‘Where did it come from?’ she asked, stepping between Alveye and Hadewaye. The animal turned to her, and she extended a hand for it to sniff. With a bray, the donkey moved closer. She rubbed its face. ‘Oh, you’re just a big sweetheart.’
Roul inspected the items on its back, pulling an arrow from a quiver. He studied it a moment. ‘This matches the arrows fired at us last night. I’d say the animal belonged to them.’ He continued to ravage around for a minute. ‘Nothing really of use except a few blankets.’
‘Are we going to bring him with us?’ Hadewaye asked.
‘Absolutely not,’ Roul replied. He unbuckled the girth and removed the load from the animal’s back. Then he slipped the halter over its ears and gave it a gentle shove. ‘Off you go.’ When it did not move, he hissed and stomped his foot. Instead of running away, the donkey moved behind Eda, using her as a human shield.
Smiling, Eda turned to rub its long ears. ‘What a smart’—she bent to check the gender—‘boy you are.’
The donkey leaned in to her touch, thoroughly enjoying the attention.
‘It’s not going to leave if you keep petting it,’ Blackmane said.
She ignored him. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.’
‘No we won’t,’ Roul said. ‘I’ve removed its load. Now it’s time for it to leave.’
Eda met his eyes. ‘It’s a domesticated animal. He needs humans in order to survive.’
‘Well, we don’t needhim, so say goodbye.’ Roul waved his arms in another attempt to shoo it away.
Taking hold of the donkey’s large head, Eda whispered, ‘I’m sorry about him. He’s actually very nice once you get to know him.’
Blackmane swore under his breath as he went to mount his horse. Tatum and Alveye followed him, laughing silently at the ground. Hadewaye was about to say something, but Roul held up a hand before he had a chance to speak.
‘Not a word, or I’ll leave you here with the donkey.’
Hadewaye gave Eda a sympathetic look before turning and going after the others.
Crinkling her nose, Eda said sweetly, ‘Could we not bring him with us?’
‘For what purpose?’
‘As a spare pack horse.’
Roul stared hard at her. ‘If we need to escape in a hurry, this thing will only slow us down. Now, go and get on your horse.’
Eda flattened her palm on the donkey’s forelock with a sigh. ‘I hope you find some humans worthy of you.’
‘For the love of Belenus,’ Blackmane called. ‘Can we go now?’
Roul went to mount his horse, and Eda reluctantly followed him. She glanced a final time at the donkey before turning her gelding around. As she rode away, she heard braying behind her. It almost sounded like crying.
‘Eyes forwards,’ Roul said, riding alongside her.
She smiled at the sound of the donkey’s short steps behind them.
‘If you ignore it, it’ll go away,’ Roul said, eyes ahead.
Eda ignored the donkey the entire morning, even when they stopped to eat and water the horses. Then she ignored it for the entirety of the afternoon. Roul grew more and more frustrated throughout the course of the day. When they were a few miles from Carno, he pulled up his horse with an exasperated growl and turned in the saddle to glare at the animal. The donkey stopped also, watching Roul with a wary expression.
‘We could slaughter it and have a proper meal,’ Blackmane suggested.
Eda scowled in his direction before looking at Roul. ‘Perhaps your family has use for him.’
Roul pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘Perhaps.’
Relief filled Eda. ‘We should give him a name.’
