My eyes narrow. I heft one, and look a challenge at Zan.
His eyebrows lift.
He takes the other.
Nomi says, “No need for that, I can carry that up the mountain—”
“I can carry my own weight,” I tell her, eyes never leaving Zan’s.
He doesn’t disagree.
Teren mutters in amusement, “She really can. Who knew sages were such fitness junkies? You were probably running laps in your sleep.”
And Zan’s gaze never leaves mine as he also tells Nomi, “I’ll show Yora what she needs to know. You can stay here to be on hand if the fall of the Quiet begins to change things.”
I practically feel Nomi’s eyebrows shoot through the roof at that pronouncement.
Zan doesn’t take such an active role with most sages, I’m pretty sure.
Finally she says, “You’re both sure?”
Teren snorts. “Pleasetake your personal tension outside and do something about it.”
I finally break my gaze on Zan to shoot Teren a sly look.
He points at me. “No.”
“No promises,” I murmur, and he sighs exaggeratedly as I smile slightly.
But he’s right: Zan and I do have things to resolve between us. I turn back to him and this time it’s my turn to ask, “Are you ready?”
I hold the bow out to him.
He steps in close to gently fix it back in my hair, and his eyes are gleaming as he says, “Always.”
Chapter 8
Wemakeaquickdetour on the way back to the mountain so Zan can get me some boots.
I don’t go inside with him, instead waiting around the corner in the shade and relative quiet.
I’ve had a lot of sensory input today for even a normal person, probably, let alone a person who’s been alone in an empty stone room for centuries.
Maybe I shouldn’t let him choose for me, but I don’t actually have opinions on footwear.
Zan informs me that shoes come in standard sizes these days, rather than being custom made. When he returns with a pair of boots, I’m only a little surprised that they do actually fit.
He has been paying very close attention to me.
This is especially evident because the boots he has selected are somehow colored with an intricate landscape painting, with trees and mountains in beautiful shades of purple.
It turns out I do have opinions on footwear.
They’re stunning.
They’re perfect.
Zan has once again seen deeper into me and picked out what I couldn’t have even imagined for myself.
