My stomach rolled over, and I focused my eyes off to the side, on the trees in the distance, andtried very hard not to cry.
Joden was broader than Prest, but not so tall. Once I was behind him, I propped my chin on hisshoulder and looked ahead, which would help settle my stomach. Eventually.
"You look unwell, Warprize. Are you pregnant?"
Goddess, was every Firelander going to ask me that? "No," I spoke, my tongue sharper than Iintended. "I am fine, Joden."
He was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No, something troubles you, Warprize."
Joden's deep voice seemed to resonate through his chest and right into my bones.
I sighed. This was the man who had helped me before, by explaining the meaning of my title.
Perhaps he could help me again. "Joden, words spoken to a Singer are private, right?"
Joden turned his head, trying to see my face. "Yes, if told to a true Singer under the sky. Youneed to confide, Lara? Something private?"
I nodded. "Just between us. You wouldn't tell anyone?"
He turned the other way, digging in the pocket of his saddle bag. "I am not yet a full Singer,Lara. But words between friends can be held as private." He pulled out a small string of bellsand reached forward to tie it in his horses's mane. The soft bells rang with every step the horsetook.
Without a word, the riders around us melted back and away, clearing a space around us. As Iwatched, I noticed that they didn't seem alarmed, or even curious as to what we were doing.
"What are those?"
"Privacy bells." Joden seemed to understand my question. "For when you wish to talk orconfide without being overheard. The bells are a request for privacy. Don't you have such?"
"No." I leaned forward and kept my voice down. "When we want privacy, we go off into a roomalone and close the door."
Joden snorted. "Alone is not easy in the Plains. There are few doors in the tents of my people.
Fewer still in the winter shelters. If you hear bells, it's because the person wants to be leftalone or is speaking privately with someone."
I frowned, thinking. "Keir didn't use them in camp."
"A command tent carries with it its own privacy, War-prize." Joden seemed to settle in thesaddle, as if making himself more comfortable. "Now, Lara, between friends, what is wrong?"
"Oh, Joden." I blinked back tears. "This is so much harder than I thought it would be!"
"Ah," Joden nodded. "You miss your home. That is norm—"
"No." A sob escaped my throat. "Oh, no, that's not—" I took a deep breath. "Joden, it's soboring!"
Chapter 2
I told Joden everything. How hard it was to sleep with people moving around outside the tentall the time. How much my body ached from riding the long hours day after day. HowFirelanders talked about nothing but horses, horses, horses. Their coats, eyes, gaits, theirwithers, for hours. The food was—well, it wasn't up to Anna's standards, that was for sure.
My voice sounded whiny, even to me, but I didn't let that stop me. I poured out all of myunhappiness into Jo-den's ear, as the privacy bells chimed.
Finally, the worst of all, was that I was afraid that Keir had lost interest in me. Thankfully, Icouldn't see Joden's face as I confessed my doubts. Keir wasn't around, constantly movinghere and there, and he didn't always re-turn to our tent for the night. The Firelanders had verydifferent ideas about things, and the women warriors were all tall, strong, confident, and…
ample.
I lay my head down against his back. "I'm sorry, Joden. I've no right to talk like this. I soundlike a fretful child. I mean, I did follow Keir, and I asked for this. It's just that…"
"It's not what you expected." I felt his voice rumble through his chest.
"My father used to tell me about his campaigning, and his travels. How hard it was. I just didn'trealize that it was so hard and uncomfortable every single day!"
