Akemi had mentioned traveling changed his view of the world. Life spent among nobles made you forget how simple regular people were, in comparison.
Nobody here looked at me with judgment, with scorn. They had more important things to worry about.
Feeling more relaxed, I went about my business, trying to remember everything we’d need to reach Nazumi without starving to death.
I couldn’t buy suitable battlewear, but the robes the fisherwomen wore would do. They hung to the ankle with a slit rising to the knee. Soft white pants underneath warded off the early spring chill.
Was life kinder to simple fisherwomen? They didn’t have to wear dresses designed to trip their wearer, nor marry stodgy lords before their twentieth year. No luxuries cushioned their days, but I felt a sting of envy, seeing how the women here toiled alongside their men.
It wasn't like me to stand around andthink. Shaking off my errant thoughts, I dipped into a bathhouse to change and wash off, then bundled my supplies in a bag and roamed the village, searching for Ferris.
A woodcarver’s shop stopped me in my tracks. The window peered in at a table displaying a pipe carved with patterns of leaves and twisting branches.
Turning on my heel, I marched into the shop, ignoring the man whittling at the back. Gingerly lifting the pipe, I turned it over in my hands, admiring the craftsmanship and sinking into old memories.
A fae pipe. Supposedly, an Iceborn craftsman had acquired the design in a deal with a fae. Magic enchanted the veryschematics, imbuing a quality to the smoke no other pipe could hope to replicate.
Akemi had loved his fae pipe. When no one was looking, he’d share it with me. Mother had caught us and pretended she saw nothing.
It was one of my few fond memories of her.
“Heavens.” The woodcarver joined me, wiping his hands on a rag. “The way you ran inside, I assume you’ve been looking for one of these?”
Fae pipes cost a fortune. But Ferrishadtold me to treat myself . . .
Fishing out the coin purse, I jangled the gold inside. “How much?”
A gentle breezeblew in from the lake. Silver waves lapped against black sand, calm and serene.
Sitting here, on a rock by the sea, it was easy to forget the death our country had suffered.
Nazumi might not save me. Death might be the only path I could walk, be it from the men of my country or the monsters from the dark.
In that case, I would enjoy today, because tomorrow might not come.
With a heavy sigh, I finished tying the twine around my stick. This was hardly the finest fishing pole ever crafted, but it would do.
“There you are,” Ferris called, walking down the beach toward me. “And it looks like you remembered people need food to survive. I’m impressed.”
Brushing back my bangs, I turned to him. For the first time since we'd met, he looked like a prince. A gorgeous forest green coat hugged his figure, tied off at the waist by a silver sash. He flipped up his collar with considerably more dramatic flair than was necessary and offered me a roguish grin.
Ferris noticed my pole and pointed. “What have you there?”
“I’m going to fish,” I said, casting the line into the lake. “The Archdruid can wait a day for my arrival.”
“Are you sure? Your father's men might be hunting us as we speak.”
“I haven’t summoned Siotha yet. He probably doesn’t care.”
“Somehow, I doubt that.” Throwing back his tail flaps, he sat beside me. “You look cozy.”
“Iamcozy,” I said, pulling his empty coin sack from my pocket. “Here.”
He sat forward as I pressed it into his palm. “Saints! What did you buy?”
“You said to treat myself.” I leaned back, watching the bait bob on the water. “I’ve been wondering something. Why were you starting tavern brawls during Winter’s Tide?”
“You’re not very good at easing into conversation, are you?” Ferris leaned back and crossed one leg over the other. “That’s . . . complicated to answer.”
