Page 48 of The Seeker

The knife vibrated but didn’t lift from the holster.

I huffed and tried again. The poison was stopping me from successfully calling the knife to my grip, though.

I was so busy trying to focus on my task, I didn’t realize Ena’s hand was on the handle and lifting it from the sheath until it was flying across the room and into my hand.

“What the . . .” Askel’s mouth was in an ‘o’ shape.

Ena snorted. “I was using my persuasion to grab it and apparently that was exactly the boost Runa needed to call the knife to her.”

Askel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Okay, Ena, as much as I love that you can use your power, from now on, no persuasion during training, okay? You obviously already know how to use it.”

“Fine,” Ena agreed, but I caught the wink she threw my way.

Training was going to be fun.

We returned to camp just as the sun’s pink rays peeked over the mountain. Since we’d crested the peak, the sun rose later, but it would remain in the sky much longer for the day ahead.

Askel, Ena, and I jested the entire way back, still cackling at how many times Ena had gotten the best of Askel as we broke through the trees, only to skid to a stop as we took in the frown on Otho’s face. He stood in the center of camp, his arms folded over his broad chest.

“Sorry, Otho,” Askel apologized, trying to use his hands to shush us, but it only made us giggle more. “We were training, and time passed more quickly than anticipated.”

“Hurry and pack so we can start.” Otho motioned to the tent I assumed was Askel’s and I noticed it was the only one still set up. The rest were already tucked into rucksacks, sitting in a line, the rest of our traveling party nowhere in sight. If it weren’t for the line of bags leaned up against a large rock, I would have assumed they started without us.

The dark-haired captain rushed into his tent, Ena on his heels. For the first time, I wondered where she had been staying in the camp. “Where is everyone?”

“I sent them hunting for food. There’s a long road ahead.” Otho’s voice was even.

“Would be shorter if we tried my river traveling,” I quipped, but Otho shook his head. He wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

I didn’t know what else to do, so I headed over to help Askel and Ena with the final stages of packing.

Karl arrived back at camp first, a small deer slung over his shoulders. “Managed to snag this deer, I’ll clean it now and we can eat it tonight.”

I knew little about hunting, as I’d always had the privilege of purchasing my meals from the butcher in Ralheim, but I had a feeling that carrying the deer all day, even cleaned, would be no easy task.

“I can carry his pack instead,” I offered, only for Otho’s frown to deepen. Before he could argue, I held up my finger. “Remember, when you met me, I was joining the military. I can handle carrying a pack for a day.”

Otho shook his head. “May I remind you that you didn’t actually join the military that day. Someone said you were too weak.”

I couldn’t stop the way my lips flicked up at the ends. “I still joined eventually, though—in the end. Someone thought I would make a decent spy,” I retorted, mimicking him.

Otho sighed and I knew the conversation was over, so I walked over to Karl to see what I needed to carry.

Nel, Jase, and Ryle returned together, the first two empty-handed while Ryle held a string of fish. “They won’t last long, but we can eat them tonight while Karl works on the deer.”

The ever-broody general nodded his affirmation, and we were off. Ena was the only one without a pack, but I knew she would spend her day searching for other edible items.

And belladonna for me.

For all my bragging, it didn’t take long for me to fall behind, the weight of the backpack I wore making me nervous as I stepped down the steep incline. There was a path down the mountain, telling me we weren’t the first to come this way. But it wasn’t a popular path either, with various plants starting to intrude on the worn-down dirt. Even though we walked in a switchback pattern, I still felt we were walking too fast for the path, and my steps grew increasingly uncertain as my boots slid on the rocks from time to time. The straps dug into my shoulders, and I feared that if I stood up straight, I would fall backward. I had no idea what Karl kept in his pack, but it was heavy.

Otho, of course, hung back as well, looking over his shoulder every so often to ensure I was still there, the frown on his lips becoming a permanent feature.

At one interchange, when he passed directly below me, he paused. “I can help you, if you want.”

I sighed, my gaze catching on the rest of the group that was at least three switchbacks ahead of us.

“I won’t tell them, and I’ll hand you back the bag before we draw close so you can keep your pride.” I saw his words for what they were, a peace offering.