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“Up a bit. Maybe to the right?”

“Then we are probably going east, a little south.”

“So this is The Snake?”

She shrugged, but it held agreement. Eavus lowered his hand, relief rushing back through his muscles.

“Is the boy Sculpae?”

“Caerdeneii, I think.” Eavus made to check on the boy, as Revni had done, but the shift in weight sent the boat spinning and Revni sucked in disapproval. Eavus stayed where he was. The seat was a hard board, barely wide enough for his butt. It dug into his bones. Eavus leaned forward and brushed the sweaty wisps off the boy’s face. He was curled on his side, his mouth slightly open in sleep, but the bruise on his jaw marred the innocence of his cheek. Splintered lines of broken blood vessels were appearing within the angry, puffy skin. Eavus wouldn’t be surprised if the jaw was broken.

“We can take him to Maetis.”

Revni furrowed her brow in his direction.

“Maetis. The monk. He knows Caerdeneii, and has contact with them. If this is the Snake, it should lead us to your Muzzle, and then the monastery. He can get the boy to them.”

“Sa.”

A low warmth traveled through Eavus’ belly at how quickly she had agreed. It was a decent plan. “From the monastery, we can find our way to Norbucum.”

“The Isfolj in Norbucum are not my Isfolj,” she reminded him, and Eavus immediately felt foolish.

“Of course.” He had simply presumed, when she agreed to come north with him, that she would be with him until the city. “Yours are upriver.”

“I had thought I might paddle that direction. Before we were chased.”

It took a moment for Eavus to put the pieces together, and then his face went hot. He had thought she was the idiot.

“You were going to take the boat. And leave me at the river.”

“No, not leave,” she protested quickly. The boat lurched a moment at her sudden twist towards him, and she righted it. “You needed to cross the Snake and head east, you said. I needed to follow the Snake north to find the Isfolj settlements. It seemed a good parting.”

When she put it like that…it made sense. Of course. Of course they were only in this temporarily. If anything, her rescue made them even. They had no more obligation to each other.

But he still felt stupid.

“Why didn’t you tell me? That you planned to split up?”

Her shrug was tight. “It wasn’t a plan. Not until I could make it right with the gods.”

“Make it right how?” Again, her and her gods.

She dipped the oar lazily in the water, but the set of her shoulders stayed stiff. He wasn’t sure she would answer. “The water seems calm enough,” she declared. Calm enough for what, he wasn’t sure, until she turned in her seat to face him. He clutched the sides, trying to keep it centered, as she set the oar on the bottom. She took off his helmet, cracking her neck, and then swung the pack on her shoulder—his pack, he realized for the first time, only it was at least half-empty—to the front.

“Food.”

Thank Hirene for the woman. Eavus took the offered biscuit and began gnawing at it with his back molars, while Revni snapped another in half, then half again. “Help him up.”

Eavus helped lift the child, who finally blinked and moaned, but Revni shushed him and took him into her lap. He looked dazed. The boat rocked side to side, but Eavus had gotten more used to the sensation. She put a hunk of biscuit in the boy’s mouth.

“No chew.” Eavus attempted Caerdeneii. The child swung his terrified eyes up. Eavus supposed that couldn’t be helped. Eavus pointed to his own face. “Hold. In mouth.” What was Caerdeneii for until it softens? He gave up. The kid was just staring at him, sucking on biscuit, so he supposed it was good enough. Eavus worked on his own biscuit a moment before tucking it into the back of his cheek.

“You don’t really think your gods can do anything, do you?”

He hadn’t meant to offend, but her eyes flashed.

“Your gods may be weak, but mine aren’t. They control the wind and the thunder and the seas.”