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Tipping her chin up, she becomes annoyed when the hood blocks her view of me so she shoves it back. “I just want to know if these lights bode well for us or not? Is that too much to ask?”
“And I told you, it depends.”
“On what?!”
“On whether you believe the souls of the dead wish us good or ill.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.” I guide Nightshade into the forest and the blue and green of the sky fades to an ethereal glow, filtered through the evergreens’ branches.
“Do you think they wish us well?”
I resign myself to this conversation she’s determined to have. “Maybe. If they’re not snickering with the Fates for creating our problems in the first place.”
She lets out a cross between a sigh and a hum, something that doesn’t tell me if she agrees with me or not. I’m sure she’s planning out how to prove my answer is flawed . . . and oddly enough, I’m not opposed to hearing her clever comeback. Except, when it finally comes, it’s not a retort at all.
“Luka?”
The hesitant note in her voice has me glancing down to check that she’s all right. “Hmmm?” I coax when she doesn’t speak, better arranging the cloak to cover her legs against the dropping temperature.
“What do you think happens when we die?”
I snort. “What do Ithinkor what do Iknow?”
“Since corpses don’t generally share their experiences with the living, nobody canknow,can they?”
Her sarcasm pulls at my lips and I press my cheek to her temple. I really do love her fire.
“According to the Mother,” she starts. “We live on in the Eternal, but what if that’s only a fable to comfort the dying and the grief stricken?” Her voice drops. “What if we’re just gone?”
My little raven fears death. But don’t we all? “Well, if we’re just gone, then we’re just gone. There’s nothing to fear in that, because fear itself would cease.”
She seems to mull that over. “You’re a wiser man than I took you for.”
I laugh, and Glory tosses her head, pulling on the tether. “Flattery? Really, Rina?”
“I mean it! What you say makes sense. Even if I won’t be with my family again, I won’t be without them either.”
A shadow eases its way over my soul as I realize she’s applying mywisdomto herself in a very specific way. My mouth opens to quiz her further when the sound of loud voices in the distance weaves itself through the trees. Rina stiffens in my arms.
I halt Nightshade in the shadows well before the main road to the stronghold. Though I doubt there’s any danger, there’s no sense in throwing ourselves out into the open without knowing more about the situation. From what I can tell, there are more than two men, something that has my right hand checking that my dagger and my axe are on my belt where they should be. Not ideal to take on multiple men, but –
I halt this useless thinking. I am not going into battle. I realize it’s Rina and her skittish unease that have my instincts on high alert.
“Rina.”
It’s like she can’t hear me because all her attention is fixed in the direction of the advancing men. She’s scared.
“Rina,” I repeat, this time more forcefully, startling her. “I want you to look at me.” Reluctantly, she turns, giving me an eyeful of pure dread. “You have nothing to fear. You’re safe with me.”
Doubt shines back at me. I think I’m offended. “Don’t you remember my speech? I am deve here,” I say, mimicking myself in a low whisper. It gets a small smile from her. “Well, Iamdeve here. If I say you’re safe, you’re safe.”
A burst of drunken laughter makes her jump and she cranes her neck back around, trying to locate the source. I place a finger under her chin and pull her gaze back to me. “Whoever they are, they’ll never lay a hand on you. Okay? They won’t even come close.”
She gives me a jerky nod and we go back to watching the road through the trees.
When they come around the bend, I count four of them. They’re all Range warriors and from what I can tell, all well into their cups. As they draw nearer, I recognize them individually. They all came up under my father and tend to be the ones who grumble the loudest about my rule. Scanning the group, I pick out their weapons, noting they’re armed as I am, with daggers and hatchets, except one man who carries his sword.Within the realm? During peaceful times?But Dumfries isn’t the oldest active member of the Range for no reason. He’s wily and always ready.
