13.1 Subterfuge

The dim light from the town flickers in the distance as River slows his steed down. "I want to help." You find yourself saying as you stare ahead at the familiar scene before you. The horse comes to a stop and River quickly dismounts before helping you down. A jolt of excitement rushes through you when you hear him say, "Why do you think I brought you here?" Looking up at his face you see the moonlight twinkling in his mischievous eyes. Keeping your distance from town River leads you over to an area where there are a few large stones scattered about. Taking a seat on one of the low rocks you shiver slightly as a gust of wind brushes past you. Removing his jacket, River hands it you, and waits for you to put it on before sitting down next to you. You pull away slightly when he reaches across you and slips hand inside the jacket you're now wearing. When he pulls his hand back out you see it's holding a cigarette and a moment later the thick smell of tobacco hangs in the air.

After taking another deep inhale he wordlessly passes the cigarette over to you. The rich smoke is hot against your throat but you don't struggle to breath it in as much this time. When you exhale a moment later you feel your body grow light. When you hand the joint back to him his finger tips brush against yours before you pull away. The stars shine brighter as the night progresses and after a while you catch yourself leaning against River's sturdy frame. When the lights in town slowly begin fading away you finally start making your way down. It's well past midnight as you closely follow River while he walks through a dark alley. Your eyes slowly adjust and you recognize the left wall to be the side of the inn. River stops in the middle of the alley and you follow his line of sight up to a small window about a foot above you. Tilting your head in confusion you look back at him and can tell there's no way his large frame will fit through such a narrow space. His gaze moves down to you and his mouth pulls back into his signature sly grin.

River's strong hands grip your waist tightly as he lifts you up to the window. You're not surprised to find it unlocked but getting through it is going to be the harder part. The top half of your body slides through easily and you're relieved to find the end of the bar beneath you. Placing your hands on the surface below you manage to wriggle in the rest of the way. It's fairly dark in the room but the smell of booze and tobacco lingers in the air. The large wooden board bolting the door shut is heavy but after some effort you're finally able to lift it. River's lean figure slips inside and you quietly shut the door behind him. He tells you to keep an eye out the window and makes his way behind the bar. You can hear coins jingling and start growing nervous as you wait for him to finish. When he's finished you start moving to the door but stop when you see him heading for the stairs instead. Biting your lip you watch him walk up and disappear into the second level. It's silent for a couple of minutes but you quickly scramble to attention when you hear River curse loudly upstairs.

His voice is followed by a male shout and you hear the sounds of items being knocked over. You hesitantly take a step towards the stairs but pause and let out a sigh when River comes running down them. "Didn't know we'd have company." His voice sounds almost excited as he grabs your hand and pulls you outside. Dirt kicks up beneath your heels as you turn around the corner and run down the alley. A moment later you hear someone yelling and foot steps behind you. River's grip on your hand tightens as he increases his speed. You struggle to keep up with his long legs but the threat of being caught propels you forward. You're barely on River's horse when you feel him climb up behind you and kick his heels into it's side. The steed quickly charges forward and you hear River's deep laughter as the town slowly fades behind you. You recognize the path he leads the horse down and after a while you can see your house in the distance. There are no lights on and you're relieved to see no one around the property. Austin is likely in town dealing with the somewhat botched job in town.

River helps you off the horse and you suggest he takes a moment to feed him. He nods appreciatively and leads the animal over to the stables. While he walks away you quickly make your way up to your house. It's dark inside but you know it well enough to move around the area effortlessly. You don't own many possessions but still only toss a few of them in a small satchel. Primarily clothing and the small photo of your father that was kept on the mantle. However, the most important item you grab is the official property deed your father signed over to you. When you return to the stable River is in the process of readjusting his horses bridle and is facing away from you. You walk past him to the stall where your mare is kept and stroke her mane gently. You feel sorry for leaving her alone for so long but are thankful to see she hadn't finished eating the generous portion of hay you left behind. River's attention finally shifts to you when you begin leading your horse out of the pen and frowns when he sees the satchel on your back. "I'm coming too." You state matter-of-factly before he can ask the obvious question.

River takes a moment to think this over then winks and says, "As long as you can keep up with me." While your horse isn't quite as big as his stallion you're still able to easily keep up with their pace. You're sure River isn't pushing his horse to it's full potential but you still make a good amount of distance through the night. After a day or so of traveling you realize you never asked him where you're going and decide you don't even care. You don't have to be on your land to sell it, the only thing you need is the piece of paper, that's hidden in your satchel. For the first few days you only stop for short periods of time and sleep in shifts. You get the feeling this hasn't been the first time River's been on the run but trust his process. The landscape subtly changes and becomes more lush as you continue travelling eastward. After about a week of travelling River seems to relax and tells you you're about to cross another state line. You hadn't realized you crossed one earlier and feel sense of excitement about how much you've been experiencing. There's just one more thing you've been wanting for quite some time now and are starting to wonder if you'll ever get it.