It was quick work, and Nikias ensured the healers would keep silent about the scar he’d seen while healing Nikias’ otherwound. The only people who had ever laid eyes on it were a small handful of healers. By the time the healer was done most of the camp had been broken down and packed up.
Nikias joined Aimilia as she held the reins of his horse in one hand and hers in the other. Nikias took them and lowered his voice, keeping one eye on Hypatia and Konstantin, who stood with their own horses nearby. He said, “Are you certain?”
Aimilia nodded. “We should still make it in time. Plus, she’s right, if we don’t get more supplies, we won’t make it at all. We don’t have a choice.”
Aimilia’s gaze fixated on Hypatia. “What did they say about how they knew so quickly?”
Nikias scoffed. “The demon claims she had some sort of vision from her cursed sight. She also claims it happened only after we left.”
“You don’t believe her?” Aimilia asked.
Nikias shook his head. “If her husband is as good underneath as he appears on the surface, I wouldn’t put it past the demon to only tell him after we’d left even if she’d had the vision weeks before. You can’t trust a word that comes out of her mouth.”
“And if she’s telling the truth?”
Nikias didn’t answer. He didn’t believe there was any scenario in this in which the demon was being truthful. Finally, he said, “Do you really think anything Hypatia has her hands in has anything to do with coincidence?”
Then Hypatia called out, “Are you ready?”
Nikias looked over his shoulder to see they had finished breaking down the rest of the camp. They had the Stonai gagged and bound in limiter cuffs and guarded by three men.
He said, “We are!”
Konstantin called out something to his men. Aimilia leaned in and said, “I think he said something about moving out. We ought to do the same.”
Nikias called out, “Mount up!”
Aimilia lowered her voice and whispered, “Are you good to do so?”
Nikias was torn between his injured pride, that she thought he was weak enough to need her help, and the fact that she was concerned enough about him to even offer it. He raised his hand from his side. “I’ll manage.”
As Nikias moved to the other side of his horse, ready to mount, he spotted Konstantin helping Hypatia up into her saddle. She took her reins and leaned down before Konstantin moved away. Konstantin had one hand on Hypatia’s knee, but he was gripping it tightly. He had all the appearance of affection, but none of the veracity.
Nikias looked over to Aimilia, who was already in her saddle, watching the exchange as well. This was her area of expertise. Observation, relationships, gossip. He’d have to ask her what she thought. Nikias mounted up, ducking his head to hide his grimace as the motion sent a flare of pain through his side, but he didn’t open the wound again, and that was all he’d been looking for.
It wasn’t long before they headed out, Konstantin and Hypatia taking the lead, since they knew the location of the village the best. Well, actually, Hypatia knew, considering they were still within her people’s lands, and Konstantin was technically still a newcomer.
Nikias and Aimilia fell into a companionable silence as they rode, as did most of the entourage, aside from a few quiet conversations between some of the guards. It was actually kind of amusing to listen to one of the clan mages try to communicate with the soldiers guarding the Stonai, trying to ask questions about the attack. It was at least not hostile, and each party was struggling with what little they knew of the other’s language.
The sun kept climbing higher into the sky as they got closer to midday, and Konstantin dropped back, leaving Hypatia at the front with two guards as he came to ride beside Nikias. Konstantin didn’t immediately begin speaking, but he looked over at Aimilia. She gave him a nod and started to fall back, entering into a quiet conversation with one of the other guards, following up on the state of their supplies and what they would need when they got to the town.
Once they were alone, or as alone as they could be in such a group, Konstantin lowered his voice and said, “Your heretic—sorry, I mean healer—he said our prisoner will be awake before the end of the day. Is that correct?”
Nikias nodded. He wasn’t entirely sure where this was going. Konstantin had a drawn look to his expression. “Of everyone in this group, I am the one who knows the language of the Stonai the best.”
“I know even less of it than I do your language. None of my men know a single word. We rarely interact with them.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. That means I will have to be the one to interrogate him when we arrive and he wakes up.”
Nikias had a sinking feeling in his stomach. “And what does that have to do with me?”
Konstantin said, “I can’t do it alone.”
Nikias nodded towards the man’s wife. “You’re not. Isn’t that supposed to be one of the perks of being married? You don’t have to do anything alone.”
Konstantin levelled Nikias with a cold look.
Nikias said, “If you mean what I think you mean even though you say the word interrogate, I can assure you, through firsthand experience, your wife is more than equipped for the task. Assuming you’re here because you don’t want to get your hands dirty.”
