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Chapter. 56

He pins me under his gaze, waiting for me to say more.

I avert my eyes to the river. The last time I saw Heldana was the night I fled with Neil and his companions, and a column of smoke rose behind us not long after we left.

“I’m not sure if Heldana is still a place,” I say.

Appearing to accept my answer, he focuses back on his task – piling snapped twigs and dry grass for kindling.

By the time the sunsets, he has a fire boiling a pot of soup. I don’t like the idea of lighting a fire with the possibility of ravagers around, but I decide to keep my concerns to myself for now.

Using my bag as a backrest, I’ve made myself comfortable. I’m facing Aled with the idea that I can watch for anything sneaking up on him, and he can do the same for me. Still feeling a little uneasy, my ears listen for any unexpected sounds that are out of my sight.

Bevin and Ina return from the river and take their places around the fire. Bevin gives me a sidelong glance, and I return his sharp look. If he wants this gold, he better get used to my presence.

Aled sprinkles ingredients over his boiling pot. I was just hoping for simple bread, but it seems these traders like to travel in luxury.

Aled pours the soup into four bowls. Steam from each one is only just visible under the fire’s glow. He passes a bowl and spoon to each of us. I’ve been watching him cook, and with his frequent taste tests, I’m confident that it has not been poisoned.

A silence hangs in the air, no doubt due to my unwelcome presence. Paying no attention to Bevin and Ina’s suspicious gazes, I sip hot soup out of the wooden spoon. A sweet pumpkin taste greets my mouth, quenching the void that has been growing in my stomach since last night. I fail to hold back my smile. I’d be in a stronger bargaining position if they didn’t know how much I’m enjoying this soup, but whether it’s from Aled’s cooking skills or my empty stomach, I can’t hide my reaction.

“It’s really good,” I say between mouthfuls, abandoning the idea of trying to hide how much I need them to make this journey.

Aled chuckles.

Ina begins slowly sipping her soup, as if my existence has made it sour.

Bevin puts his bowl by his feet without even having a taste. “You’ve had your dinner. Show us the gold.”

He’s desperate. Desperate and rude. Without having to worry about Rahlan’s ridiculous table manners, I bring the bowl up to my mouth to make sure not a drop is wasted.

Aled is wearing a proud smirk under his black beard.

I reach into my pack and feel around until my fingers touch the smooth doorknob.

Ina gasps as I bring the doorknob into the firelight.

Now Bevin is the one failing to hold back his smile. It’s more gold than any of them were expecting. He stands and approaches. “Let me see.”

I jump up from my spot on the ground and swing my pack around my back. Now wouldn’t be the time to abandon my sword. “You can see fine from there.”

He stops, aware that I could easily reach back for my weapon. “I need to check that it’s real,” he says.

“You know it’s real.” I strap my pack tight on my back, sending the message that I’m ready to run if he tries pushing his luck. “You can hold it all you want after we’ve arrived at Fekby.”

His lips make a thin line. “How do I know I’ll actually receive it?”

“You know what has happened to this country,” I say, “I’m not heading to Fekby to trade, and if I knew the route well enough to slip away, then I wouldn’t need your guidance.”

Ina stands. “All of it will be ours?” she asks. I suppose that she’s justified in being suspicious that I’d be willing to pay so much. Living with my uncle in a free land makes shiny metal worthless in comparison, though I am wagering everything on the fact that he’ll actually be there.

“After reuniting with my family, I’ll have no need for gold,” I say.

Ina smiles and tugs Bevin’s arm, urging him to take a seat again at the fire, as though she’s worried that his advances may scare me off.

They sit again, and I return to my place on the grass. Bevin’s soup still sits untouched.

“Are you going to eat that?” I point at the soup.

He passes it to me without a word, staring into the fire, most probably contemplating all the goods he’ll purchase using the gold.

“Big stomach for a small girl,” Aled says.

I nod, not wanting to waste time talking when I could be eating.

Soon I’ve finished my food and have stacked my two bowls with the others. The sky is dark, and my previous sleepless night is weighing down on my shoulders, pushing me to get some rest.

I grab my bag and step back under the cover of the trees, scanning the leafy canopy over my head. Spotting a thick set of high branches, I swing my bag on my back and begin climbing.

By the time I reach the top, Bevin is standing at the base with his hands on his hips. “What are you doing?”

“Finding a safe spot to sleep.” I wrap my body in the thick coat which I pinched on my way out of the castle.

“Or finding a spot to slip away after getting cold feet?”

I position the bag to be my pillow. “Demons give me cold feet, and that fire is a beacon.”

“Vampires don’t wander aimlessly through the forest, girl.” His tone reveals that he thinks I know nothing. I’ve spent weeks traveling with vampires, I’ve met their king, I’ve been drunk from more times than I can remember, and I know that the threat of ravagers in these woods was great enough that Rahlan stations a guard over the village every night. This man’s probably never even seen a vampire in his life. He has no idea what he’s dealing with, and he dismisses my concerns, considering me a clueless village girl.

Though I cannot use my experiences to give credibility to what I’m saying, as admitting that I’ve spent so much time with vampires will lead to further questions, and the knowledge that I escaped them may spook these three into leaving me behind out of fear of incurring a vampire’s wrath.

I lay down on the branch, facing my back to him. When I was too exhausted to keep running from the ravagers, Rahlan refused to stop, choosing to pick me up and keep going. It was good to travel with someone who took safety seriously, even if his captive was the only one in danger. Thinking back, Rahlan was more concerned for my safety than even I was, scolding me when I threw myself into the hunt by chasing after Jaclyn. Now that he’s no longer here to protect me, I need to look out for myself.

If the ravagers attack these arrogant Farians, I will not hesitate to slip away.

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