"When the dead rise and the Light falls silent, the end is near." - The Prophecies of Light

Mingyu pushed back the curtain on the window of their room for what seemed like the hundredth time, peering out into the torch-lit stableyard below. It had taken several minutes to convince Wonwoo that them barreling out of the inn as dark fell would only put suspicion onto them. The thief now waited perched on his small bed, nervously fiddling with his ring.

"You should get some sleep," Mingyu told him in a quiet voice. Wonwoo's sharply tilted eyes glared up at him, and the more slender man shook his head minutely. 

"Nope. Not while he's here," he added, half under his breath. His close proximity to Mingyu in the small room meant that the mercenary heard the latter bit, anyway, and he heaved a sigh in response.

Letting the curtain drop, he sat down on his own bed to face the thief. "Look. He doesn't know we are here, he doesn't even suspect it. We can sleep tonight, stay on our guard, and leave early in the morning before anyone is awake."

"But our horses-"

"He's not going to recognize such unremarkable horses as ours in the stable, and besides, you told me that he didn't even bother going in. Wonwoo," Mingyu said, reaching out to touch the other man's knee with his fingertips. Strangely, the thief jumped under the touch, his ears flushing bright red and his eyes dropping to the floor. "We'll be fine. Get some rest."

"Um." Wonwoo shuffled around on his bed, scooting back until he could lay down comfortably on top of the covers. "Okay." His eyes were wide open, though, and Mingyu let out another sigh. The night was going to be a long one, indeed. The rest of the inn's occupants had settled in for the night, it seemed, and now it was just a matter of waiting for the right moment.

He leaned forward to blow out the candle on the small stand between the two beds, then returned to his vigilance by the window. He didn't recognize that tall, dark haired man that Wonwoo was so spooked by, but he trusted the thief's instincts. Besides that, he did recognize the deep red uniforms that the soldiers still milling around outside wore. They were from the Western Reaches, one of the few private armies on the continent. And, unfortunately, from the place that Mingyu suspected of being behind the plotting.

Sure, there were three other Lords that still ruled, ones whose families had been Kings before the founding of the Tower, but one of them was a Southern Lord near Telgar, while the other was the family who had founded the city of Redien. The idea that the latter would turn against his own city was ridiculous. The Southern Lord could be a viable option, but in the last month, the only activity that Mingyu had noticed had been from the Western Reaches and the Central Marches. Besides... Wonwoo had mentioned that the conversation between the Marcher Lord and this man from the Reaches had been about war. That was reason enough to believe that the main instigators of this rebellion lay to the West.

Likely this patrol was simply traveling along the same road as them, heading for home in the Reaches. What he couldn't figure was why there would have been soldiers left down in the stableyard, guarding a wagon that carried what seemed to be a large, wooden box, the type that might hold a corpse for burial. Were they escorting a body back from the Marches?

A sudden thought ran through him and he felt his breath catch. What if they were taking Hyesung's body somewhere? He still felt horrible about leaving the older man behind; if he had been able to, he would have been sure to take him with them when they escaped. What if he had died in that horrible cell, and that was his body down there?

"Oh damn," he breathed, dropping the curtain to turn toward Wonwoo. "Hey," he said softly, expecting to have to wake the shorter man. Wonwoo sat up immediately, though, swinging his legs off of the bed and looking at Mingyu, his face shadowed by the night.

"Are we leaving?" he asked, too eager, and Mingyu actually laughed at that. Quietly, but it was still a laugh. 

"Maybe. I don't know. The soldiers down there are guarding a box, and I want to see what is in it. So I'm going to-"

"No, let me! I'm stealthier." Wonwoo said, standing up so abruptly that he didn't give Mingyu a chance to step back. "I'll be careful," he said, his face in the mercenary's own, and then he seemed to realize where he was. "Oh,"