Chapter 36
Kiera
We rode through the night, constantly looking over our shoulders.
Dawn came, cold and distant. Hunger and exhaustion rattled through my body. But every time I closed my eyes, I saw Korvin’s livid face and heard his dark threats.
He would never stop hunting us. A certainty that Renwell was no doubt depending on.
My lip curled. Bastard.
“We’ll stop in Norford,” Nikella announced as we continued west. “They will have food and supplies for the rest of our journey.”
“I haven’t got any coins,” Maz grunted, stroking his beard, “and they won’t like the looks of me.”
Nikella cast him a weary look. “Unravel your braids and cover your tattoos. No one will notice you. The town is mostly working folk. We’ll trade work for money or the supplies we need.”
Maz grumbled curses, but did as she told him.
“We’ll hide our more noticeable weapons outside of town,” she added, glancing between Maz’s axes and whistler and the sunstone daggers glittering in my belt.
I nodded, shifting on Ozlow’s back to wake up my numb legs. Riding a horse without a saddle was torture. I had to knot my fingers in Ozlow’s mane to keep from falling. Ruru had already slipped off his horse once.
Aiden rode like he didn’t notice or care that he had no saddle. He hadn’t said a word since we fled Caddik’s manor.
But I knew Aiden. He was likely steeped in guilt. Another ally gone because of us. Another person he couldn’t save.
We couldn’t keep doing this. I had a plan. I just hoped he wouldn’t fight me too hard on it.
We came to a fork in the road and stashed most of our weapons in the woods under a pile of dead leaves and twigs. Then we turned south toward Norford.
The small town lay nestled in a deep valley. Smoke curled from stone chimneys. Herds of people and animals plodded along the few dirt roads that intersected through the town. The cold morning breeze carried strong notes of dirty animals.
“Smells like shit,” Ruru muttered, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Maz snorted. “Welcome to Winspere. I’ve only been in this province twice, and this is how it always smelled.”
I didn’t care how it smelled. I just wanted to get our supplies and get out. Gods only knew how far behind Korvin was.
“Where can we get work?” Ruru asked, looking a little more alert.
Nikella pulled up her long hood, signifying her Teacher status. Her spear was already hidden in its wooden staff. “Question the drivers or the stable owners. They always need more manual labor. I’ll stop at the courier station and see if they need me to write any correspondence.”
I could help with that, too, but that might look odd to be with a Teacher when I wasn’t one myself. Teachers normally traveled alone.
“Do they have a tavern here?” I asked.
Aiden cut a glance at me.
Nikella nodded. “Beards & Barley on the north side of town.” Her gaze flicked down to where I grasped the hilt of one of my small knives. “Be on your guard. Herd drivers make little coin, and they don’t like to lose it. Especially the men.”
“Do they ever?”
“I’ll go with you,” Aiden said.
I frowned. “For my protection?”
“For the Death and Four. There’s bound to be a few games I can win.”
Maz smirked. “And you two will get to cozy up in a tavern while poor Ruru and I do the back-breaking work.”
I offered him one of my knives. “By all means, Mazkull. But have you ever beaten me at throwing?”
“No.” He grinned. “I was thinking of using my other talents on a lonely barmaid or two. Get some food and a nice bed out of it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Kind of defeats the idea of hiding that you’re a Dag.”
He shrugged. “I’ll leave my shirt on, as disappointed as she would be. I haven’t gotten that tattoo on my ass yet,” he added with a wink.
I laughed. It sounded strange after such a horrific night, like a note of melody in a cacophony of screams.
Aiden quirked an eyebrow. “What’s this now? An ass tattoo?”
“Just a wager between friends,” Maz said.
“Enough.” Nikella pointed to a signpost that announced the ways to the Medria River, Twaryn, and Calimber. “Meet here at midday. Then we’ll go back for our weapons and sleep elsewhere.”
We split in three different directions when we entered Norford. I peered after Nikella as she headed for a squat stone building with saddled horses out front and a quill-shaped sign above the door. Hopefully, I would have a letter to send soon.
Beards & Barley was easy to find. It was the largest building on the street with a painting of a large, bearded man drinking beer on the front.
Aiden and I tied up our horses and ducked inside. The thick smell of smoke and body odor made me cough.
Gods, how can anyone sit in here without convulsing?
But no one else seemed to mind. They did seem to mind two strangers walking into their tavern. Everyone stopped smoking, drinking, and talking just to stare at us like we’d come in brandishing our swords.
Most of them didn’t seem heavily armed. Some didn’t even look like they could stand up if it came to a fight. A few women were scattered here and there around the tables, so at least I wasn’t the only one.
My muscles loosened a bit when I saw a target near the wide hearth. A few knives stuck out of it, but no one was playing.
“Norford must not get a lot of travelers from outside Winspere,” I muttered out of the corner of my mouth as we claimed a small table in the back.
Aiden’s gaze wandered around the crowd behind me. “They’ve probably had their fair share of soldiers. They drive their livelihoods through these lands. They don’t want any troublesome newcomers risking that.”
His suspicion was confirmed a moment later when the barkeep stalked over. He folded his arms over his burly chest and glared down at us over a thick beard. “You with a drive?”
“No,” Aiden said with a smooth smile. He laid his hand over mine on the sticky table. “My wife and I came this way from The Hollow to visit her great-uncle Caddik.”
His wife?
I gaped at Aiden, then quickly shut my mouth when his smile sharpened. It was a risky lie, but hopefully we’d be long gone before they heard about Caddik. As for being convincing . . .
I smiled up at the barkeep. “Yes, Uncle Caddik never leaves his manor, as you must know. But we wanted to visit as my mother worries for him.”
The barkeep scowled at me. “Ole Caddik never mentioned a niece.”
I shrugged, trying to ignore the way Aiden was stroking my hand with his thumb. “Does that surprise you? My mother always said you couldn’t get two words out of the man unless it was about his animals.”
The barkeep grunted, letting his arms fall to his sides. “Suppose you’re right. Well, tell him to get his scruffy neck down here for a pint sometime. Gretchen wouldn’t have wanted him to waste away out there.”
My throat tightened, but I forced out a laugh. “I’ll be sure to tell him.”
“Food? Drink?” he asked.
Aiden laid two coppers on the table, never letting go of my hand. “Whatever this will get us. We’ve had a long journey.”
The barkeep swept the coins into his apron pocket. “It’ll get you enough.”
He left, and I yanked my hand out from under Aiden’s. My cheeks felt warm.
“Wife?” I demanded in a low tone.
Aiden leaned back in his chair, his expression guarded. “A married couple is much less suspicious than a man and woman who look like they’ve been hunted through the night.” The corner of his mouth turned up. “Now he’ll just assume we look tired for other reasons.”
Heat crawled from my cheeks down my neck. I avoided meeting his intense gaze by peering around the hazy room. Most people had gone back to their business. But that didn’t mean it would stay that way. We needed to hustle a few coins and get out of here.
“Gretchen was his wife’s name,” I whispered, rubbing my fingers over the yellow flowers stitched to my shirt.
When Aiden didn’t say anything, I willed myself to look back at him. He was watching me with an indecipherable expression on his face. The dark stubble under his sharp cheekbones and curved jaw made him look wild and dangerous.
Which he was. But that was just one side of him.
“Nikella knew her,” he said. “She died a few years back.”
“I’m dying where my wife died, whether that’s tonight or in twenty years.”
“He must have really loved her,” I said softly.
“A man in love is a dangerous thing.”
Flutters erupted in my belly as if his deep voice had murmured the words straight into my soul.
I licked my suddenly dry lips. His gaze dropped to my mouth, his eyebrows pulling together. His jaw flexed like he was in pain.
“Two beers and some oatmeal,” the barkeep announced, jolting me out of my daze. He thumped down two mugs and bowls.
I drained half my beer, grateful for the excuse to avert my eyes. It wasn’t the best beer I’d ever had, but after a night of riding, it sank into my sore muscles like a hot bath. Holy Four, a hot bath would feel miraculous.
An image of me and Aiden soaking in the same steamy tub filled my mind, making me choke on my bland oatmeal. I gulped more beer.
Aiden smiled—a dark, secretive thing that seeped into me far deeper than the beer had.
“Everything all right?” he asked, sipping from his mug.
“You said a man in love is a dangerous thing.”
His gaze sharpened. He leaned forward. “Yes?”
I took a deep breath and immediately regretted it when I inhaled more of the tavern’s pungent smell. “I want to send a message to Henry.”