As one, we turned and raced for our horses. Ozlow was still alive, thank the gods. As were the others’ horses.
I mounted awkwardly with no stirrups and slid sideways, but Ozlow shifted, catching me.
Thank you, Oz.
“The others?” Nikella demanded.
“Headed to Yargoth,” I replied. “We’re riding to Twaryn.”
Aiden gave me a sharp look, but said nothing.
We tore off west, leaving destruction in our wake. And death on our trail.
Chapter 36
Kiera
We rode through the night,constantly looking over our shoulders.
Dawn came, cold and distant. Hunger and exhaustion rattled through my body. But every time I closed my eyes, I saw Korvin’s livid face and heard his dark threats.
He would never stop hunting us. A certainty that Renwell was no doubt depending on.
My lip curled.Bastard.
“We’ll stop in Norford,” Nikella announced as we continued west. “They will have food and supplies for the rest of our journey.”
“I haven’t got any coins,” Maz grunted, stroking his beard, “and they won’t like the looks of me.”
Nikella cast him a weary look. “Unravel your braids and cover your tattoos. No one will notice you. The town is mostly working folk. We’ll trade work for money or the supplies we need.”
Maz grumbled curses, but did as she told him.
“We’ll hide our more noticeable weapons outside of town,” she added, glancing between Maz’s axes and whistler and the sunstone daggers glittering in my belt.
I nodded, shifting on Ozlow’s back to wake up my numb legs. Riding a horse without a saddle was torture. I had to knot my fingers in Ozlow’s mane to keep from falling. Ruru had already slipped off his horse once.
Aiden rode like he didn’t notice or care that he had no saddle. He hadn’t said a word since we fled Caddik’s manor.
But I knew Aiden. He was likely steeped in guilt. Another ally gone because of us. Another person he couldn’t save.
We couldn’t keep doing this. I had a plan. I just hoped he wouldn’t fight me too hard on it.
We came to a fork in the road and stashed most of our weapons in the woods under a pile of dead leaves and twigs. Then we turned south toward Norford.
The small town lay nestled in a deep valley. Smoke curled from stone chimneys. Herds of people and animals plodded along the few dirt roads that intersected through the town. The cold morning breeze carried strong notes of dirty animals.
“Smells like shit,” Ruru muttered, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Maz snorted. “Welcome to Winspere. I’ve only been in this province twice, and this is how it always smelled.”
I didn’t care how it smelled. I just wanted to get our supplies and get out. Gods only knew how far behind Korvin was.
“Where can we get work?” Ruru asked, looking a little more alert.
Nikella pulled up her long hood, signifying her Teacher status. Her spear was already hidden in its wooden staff. “Question the drivers or the stable owners. They always need more manual labor. I’ll stop at the courier station and see if they need me to write any correspondence.”
I could help with that, too, but that might look odd to be with a Teacher when I wasn’t one myself. Teachers normally traveled alone.
