Page 158 of Salt Between the Wolves

He sounded so serious that she almost believed him.

A merchant caravan passed along the road not far from camp, its wagons heavy with cargo. The lead driver noticed Leander immediately, and his face brightened as he lifted a hand in greeting. Leander returned the gesture, and that was all. There was no bow, no ceremony, and no trace of fear. The wagons continued on their way, and Eira watched them disappear down the road.

"You know them?"

"No."

The answer surprised her.

"They seemed pleased to see you."

Leander shrugged.

"They're pleased to see someone who repairs roads."

Eira blinked.

"What?"

"The standards in some places are remarkably low."

She laughed despite herself, and the sound escaped before she could stop it. Leander looked entirely too satisfied by that fact. For a brief moment neither of them spoke.

The morning sunlight crept slowly across the hills while the sea remained hidden beyond them and the road stretched westward into the distance.

For the first time since leaving Frostvein, Eira realized she was genuinely curious about what waited at the end of it.

They resumed their journey shortly after sunrise.

The road wound steadily westward, climbing gentle hills before descending into shallow valleys dotted with stone farmhouses and wind-bent trees.

As the day passed, the landscape continued to change as the forests grew thinner, the mountains retreated farther behind them, and movement appeared everywhere Eira looked.

Wagons rolled along the roads beside merchants, fishing carts heading inland, and travelers moving in both directions, making the roads feel alive in a way she had never experienced before.

Frostvein had always seemed isolated, tucked safely among mountains and snow, and even Ironfang, for all its strength, felt distant from the rest of the world.

This was different, because here the world seemed connected.

A merchant passed them shortly before midday and greeted Leander by name. An hour later, a fisherman recognized him from across a field and shouted something unintelligible that caused two of the guards to laugh.

Later still, they stopped briefly near a stone bridge where several laborers were replacing weathered planks.

One of the workers spotted Leander immediately.

"About time you came back."

Leander guided his horse toward the bridge.

"I was gone for eight days."

"Exactly."

The man pointed toward the structure.

"The bridge chose that exact moment to start falling apart."

Leander studied it before replying.