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“One would think a man buying a boat would also buy a map.”
“I was followingyou,” he replied. “I didn’t need a map.”
“Except to find Meresin again, once you captured me and hauled me back.”
He decided not to touch that one. “I’ll know Meresin when I see it.” He hoped. He gestured at the harbor city they approached, and the rocky hills rising behind it. “Thatis not Meresin.”
“It’s not Elal either, not with that granite,” she observed, patting Vale absently. They were all waiting on the deck, bags packed and loaded onto the stalwart horse. Vale pricked his ears forward, sniffing the air of land. He’d be happy to leave the barge, too. “It could be Ophiel land.”
“House Ophiel, of the exquisite gowns?”
“Aw, honey, you remembered.”
“The first time I undressed you? Yes, every moment.” He’d said it with fervor. Maybe a bit too much, as she blushed, glancing away. So far he’d managed to be neutral with her, but he couldn’t regret that he’d affected her, if only momentarily.
“Anyway,” she said, gazing at the approaching pier, “yes, House Ophiel is here, but they’re a second-tier house, so it’s not like being in the territory of a High House.”
He’d known that. If nothing else, he understood the politics of borders—and border wars. “Ophiel is good news. We can ditch this albatross of a barge and ride to Meresin from here.”
“So much for your grand plan to make this barge the flagship of the House Phel merchant fleet,” she quipped.
“I’m pretty sure that plan sank along with most of the portside hull back on the Wartson coastline.” Keeping the unstable barge afloat had been the major portion of the magic drain.
“Well, soon you’ll have all that lovely House Elal money to spend,” she noted cheerfully. “You can buy a magnificent fleet of barges with that.”
Despite her acid comments regarding the hard and narrow cots on the barge, Nic had clearly slept well. He liked seeing her looking bright-eyed again, but the recovery of her spirits came with a resumption of her sharp wit. Had he said he liked that about her? He liked it better when she wasn’t using it to slice at him. “I’ll refuse the dowry, if that would help,” he told her impulsively.
“Help what?”
He shook his head, too weary to explain. “Let’s just dock this thing and go from there.”
“To an inn?” she asked, hope in her voice. “I would love a hot bath.”
“We arenotstopping at an inn,” he told her, not for the first time. “I can heat water for you when we camp tonight.”
“Another sponge bath.” She sighed, some of the sparkle leaving her eyes. “I would kill for hot food—a real meal.”
He had to agree that several meals of cold sandwiches had made even Missus Ryma’s excellent food lose its appeal. “Maybe a meal,” he conceded, “but then we’re riding for Meresin.”
“Can we at least shop? I could buy some clothes,” she added wistfully.
“You look lovely as you are,” he told her, attempting a charming smile. The shirt dwarfed her, but she’d belted it over some woolen tights she’d brought from Elal. With their close fit and the heavier knee-high boots, her thighs looked like slender flower stems, and he had to set aside the persistent fantasy of running his hands up under the shirt to explore the blossoming flesh at their apex. She did need a warmer cloak, however, he reminded himself with a frown.
She noted his expression. “I have coin; you wouldn’t have to pay for me.”
“It’s not that.” He wasn’t sure if she thought him truly a pauper or if she hated depending on him for anything. Probably both.
“I won’t try to escape you,” she added, pushing the curls out of her eyes. The wind whipped them back immediately.
“I know that,” he replied with more impatience than he should have.
She glanced at him sharply, something vulnerable in her face before she swiftly covered it. “What do you know?”
Now he wondered what she was hiding. “Nic, if you wanted to escape me, you’ve had numerous opportunities. Most recently, you could’ve left me tied up on that barge while it foundered on the rocks.”
“Not if I didn’t want to drown or be hunter bait,” she countered, tugging absently on the collar. She’d wrapped it in fresh strips of cloth, but they were looking worse for the wear. They needed to get that thing off of her. She was right that they should stay the night and resupply. He’d feel better if they could ride out for Meresin immediately, but it would be foolish to go without proper supplies and him exhausted, both physically and magically.
“Fine, we’ll find an inn.”
