Her gaze drifted toward the cot, but she didn’t point out the obvious.
“You’ve been warmongering since before I was born,” Thessia pondered. “Easy to forget you’re older than most of the landmarks I pass while traveling.”
“Shouldn’t you show me respect as an elder, then?” Resh teased, voice threaded with a touch of warmth.
“I’ll show you respect when you earn it. You do, most of the time.”
“And the other times?”
“I’d like to run you through, but then I remember that if I let you live you might take me with you into one of those legendary battles one day.”
“Having the Lioness at my side would certainly be an advantage.”
They smiled at each other—knowing—then moved on, speaking of terrain, positioning, the route toward the Wette. The Kelvasari would take the center, shielding the mages. Her Riven Blades would flank west. The old marsh channels could hide movement for miles. She knew the land better than most cartographers.
Conversation flowed naturally.
And yet—
After a while, silence crept in.
A beat too long.
“Not like you to let me speak so much without contradiction,” she said.
He didn’t answer.
Thessia glanced back at the cot. Her voice shifted.
“You’re pulling back.”
Resh didn’t move. “I am not.”
It was smooth. Controlled. Too fast.
“Then why the hesitation?” she asked, eyes narrowing. “She gave you that bowl in the clearing. Looked to me like you wanted to takeherinstead.”
He sighed. “Thess, don’t pry.”
“That’s never worked on me.”
“I haven’t changed,” he said, more tightly than he intended.
“You trying to fool me, or yourself?”
He turned away from the cot.
She stood her ground.
“You’re not the only one with eyes, Shadeslayer. The men might be too scared of you to let their gazes linger, but you know I don’t shy from what I want.”
He said nothing.
“I’ve seen how she glows when she’s trusted. Touched. And that kind of thing makes even a dried-up husk like me feel like I could reach out and nab a star from the sky.”
He turned toward her, voice low and warning. “Thessia—”
“What?” Her smile wasn’t cruel. Just...true. “You want her protected? Then protect her. But don’t expect the rest of us to wait while you fight your ghosts.”
