I swallowed and bit my lip at her name. I hoped she was okay with me borrowing these. “How long is the journey?”
“Another full day. We should arrive there tomorrow night.”
I knew it was time to admit what had been bothering me all night. “I didn’t bring a bedroll.”
Otho let out a breath. “Shit, I didn’t think of that.”
Silence settled between us.
“It’s okay, I’ll just sleep on the ground on my pack. I’ll be fine,” I fibbed, even as I already felt myself shivering. The dress was much lighter than my soldier uniform, and with my breasts free for the first time in their life, they were already cold.
“Nonsense. You’ll take my bedroll,” he insisted, already taking steps toward the camp.
“But—”
“No excuses. You’re a lady now; I can’t possibly allow you to sleep on the ground.” And with that, he stalked off toward camp, leaving me to jog to catch up.
I hoped this wouldn’t be a normal occurrence.
CHAPTER 18
It was difficult to wake up the next day. Otho’s bedroll was so comfortable, much more than the cot I had shared with Collum. As for the bunk in the barracks, it was a toss-up.
“Who the fuck are you?” Askel nearly dropped the bedroll he had been rolling when he saw me sitting up and stretching my arms toward the sky.
“This is . . .” Otho trailed off, probably realizing he had never asked what name I would be going by.
I chuckled and stood, hoping he wouldn’t notice my awkwardness as I offered him the traditional greeting. “Runa.” I left my last name out, knowing he would recognize it. I would need to come up with a new one before it became an issue.
“Yes, Runa.” Otho picked up where he had left off. “She’s a new recruit Adis sent to come meet us.”
Askel gave me a once-over. Although I never sensed any ill-intent from the man using my empathy magic, the movement of his eyes still made me apprehensive. “She isn’t going to last long.”
“She is only along for the ride. She will be leaving us for a separate mission when we reach the front lines,” Otho explained before turning to prepare his horse. I briefly wondered where he had slept the night before, but at the same time I knew I wouldfeel guilty if he suffered for my comfort, so I swallowed my question.
After rolling up Otho’s bedroll, I stood there awkwardly, not sure where to put it.
“Here.” Otho reached out his hands for the mess of material, putting it on the horse before handing me a sack which looked suspiciously like my old bag, though he had made some adjustments to change the appearance enough to not be suspicious. I took it from him without question and loaded up the spare clothing I had been given. My gaze again caught on the lace of the nightgown. Why would Friar send something so impractical?
And then we were off, my feet aching from the moment I slid them into my boots. Otho hadn’t offered me new footwear, and considering the price of leather, it was likely Friar didn’t have any to spare—not that they would be my size anyway.
Unlike the day prior—when the men didn’t even spare a glance in my direction—today I was the subject of many nods and gazes. I tried to ignore it, especially because none of them had the confidence to actually come speak to me, but it was hard, and by lunch I was ready to say goodbye to this traveling group for good.
As we munched on the same meat and bread as the day before, I ensured I stayed separately from the soldiers. While I did wish they didn’t whisper so much about me, I was also glad they kept their distance. Because I knew as much as anyone else that the more you talked, the more likely you were to slip up with a lie. Something I would be doing for the foreseeable future. Otho and Askel also stayed outside of the group of soldiers, speaking in hushed whispers. But unlike the soldiers, neither of them glanced my way.
No one asked after Milo Potson either.
After lunch, the sun beat down overhead as we made our way over more grassy hills, keeping the forest to our right. It wasn’t until after lunch that I noticed the change in the landscape. The grass was no longer blowing in the breeze, and the amount ofdirt exposed through the thinning plants increased as water grew more scarce. The forest became something of the past, leaving us with only the long grass behind us, and the dying grass in front of us.
Now, I had never been to war, as I had never stepped foot outside of Ralheim. But I didn’t need anyone to tell me this is what war did to the land.
I hadn’t been smiling before, but by the time dark tents rose on the horizon, I was frowning.
There was something so inherently sad about war, something I hadn’t considered until now.
As the tents grew closer, Otho guided his horse around the soldiers in front of me, coming to ride next to me once more.
“Your tent will be in the center of camp,” he explained as soon as the men were out of earshot. “Askel’s will be right beside yours. We will only stay here for two nights before you will be sent on your first mission.”
