Chapter 28
I awoke feeling the sting of our rowdy night in my muscles. Every part of me was sore, especially my legs, which had gone through enough riding yesterday to complain about the experience. I groaned and rolled over to find myself staring into the bemused face of Cassian.
A heavy blush accented my cheeks, and I yanked the blanket higher up my neck. “What are you staring at?”
He reached up and brushed the back of his fingers over my cheek. “A very shy lady.”
I sat up, taking most of the blanket with me. The darkness of night still hung over the barn, but the soft scent of the dew warned us morning was soon to come. “Well, this shy lady is going to get dressed and get some food.”
Cassian tilted his head to one side. “After chores. I hear our host coming even now.”
I yelped and scrambled for my clothes. Cassian did the same, though with more decorum. We were dressed by the time the barn doors opened and lantern light fell across the floor. “You two awake?”
“And ready to help in any way we can,” Cassian shouted back. He crawled across the floor and swung himself over the ladder.
“Your misses can stay up there if she likes, unless she wants to help mine collect eggs.”
I popped my head over the edge of the loft. “That sounds like fun!”
I snatched up the empty water pail, climbed down the ladder, and slipped out into the cool morning.
The chill nipped at my nose as I made my way to the little chicken coop set against the side of the barn.
The woman I’d seen in the farmhouse was out there with a young girl, both collecting eggs in their aprons.
“Good morning,” I greeted them.
The little girl yelped and scuttled behind her mother, who offered me a smile. “Good morning. I hope you slept well.”
Not much of that, I thought to myself. “Quite well. Could I help you collect eggs?”
“That would be wonderful.”
I used the pail to carry the eggs, and we had full buckets and aprons in short order. We carried our haul to the house and deposited the eggs gently in a blanket-lined basket in the kitchen. The quaint farmhouse smelled of fresh bread and milk.
“Is there anything else I can help with?” I offered.
“Well, you might set the table and stoke the stove.”
I held up my hands and shook my head. “Oh, there’s no need for you to feed us.”
She grasped my arm and gently guided me to the silverware set out on a small table in the kitchen. “But I insist, and my husband is already asking yours to come to breakfast.”
And so we had a warm and friendly breakfast, and had our fill of pancakes, sausages, and even some of the eggs I had helped collect. The sun had risen by the time we stepped out onto the porch. Niveus impatiently waited nearby, his saddle on his back and his mouth still full of fresh hay.
Cassian shook the man’s hand. “Thank you for your kindness.”
“Thank you for the help,” the farmer countered as he nodded at the barn. “I needed a second pair of strong hands to fix some of those stalls, and you came just in time.”
“The pleasure was all mine.”
The wife caught my attention as she held out a small towel. “And here you go. A few of the biscuits from this morning that you helped make.”
I accepted the package and hugged them against my chest. “Thank you so very much.”
We bid our farewells and walked down the road with Niveus sauntering beside us.
The sun warmed our faces, and the music of the birds eased our hearts.
Other farmers were out in their fields and barnyards, plying their trade with various degrees of enthusiasm.
Horses whinnied at Niveus, and sheep baa’ed at us.
In such an idyllic place, it was hard to imagine any threat like the nethral ever existed.
Cassian leaned forward and looked me over. I drew away from him and frowned. “What is it?”
“You have something on your cheek.” Cassian reached out and brushed his thumb against my face, and came away with a faint whitish powder. He studied his white digit for a moment before he laughed. “Flour.”
I snorted. “I’m not very good at mixing that stuff. It always goes everywhere.”
He nodded down at my little bundle. “The results revealed your efforts. They were delicious.”
“And you?” I wondered as I nudged his arm with my elbow. “What do you think?”
He blinked at me. “What do you mean?”
“How’s it feel to get out and help your subjects?”
A crooked smile slipped onto his lips. “It feels quite invigorating.”
“You should do it more often, right?”
“I should. That is, if my company is as agreeable as what I have now.”
That got me thinking about the future, and my heart fell. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “I don’t really know what I’m going to do once we get to the capital.”
“Then it’s decided.”
I blinked at him. “What is?”
“You will remain in the palace until you decide what you wish to do with yourself.”
I snorted. “I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
His voice took on an airy, wispy tone. “You wished it in a dream.”
“I don’t think that was my dream.”
“Then I made a kingly decision.”
“I’m not your subject.”
“So long as you remain in my domain and my protection, you’re under my jurisdiction.”
I sighed. “Alright, you win. I’ll stay at the castle, but only until I figure out what I want to do.” Whatever in the world that would be. What skills could I possibly have that would be useful in such a world?
He was all smiles, but not triumphant. I don’t think that man had a boastful bone in his body. “Excellent. I look forward to showing you around my city. There are few wonders in the world grander than Elyra.”
I cocked my head to one side. “Like what?”
Cassian tapped a finger against his lips. “I will save that for the tour. Now, why don’t we quicken our pace? The faster we reach the inn, the sooner we arrive at Elyra.”
He quickened his pace, and I scurried to keep up. “And when will that be? How far is Elyra from the inn?”
“A day’s ride, but you can see the peaks of the Citadel from miles away.”
“The Citadel?”
His eyes twinkled as brightly as stars. “Just one of the sights I’ll show you when we get to the capital.”
“Okay, now you’re just teasing me.”
“Perhaps I am, but you’ll find out sooner if we move faster.” He stretched his long legs and covered more ground, leaving me behind.
“Hey!” I shouted as my short legs struggled to catch up, and I was forced into a sprint.
Cassian settled into a slower pace, but not much, and by noon, I found myself exhausted and hungry. A most pleasant surprise awaited us around one of the corners. The forest now grew close to both sides of the road, and we heard the horseman before we saw him.
The rider rounded the corner, and a smile brightened his face the moment he saw us. “Cassian!”
Cassian raised his hand. “Titus!”
Titus galloped over and reined in his steed, but not before he hopped down. He opened his arms, and the men embraced in a tight, back-clapping hug. Titus drew them apart and looked him over. “Well, you don’t look as though you’ve lost anything valuable, or do your clothes hide a hideous deformity?”
“Nothing that wasn’t there before,” Cassian countered.
Titus laughed and clapped his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “By God, did I miss your winning our little quip contests!” His gaze settled on me, and his smile softened. “And I’m supremely glad to see you’re safe as well, Grace.”
“And I’m also supremely glad to see you, too,” I returned.
“You must tell me how you escaped the clutches of those nethral,” he insisted.
“Once we get to the inn,” Cassian promised him as he nodded at the road ahead. “Then I won’t have to repeat my tale. Is everyone there to listen? How do they fare?”
“The wounds have been tended to by a doctor, and all are recovering nicely,” Titus assured him. “They’re all waiting at the inn except for Secundus and a few of the men. They went on ahead to inform Auctor about the troubles, and to fetch more men to eliminate that pit.”
“Excellent,” Cassian complimented him as we continued on our way. “We shall have a small celebration tonight.”
Titus threw back his head and laughed. “And without the saintly lord to tell us when we’ve had enough.” He grabbed the reins of his horse and looked at Niveus. His face fell. “It looks like Niveus has quite a wound there.”
Cassian pursed his lips as he studied the wound. “Well, since we do have some time, I’ll relate what happened then.”