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BOOK 2
CHAPTER 15
Istudied Kairos Draven'ssolid, straight back as we rode, my mind wandering as I hunched miserably over my horse. The effects of the medicine were slowly starting to dissipate.
It was the first full day of our journey and evening was approaching. We had stopped to rest at dawn, but by “rest,” Draven meant let the horses drink and then carry on. He had pressed us hard and I thought he would have pressed us harder were it not becoming evident that our mounts could not keep up the pace.
We had not been followed. At first, I kept expecting a pack of soldiers on horseback to race over the hill behind us, shouting for me to return and meet the king's justice.
But no soldiers appeared.
By now, surely Agravaine would have noticed his son's absence. Or perhaps not. After a night of revelry, would Florian be likely to return home? Agravaine might assume his son was sleeping off a hangover in some dingy inn.
The body could not have been found yet, but how long would it take before it was discovered? What had Draven done with it in such a short amount of time?
Would Arthur send people after us if it was found or was his mission so important that he would let me go?
Perhaps they would not even tie me to Florian's murder. But that seemed foolish to hope for when Arthur and I had just discussed Florian's cruelty towards me. Who else would have such a strong motive?
We were riding through farmlands, the fields of crops bent and flattened by the force of the wind and rain. The going was slower as the road had turned to muck and the horses struggled to find solid footing.
As the hours passed, the rain finally began to ease, but the wind continued to blow. We rode into a narrow valley, the wind howling over us.
Finally, as the sky began to darken, we reached a small clearing sheltered by a stand of trees and Draven gestured for us to stop. Dismounting, shivering and soaked to the bone, I watched the two men set up a small campfire, and begin to heat up a crock of stew.
“There’s a small tent for you,” Draven said, catching my eye. “I’ll set it up this first time. Watch and learn how it’s done. You’ll do it from now on.”
