“Let go!”
“You can’t go off by yourself!”
“I amnotby myself, I already told you,” Sonah whimpered, clawing at his hand to release his hold.
Fane pulled close, his height dwarfing her by a foot as he glared down at her. “I don’t know why you’re lying, or what you’re about, but I will not let you go off with those men. Not alone. If you wish to travel with them, I will go with you.”
Sonah balked. “What? No!”
“Aye,” Fane snarled, his face lowered to within inches. “Because I don’t believe you’re traveling with that man at all. I think you’re following him. Alone. What kind of Spartan would I be if I let you go off after a stranger without protection?”
She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to get him to let her go. Surely, the traveler had gotten far enough away from the inn by now, following him would be that much more difficult. By the time she finished explaining Pytho had told her to follow him, she’d lose the man for certain.
Fane shut her up with his next words.
“We’ll follow him together. You do not need to tell me why or what you’re about. But I will not let you leave without me.”
Sonah puta hand to her waist, hoping that rubbing the cramp forming while she struggled to keep up with Fane’s long-legged strides and the man they were following would somehow make it hurt less.
If anything, it grew worse. She began to see black spots at the edges of her vision and her breaths became more labored.
At her side, Fane swore and put an arm around her waist, half carrying her as he led them around the bend where the men had disappeared.
“How are you this winded after a ten minute walk?” he grumbled as they caught sight of the travelers again. They were now in front of a stable yard, standing in a circle and laughing about whatever they were talking over.
Sonah swallowed painfully as they slowed down. Fane maneuvered them into a small opening between two buildings directly across from the stables. She was grateful for the reprieve, sucking in deep breaths as she leaned against a stone wall and closed her eyes.
“I’ll have you know,” she said between wheezing breaths, “that I trekked across this whole continent with no complaints from my friends. But ofcourse, leave it to a Liodari to take exception at having to slow down a bit to accommodate someone with shorter legs.”
“I’m not a Liodari anymore.”
Sonah blinked. She watched him for a few seconds before apologizing. “Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, you are still a Liodari to me.”
Fane glanced at her and she saw the color high in his cheeks before he turned away. His jaw was working overtime, but he said nothing as he continued to watch the travelers. Sonah closed her eyes.
“Let’s go,” Fane said in a rough voice, lightly tugging on Sonah’s cloak. Blinking, she followed as he took a circuitous route to the stables.
Looking around, Sonah panicked.
“Where—”
“Do you have a horse?” Fane interrupted.
“Uh, no.”
“Two,” he said to the stable hand. Sonah looked after the man as he ran back inside to tack the horses.
“Did you see which way they went?” Sonah asked quietly, leaning close to Fane.
He nodded, folding his arms across his chest. His foot tapped an annoying beat.
“Could—”
“Here,” he said, grabbing her hand and striding toward the man leading two horses, his sweat stained tunic sticking to his chest and biceps.
Sonah frowned as the stable hand led the smaller of the two horses over to her, a grin splitting his homely face as he proudly presented the animal to Sonah.
She stared at it suspiciously.
