CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Almighty, I love inns,” Rafferty said brightly as they left Gaatshead the next morning. They’d left early, barely taking time for breakfast, planning to make up some of the time they’d lost going south to the mountain pass before traveling north to Ephria City.
They traversed the dirt road, heading deeper into the east. Thom positioned himself at the back, intending to avoid early morning conversation. Instead, Rafferty and Vayden chose to ride on either side of him.
“Feather mattresses are far superior to dirt,” Vayden remarked through a sleepy yawn.
Thom slumped in his saddle, wishing they’d leave him alone.
“How much farther is it to Loclight?” Vayden asked.
“I haven’t the foggiest,” Rafferty replied. “I’m not much on timelines, myself. What do you say, Thommy-boy? About a week?”
Thom rolled his eyes. “Try half that,” he grumbled.
“Only four days?” Vayden pursed his lips in approval. “That’s nice. Though I suppose we won’t have much of a break from travel. The hope is to stay only two days in the city, then on to the Shires, yes?”
Thom nodded, suppressing a yawn.
“You should let those out,” Vayden commented. He settled his hands casually on the saddle before him. “So what should I expect?”
“From what?” Thom asked.
“The Keeps.”
“Ah.”
Thom and Rafferty exchanged a dry look.
“Well,” Thom said, “they’re always different.”
“And they’re always miserable,” Rafferty added.
“Lots of running, lots of fighting, and lots of wishing you were anywhere else,” Thom concluded.
Vayden smirked. “Sounds invigorating.”
“Quite so,” Thom muttered.
Rafferty sniggered at their sarcasm. “Your chances of dying—now, those are pretty high,” he said. “With your sword fighting skills and the fact that you’re non-magical, I’d give you a one in three odds against.”
“Hm. Not as bad as I would’ve expected.” Vayden stroked his jaw thoughtfully.
“I would’ve made them less, but I thought you could use the encouragement.”
“You have my sincerest gratitude.”
The smallest smile lifted the corner of Thom’s lips. “We’ll be all right,” he said. “Yes, they’re bad, but we’ve yet to lose anyone to them. Injuries are to be expected, but death . . . Our team has only increased in strength and numbers. We’ll be fine.”
Vayden gave an appreciative nod while Rafferty smirked. “That’s rather optimistic of you, Thommy,” he noted.
“I’m becoming a bloody fine man, and cynicism isn’t becoming,” Thom retorted. “Now, shut up or leave me alone. The mornings are meant for brooding, not conversation.”
Vayden and Rafferty laughed, then nudged their horses forward, leaving Thom to his desired isolation.
As they momentarily left the mountains behind, the terrain sloped down into a valley.
Above them, the sky was a grand blue, the sun shining behind the scant clouds that darted around its face.
Already, springtime had given Ephria a bright, cheery atmosphere, a stark contrast to the gloom of Wauld.
The grass was a vibrant green, the trees lush and full of leaves, and the woodland creatures were active as they rode.
Flocks of birds sailed overhead, heading north again after the harsh winter.
Thom had been stationed in the arid mountains of Ephria in his earliest days as a soldier.
The culture within them was far more archaic than the lowlands, lingering in the old ways.
The bygone clans of Allund still wandered within the mountainous region.
The greater Ephrian nation no longer recognized them, but the people still wore their ancestral plaids and crest pins in enduring respect.
It always struck Thom that even a continent as small as the Isle of Allund could hold great variance among its people. Now that he knew Brea and Isla and was learning the culture and language of Schon through them, he had to wonder what other wonders Terraeus held.
As the morning wound on, Evylin dropped back to ride with him.
With the sun high in the sky and its warmth on his face, he was happy to accept her ready conversation.
They shared anticipation of returning to Loclight and their home, and Evylin asked about his and Deckard’s life there before she’d met them.
Thom tried to give her what answers he could, but he couldn’t speak much about Deckard’s time in the city.
While he knew his brother had been stationed in the capital on and off for several years, they’d never talked much about his assignments.
In fact, until just a few weeks ago, they hadn’t talked much at all since Deckard’s commission twelve years ago.
The revelation emphasized Thom’s need to prove himself. He knew Deckard didn’t require it. But he felt the need for it. His new purpose demanded that he rectify the mistakes of his past.
In the midst of their conversation, Ilain dropped back to join them. Her roan horse nickered softly on the other side of Evylin. “Might I interrupt?” she asked.
“You already have,” Thom noted.
Ilain hummed in mock amusement. “Well, if you don’t want me here, I can go. I just had a question, and you two are the only ones who can answer it.”
“We’d be honored to be of service,” Evylin said brightly.
“Don’t patronize me, Evie.” Ilain’s eyes glimmered with good humor. “I’m a woman on a mission at the moment.”
“And what mission is that?” Thom asked.
Ilain drew her shoulders back, looking straight at Evylin. “How did you get Jonn to kiss you?”
Evylin—and Thom—froze. “How did I—what?” she asked.
Ilain brushed her hand through the air flippantly. “Well, I know he’s the prudish sort, so I was wondering: How did you get him to kiss you?”
Thom screwed up his face in disgust. “And why do I need to be here for this conversation?” he asked.
“It’s the follow-up questions for which I require your masculine expertise.”
Thom didn’t know whether to be intrigued or terrified.
“So Evie . . . ?” Ilain prompted.
With an uncomfortable sigh, Evylin shrugged. “Well . . . I didn’t really have to get him to do it. He just did.”
“Hm.” Ilain narrowed her gaze thoughtfully. “How long did it take?”
“About a month.”
“Mm.” Her hum sounded disgruntled this time. “I’m not that patient. Is it an Ephrian thing? Being slow to affection?”
Suddenly, Thom understood what was happening. “Ethenn hasn’t kissed you?” he stated rather than asked.
Ilain scowled. “Not since our betrothal ceremony.”
“Interesting,” he muttered, then inquired, “And is this the area where my expertise comes in?”
“Something like that.”
Thom chuckled in disbelief. He wasn’t sure why Ethenn hadn’t kissed Ilain yet; it might have been due to their discrepancy of feelings. But he wasn’t entirely certain why that should stop him. The woman had quite literally offered herself to him. What man wouldn’t take that as an invitation?
With a toss of his hand, Thom decided the young man was a fool. “Well, no, it’s not an Ephrian thing,” he said. “We are a more reserved culture, but not all men are so ‘proper’ as to remain so chaste. I’m actually rather surprised to hear that Ethenn is so reticent in that regard.”
“That’s the thing,” Ilain said, eyes darting between Thom and Evylin, “I don’t think he is. He told me that he’s kissed dozens of women.”
“Dozens?” Evylin exclaimed.
“He told you that?” Thom asked incredulously. “Why on Allore’s green Terraeus would he tell you how many women he’s been with?”
“He hasn’t been with any women, thank you very much,” Ilain said with a haughty thrust of her chin into the air. “He’s simply kissed a handful of them . . . Amongst other activities as well, apparently.”
Thom snorted, still bemused. “And he informed you of this when?”
“On our betrothal night.”
“Huh.” Thom raised his brows at Evylin. “The man’s crazier than I thought.”
Evylin shook her head despite the laugh that bubbled out of her. She turned to Ilain. “Was there a particular reason you discussed your past relationships on your first night together?” she asked.
Ilain shrugged. “No. And they weren’t relationships from the sounds of it.”
“Ah.” Thom grimaced. “I never pegged Ethenn for a lecher.”
“He isn’t,” Ilain objected vehemently. “As clearly evidenced by the fact that he refuses to touch me. And which,” she swept a hand toward her lithe figure, “is profoundly confusing when I’ve practically thrown my barely clad body at him twice now.”
Thom scanned her approvingly and spoke in a dry tone. “It is baffling. Should you throw yourself at me, you’d have no virtue left.”
“What did I say about patronizing me?”
He grinned at her. “I’m just agreeing with you, Ilain. Something is wrong with Ethenn. Any other man, even bloody Jonn Deckard, would lose himself to a battle against the will of a wife such as you.”
“Thank you,” Ilain said while Evylin scoffed.
“Even if I stripped naked in front of Jonn that first night, he’s such a gentleman that he would have simply asked if I needed to borrow a shirt,” Evylin protested.
Though Thom would rather avoid thinking of his brother in such scenarios, he couldn’t help embarrassing her by asking, “Does he do that now?”
Evylin blushed. “No,” she said, letting the short reply hang suspended in the air.
“Mm-hm,” Thom chuckled victoriously. Then he leaned forward to look at Ilain. “So what? Ethenn’s not responding to your advances?”
“No—well . . .” Ilain scrunched her nose in self-derision. “I haven’t exactly made advances, so much as asked him to kiss me while attempting to cuddle with him.”
“Attempting?”
“He can’t cuddle,” she said in exasperation. “Isn’t that bizarre?”
“Perhaps you’d like to cuddle with me?” Thom offered wryly.
“I’m a betrothed woman now, Thom. I have no further interest in your charms.”
“I never realized I had charms.”
“You don’t,” Evylin sniped and turned to the highlady. “I’m a little confused, Ilain. Are you saying you’d like to . . . consummate your betrothal?”
“No,” Ilain said instantly, then winced. “Maybe. Probably.”
Thom sniggered. “That progressed quickly.”
“Oh, shut it.” Ilain straightened in her saddle. “He’s the man I always dreamed of. Why wouldn’t I want to secure our future together?”