up beside them but didn’t make a move to separate them or finish his complaint.
Right there Llew knew Jonas only took orders from Aris. She could be totally accepted by the rest of the group and still strike trouble if she didn’t get on Aris’ and Jonas’ good side. She was confident Aris didn’t have a problem with her – he had pressed her to travel with them, after all. Face pinned against the tree, she peered at Jonas out of the corner of her eye. He was studying her and she wondered if she had passed his test.
“Jonas–” Alvaro said again.
Llew held Jonas’ gaze, trying not to let him scare her. At least, not letting the fear show.
With a grunt, he pushed away, winding her. He turned and walked back to the camp. Llew watched him go while she rubbed her neck where his elbow had been. No real damage, just sore.
“Hey, sorry about that. I don’t know what’s got into him,” said Alvaro as Llew straightened her clothing.
“Don’t worry about it.” She’d win him over. She only needed them until they crossed from Aghacia to Phyos, anyway. Once on the great continent, the doorway to opportunity would be swung wide and Llew wouldn’t need anyone any more.
“He’s an ass.”
Llew looked at Alvaro, eyebrows raised. Alvaro didn’t seem the type to call people names, but there was the slightest curl to his top lip that suggested he didn’t much like Jonas.
“Ease up, Al. It’s a year ago today,” said Cassidy, stepping up beside them.
“Oh. Right.” Alvaro nodded.
“A year since what?” Llew asked.
Cassidy cocked his head. “Hmm, no.” He shook his head. “You’ll have to ask him.” He started walking back to the camp. “But I’ll warn you now, he doesn’t like to talk about it.”
“Doesn’t like to talk about much of anything,” Alvaro muttered, before moving to follow Cassidy. Llew walked back to camp a step behind him.
“We made good time today,” Aris said, scooping stew onto tin plates and handing the first to Anya, the second to Emylia. “I had thought it might be dark by the time we made it here.” He sat back with his own plate, leaving the boys and Llew to serve themselves.
“How far to the next town?” asked Llew.
“We should make Orn tomorrow evening. It’s small, but they have an inn.”
“With a bar,” said Cassidy, with a grin.
“Beer,” Alvaro added.
“Girls.”
“I’m looking forward to a nice warm bath,” said Emylia.
“Oh, Emy,” said Anya. “We’re meant to be roughing it.”
“We are roughing it, dear,” Emylia said, her voice syrupy sweet. “Why, here we are about to spend a night in the open with nothing but canvas walls for privacy. But a young lady does not allow herself to smell like the animals with whom she travels.”
Cassidy raised an arm and made a show of sniffing his armpit.
Emylia waved a hand at him. “You know I meant the horses.”
“Oh, the horses! I was checkin’ I wasn’t getting to stinking like Alvaro.”
After dinner, Aris sat with Emylia, chatting quietly of old times. Llew wondered if they had been sweethearts in the past. There was something in the way they leaned into each other, conversing in hushed tones, their skin reflecting the camp fire’s flickering orange. To Llew, it felt as though the group was a family and Aris and Emylia were the parents. It brought a smile to her lips.
Alvaro and Cassidy spoke animatedly with Anya, who looked like a royal princess with her two pages as she sat perched on a fallen log, while the young men knelt below.
“Alvaro and Cassidy live near Rakun.” Jonas’ voice cut into Llew’s thoughts. He reclined against his saddle a couple of yards from her, hands clasped behind his head, ankles crossed, and his eyes apparently closed. She had thought him asleep. “We’re taking Anya to Rakun to meet her husband.”
“She hasn’t met him before?”
“They write.”
Llew watched the girl across the fire. Here she was, leaving her parents behind and
Right there Llew knew Jonas only took orders from Aris. She could be totally accepted by the rest of the group and still strike trouble if she didn’t get on Aris’ and Jonas’ good side. She was confident Aris didn’t have a problem with her – he had pressed her to travel with them, after all. Face pinned against the tree, she peered at Jonas out of the corner of her eye. He was studying her and she wondered if she had passed his test.
“Jonas–” Alvaro said again.
Llew held Jonas’ gaze, trying not to let him scare her. At least, not letting the fear show.
With a grunt, he pushed away, winding her. He turned and walked back to the camp. Llew watched him go while she rubbed her neck where his elbow had been. No real damage, just sore.
“Hey, sorry about that. I don’t know what’s got into him,” said Alvaro as Llew straightened her clothing.
“Don’t worry about it.” She’d win him over. She only needed them until they crossed from Aghacia to Phyos, anyway. Once on the great continent, the doorway to opportunity would be swung wide and Llew wouldn’t need anyone any more.
“He’s an ass.”
Llew looked at Alvaro, eyebrows raised. Alvaro didn’t seem the type to call people names, but there was the slightest curl to his top lip that suggested he didn’t much like Jonas.
“Ease up, Al. It’s a year ago today,” said Cassidy, stepping up beside them.
“Oh. Right.” Alvaro nodded.
“A year since what?” Llew asked.
Cassidy cocked his head. “Hmm, no.” He shook his head. “You’ll have to ask him.” He started walking back to the camp. “But I’ll warn you now, he doesn’t like to talk about it.”
“Doesn’t like to talk about much of anything,” Alvaro muttered, before moving to follow Cassidy. Llew walked back to camp a step behind him.
“We made good time today,” Aris said, scooping stew onto tin plates and handing the first to Anya, the second to Emylia. “I had thought it might be dark by the time we made it here.” He sat back with his own plate, leaving the boys and Llew to serve themselves.
“How far to the next town?” asked Llew.
“We should make Orn tomorrow evening. It’s small, but they have an inn.”
“With a bar,” said Cassidy, with a grin.
“Beer,” Alvaro added.
“Girls.”
“I’m looking forward to a nice warm bath,” said Emylia.
“Oh, Emy,” said Anya. “We’re meant to be roughing it.”
“We are roughing it, dear,” Emylia said, her voice syrupy sweet. “Why, here we are about to spend a night in the open with nothing but canvas walls for privacy. But a young lady does not allow herself to smell like the animals with whom she travels.”
Cassidy raised an arm and made a show of sniffing his armpit.
Emylia waved a hand at him. “You know I meant the horses.”
“Oh, the horses! I was checkin’ I wasn’t getting to stinking like Alvaro.”
After dinner, Aris sat with Emylia, chatting quietly of old times. Llew wondered if they had been sweethearts in the past. There was something in the way they leaned into each other, conversing in hushed tones, their skin reflecting the camp fire’s flickering orange. To Llew, it felt as though the group was a family and Aris and Emylia were the parents. It brought a smile to her lips.
Alvaro and Cassidy spoke animatedly with Anya, who looked like a royal princess with her two pages as she sat perched on a fallen log, while the young men knelt below.
“Alvaro and Cassidy live near Rakun.” Jonas’ voice cut into Llew’s thoughts. He reclined against his saddle a couple of yards from her, hands clasped behind his head, ankles crossed, and his eyes apparently closed. She had thought him asleep. “We’re taking Anya to Rakun to meet her husband.”
“She hasn’t met him before?”
“They write.”
Llew watched the girl across the fire. Here she was, leaving her parents behind and
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