Nina’s eyes were wide. “You must have been terrified.”
Kasik smiled. “Quite the opposite. I was eager to begin training.”
“That’s... strange,” she finally said. “At seven, I was playing in the dirt.”
“A privilege you had because there are those of us willing to carry out our duties to serve and protect.”
Again, the words were harsher than he intended. Mostly, he was repeating what he constantly heard, but before he could explain or apologize, Nina was sliding off Capac while he was still in motion. “Whoa,” he called, motioning for the beast to stop. “What are you—”
“I’m tired of riding.” She stretched her arms to the sky, the newly made slit in her robe revealing the top of her thigh and drawing Kasik’s eye like a moth to a flame. “Will we be stopping soon?”
Kasik cast his attention elsewhere. “Yes, but you have to ride, Nina.”
“I don’t want to ride,Kasik. I’d rather walk.Youride the beast.”
It occurred to Kasik, in that moment, that Nina had not said his name once since they met. He wasn’t sure why, but it stuck in his head, the way her mouth formed the word. Sharp, but not at all painful. “I’m not going to ride while you walk.”
Nina shrugged her shoulders and took off down the road. “Then we can walk together.”
There was no sense arguing. It was a lesson he was quickly learning. He hurried to catch up with her, hesitant to let her go too far from his side. If she decided to make a run for it, he would be ready to hunt her down.
Like an animal, his mind tossed at him. But she wasn’t an animal, he knew that, and this wasn’t a cage, just like he knew he was doing this because it was the right thing to do. He trusted Maicu and the gods. There was no questioning that.
With time, Nina would come to do the same.
But first: “There are a few matters we should discuss. You’ll need tostay close at all times. There are creatures in these woods that would love to take advantage of a young, defenseless girl.”
“I am not—”
“And I need you to trust me. If I say run, run. If I say be quiet, be quiet.”
She came to an abrupt stop and stared at him. “You do realize that trust is earned, right?”
“How have I not earned it? You are alive. You are unharmed. You have ridden my beast more than I have. What else do I need to do to earn your trust?”
“All of those things you’ve done for your own benefit. This has nothing to do with me.”
“This has everything to do with you.” Kasik took a step forward, hand balled into a fist at his side, his frustration finally overflowing. Capac followed closely behind and nudged his wet nose into Kasik’s arm. “I swore on my life to deliver you unharmed. I cannot do that if you don’t follow simple directions.”
Nina stepped closer, so close he could see the flecks of amber in her dark eyes. “It is not me who is having trouble understanding something so simple.” She looked into his eyes, her judgment bright and heavy. “I hope whatever they are paying you is worth it.”
She turned away, and he muttered, “Nothing is worththis.”
9
The sky was a deep blue by the time Kasik walked them over to a small clearing directly off the emperor’s road. Nina had begun to regret not riding Capac shortly after sliding from his back, but she refused to concede when it felt like Kasik was waiting for it. They hadn’t spoken for hours, and now that it was dark enough that she could hardly make out the features of his face, she realized just how much of a stranger he was.
There was something uniquely lonely about following a stranger into the unknown. It wasn’t as though she wanted to be his friend—he had made it very clear that he was simply doing his duty, and begrudgingly at that—but she had hoped that knowing something about him, finding common ground, might make the journey easier.
As it turned out, they couldn’t manage to have a conversation without arguing.
Nina pulled off one shoe, sighing in relief as the cool air blew over her blistered skin. Kasik was removing the seat from Capac, his back to her, the shadows cutting grooves into his arms and neck. His red tunic now looked black, a clever trick of the light. It clung to his broad shoulders. The golden bands on his toned arms dug into his skin as he pulled a bow and arrow from Capac’s side and turned to her. She averted her eyes just in time to avoid being caught staring.
“I need to hunt.” Kasik said. “Do you want to come, or can I trust you to stay here?”
Alone?she wanted to ask, but of course she would stay alone. It was only them for miles, it seemed, and though the clearing they were inappeared harmless enough, she suddenly wondered what other beasts were lurking in the dense dark beyond their small circle.
She hardly knew him, and yet she felt safer by his side. And in his arms. Nina tossed that thought away as if burned. “I’ll stay here,” she almost shouted. In a softer voice, she added, “With Capac.”
