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Yes, Jayne would be fine with them. If they needed someone to help them, she was the one to do it.
“Well, you got me.”
He nodded as darkness spread around us. “We did.”
Chapter Nine
Imust have dozed off on Truett, because I woke up eventually to the sound of a rooster greeting the day in the distance. I lifted my head and Truett squeezed me against him, drawing the blanket tighter over me.
“You don’t have to be up yet. You could sleep until we get to the house we use in Hawkseye. We’ve got another half an hour or so ride left.”
I rubbed my eyes. He’d proven a ridiculously comfortable bed for being on a horse. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
“You had a long day yesterday.” He didn’t seem the least bit tired, not like he’d been awake all night. “The visions take a lot out of the gifted women. You’ll be okay today. Actually, you did remarkably well, Sloane. Plus, you don’t snore, so it’s completely okay to sleep on me.”
I laughed, which must have been what he wanted, because he laughed, too. Charles turned around and shot us a smile and then shook his head.
I nodded in his direction. “Is he okay?”
“He won’t tell us if he’s not. It was one thing when he was near death, but not one of us will complain about pain when we’re not. I’ll only interfere if it puts him or the group in danger because he’s not telling us.” He squeezed my waist. “All right. If you’re up, then I need to win.”
I must have missed something. “Win?”
“Yes. We’re no longer out in the open. We don’t have to maintain our positions in formation. And I want to be first into Hawkseye. I always do. Hold on.”
Truett took off fast, and I might have sworn his horse grinned.
“Are you insane?” Oliver yelled at him, but we didn’t stop. I couldn’t hold back my smile. I did love riding fast. I loved how the wind felt, how it was always just a little bit more dangerous than what I should be doing. The risk of it all.
We arrived at Hawkeye with thundering hooves, coming to a fast stop that left me giggling with delight. Truett pulled me tight against him. “You loved that.”
“I did. Thank you for the ride.”
He nuzzled against my shoulder. “Anytime, Sloane. I am…”
We had gotten quite a lot of attention with the way we entered, and people were staring at us. Maybe he noticed it, too, but because whatever he was going to say, he didn’t. Instead, at a much more reasonable pace, he brought us around several corners to the house that I’d fled the last time I was there. Did Warriors have assigned houses where they always stayed, or was it first come first serve? Or seniority?
The sun was brightening in the sky. Would it rain today? Hawkseye was really much nicer to look at in the sunlight, but even then, the old buildings always seemed like they were going to fall over on us. At least I thought that the last time I visited. Or maybe I hadn’t thought it? There were birds chirping. It was sort of a pleasant sound. And…
“Sloane,” Truett squeezed me. “We’re here. And look who’s finally catching up.”
The other three, with my horse in tow, arrived. Each one of them looked more incredulous than the last.
“What if she had fallen?” Freddie pretty much jumped off his horse to rush over to us.
“Like I was ever going to let that happen?” Truett groaned. “She was never safer than with me. As you know, I spent my whole youth doing little but riding. She loved it. Sloane likes speed. We should have figured that, based on the way she took off out of here like a bat out of hell the last time she visited.”
Frederick helped me off Truett’s horse. He looked me up and down for a second. “You were sleeping so peacefully on him and then he took off like that. It had to be terrifying.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I was up for a second before he did it. Like he said, I loved it, but thank you for worrying.” People tended not to worry about me. I was sturdy. I did the worrying. Looking around, I saw no one about. “Where is everyone?” Hadn’t there just been a lot of people around. Had they all just run off to go to work? I looked at the sky. Yes, it was probably that.
Oliver was off his horse, too. He patted Truett’s horse on the side before he came over to me. “It’s early. Things don’t get started in Hawkseye this early unless you have to work. Those who had to do that are now at their jobs. On the outskirts, where people live there is activity right now, yes. But this is nobility. They’re late risers. Their servants are probably running around inside now.”
Jayne had never been a late riser. Had that changed in just days? Maybe if she is staying up incredibly late.
“Sloane.” Caroline’s voice reached me a second before she appeared and threw herself in my arms. “You’re back. Oh heavens. Thanks be. We’ve all been so worried about you. What did they do to you to make you run off?”
Her voice was high, musical, with the quality that just made Caroline, Caroline.
