who was closer. “Around my neck there’s a necklace. I’d show it you but, well my arm still kind of aches. Hurts to bend it upwards.”

Since Jongin showed no intention of wanting to see whatever this necklace was, Xiumin glanced at him asking for permission instead. Jongin nodded but he did not move closer. He kept his sword held low, palming the grip in case Max tried anything funny. He still couldn’t place him, but Jongin knew now that they must have met him before. If only he could remember.

Xiumin knelt by him again, otherwise unfazed by the way Max craned his neck back almost sensually so that Xiumin could feel above his collarbones for the string necklace tried around him. He pulled it out with one delicate hand revealing a ring looped through the end and tied in a knot. Xiumin lifted it up so that it dangled below his fingers and looked at Jongin.

“Well?” he asked. Jongin only frowned because it did not help.

“Bring it to me?”

Xiumin nodded and then reached beneath his boot revealing a dagger Jongin hadn’t known he was carrying. However, he only used it to cut the thick cord, Max wincing in the process as it tugged against his neck, and the necklace fell off in Xiumin’s hands.  He stood up, replacing the dagger where it belonged, and balanced the necklace between his fingers, ring still dangling down. Jongin got one quick glance of a dark silver band with markings around it and a curiously cut emerald, when Xiumin accidentally touched his bare fingers to the stone and immediately shrieked.

There was chaos in that second. The mage dropped to his knees like he’d been burned, Jongin rushed forward towards him, and Max made his move. There was no time to stop him. The ties on his wrist did not hinder him from rolling onto his knees, and the wounded ankle wasn’t stopping him either. Meanwhile Xiumin cried out again and again, convulsing on the ground, and right away he could hear the sounds of the rest of their party scrambling towards them.

Too late, Jongin remembered to accost Max, but he was disoriented and not expecting the man to fight back with his broken arm. An elbow caught Jongin across his nose, temporarily blinding him with pain, but it was just the second Max needed to make his break. He dashed into the forest just as Luhan collapsed by Xiumin’s side and Chanyeol and Kris roared past him intent on catching Max.

An arrow though had them ducking, and it wasn’t from the direction where Baekhyun was.

“There’s someone helping him!” Chanyeol’s fury blazed and he growled. Two more arrows and they all ducked again. “Maker’s breath, what is this? A rescue party? For one guy?!”

A horse whined loudly, and not one of theirs either. By the time the warriors could stand up and rush out from their cover, all they heard were the hooves of a single horse racing away from them, and silence elsewhere.

Chanyeol began cursing louder than Jongin had ever heard him. It was punctuated only by mini rants at Jongin for letting him get away, as Max would surely be leagues away before any of them could grab one of their own horses and go after him, possibly into a trap.

“I thought he could barely even walk!? And I broke his arm! How is this even possible?”

“Uhm, friends? What is the matter with Xiumin?”

In his anger, Chanyeol hadn’t even noticed how the mage was on the ground, eyes closed but still writhing in apparent pain. Luhan panted over him fearfully while he tapped his face, felt his pulse and was practically crying himself.

The ring Jongin had already forgotten about lay by his side. Jongdae’s eyes immediately alighted to.

“Don’t touch it!” Jongin cried out, before the assassin could pick it up. “I fear it could be cursed.”

“You let that thing get away and got Xiumin hurt?” Baekhyun finally meandered to where they were, a frightened looking Sehun and Suho behind him. Alistair immediately dashed between their legs and ran towards his master, crouching on the ground and nudging Xiumin’s face from where Luhan had pulled his head off the ground and into his lap. “Seems like I missed a lot.”

The elf also knelt beside Xiumin and felt his forehead. Xiumin had begun to whimper less, his body convulsing less, but his eyes were still shut tight and his face twisted torturously.

“Xiumin? Xiumin?” Luhan continued to whisper. “Xiumin, what’s wrong?”

“He’s passed out,” said Baekhyun. “Someone show me what he touched.”

Jongdae had put on a glove. He now held the cut necklace by the tips, careful to avoid the ring and the gemstone, and he held it up into the light.

“Be careful,” Jongin warned Baekhyun unnecessarily. The elf was also pulling out a glove which shoved his fingers into. He let Jongdae continue to hold it in the air while he examined it closely with just his eyes, cautiously the string right above it to twist it around and catch the light.

“What is it?” asked Chanyeol.

“Ahhh,” said Baekhyun unhelpfully.

“Is it cursed?”

“Can it be reversed?”

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes, concentrating hard and everyone held their breaths, hoping he could tell something about it. Finally, he spoke. “Not cursed. Enchanted though. Definitely enchanted. It’s probably just put him into a dream-like state, although I can’t tell for how long he’ll be like that.”

Luhan cried a little more, his fingers still glancing off Xiumin’s face and through his hair.

“How can you tell?” asked Jongin.

Baekhyun smiled, then with a little daredevil grin, he poked the emerald with his gloved finger, and everyone gasped.

Nothing happened though, except that Jongin’s heart rate suddenly sped up, and then it slowed down.

“The markings on it. They’re elven, although I can’t really make them out too well. There is, however, a set of initials engraved on the inside of the band. Jongin do you know them? S-C-M. If this guy’s name was Max, then who is SCM?”

All eyes turned to Jongin just as another chill swept over his body. He knew those initials. In fact, he knew them quite well. Or at least, he had know them. Known him. Just like Max had said.

SCM.

Shim.

Chang.

Min.

Jongin’s first and earliest and a long time unmet best childhood friend.

“Andraste’s arse. That was Changmin himself.”

3,605 words

*coughs* Sorry I didn't post anything last week. Time and deadlines have gotten away from me. OH but I wrote a whole little ABO drabble series called Wounded Pride. Here! Go read it. And ignore all the really weird little sneaky dealings and suspicious I inserted into this chapter, and oh! the fact that Xiumin is currently in a dream-like trance and Luhan is kind of beside himself with worry. :)

Did you miss me?!?! 

♡ Rosie

P.S. Anyone like gumihos? Mercy is a Human Luxury.