A snort escaped me. “More of that intuition?”
“He is rough in his ways, but the man has kind eyes.”
The farmer soon returned with a large canteen. The sweet scent of water wafted out of the container. He held it up to us. “Take this. It should get you through the night.”
Cassian accepted the drink with a smile and a bow. “Thank you so much.”
“You can thank me in the morning by helping me with the chores. They start just before sunrise in here.”
Cassian swept his eyes over the barn and grinned. “We’ll be sure to meet you on time.”
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Well, see that you do, and don’t take the lantern up the ladder. You can let it go out or shut it off yourselves.”
“Thank you, and thank you again for letting us stay here.”
The farmer wrinkled his nose. “Well, I wasn’t going to let anyone sleep out on a cold night like this. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
He left, and I turned my sights on the ladder. “I suppose we should check out our new accommodations.”
I climbed the ladder first. Cassian removed Niveus’ saddle and set it aside, though he threw the blanket over his shoulder before climbing the ladder after me. Niveus stood at the bottom of the rungs and snorted at us. Cassian paused halfway up the ladder and grinned down at him. “You’ll have to find your own bed for this night, old friend.”
Niveus threw his head back, and his bright eyes stared up at a clump of hay that stuck out from the loft.
Cassian laughed. “I see. You’ve worn through your green grass. I’ll push some hay over the side for you.”
Niveus pawed the ground and bobbed his head.
I peeked my head above the boards that made up the floor of the loft. They were sturdy, though the hay meant they weren’t exactly clean. The sweet scent of the dry grasses filled my nostrils and made me a little light-headed.
Cassian’s voice broke the pleasing reverie of the hay scent. “Are you feeling well?”
“I’m fine!” I assured him as I hurried up the rest of the rungs and crawled across the boards to an especially fluffy stack.
I flopped back-first onto the hay and let out a deep sigh. That is, until I adjusted, and one of the dry sticks stabbed me in the back. I sat up and tried to fluff up the hay.
“I think this will help,” Cassian spoke up as he crawled over to me and set the pale nearby. He draped the blanket over the stack and smoothed it out before presenting it to me. “For your pleasure, my bride.”
I repeated my flop and grinned. “Thank you, my husband.”
A heated look passed through his eyes. The incessant neigh from Niveus interrupted his thoughts. “I’m coming!” he assured his steed as he moved to the edge. He pushed a large pile over the side, and it landed with a soft plop, followed quickly by munching.
Cassian returned to me and sat down on the boards beside the mound of hay. He reached into his coat and drew out a few packages of food, one of which he gave to me. The food eased the strain in my body, and the open hay loft window revealed a sky of twinkling stars.
“It’s nice here,” I mused.
“Very.”
“So much different from a lot of the places we’ve been,” I teased as I set my half-finished sandwich on my chest and stared up at the ceiling.
He chuckled. “Yes. Less dangerous.”
“Is there any other place in your kingdom that won’t try to kill us?” I asked him.
“I hope my palace can provide that safety.”
“Is it a big palace?”
