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Temra comes to his rescue, putting her hands beneath his arms and scooting him out of the way, while Kellyn and I take care of his horse.
“You need to take your feet out of the stirrups and give them time for the blood to rush back in before dismounting,” she says to him. “For next time.”
“I’m never getting on a horse again!” he whines.
“We still have a long ways to go.”
Something akin to a whimper comes out of his mouth.
We unsaddle the horses and give them long leads so they can roam for grass and have easy access to the nearby river.
Temra unpacks the bedrolls. Petrik unwraps the food. I check the horses’ hooves for rocks, and Kellyn sets up the tents we stole from Kymora’s soldiers. There were enough for each of us to have our own, but I asked Temra if we could continue to share.
I sense eyes on me as I bend over and lift my mare’s front right hoof. Kellyn has been trying to meet my gaze since our last private conversation. When we touched. When I admitted the truth about the sword’s origins.
But I don’t return the look, and I’ve avoided being alone with him.
In fact, I’ve been terrified of even the possibility of it.
Because since that—that touching, my mind has wandered to other things.
When I feel his eyes leave me, I risk my own casual glance in his direction. I stare at the long muscles in his arms, the way his biceps move as he maneuvers the tent poles into place.
And I think about what it might feel like to curl my fingers around one of his arms.
He’s so big. I’m used to being taller than most men, but Kellyn has inches on me. How far would he need to bend down to—
I startle at the thought.
To kiss me.
At first the thought is terrifying, but the more I try to imagine it, he and I so close, my curiosity piques.
What would it feel like to have another set of lips touch mine? Not just any lips. But his? Would that grin smooth out long enough to become caught up in a kiss? Or would he smile through the whole thing, considering it a victory?
I try to imagine details, but I can’t. I’ve of course seen people kissing before, but I usually look away quickly, because such a scene makes me uncomfortable.
I can’t quite imagine how our mouths would move in unison. But I do know that I want to wrap my hand around his arm, maybe slide it across his chest, or touch his hair.
All at once the scene in my head turns from petrifying to thrilling.
But when Kellyn starts to turn back in my direction—
Fear.
Fear takes over.
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
We see the towers long before we arrive in Briska. The city istall: The homes are thin and built straight up into the air with five or more stories. Kellyn tells us that these are apartments that fit multiple families on each floor.
A shudder goes through me at the thought. As if it weren’t enough to have people on either side of you. Now they’re being placed above and beneath.
I can’t even imagine how many people must be crammed into this city if it’s so vast and the buildings are also growingupward.
It’s okay. We’re not staying here. We’re just passing through to get to Galvinor.
