A Rose in Winter by Shana Abe

Author:Shana Abe
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Solange awoke in a different place from where she fell asleep. And although she woke up covered in furs, she had a distinct impression that something was lacking, something she couldn’t quite articulate. She presumed she had been moved closer to the fire at some point during the night, and she couldn’t help but be grateful, since the nights were growing colder and colder. Still, it was odd. Something was missing, but she had no idea what.

It was early yet. Dawn broke with rising color to the eastern horizon, already tipping the treetops with rosy gold. Thrushes were trilling off in the forest, announcing the new day.

Solange sat up, stretching. All the men were off a good distance, sitting on a fallen log, talking in low voices, and sharing a breakfast of hard biscuits. Damon rose and came over to her when he saw she was awake. His hair hung loose in smooth waves, setting off the tan of his face in a way that left her curiously short of breath, reminding her abruptly of that moment in Calais when he rubbed her hands. He seemed to search her eyes for something, a line of worry creasing his brow.

Wordlessly he handed her a biscuit. She accepted it, thanking him. He hesitated, then asked, “How did you sleep?”

“Very well, thank you,” she replied cordially. The morning air left puffs of frost hanging between them.

He frowned, then turned on his heel and went back to the others.

What a mystery the man was. She had thought from the kiss they shared yesterday that perhaps he did feel something for her, after all, but then with the change of a few hours he was back to treating her like a barely tolerated stranger. She could not make it out. Well, she refused to dwell on it. Never mind that the kiss had been one of the most amazing things she had ever experienced. Never mind that she thought she might have died in perfect bliss right then.

She would pay it no mind, because Damon obviously didn’t. Her heart hurt just a little at that, but she concentrated on getting ready to ride.

Solange devoured the stale chunk of bread while checking on Iolande, then rushed through her morning ablutions, wanting to be ready to go as soon as possible.

It didn’t take more than two days for her to realize they were headed in the wrong direction.

She had planned this journey long enough to realize the problem was subtle but persistent. To be certain, she checked the path of stars repeatedly, and compared them to both the sun and the direction they were traveling. They weren’t much off the proper route, but it would be significant enough to make them miss Ironstag entirely by miles. Should she say something? It seemed peculiar that none of the men, seasoned soldiers, she presumed, had noticed. Solange was slightly shocked to think that she would be the only one who knew how to navigate.

Perhaps they were caught up in the worry of watching out for the enemy.

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