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One of them walks to the front, his hand on the pommel of his sword—evidently the one in charge. “Who goes there?”
“We don’t report to you,” Kiaran snaps, his stallion rearing, trying to pull free.
“Shush.” I reach out, pat Kiaran’s arm. “Hello, officers.”
“Your friend there,” the man says, “has an attitude.”
“Forgive him, lieutenant.” Taj has put on his nice-guy smile. “He’s as irritable as his horse.”
“That’s not an excuse,” the man says. “And you know your way about military ranks, I see.”
I tense. My mare snuffles in my hair. “We had an uncle who was in the army, long ago. My brothers and I are heading out, if you don’t mind, gentlemen. It’s getting late.”
“Heading to Eremis?”
“No,” I say.
“Yes,” Taj says.
Kiaran grunts.
“It depends,” I hedge. “Look, we should get going—”
“Which did you say is your House?” The lieutenant ambles over to us, head tilted back, giving us suspicious looks.
“Oh, you wouldn’t know it,” Taj says easily, “we moved to the Summer Capital recently—”
“D’ Adraj,” Kiaran says.
Everyone goes still.
I turn a sharp look on Kiaran. “We just—”
“That’s an old and venerable house,” the lieutenant says. “I didn’t know there were young sons to it.”
“We’re not,” I say. “Sons. Children. We are distant cousins, traveling to meet the family.”
The lieutenant nods, still suspicious. “That’s a fine stallion you got there. It’s the sort of horse we purchase for the cavalry.” The stallion rears up when the lieutenant pats his neck. “Then again, this one seems too unruly to have been trained by us.”
Phew.
Taj gives the reins of his gelding to Kiaran and comes to stand beside me. “Let me help you mount up… sister.”
I nod and when he laces his hands together and lifts me onto the saddle. I arrange my skirts and avoid looking at the lieutenant and the silent soldiers behind him.
Kiaran grumbles something and mounts his horse, too, hauling on the reins. “Ready when you are, Taj.”
Just then, the innkeeper wanders into the yard and bows to the lieutenant, then turns a wary eye on us. “Leaving, I see.”
“We paid you yesterday,” Taj says, testily.
“You stole a mantle from a lady—”
“Rumors and lies. Plus, we paid you enough to reimburse her, if you feel the need.” Taj returns to his horse and swings himself up on the saddle. “Now if you’ll excuse us, gentlemen. We got places to be.”
On impulse, I say, “We’re looking for the Firebrand Brigade. Have you come across them recently?”
“They passed by here days ago,” the innkeeper says, waving a hand vaguely. “They must have reached Eremis by now.”
