We dove into the woods, casting nervous glances behind us. Ferris shed his armor as we ran, tossing the helm, then the shin guards, then the gauntlets. A trail of steel led down the road.
But not to us. When the last piece struck the snow, we diverted into the woods. Ferris led me toward the hill where I'd fought Quinn and killed two of his companions.
He hardly seemed out of breath when we arrived. "Here.” He tapped a thick mound of snow with his boot.
I felt it—the pull of my catalyst. Kneeling beside it, I brushed the snow aside, revealing the blade hidden underneath. Sighing with relief, I drew the blade and turned it over before returning it to my belt.
I would not lose it again.
Ferris nudged me, nodding toward the glade where the rebels had hidden.
A horse wandered on its outskirts, stout and fluffy.
Arrow.
Racing down the hill, I kicked up a trail of snow behind me. Arrow turned and snorted, trotting to meet me halfway.
I buried my face into his neck. We'd left him by the southern gates—Father must not have collected him. The poor boy had come looking for me.
Ferris caught up and stared at me intently. I tried to read his expression, to no avail.
Gods. I really needed someone to teach me how to do that.
"So youaresoft, somewhere in there," Ferris said. "For the horse, at least." He glanced at my belt. "And the sword."
"The sword is useful. Well-crafted. And it wouldn't betray me."
"Are you saying I'm not well-crafted? Because I disagree," Ferris said. "And that's not flirting, by the way."
"Hm," I agreed, reluctantly.
"But, we have a mount now. That makes things easier."
"For me," I said, climbing onto Arrow's back. "You can walk."
"You're joking, right?" He chuckled. When I tapped my heels into Arrow's flank and started trotting away, his smile vanished. "Diar, we're supposed to be partners. Even if it's a tepid alliance?—”
"We have no supplies,” I interrupted. "Know of a good place to steal some?"
"You'd steal from these war-torn people?" He tsked, catching up to me. "I know just the place. It isn't far."
"Lead the way."
"Only if you let me up."
I kept trotting, tempted to leave him behind and find my own path.
But I would get lost, and this time, I wasn't wandering without a destination.
Sighing, I pulled Arrow to a stop and let Ferris climb onto the saddle.
He made a point of leaning away from me.
"So shecanbe reasonable after all," Ferris grumbled. He pointed toward the northwest. "That way."
Turning Arrow toward his pointing finger, I ordered him into a trot again. "You're lucky Muirashin horses are hardy."
"Make excuses all you want. I think you have a soft spot for me."
