‘Don’t have too much fun without me,’ Atlas replied, punching Torgrin in the shoulder hard enough to make me cringe.Torgrin didn’t even wince.
‘How about you –’ Torgrin made a threatening fist.
‘How about you twostoptrying to injure each other and say goodbye like normal people?’I growled.
They both turned to me.Atlas wore a cheeky grin and Torgrin was smiling with those exceptional dimples of his.Shaking my head at their boyish antics, I moved to mount my horse.
Cillian was regarding all of us with a strange look.I just shrugged at him as if to say I didn’t understand them either.
The first day of travel could have been faster.Torgrin and Tomas rode up front with half the soldiers.I rode next to Bethel with Cillian and the rest of the guard behind us.A few hours into our trip, Bethel began demanding we stop.
I rode forward to tell Torgrin.He called a halt, allowing us to stop and rest.
Bethel turned her nose up at the oatcakes and honey I offered her.She spent the time standing, undoubtedly feeling saddle-sore.It was a brief break, then we were back on our horses.It wasn’t long before Bethel ordered us to stop once more.Torgrin said no, and Bethel had a tantrum.He refused to concede to her demands, so I had to ride next to her as she whined and damned her horse and all of us to the underworld.Especially Torgrin.
It was just after midday when Torgrin allowed us to stop.I was thankful for a break from Bethel’s complaining and found a quiet spot next to Cillian to eat.The rest of the day went much the same, and the scenery remained unchanged.Occasional trees and shrubs divided the dry, grassy plains we rode through.
Later that day, Torgrin ordered us to stop and set up camp for the night.There was still plenty of daylight, but Torgrin finally took pity on Bethel, who hadn’t said a word for the last few hours.
A soldier came to help Bethel dismount from her mare.If he hadn’t been holding on to her, she likely would have fallen in a heap at his feet.Her unbound hair was tangled and full of leaves and dead bugs.The pretty green dress was torn from where it had caught in her stirrup.Her shoulders slumped with exhaustion until she realised we were setting up camp in the middle of nowhere.
‘Where am I supposed to sleep?Or bathe?’she yelled at Torgrin, while Cillian and I put up her tent.
Torgrin handed her a water flask and pointed at her accommodationfor the night.Then he walked away, ignoring her screams of protest.I almost felt sorry for her until she spoke to me.
‘You are just like a man, aren’t you?’she said spitefully as I hammered in a tent peg.‘And your backside is so enormous, I bet you could ride all day without a break.’
I stood to my full height and towered over her.‘Would you like us to continue setting up your tent, or would you prefer to do it yourself?’I asked sweetly, holding out the hammer to her.Cillian straightened up and watched our interaction with an amused smile.She let out a ‘humph’ and hobbled off, her legs slightly bowed.
Cillian chuckled.He came up behind me, still holding his hammer in one hand.His other hand cupped my backside firmly.‘I like this backside very much, and I would be happy to find out how long you can ride me,’ he said quietly with a smirk.
The memory of our encounter in the forge filled my mind, and I discreetly pressed my legs together.I looked around to see if anyone was watching and saw Torgrin scowling at us.
Unfortunately, Cillian and I were sleeping under the stars with everyone else, so privacy was limited.We ate our meal around a large fire while some played a card game.I noticed the soldiers weren’t drinking ale, which was probably at Torgrin’s directive.He was sitting alone, writing in the other journal I had seen him take from our room.I wondered if he was recording the day’s events or writing something about me.
Bethel stayed in her tent, and as everyone was getting settled for the night, Torgrin ordered the soldiers to set up a rotation to watch over the camp.I took my bedroll to where Cillian was, and he smiled, pleased.Then his expression soured as he looked over my shoulder.I didn’t need to see who was rolling out their bedroll on my other side.Cillian’s face said it all.
CHAPTER 22
Islept well, and the smell of coffee hit me when I awoke.Cillian was brewing the liquid gold over the fire, but it was Torgrin who held a cup to me.I thanked him with a sleepy smile and took my first sip.I groaned as the milky liquid hit my tongue and warmed my insides.When I opened my eyes, both men were staring at me.Torgrin cleared his throat and walked stiffly back to the fire.
Bethel didn’t get the same morning treatment.We had packed up most of the camp and waited for her to appear, still needing to take down her tent.
Torgrin was forced to enter the tent when she didn’t answer his call.Then, the shouting began.It ended with Torgrin coming out with a disheveled Bethel trailing behind him.Her hair was a fright, and her green dress looked as though she had slept in it.
Two soldiers stepped forward to pack away the tent.The fire was out and the food had been cleared, so she had to settle for water from her flask.
The day went much the same as the day before.I listened to Bethel whine, and Torgrin refused her demands to stop.Then, I spent another night sleeping between both men.We settled near a stream big enough for us to bathe in on the third day.
Bethel followed behind me as I looked for a private place to wash while the men set up camp.I was eager to wash off the grime I had accumulated riding for three days straight.I stripped off all my clothes and waded into the cold water.Bethel was less excited about washing, and I realised she had probably never bathed outside a bathtub.She was shivering as I handed her a rag and soap.I felt a little sorry for her.She had lived a life that was as foreign to me as bathing in a stream was to her.
We stood up to our waists in the water.Her long, black hair cascaded down to her waist and resembled a messy bird’s nest with twigs and leaves entwined in the dull tresses.
‘Would you like me to wash your hair?’
Bethel took her time before replying, likely her vanity fighting her pride.
Her vanity won out.‘Yes,’ was all she said before turning her shivering back to me.
