“No!” I winced at the volume of my voice and lowered it, trying again. “No, don’t go. Just give me a moment.”
Pulling off my boots and the tunic I wore when the nights were too cool to be comfortable without a covering, I crawled into the spot behind Henry, ignoring Ekkar’s disgruntled growl as I pulled Henry against my chest and got comfortable. Henry snickered, reaching down to pet Ekkar’s head, soothing him back to sleep before letting out a contented sigh.
“I need more sleep. I was up late talking to Alice.”
“Then sleep,” I encouraged. “I will be here when you wake.”
He hummed, and it took only a few moments before his breaths evened out again and he fell back asleep.
I’d not intended to fall asleep with him. While I was tired, I still worried whenever I slept next to him that a nightmare would cause me to accidentally hurt him. The only times we slept next to each other were in the afternoon when he fell asleep in the heat of my tent after playing for me. The music made me sleep deeply enough that I didn’t dream and risk his safety. But the warmth of his body, the sound of his and Ekkar’s steady breathing, lulled me to sleep before I had a chance to fight it. And when the nightmares came, the music followed like it always did, settling me again so I could truly rest.
When I woke, Henry and Ekkar were gone. I sat up with a start, looking around wildly. I was confused and not alert enough to figure out what was happening. When I pushed to my feet and stumbled out of my tent, I walked straight into Henry, nearly causing him to drop the bowls he’d held in his hand.
Ekkar gave me a snarl of displeasure for my actions, which surprised me, but Henry’s reaction was familiar and reassuring. His eyes crinkled at the sides as he smiled at me, his tone just as warm as it usually was. That was a good sign, right?
“Good morning. I’d hoped to get back before you woke up, but it took longer than I expected. I’m sorry.”
My hands held his from where I’d helped him steady the bowls. I took them from him, moving to set them on the nearbylog so we could eat together, which was when I realized he was alone. There was no one else around the fire either. How had he gotten the food on his own?
The answer became apparent when Henry appeared at my side before I could return to him to help him. He had a hand on Ekkar’s back between his shoulders, their movements fluid as they walked alongside each other. Ekkar stopped near the log, scratching it with his front claws, alerting Henry that it was there. And with Ekkar’s help, Henry sat without falling or getting anywhere near the embers of the smouldering fire.
“How–”
Henry shook his head with a laugh. “I don’t know. He just started doing it. He was the one who led me to your tent last night after I was done talking to Alice. I hadn’t wanted her walking around after dark. I’d planned on asking anyone nearby for assistance, but Ekkar appeared at my side, and when I asked him which way to go, he guided me to your tent and nudged me into bed like it was normal. This morning, when I got up, he got up with me and guided me not only to the trench, but to the cooking tent as well. It was amazing. Did you train him to do that?”
“No,” I replied, looking toward Ekkar with a frown. I knew he was smart, but perhaps he was smarter than he let on. I hadn’t gotten around to asking others how I might train him to assist Henry. He decided to do that on his own.
Ekkar laid next to the log Henry sat on, head lifted proudly and eyes narrowed as more clan brothers exited their tents and headed for the trench or the river to start their day. Protecting him. A smile tugged at my lips, and when I reached to scratch behind his ear, he licked my hand affectionately before returning to his guarding.
“Thank you for helping him,” I murmured, offering him a strip of meat from my bowl in reward for his efforts. “You are a good friend.”
“The best,” Henry agreed, offering his own treat to Ekkar. The spoiled creature gobbled both down without a hint of remorse, and I swore he gave me a smug look before giving us his back so he could better watch our surroundings. I sighed. How likely was it that he was helping Henry so I would fetch his meals for him?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HENRY
I contemplated how to bring up what I’d spoken to Alice about the night before with Garrun. He seemed to be in a better mood than the day prior, and I didn’t want to ruin that, but I didn’t want to leave the conversation off either. Alice and I both agreed now, before the clan moved on, was the best time to test if I was even capable of living amongst the clan. I hadn’t gotten used to things on my own while we were stationary. There was no way I could do it with us constantly moving without figuring it out first. Ekkar’s assistance was nice, but I didn’t think I could rely on that either. I need more options if I truly wished to make it work. If not…
It was starting to feel a little like I had to make it work. Not making it work would not only ruin my relationship with Garrun, it would also threaten Alice’s new relationship as well. She said she’d never send me off to live somewhere without her, that we’d always be together, but when I pointed out that Vaddarr was unlikely to leave his clan, she went quiet. She was just as determined to find a way for me to function with the clansso we could keep the sweet barbarians who’d swept us off our feet.
“You are thinking hard,” Garrun murmured, and I could hear the trepidation in his voice. He was nervous. Maybe he wasn’t as settled as I first assumed.
Smiling softly, I reached for him, squeezing his hand when it wrapped around mine. “I have some things I need to figure out, that’s all. Nothing you need to worry about.”
My words didn’t settle him like I’d hoped. His hand tightened ever so slightly around mine, not enough to hurt me but enough to give away his emotions. I sighed. This conversation needed to happen before I gave the poor man a heart attack.
“Alright, you silly barbarian. Let’s go to our spot after we finish eating. I want to share something with you.”
We ate in relative silence, and I could feel the tension radiating off of Garrun the longer we sat together. If I could be certain we wouldn’t be interrupted, I wouldn’t have made him wait, but I wanted the familiarity and comfort of our spot for this conversation. Maybe it would help soothe him in the same way it soothed me.
Ekkar returned to my side as I stood, leaning his weight against me just enough for me to know he was there without throwing me off balance. I thought carrying the bowls would make it impossible for me to follow him, but he’d kept himself pressed against me just like this the entire way, his footsteps slow and measured like he understood that I was off kilter and needed to take my time. I smiled down at him, putting a hand between his shoulder blades and jerking my chin toward where I thought Garrun’s tent was.
“Let’s grab my violin before we go. Just in case.”
Ekkar led the way, just like he had the night prior and that morning, like he’d been doing it all his life. It was a little shocking, especially after hearing Garrun didn’t train him to doit, but I liked it. It made me feel like I had more options than just Garrun to help me figure things out. As long as Ekkar continued to oblige me, that is.
When I came back out of Garrun’s tent with my violin in hand, Garrun took over guiding me, encouraging Ekkar to go see someone named Faldar. “He has treats for you. He wants to make friends. Be nice and don’t bully him,” he grumbled.
