Rodric sighed, running his hands up and down her arms as he thought. “It's dangerous, but I don’t think we have a choice. Time is not on our side. I’d do it if I were alone, but I don’t like risking you.”
She looked at him over her shoulder, taking in his intensely worried expression. It wasn’t the first time he’d stressed over a decision that involved her safety. “I knew this entire trip would be risky when I chose to come. Don’t take on burdens that aren’t yours, Rodric.”
She kissed him lightly, reminding him that she wanted to be here. Which, on his end, probably only enhanced his fear of losing her. He met her willingly, deepening the kiss for a quick moment before ending it. He squeezed her arms once more before releasing her.
The map indicated that the river was only about two feet deep. It should be fine, but still she bit her lip as she re-rolled the map, eyes fixed on the churning water. Speed had to be their priority if they were going to succeed.
Rodric gathered their horses and brought them over. “We’ll go slow getting down and when crossing the river itself but push hard before and after the river. We should make it. Ready?”
After stretching one last time, she let Rodric boost her up into the saddle. She was used to riding frequently, or so she’d thought before this trip. Riding for days on end was different from riding daily, and it was exhausting. In poor weather, even more so.
There was nothing like spending many rain-drenched days traveling through the wild to get to know someone. It may not provide a lot of time for talking, but they were growing more comfortable in each other’s presence, setting and breaking camp by rote, and developing nonverbal communication.
She enjoyed the evenings the most. Rodric regaled her at night with tales about his life as a Preddari and his experiences in the wilderness. Lying across the fire from him each night, hearing only his voice each day, was building intimacy quickly. They were learning about each other’s lives and pasts, growing closer, with one glaring exception.
Magic.
Rodric had apologized for his reaction at Rosewood but had asked her to only talk very generally about magic. Nothing specific to the influence of trauma on magic. And nothing about healing. That had stung sharply. But at least he was trying, even if it meant tiptoeing through topics as if walking through shattered glass.
With the heavy storms approaching, they’d be huddled in their tent more often than they rode for a few days. Maybe it would provide an opportunity to talk more in-depth.
Still, if he refused to move beyond the safe, shallow areas of discussion, he wasn’t going to conquer his issues and the emotional storm would just keep building. Everyone had a breaking point. Because she cared about him, she both wanted and was afraid to find his, knowing the pain it would cause.
But first, they needed to conquer the river.
“I’ll lead with the pack horse. Remember to let Dahlia choose her footing,” Rodric called, already steering Zora to the path leading down the face of the ridge they were on, the midnight pack horse they’d borrowed from Rosewood trailing them.
Following behind, Celina focused on the steep decline, letting Dahlia take her time as they made their way slowly down into the valley. Strangely, she was disappointed to leave the forest. The heavy trees provided a good deal of protection from the elements she would greatly miss when night fell, and they were camping out in the open.
Making their way all the way to the valley floor enabled them to move faster over the flat terrain. The huge expanse was beautiful in an eerie kind of way. Dark clouds roiled above, casting deep shadows over the rocky area. Grass lined the river, which would have been picturesque if not for the rapid current cutting an extensive path, nearly twice as wide as it would have been in the dry season. The storm behind them would likely lead it to tripling in size.
Urgency ate at her stomach and she nudged Dahlia faster, catching up with Rodric where he waited on the riverbank. She could tell by the tension straining his shoulders that he was upset. “What’s wrong?”
“Water’s picking up speed. We should turn back. I don’t want to risk an accident.”
Riskher, he meant. Defiance rose. “No. Connor and Brenna are waiting on us.” If it turned out they missed rescuing his soul-daughter by the few days it would take to go the long way, she could never live with herself. “The storm will keep us at least an extra three days. Another hour and we’ll be up on that next plateau.” She glanced at it way off in the distance. “Maybe two hours.”
“Celina—”
“Unless you’re worried about my horsemanship skills getting us in trouble?” That would be valid, as he was one with Zora in a way that amazed her.
“No,” he sighed. “You’re a very good rider. It’s just risky.”
“The longer we argue, the more the risk increases. Come on.”
Forging ahead into the water, Celina breathed through her nerves. He needed to get ahold of his overriding fear for her safety. The mission was going to be dangerous. They couldn’t always base their decisions on that. In truth, she didn’t like the movement of the water any more than Rodric did. Her lack of experience worked in her favor, minimizing her fear.
Rushing water slashed at her legs as they made their way across the river, soaking her lower extremities. So much for her hope of getting to the plateau dry. Dahlia was vocal about her dislike of the water but continued across until they made it up the other side of the riverbank.
Celina grinned at Rodric, relief coursing through her. “See? We made it.” As she turned around in the saddle to look at the vast expanse of water they had just crossed, movement on the opposite bank caught her eye.
“Hey, do you see that?” She pointed toward the bank. “There was movement right over there, where we came from. An animal maybe.”
Rodric’s gaze followed her arm, but he shook his head. “Just a small creature. Not large enough to be a threat. Let’s go.”
The rain started to fall as they moved, increasing to a steady drizzle. Celina’s relief grew with every length they put between themselves and the river. About halfway to the ridge, they needed to climb. Dahlia slowed to a stop. Zora gave a high-pitched screech and slammed at the ground with her front hooves.
The ground started shaking then, water leaking out into the plain to swirl about their feet, even as far as they were from the bank.
