“Just two,” Elena said.
The woman hurried out of the stall, rubbing her hands on her pants as Yassen approached. “For how long?”
“A month,” Yassen said and lifted his holopod. “And we’ll need feed for them, too.”
“Month? I can only do two weeks, and you’ll need to bring them back right on the mark. This mountain is going to be full of soldiers soon, and they need pack animals. They hit the mother lode.”
Mother lode.Elena glanced at Yassen, raising an eyebrow, but he turned away.
“Are there army lodgings near?” he asked lightly.
“On the other side of the mountain, closer to the mines,” the woman replied. “But they’ll be here in town too. It’s got everyone nervous.”
“How come?” Elena asked.
“Well, the three mines have been working overtime for weeks. They’ve extracted enough to get the king excited.”
Elena paled. As the woman slipped rope halters on the brenni, she met Yassen’s gaze and saw worry in his eyes as well.
“Sorry, I’ve lived in the city so I don’t know much.” Elena laughed, keeping her voice mild. “But you said three mines? I thought there were more than that, for some reason.”
“There are, but you’ll have to go all the way to Janka for the rest. That’s about a three-day journey by train. A few hours by hoverpod, but they’ve shut down all routes to clear out for our boys. But they won’t be going to Janka anyway.Ourmines have done this,” the woman said with a touch of pride.
“I’m sure it’ll make your town more popular,” Yassen said.
The woman beamed. “Say, what city are you from?”
“Monora,” Yassen said quickly.
“Monora? You lot have traveled an awful long way.”
“We wanted some peace and quiet,” Elena interjected with a smile. “The air here is so… refreshing compared to back home.”
“The people too.” The woman winked.
She saddled the two brenni and swung heavy bags of feed onto their backs. One of the creatures stared at Elena with buttery eyes and flicked its ears. Elena stroked its mane.
“Does this one have a name?” she asked.
“She does,” the woman said. “She’s Harpa, and he’s Henut. They’re a pair, actually. Perfect for you two.” She winked again.
“Thank you,” Yassen said, but Elena noticed the blush rising on his cheeks.
“Bring them back before the two new moons, mero,” the woman said to Yassen.
Elena took a brenni’s lead. It nuzzled her shoulder, soft and warm.
“Wait here for a moment,” Yassen said when they had returned to the road.
He crossed the street and disappeared into a storefront. Elena rocked on her feet. The visor itched the bridge of her nose, and she wished to tear it off. She felt a strange disquiet as she stood alone. It was a whispering feeling, a slippery one. A premonition perhaps, or the knowledge that what lay ahead was uncharted territory—a long, twisting path that she had no hope of controlling.
Yassen jogged back carrying bundles. He stuffed them into the saddlebags and handed her a package of wrapped meat.
“How were you able to buy all of this?” she asked, examining the food.
“Suns of saving and insurance,” he said, lifting another pack onto the brenni.
“Insurance?”
