Page 81 of The Seeker

The sky was barely pink with the early light of dawn, but we wasted no time grabbing our packs and horses and ducking into the brush.

It was a struggle to continue breathing as we ducked behind a bush, my first instinct to hold my breath.

The hoofbeats came to a stop and the sounds of rustling reached my ears. I wanted to close my eyes, as I had the night blood spread across the floor in my childhood home, but I knew I also needed to be ready to run.

There were voices, deep ones, but I couldn’t tell if they were the men from the day before. I bit my lip, turning to Sullie, who shook his head.

I don’t know how long we hid there, waiting for them to remount and gallop away, but, finally, they did. I stood and moved to step out of hiding, to return to our camp, but Sullie’s arm blocked me.

He shook his head again, his mouth forming a single, silent word. “Wait.”

I shifted my weight from foot to foot, anxious to start what was sure to be a long day.

It wasn’t until the silence morphed into birds chirping and the sky transformed from pink to light blue that Sullie gave the okay for us to emerge from hiding.

We returned to camp, taking in the boot prints that revealed everywhere the men had walked.

Neither of us said it, but we both knew—they’d been searching, likely for me.

I drained the last of my waterskin and tossed back the belladonna, ensuring I upped my dose from the day before.

“What’s that?” Sullie asked, his eyes narrowed on the vial in my hands as he sorted through the items he’d hastily grabbed, packing them securely to this horse, as they had been arranged the day before.

“Poison. Belladonna, to be specific.”

His eyes widened, and he glanced both ways down the road. “Um . . . I guess it was nice knowing you?” His voice was filled with worry and something else I couldn’t identify—a blast of nervousness tickling my gift.

I smiled. “It’s okay; I’ve developed a tolerance.” I picked up my empty waterskin, wishing I’d left a little to wash it down with. “Is there a river nearby?”

“I don’t know; I don’t work this route.” There was a bead of sweat forming on his forehead, and he hastily wiped it away.

I tried peering through the trees. While our horses had feasted on grass the night before, I knew they wouldn’t make it far without water. Grabbing my horse’s bridle, I guided her over the dirt road and into the grass on the other side. There were trees here too, but I knew the river we’d rested by yesterday had to be there somewhere. Rivers didn’t merely disappear.

It took far more time than I wanted to waste to find it, but Sullie didn’t complain, allowing his horse to drink as well while we filled our waterskins. I dipped my face into the water, trying to scrub the stress of the past day from my skin.

“Is that part of the bond too?”

I followed his glance to where it rested on the mess of brands on my forearm. I’d pushed up my sleeves to wash my face without thinking. “No, Sullie. This is thanks to war, and scared, weak men.”

He gulped but said nothing.

We mounted our horses and urged them into a gallop.

We didn’t have to travel long before shadows rose on the horizon—a group of them resembling several individuals atop horses. Even though sunrise had been hours before, I nudged my horse to run faster, anxious to make amends with my brother.

The group ahead slowed, glancing nervously over their shoulders. There were hoofbeats behind me as Sullie also urged his horse to move faster.

“Hello!” I shouted as soon as we were within hearing distance. “Is Milo Potson with you?”

The group slowed, looking between one another before parting, a horse and a man I recognized coming forward. “Milo!” I shouted in elation, slowing my horse so I could slide off and run the remaining distance on foot.

“Runa?” He slid off his own horse to pull me into a hug. “What are you doing here?” He pulled back from our hug, his hands resting on my shoulders as his eyes scoured my face. I don’t know what he was looking for, but whatever it was, he frowned.

“What am I doing here? What about you? I thought you had work?” I hissed.

The group he was with watched our reunion with apprehension, and I knew they wouldn’t be happy if we slowed their pace. Sullie caught up, pulling his horse to a stop next to where we stood. Milo’s eyes moved between us, his eyebrows rising.

“Let’s continue riding. We can stay toward the back and talk,” I suggested.