Kole walked over, taking Erik’s horse from me. He looked me over as if to make sure I was alright though he did not say a single word. Instead, he gazed over my shoulder, back towards where I parted ways with Erik.
“He said he wanted to go on foot.” I let Kole know.
He nodded over towards a small fire. “Go warm up. I’ll bring you some food.”
Again, I simply did as I was told.
31
ARIANA
All the Lysians were busy being productive except for one lounging by the fire, accompanied by Edda. Iver’s and Edda’s laughter greeted me as I approached them. They were giggling to themselves, probably at the expense of someone else.
“Ah! Princess!” Iver welcomed me, patting the ground beside him. “Come, join us.”
Edda snorted. “She is no princess. She is the Leader Superior now, you clever little Lysian.”
“Little!” he exclaimed. “Have you by chance seen your own size? The two Bavadrin women, going around callingmelittle.”
“Physical size has nothing to do with it,” I commented.
“Indeed, you are correct.” Iver grinned, turning to observe Edda. “There is certainly something darkly dangerous about you.” He playfully wiggled a finger at her. Though the way he said it made it sound more like a warning than a joke.
Edda laughed lightly. “Of course there is.” She yawned, bringing a hand to her mouth. “I’m exhausted. Most of us did not have the Lysian King acting as their personal armchair to sleepagainst during this leg of the trip.” She arched an eyebrow, and I felt my cheeks warm. When I did not rise to her bait, she got to her feet. “Goodnight,” she said with a small smile.
I didn’t respond, still harboring anger and hurt from the time she ripped into me about my relationship with the Lysians. She never tried to apologize or talk about it. The wound was left open.
“Sweetest dreams to you, old-timer,” Iver commented and turned his attention to me. “My brother run away from you?”
“He didn’t run away,” I stated flatly.
He laughed, though his eyes trailed Edda. “Sure, whatever you say.”
“What did you mean about Edda?” I asked, watching her as she walked towards the single massive tent, disappearing into its shelter.
Iver leaned back onto the grass, placing his hands behind his head, observing the night sky. “I’d like to think I am a pretty spot-on judge of character. Give me a few seconds looking someone over, and I could tell you just how annoying or dumb they may be with remarkable accuracy.”
I rolled my eyes. “You cannot possibly know all that just by a quick glance at someone.”
“That’s where you are wrong, my tiny princess. I can.” The confidence coming from him was substantial.
“Fine, say I agree with your ridiculous skill of being able to judge one’s entire being with no knowledge of their experiences, thoughts, or feelings. What do you make of Edda?” I asked, playing along as if agreeing with his ridiculous skill.
“She gets by having everyone around her think she is some sort of loony old woman, but she is much more devious than that. Apart from myself, I think she may be one of the smartest people in this camp, which makes her dangerous.”
It was difficult to keep my jaw from dropping with a remark like that. “Do you ever tire of thinking so highly of yourself?”
“Never, only ’cause it’s true.” He grinned, flashing his teeth.
I sighed and lay back on the grass. “Well, then, wise Lysian, what do you make of me?”
His eyes narrowed. “I rarely share my thoughts with the subject itself.”
“That is such a lie.”
His chest rumbled with a small laugh. “Yeah, you’re right. So, you wish to know my thoughts about you, eh? How brutal do you want this to be?”
“As brutal as it requires.” I smiled, welcoming the evaluation.
