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“It looks like a barge has just disembarked,” Amara observed, directing Acorn to swerve right and join the road, heading east.
We fell in behind a small group of riders, but without the encumbrance of a cart or carriage they drew ahead, eventually disappearing from view. I thought the carriage behind us might overtake us as well, but Amara somehow inspired Acorn to a faster than usual pace, managing to stay just ahead of the travelers to our rear.
Our stop for lunch was also shorter than theirs, but several individual riders overtook us over the course of the afternoon, and one carriage pulled by a team of four went thundering past, causing Amara to draw our cart off the road entirely.
“Is that how Hayes, Clay, and Luna will be traveling to Eldrida?” I asked, watching the carriage disappear into the distance in a cloud of dust.
“Not if they’re trying to avoid attracting attention,” Amara said dryly. “And there’s not much point in their hurrying if they’re only going to arrive in the city and then sit around waiting for us.”
I remembered our meandering path through the mid-north of the kingdom, our road taking us through all the villages.
“I suppose they’ll be in Eldrida already.”
“Perhaps.” Amara gazed ahead, although the carriage was almost gone from sight. “That depends on exactly what happened in the capital and how many soldiers King Marius decided to send with them.”
“You don’t think he’ll have forbidden them from leaving at all?” I asked, dismayed at the sudden thought.
“No, I can’t imagine he’ll do that,” she said thoughtfully. “Even if he wishes to block our plan, he’ll let one of them, at least, come to inform us of it.”
“He must want Grey stopped, though.”
“Of course. But he may prefer to take his chances with a more direct route.” Amara glanced at me but said nothing further.
“He might not trust me, you mean,” I said slowly, catching on.
“That is one possibility.”
I drew a deep breath, glad she hadn’t denied it. I preferred that she was honest with me, even if it wasn’t the most pleasant thing to hear. But the king didn’t know me, so I couldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to commit to a plan that relied solely on me.
And then there was Nik. I had no idea if his son’s involvement would turn the king toward or against the plan. Was it possible he’d send Hayes and the soldiers to Eldrida only so they could collect the prince and take him forcibly home to the capital?
Once the thought had entered my mind, it was hard to dislodge. Was that why Nik had left early, planning to slip surreptitiously into the city to gauge what was going on there? Did he worry that he would be more easily apprehended if he stayed near us?
I shook my head. King Marius had the whole Guild at his command. If he’d wanted to find Nik and force him home, he could have done so before now. The fact that he hadn’t suggested he wanted to deal with the matter quietly—even if that meant allowing his son a time of freedom.
Unless this new crisis had changed his mind.
I shook my head, pushing away the circular thoughts. There was nothing I could do about it either way except wait and see what we found in Eldrida.
We camped at a place with a large wooden shelter, open on one side but providing protection from the wind and rain on the other three. Several other groups had also gathered there, arriving before or after us, and we ended up gathering around one large bonfire, the atmosphere bright and cheerful. At the halfway point, it was a stopping spot for those making the journey in two days, and everyone was anticipating a warm bed and proper meal the next night.
Ember slipped out early on, and Phoenix remained outside the shelter in the bed of the cart, with Acorn tethered nearby. That left only Amara and me from our usual small group, and it felt lonely, despite the crowd of people around us.
It took me a long time to fall asleep, thoughts of Nik circling in my mind. Was he still hurrying on through the darkness? Surely he would need to snatch some sleep at some point.
I awoke the next morning with a jerk to the sound of one of the groups pulling away onto the road, calling a cheerful farewell as they made an early start. I couldn’t remember when I had fallen into sleep, but from the aches of my body, I had slept in a strange position, my muscles tense.
Amara and I ate a cold breakfast, hurrying out not too far behind the first group. Ember had returned sometime during the early hours, curling up beside me in my bedroll, and she happily settled into the back of the cart. But Phoenix, preferring to hunt at dusk and dawn, was off chasing smaller birds as soon as we hit the road.
We spent most of the morning in silence, and I suspected Amara’s thoughts were in the same place as mine—what awaited us in Eldrida and, beyond that, in the desert.
When we stopped for a midday meal, Amara assured me we were making good time and should arrive in Eldrida well before dark. We continued on our way, again mostly in silence, until sometime in the middle of the afternoon.
Amara, who had been sitting with a distant expression, the reins slack in her hands, suddenly straightened, her eyes going wide. I began to ask a question, but she whipped up a hand, indicating I should be quiet. It was such an uncharacteristic gesture that I fell instantly silent.
When she turned to look north, I mimicked the movement, but nothing looked out of place, the green hills stretching away toward distant clouds. Whatever had alarmed her, I didn’t think she had sensed it with her eyes.
I threw out my own power, searching for an unusual group of people, but I could feel nothing beyond the normal wild animals, the travelers ahead and behind us, and a distant shepherd with his flock.
