"Some of them stink. I don't think they were making use of the communal shower tents back at camp," Ollie muttered. For a Trateri, the words were considered a high insult.
Barbarians they might appear to many in the Lowlands, but they took pride in their appearance and hygiene. Cleanliness was important to them.
Eva found herself unsurprised to hear that the throwaways might not have showered. If these men were anything like the ones from her village, they would consider bathing in front of others as beneath them.
Eva squeezed Ollie's arm before starting across the camp, conscious of Drake shadowing her and Sebastian keeping pace with a lazy shamble.
She shot the Kyren an irritated glance. "Is there a reason you're following me?"
He grumbled under his breath.
Eva shook her head before continuing. She pasted a friendly smile on her face as she neared the five throwaways. One of them noticed her approach and said something in a low voice to the others. Suddenly she was the focus of the entire group.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Jason looking at them with interest as he slowly chewed the forkful of stew he'd put in his mouth. His gaze was alert and sardonic as if she'd proved some inner bet of his.
A short man with a stocky build and blocky features spat on the ground, narrowly missing Eva's boots. "Might as well turn your ass back around. We don't want you over here."
Eva took a deep breath. The sting from his words didn't land. She wouldn't let them. She'd made her choice long ago, and she'd known at the time her fellow Lowlanders would judge her harshly for it. That was alright. She was happy with her decision.
She didn't speak for a long moment, conscious of how those Trateri within hearing distance had paused, looking over at them with careful expressions.
Eva looked away from the short man, making sure to glance at each of the others in turn. Kent, the redheaded man who'd helped earlier avoided her gaze, glancing away as his shoulders curled toward his ears. Misery reflected off his face. He might not be happy with the way she was being talked to by the short man, but he wasn't going to do anything about it.
That was okay, Eva told herself even as heat moved up her neck. It made this entire journey that much easier. If they wanted to ignore her, she'd do the same for them.
Unease stole through her as one man's gaze went to where Sebastian hovered behind her. Greed shone in the man's eyes as Sebastian slipped his nose over Eva's shoulder in silent support.
She'd have to keep this man away from Sebastian.
"There's a spring with hot water at the foot of this hill," Eva said in as pleasant a voice as she could manage. "The Trateri said you're welcome to take advantage of it if you'd like."
The man's lip curled. "We don't need nothing from them. If you were smart you wouldn't let them use you up."
The skin around Eva's eyes tightened as she chanted to herself. You are capable; you are strong. Don't let this idiot get to you.
"Let me rephrase that. You will use the water and clean yourself. You smell."
Ollie may not have intended his gesture as an order, but Eva didn't care. These men were an embarrassment. Stubborn for the sake of being stubborn and so wrapped up in their own schemes they couldn't see the nose on their own faces.
The man's expression darkened, his lip curling as he stared at her. Violence hovered.
The Anateri behind her shifted closer, one hand falling to his sword as he leveled a flat stare on the throwaway.
Eva held still as she waited to see if the throwaway would be as dumb as he was acting.
"Vincent," Kent murmured.
Vincent relaxed, his expression shifting to one of derision as he flicked a glance at Eva. "I hope you're happy being their bedwarmer. After this, don't think you'll be getting any favors from us."
Sensing Ollie's mounting fury behind her, she held up a hand. She didn't need her friend getting involved. Eva fixed a haughty look on the man, raising her eyebrow as amusement touched her expression. If he thought to intimidate her, he had better up his game. She'd faced down much scarier people than him.
Trateri who were refused the mount they wanted were notoriously difficult. Their behavior would put this man to shame.
"You'll do exactly what you're told, exactly when you're told to do it." She leaned closer, releasing the smallest bit of the anger that was her constant companion. "That's the agreement your people made with Fallon Hawkvale. I'm sure I don't have to tell you what happens when one of you breaks faith."
She straightened. Everyone in the Lowlands knew the price of such an action. The Trateri weren't merciful to those who tried to weasel out of the deals they'd struck.
And their people had struck that deal. Every one of them came from a village that chose to bow rather than fight. Nothing wrong with that, until you decided you were no longer happy being the subservient party and then tried to take what you were too cowardly to fight for in the beginning.
