Chosen by Casey White

Author:Casey White [White, Casey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781980631804
Published: 2018-05-17T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

It had been a long day, even before Darren’s asshole of a curse decided to make us go in for a second round after sundown. The tension didn’t fade after the enemies were out of sight. It just gave way to a deep, heavy sense of exhaustion. The trail was treacherous, tacking back and forth across the bluff in a series of switchbacks and meandering curves. Before long, it became apparent that this was among the worst of the ideas we’d had yet. Getting distance from the Narai camp was important, yes, but if we fell off the cliff and died, it wouldn’t matter anyway.

And so when Olan called a halt, pushing us back onto the flattest slice of halfway-shielded land he could find in the hazy glow of our mage-lights, no one complained. No one said anything. They didn’t even bother to open their packs. They just dropped where there was open space, curling up into tight balls against the cold air.

Olan waited just long enough to see that I was taking up my usual roost before joining them. He still was barely looking at me, tight-lipped with anger. It seemed whatever good favor I’d built up with him had been lost, perhaps permanently. Just another bill for Darren to pay, when I caught up to him.

We didn’t have a fire. Couldn’t risk it, with the camp so close at hand. So I sat in the darkness a distance away from the rest of them, peering into the faint shadows cast by the moon as though I could actually see anything.

I turned at the soft sound of someone plopping down on the rock behind me. Lionel. He wasn’t looking at me, but there was the shadow of a smile on his face.

“Some day, huh?”

I laughed hollowly. “Right.”

The sound of his clothing rubbing against the rock as he shifted. I eyed him. He was leaning back, watching the stars.

“Made it, though.” He winked at me, seeing me watching him. “That’s what matters, in the end.”

I shook my head slowly, finally releasing his gaze to stare back out across the mountainside. Gentle snores were rising from our sleeping fellows, completely unbothered by our quiet conversation. I smiled a little. “Not sure the captain agrees with you.”

He snorted. I paused.

“See, the captain’s just a bit, well. Persnickety. He likes things done a particular way. And you keep messing that all up.” Leo held his hands up, shrugging expressively. “And, y’know, today was kind of a dumb risk.” The instant I opened my mouth he was waving his hands, shaking his head. “No, no. None of that. I know, it’s not all up to you either, right?”

I stopped, watching the guard sit there grinning cheerfully. His words mirrored what Hanta had told me, back at the start of this all. I knew Leo was right. And he was more insightful than I gave him credit for. I tried to formulate a response. But he only watched as I stumbled over the words, laughing at my distress.

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