I don’t reply, and my silence is the only answer he needs.
He nods, and his hand falls from my arm as we begin to walk again. ‘I’m just saying, one break-up isn’t necessarily the end of something special. And you’re allowed to be happy, Rose, to prioritise yourself for once.’
‘I’m pretty sure we are prioritising me, or else I wouldn’t be dragging you and the others the length and breadth of Morathka,’ I retort.
‘That’s for your safety. I’m talking about your happiness.’
My happiness.
There’s only one other person I can remember talking to like this. One other person who would speak to me with such a combination of frankness and love: Llinos. I don’t think it’ll ever get any easier knowing how little time I had with her in my life. And having Benny here isn’t just a close second; it’s something else. Something I’m infinitely grateful for.
‘Has anyone ever told you that you’re a great friend?’ I ask.
He grins. ‘Oh yeah. I’m a national treasure.’
His dry comment makes me laugh wildly – the first laugh I can remember since this damn trip began.
‘You are. Thank you for coming this far with me.’
Up until this point I’ve tried to block out that Benny was only coming to Galreck, but now that we’re here, the fact that he’ll be leaving soon leaves me with a weight I don’t want to face.
Reaching out, I give his hand a squeeze, and then I turn my attentionto the new city we find ourselves in. It’s definitely easier to look at than turning my gaze inward.
The city forms slowly, starting with market stalls and farms. I can’t help but note the weak, straggling plants, their leaves pale and the fruits sparse. The ground is hard and cold, dusted with snow. The plants are hardy – they have to be to grow in these climates – but they’re not thriving.
If I had magic to spare, I’d help them. Make them grow just a little. But I’m already exhausted and it’s not just the energy expenditure I need to consider, but also the risk of being seen, which grows greater and greater with every step. Soon the populace and buildings grow denser, until we’re hemmed in by bodies on all sides.
And noise. I wasn’t prepared for the noise. There was some drumming in the slums, butnothinglike this. The noise of the drums reverberates around the city, a constant low-level thrum.
It’s not hard to see why the Quiet Ones refer to this place as the city of drink and drums.
‘Any idea where we should go next?’ I call to Kyor. We have three aims: find ourselves some more horses, restock our supply bags – and this timekeepthem – and get Caz to the library. The finest library of Morathka will no doubt be in the heart of the city, nestled in the centre of the court. As Kyor still has no desire to go anywhere near any lords and ladies – nor, I find, do I – it means the group should probably split up.
‘Probably this way,’ Benny answers, pointing further ahead. ‘I’m sure if we take this road, we’ll join the main strip.’
‘There are some stables just here,’ Ruben comments, gesturing to the side of us. ‘Let me go and speak to the owner, see what I can find out about purchasing some more horses.’
‘Good idea,’ I say. ‘We’ll wait here.’
Ruben strides off with purpose while the rest of us look around.
The sound of the drums is even more pronounced here, and a heavy beat reverberates through the ground, through the very soles of my feet. The smell of fermenting hops and barley hangs heavy in the air.
‘What is that?’ Caz asks, holding her nose.
‘Beer,’ I say, recognising the aroma all too well. The scent makes mystomach turn. It reminds me too much of the stench on Father’s breath as he fell down time and time again, lolling into unconsciousness from too much alcohol.
‘Now I get why Thessa called it the city of drink and drums,’ she sniffs, echoing my earlier thoughts. ‘Do they ever stop that infernal racket?’
‘No,’ Kyor says bluntly. ‘They say the day that the sound of drums isn’t heard in Galreck is the day the city will fall.’
‘Once,’ Benny says with a grin, ‘some people from Rowell snuck in with one purpose in mind: to silence the drums.’
‘How?’ Caz asks, intrigued.
‘They slit the skins of every drum they found.’
‘Did they manage to silence them?’ I ask, invested.
