“Yes, of course. Areyou?” He’s the one that stopped.
He smiles unevenly and takes my hand in his. His lips brush against my fingers and my heart flutters. He swears and shakes his head, the smile still on his face. “What are you doing to me, woman?”He scrubs his free hand down his face, then draws in a breath to say something, but suddenly his focus shifts toward the door.
He reaches for his waist, but he’s not armed with any weapons. “Who is it?” he calls out. Then he sighs and signs Chiyo’s name for me. He gets out of bed, and I settle back against the headboard, my mind still reeling from the taste of his lips.
Kilkenny opens the door to Chiyo tapping her foot, her arms crossed, her face pinched. Her attention drifts over his shoulder, pausing when she spots me. Her focus shifts from him to me, then to him again. She grins and pumps her fist in the air. “Finally!”
Kilkenny steers her back out the door and closes it before turning to face me.
The realization hits. “Does she think that we…?” I can’t even finish the sentence without my face heating.
Kilkenny laughs and shrugs his broad shoulders.
I ease myself off the bed, and he saunters toward me with a smile that has me almost melting into a puddle. “I’m not sure if she thinksthat. But if that happens, I’d prefer that it’s not in some place called Dead Man’s Inn.”
My mouth goes dry, the flush in my cheeks unrelated to shyness or embarrassment. My breathless laughter is delayed and Kilkenny grins as he closes the gap between us again.
He pulls me close once more and kisses me until I’m weak in the knees. He releases a breath, then steps back and clasps his hands together, the picture of self-control. “Let’s get dressed and get out of here before we prove Chiyo right.”
I grin despite the heat flooding my cheeks. With the space between Kilkenny and I, reality hits me in the face. I lock my knees to keep from staggering back. We’ll be getting on the road again soon, and I don’t even know what’s become of Osheen. I clench myfists. As much as part of me wants to walk away and never look back, I ask, “Where’s Osheen?”
The desire completely disappears, and Kilkenny’s face hardens with anger. “He’s here, somewhere.”
“Here?” I point to the floor.
“Yes. Alys and Chiyo didn’t want to just leave him exposed out there—I was more than happy to do so. He’s gotten a job helping the innkeeper. It’ll give him a roof over his head and food. A new start for him—far more than he deserves. In the end, though, it’s up to you whether he continues traveling with us or not.”
I freeze. “It’s up tome?”
He nods.
I clasp my hands together and exhale slowly, expelling the tension that worms its way back into my muscles. Osheen has been my best friend, the most trusted person in my life after my parents died. He looked after Taig, and then he knowingly came along on this journey with us after Iywan informed him that Taig was…
Pain sears my heart again, and I step back, plopping onto the bed as I try to catch my breath. Kilkenny sits beside me, turning to face me slightly. He seems conflicted, like he’s unsure of what to say.
Osheen willingly carried a magical relic that enabled Iywan and whoever that woman was to track us. He’s the reason the Forayers found us in Dubh Carrig, the reason we could still be very much in danger even though the wristlet was destroyed.
Turning my tearful face to Kilkenny, I take a deep breath. “I can’t trust him anymore,” I motion.
Kilkenny nods, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Alright,” he says. “Then we go on without him.”
CHAPTER 73
Durvla
My gaze meetsOsheen’s red-rimmed eyes as I mount Ghendor in front of the Dead Man’s Inn. Osheen stands in the doorway of the building, his splotchy face drawn, his knuckles turning white on the doorjamb. My body goes cold, and my throat tightens painfully as he takes a step forward. Quickly, I turn away from him—away from the last surviving person from my old life.
“Let’s go,” I whisper to Tiernan, who gently nudges the black stallion’s sides and sends the horse into a canter. I wipe my sweaty palms against my trousers, ignoring the tremor in my hands. The more distance we put between the inn and us, the easier it becomes to breathe, but the more my chest aches. It’s as though I’ve sawed off one of my own appendages.
Chiyo now rides Ffion on her own, her posture stiff and her face puffy. Despite Osheen’s betrayal, we’ve both lost a friend. Dawn is stillhours away, and I’m grateful for the darkness. My head is still adjusting after the massive episode I had.
It set us back by nearly three days. I’ve cost us precious time?—
Kilkenny gives my thigh a little squeeze as if to tell me to stop thinking so loud.
A couple of days go by with minimum stops and a few quick moments of rest beneath the stars. No dreams fill my nights, as though my body is too tired to dreamwalk, and while a part of me is grateful for the break, I long to know how Carys is doing.
We’ve not heard any word of Paramount. The kingdom doesn’t seem to be in any more unrest than usual, so we continue as we have been. The terrain rises and falls as we ride across the land. We’re riding across an extensive bridge as the sun begins to rise. I squint, briefly catching a quick glimpse of the mysteriously dark loch that reminds me of Kilkenny’s eyes. The thought alone makes me blush, and I swear laughter reverberates from him through my back.
