“Specifically terrible.”
Ezra grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”
His fingers were warm, and his hand was much bigger than mine. It took all I had not to trip over my own feet at the shock of heat that ran through me. I resolved to make nothing of it. It was simply that I rarely touched others.
Leading me away from the dock and onto the path we’d traveled before, he glanced down at my feet. “Good-looking trousers. Ainsley works fast.”
“Why did you lie to me?” I asked, pulling my hand from his. I wasn’t angry, not really. But I needed to know. And when I had a question, my headstrong mind didn’t wait for the proper moment.
He stiffened, absently brushing his hands against his shirt. “What do you mean?”
“You said the town had no tailor.”
“Ah.” Ezra shuffled his feet, looking down sheepishly. “She can be particular about strangers. I didn’t think she’d want me sending you her way.”
“The shopkeeper had no qualms about sending me to her.”
“I’m not surprised. She doesn’t know Ainsley like I do.”
“Ainsley had no qualms either,” I pointed out, feeling a twinge of discomfort at the notion of Ainsley and Ezra knowing each other well.
Ezra lifted his hands as if in surrender. The corner of his mouth twitched. “I misjudged the situation. Will you forgive me, Apprentice Haven?”
Shaking my head, I couldn’t help laughing at his mock formality. “I’ll make an attempt.”
“Anyway. Like I said, she did a fine job with the alterations.” His gaze traveled down the length of my legs before he looked away quickly. “No chores today?”
It took me a moment to find my voice. “Julian wants me to help him supervise a shipment of radiance cable coming in on the train late in the day. So I’ve got a little time to dally.”
Ezra led me along the path once more. “Why do you need to supervise? Surely they’ve had plenty of practice unloading crates.”
“I’m sure I’ll be assisting with the powered winch as well. The cargo is a special alloy and must be handled with great care. We’re using it within the Mission, not on the main line. They mine the metal in the far north, and it takes months to ship it to the coast, let alone get it here by train.” Pride warmed my voice. Progress could only happen through the efforts of many regions working together, through the House of Industry’s tremendous investment in the materials needed to bring radiance to every corner of our nation.
Scratching his jaw, Ezra frowned as he walked. “I see.”
“Are you listening?” I asked, a little perturbed that he didn’t seem impressed by the quality and origin of our alloys.
“Yes. Yes, of course. Follow me.” He cut off the path onto a trail so narrow, I struggled to see how he could tell where to place his feet or where we were going.
Anxiety bubbled beneath my ribs. “I don’t like this. I don’t know where we are.”
“I do,” he said easily.
The hair on my arms stood up as I realized the brush around us moved gently out of the way. Nothing tugged at my legs or scratched me. “It’s only … I’m accustomed to being able to navigate on my own, within reason. There are no landmarks here.” I looked over my shoulder. “I can’t even see the river now.”
He stopped abruptly and turned, sobering. “Are you afraid?”
“Of you?”
Ezra frowned. “No. Of the forest.”
“I’m afraid of the forest due to my own incompetence when it comes to surviving in the wilderness.” I gestured at the thick growth around us. “I wouldn’t know what to eat or how to find water.”
His gaze softened, and a gentle smile created a shallow dimple on one side of his mouth. “That’s fair. Would it help if I showed you some of those things? I’d hate for you to fear this place.”
A small flutter of warmth made itself known under my skin. No one had ever taught me anything but how to advance Progress. “Yes, that would help. Thank you.”
We walked more slowly, and he touched plants here and there, pointing out wild berries I hadn’t noticed and mushrooms he recommended I avoid. Without a notebook to keep my thoughts organized, I’d never recall everything he told me, but I found comfort in the confidence in his voice and in the healing properties he recognized in what had looked like merely a mass of trees and bushes.
