“Ithink so.”
“And why haven’t you?”
Evander gazed at her, and she frowned.
“We don’t need you.”
With a heavy sigh, Evander stood. “You’re a mess. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up before all that blood dries and we have to scrub it off with a wire brush.”
Chapter forty-six
Evander
It was early, not yet dawn, but Evander lay awake on his cot. Exhausted as he was, sleep evaded him.
Today, he would see Valenna. Hold her in his arms, kiss her, he hoped. Hear her voice. But his anxiety stifled his anticipation.
What if Haldir killed another conscript and he couldn’t prevent their wrath? What if the rest of the crew turned on Valenna? How could he protect her from these reckless, vengeful youths with nothing to lose?
The crickets chirping in the grass were like fingernails on slate; in the tent next to his, someone snored like a saw on a tree trunk. His thoughts ran in circles—a dog chasing its tail. Finally, Evander threw the blankets aside and sat up, then leaned his elbows on his knees.Yawning, he got up and dressed, shrugging on his uniform over his magic shirt and donning his coat. He’d sent to Silvanlight for his belongings, and they’d arrived in a box that morning—his old leather jacket, soft with wear, a novel he’d begun before he left, and his glasses. Even without his headaches, he found he still needed them for reading.
Evander crossed to the tent flap and opened it, but as he stepped onto the grass, he bumped into something soft and let out a shout of surprise.
Raska filled the tent opening, staring at him, her head tilted.
“Raska?” Evander grunted. “Where have you been?”
Raska’s feathers were no longer glossy black, but a mangy charcoal gray. They stuck out at odd angles, and she was covered in bald patches.
“Are you molting?” Evander asked.
The bird hung her head as though ashamed.
Threatened by battles and assassinations and the horror hiding in Barrimore Heights, Evander found he didn’t fear Raska like he used to. Let her try to take him to Ashkendor; he’d defeated serpents, spirits, and his own wild hydra. He could handle a disheveled old bird.
“You could have snatched me a dozen times by now. Why didn’t you?” he asked.“Am I too heavy for you?”
If a bird could roll its eyes, Raska would have. Instead, she drooped her leathery eyelids, affecting an expression of incredulity.
“Move. I have work to do.”
Raska stood frozen, her beak slightly open and her pink tongue visible.
Evander drew his knife, preparing to cut her if she attempted to grab him in her talons. She made no such attempt; instead, she nipped at his wrist. He jerked it away.
“What was that for?”
She tried a second time, her beak scraping on his marriage scar.
Irritated, Evander shouldered past her, and she squawked indignantly.Shaking his head, he turned his back to Raska and ambled down to the dragon barn.She didn’t follow him.
It wasn’t far to Barrimore Heights; a day of flying, a night in the mountains, and then a night to pass through the Crag on the way back. If the weather was good, they’d arrive at the border of the Scathmore Barrens in two days. If they flew across the Strait ofHethria, the journey would be shorter, but they needed to stay hidden.
Evander unlocked a tack room at the end of the barn. The door was divided in half, and he shut the bottom behind him so the light from the lanterns would spill in.He was checking the equipment, ensuring the leather tethers were waxed, the buckles free of rust, the knives and cutlasses sharpened, when footsteps scraped on the dirt floor.
Valenna stood outside, wringing her hands. She looked gaunt and nervous, and when she spoke, her voice was husky.
“Vander, I know you’re disappointed in me,” she said. “I know I did a terrible thing … but if you’d been in my place … I love you so, so much, and I couldn’t just stand there and watch …”
