Page 78 of The Seeker

“And your name?” I asked at last, debating whether it would be worth it to risk Otho finding me to allow the belladonna to wear off.

“Sullie,” he replied.

“Runa,” I offered back, but still didn’t offer him the Ralheim greeting, though now that I thought about it, I wasn’t certain it was even applicable outside of Heimland. “You can ride with me this afternoon. But if I ask you to leave, you need to leave.”

“Fair enough,” he agreed.

My black horse had finished drinking and was now grazing on the grass. I led her back to the road, biting my lip as I tried to figure out how I would climb back into the saddle.

Seeing no other option, I finally hitched my leg, resting my foot in the stirrup, gripping the other side of the saddle to pull myself up, as I’d seen men do before.

It worked, but it wasn’t graceful. Especially not the part where I was lying stomach down on the horse and scooting forward to orient myself.

“First time riding a horse?” Sullie asked when I finally righted myself.

“Alone and without a proper saddle, yes.” The last time I rode by myself I’d been with Friar and had an army-issued saddle, which was much easier to use than this one. The only time I’d ridden after that I’d been with Leif or Otho, a thought which pulled a scowl to my lips. Men.

I dug my heels into the horse again, urging it into a walk while Sullie clicked his tongue to urge his horse forward.

“You need to walk her at least until the sun starts to set. Once it’s cooler you can gallop again,” he instructed.

I eyed him, still nervous. “How do you know so much about horses?”

His gaze drifted to me, only to snap forward again when his eyes met mine. “I don’t—well, not really. I only know the route well. I travel frequently. I’ve seen other travelers run their horses into the ground.”

My mind caught on one of the things he said. “Why do you travel so much?”

His nervousness filtered over to me, matching mine. “I’m a merchant. I bring goods from city to city.”

I gave his horse a once-over. It was about the same size as mine, but white with large brown patches. But what mostly caught my attention was the lack of goods—the horse only carrying him and a single pack. “What are you selling right now?”

“Nothing. I dropped off a cart full of items at shops in Shianp and was headed home for a fortnight of rest.”

“Oh.” Guilt filled me at the realization that I was taking away from his rest. “Did you have plans for your rest time?”

“Not really,” he admitted with a shy smile. “Mostly help my father with some work around the house, spend some time with my sister.”

I frowned. It all sounded so . . . normal . . . and calm. Nothing like the whirlwind my life had become in the past year. “How old is your sister?”

“Sixteen this year.”

I couldn’t say why, but my mood brightened at that knowledge. “Is she planning to attend university?”

A proud smile filled his face, “Yes, she is quite gifted at math. I believe she will end up working as a book balancer once she finishes school.”

“That’s a good profession,” I mused. “And your parents are well?”

“Yeah. As well as they can be, I suppose.” I didn’t miss the way a blush crawled up his neck. “We don’t always get along . . . but they’re my parents.” He sighed.

“You still live with them?”

He nodded. “No reason to build or buy my own place when I’m on the road most of the time. Plus, they like having the extra help—they run a farm.”

“Oh,” I breathed, my own dreams filtering to the surface of my mind, “For vegetables?”

“Potatoes and onions,” he said with a smirk. “Though my father also keeps several cows and horses—that’s was how I was so easily able to join the merchant industry. I didn’t have to purchase starting materials, and I’ve been carting potatoes and onions to market since I was young.”

“That all sounds . . . so nice,” I said, a blush coming to my cheeks.