An enormous sea of brownish yellow sprinkled with the occasional green spot stretched before us. The land rolled in gentle hills before crawling up to a city that was so distant, it was merely a shadowy speck. I could just make out the outline of high walls on the horizon. The peaky brown tops of tall hills and miniature mountains bracketed the massive field and speckled the horizon behind the city. This must have been the valley Harthon mentioned before.
I’d never seen such vastness, never mind such hills and mountains, in my life. I only knew of them from Merelda’s descriptions and crude drawings. It was almost beautiful, even with so much dead grass.
“We rest here, but only for a few hours. Our plan is to arrive by mid-morning. It won’t take long for Koerlyn to realize his men aren’t returning, and I want as much time as possible to prepare,” Harthon announced.
The shared insight was surprising. Soldiers followed orders, with or without explanation, yet Harthon chose to offer his reasoning.
Horses were quickly secured to trees, and men sprawled out on the earth. They apparently didn’t carry the bed mats that Koerlyn’s men had rolled out every night.
Harthon deposited me on my feet and pointed at a grassy patch in the middle of his men. “That’s your bed. Sleep while you can. Find a tree to do what you need.” He grabbed the reins, turning away from me.
“What about you?”
Why in the Domus would I care?
He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m on watch. Sleep, Etarla,” he said, leaving me.
I found a quiet tree and took advantage of the privacy before returning to the patch. I laid where he instructed, desperately missinglast night’s luxurious bed as bumps in the ground dug into my muscles. Part of me had expected a fire, but no one was building one. Heavy snores sounded a moment later.
Fighting a plague of shivers, I pulled my cloak from my shoulders and draped it over me like a blanket. I tucked my arm beneath my head, making sure my damaged cheek faced the sky. I briefly wondered how Harthon had become so skilled with knives, and then sleep came.
* * *
A hand jostled my shoulder. I jolted upright.
And nearly screamed.
North’s bearded, scowling face loomed over me, the sky a dark sheet above him. Seeing that I was awake, he prowled away.
My heart jumped against my ribs, cheek throbbing in time with each pulse as I oriented myself. The men already sat on their horses, ready to go. Somehow, I’d slept through the ruckus. Clearly, I’d been the only one.
I staggered to my feet as Harthon approached on his black steed.
“Good morning,” he said, stopping beside me as I rushed to secure my cloak. If he didn’t rest, his appearance didn’t betray him. As usual, the top half of his hair was tied back, the strands neat.
Mine probably resembled a nest.
He leaned down, stretching a hand toward me. Instinct guided me as I secured my foot in the stirrup and met his reach. His grasp was firm as he easily pulled me up. My leg rammed into his as I swung it around, and I landed on the saddle with an unceremonious thud.
“Graceful,” he commented.
“I just woke up. Nothing is working yet,” I defended, even as heat flooded my cheeks. I was rather positive everyone had seen myclumsy mount.
“You like excuses.” He tensed his legs, and our horse loped forward, beginning our trek through the valley.
“I’ve been awake for a minute. The rest of you apparently had time to get your bearings.”
“There was no need for you to be awake earlier.”
“Maybe in your eyes, but I would have appreciated a bit more time to prepare.”
His hand curled over my hip as we came to a steep decline. “Noted for next time. Any other requests you’d like to make?” Amusement colored his tone.
“Have someone other than North wake me.”
He softly chuckled, sending puffs of air across my hair. “You didn’t find his way of waking to your liking?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“For a moment, I thought I was in a nightmare.”
