“Why do you all sleep in a tent together?” I asked, still shocked to have had been in a den of them. Inches away from me while I slept, and I had absolutely no idea.
“Why not?” He appeared genuinely confused.
“I don’t know, privacy?”
Erik’s lips tugged up at the side as if I said something funny and he was trying not to laugh. “It’s safer when we are all together. Plus, the thin fabric of the tents doesn’t do much to hinder what we hear or smell. It’s practically useless for privacy. The only thing the tent is good for is shelter from the elements.”
Sleeping all together like a pack of wild animals.
“Why did they all wake at the same time and stare at me as if I was their dinner?”
“Your heart rate spiked. Adrenaline and fear moved through you. Your alarm at the situation was like an alarm to us. They looked at you because you were the thing to wake them, and they were searching for any sign of threat.” He laughed. “They certainly were not looking at you as if you were their dinner.”
I swallowed the unease and wondered what the difference would have been when they looked upon their dinner.
Erik rose to his feet, offering his hand. “C’mon, let’s head out so they can dismantle the tent.”
His palm was warm as my fingers brushed against it before he closed his hand around mine. Erik pulled me up with ease and led me outside. The other Lysians were busy readying the horses while I made myself useful by folding some blankets.
“Here.” Kole held out a cup as I finished folding the last blanket. “I’ll take that.” He held out his other hand for the quilt. We exchanged a cup for a blanket. A soothing warmth seeped into my fingers. The aroma of lemon and ginger drifted from the liquid.
“You made me tea?” I asked, unable to hide my surprise.
“To settle your nerves,” Kole answered, turning to continue packing up. I couldn’t help but smile, for he took the time to make it for me. I attempted to get Kole to drink tea with me at times. He always refused. I even once made a brew very similar to the one I now held. I relished drinking it while he frowned, making acomment of how it tasted like dirty water, and he had no idea how I could stomach it.
This act, him making me a cup, I could not help but wonder if I was finally bridging the distance between us. Was he finally taking a small liking to me?
I downed the tea and welcomed its warmth. Sadly, the moment ended too soon and again, we were on the move.
My body ached when we mounted the horses. The single night’s rest was far from enough. Tight muscles groaned as we began the journey. A sharp discomfort eventually subsided into a dull nagging that remained no matter how I shifted my weight or changed my posture.
The day dragged on as we set a good pace across the lands, making camp one more night before our scheduled arrival in my home city. The Lysians traveled remarkably quick, making the journey at least half a day quicker than Bavadrins would have.
With a frown, I understood how lazy we had become. After the Sparrow Archers were removed from the city, the Dunes Clan to the south then vanished along with their conjuring gifts. Our military was in poor form compared to the Lysians who seemed put together as if they were training for war this entire time.
Eventually, familiar grasslands surrounded us. We approached my home painfully slow. Were I riding on my own then I would have sent the horse sprinting, but they did not give me that opportunity. Erik kept the pace unfalteringly steady.
It was a challenge to keep from moving in anticipation. A mixture of excitement and uncertainty pulled at me. The feelings mixed with the discomfort of the unknown. What would greet us on the other side of the city’s gate? All I had to go by were the promises Erik made.
Erik halted the horse, the other Lysians following his lead without question. I glanced over my shoulder at him to find hisgaze focused on something in the distance. Turning, I followed his line of sight till I saw the thing holding his attention.
A wolf crouched in the grass, its ears and eyes directed towards us. Though I knew it to be gray, it somehow blended into the dry grass surrounding it.
“Shay.” Her name was a whisper on my lips, yet she recognized it. The wolf rose from her crouch, standing straight, amber eyes not straying from mine. She was one of Willis’s, and now that she knew I was coming home, so did he.
I turned to Erik, who watched the wolf, brows drawn.
“She is one of ours,” I said to him. “She will not harm us or get in our way. Please, leave her be.”
“One of yours?”
“Yes. We have a few domesticated wolves, primarily used for hunting.”
“Fine, as long as she does not come any closer,” Erik said, finally moving his horse forward. As we continued, his gaze periodically fell to the side, looking at the wolf running parallel to us. Not once did she get closer while accompanying us all the way to the gates.
The city looked whole from the outside. The protective wall still stood. A dark cloud of smoke did not hover over it. Yet a strange, ominous feeling surrounded it. As if the city held its breath, afraid to exhale in case it all came tumbling down. It felt oddly still with a stale air encompassing it.
We paused outside of the entrance, waiting to be let in. The wooden gate opened, now controlled by Lysians, and we entered what used to be the stronghold of the Bavadrins.
