Page 154 of The BoneKeeper's Daughter

They tried, of course, but it is hard to hide a heart that beats outside of your body. It was only when Axton approached on the fourth or fifth day, shoulders tight and body tense, that Teo became worried, and Ellie fell back a step, head bowed.

“You are laughing often here, Teo.” Axton’s voice was heavy, a warning and a blade exposed, all at once. The two men flanking him on either side had white knuckles gripping their sheathed daggers, faces hidden behind bone masks, bodies indecisive. It was clearly not a place they wanted to be for some reason, caught between the blood in their leader’s voice and the smile on their friend’s face.

Teo shrugged uncomfortably, hands up in supplication. “It is afunny assignment, Axton,” he replied placatingly, but Axton did not move.

“How so.” There was no question, but Teo tried anyway.

“She gets excited over simple things, and it alleviates my boredom. It’s hard to explain.”

“Try.”

Teo opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, prompted by Lorcan, I’d crowed in delight, a happy, childish sound that felt strange in my throat, but seemed real enough to the men around me. All eyes jerked my way, as though on a string, and I grabbed for Teo’s hand, ignoring everyone else.

“Rider, I can smell the…oh…what are they called? The berries? Are there some? Oh, I’m sorry, BloodLetter. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Teo was tight with forced cheer, following my lead. “You and your berries, Keeper. The stone berries? Yes. We’re by the patch.”

“Do you…do you need us here, BloodLetter?” I’d asked respectfully, purposefully letting longing fill my voice. “Or perhaps Ellie could walk me to the patch?” My feet were already drifting that way, body leaning, tugging lightly on Teo’s hand. Axton glanced between the two of us, where our fingers crossed and palms met, clearly confused. “I’ll give you some as well, BloodLetter,” I offered when he did not respond, then, “A full half of what I pick.”

Axton snorted, and tried to cover it with a cough, the men behind him loosening their grips on their knives. “I don’t needberries, Demon. For Blood and Stone. You’re a simpleton.”

“They’re good, and I’ve never had anything like them before.” I’d whispered stubbornly. “Ellie, do we have a basket? Would you get one?”

She’d wavered, unsure of what to do. “Rider?” She addressed Teo, seemingly for permission, voice hesitant and respectful, and he’d shrugged casually in her direction, not even turning to look her way, eyes fixed on my face with a sort of amused fondness.

“Did you not hear her, Fifth? A basket.” His dismissal of her was clear and unmistakable as he’d pulled me closer to him. “Alright,Keeper. Give me a moment with the BloodLetter and I’ll walk you to the patch. Axton?”

“I’m amazed you can stand it, Teo.” Theithe was referring to was obvious, and it took everything in me not to snap back, but needs must, so I kept my face hopeful and stupid. Axton settled back on his heels, some of the tension leaving his body. “It seems…almost intolerable.”

“Youassigned me, Ax. Say the word and I’m happy to go back to training, where I belong, and stop playing nursemaid.” Truth was undeniable in his tone, but affection bubbled underneath. “Though she’s a funny little thing in her own way. Like watching a newborn colt trying to find its legs.”

“You’ve always had a soft spot for things that amuse you, friend.” Axton sighed, worry tinging the sound. “But she’s not a pet. You’d do well to remember there is no good ending to this story for her.”

Teo laughed in response. “I don’t need a good ending, Ax. Just things to keep me preoccupied during the long hours on the road. You know me. I take what I can get in the moment to take the edge off. I’d rather have blood than boredom, but in the between…at least it’s a better assignment than the latrines.”

Axton huffed a half-laugh, half-cough in return and nodded, missing the bitterness flavoring his friend’s voice. “Go get your berries with your pet, Teo. Just be smart. And careful.”

“When am I not, Ax? When am I not.” We’d walked away, hands clenched tightly to each other, with the feeling of having just missed the executioner’s blade, the whisper of steel passing close enough to our throats that our skin was raw and red.

Nothing was said of that moment afterwards, but since then Teo had skipped our afternoon walks. Ellie and I still wandered, but she’d been more respectful, at least outside the walls of our tent. Inside we still fell into casual comradery, but we’d all heard and heeded the warning. At night, around our small fire, she’d comb and rebraid my hair, laughing quietly with Teo, telling me stories from their childhood, of how they’d hidden in cupboards together, how Teo had taken the blame for Ellie’s antics more than once, how Ellie had comfortedTeo during his Rider training, wrapping his sprains and washing his wounds. Their stories, more than anything else, built the framework in my mind for the People of the Blood. Teo still gave me the official structures and explanations, but it was their shared history that let me drink in the culture, rather than sip.

They were more careful in what they asked me, however, often exchanging long glances after I answered a question for them, a full conversation in their silence.

“You ration the water? Even for the leaders of your city?”

“No restrictions on schooling?”

“What happens during the Storms?”

“Why are you not married?”

A bark of sour laughter burst from my throat at the last question, and I’d simply shaken my head.

The only times they were ever evasive were when I asked about Rannoch and Kaden. Ellie and Teo would just change the subject, not even carefully, with enough purposefulness that I understood, eventually, that I would get no answers from them. In all the time, all of the walks and exploration, I had never seen Rannoch or Kaden. Not until this morning, when, for the first time I’d woken up before the sun, before Ellie, and slipped from the tent, leaving Ellie sound asleep behind me.

Something had been different with Teo last night, some anxiousness coating his skin and transferring to Elllie and me. He hadn’t wanted to remain, but hadn’t wanted to leave, so we’d stayed up into the thick of the night, past the fire’s death, before he’d finally gotten to his feet.

“We move out the day after tomorrow, Ell.” She’d stilled, like a deer in a hunter’s sights. “There’s nothing I can do. Not right now. We’re already over a week into the Month of the Earth. I don’t know why we’ve delayed so long as it is. In any case, he’s decided.” Turning to me, he’d dropped to his heels, and took one of my hands. “There’s still time, Wren. The road home isn’t quick, and he’s battling what he knows with what he feels he knows.” Rubbing his face with a tired hand, he’d sighed deeply. “He’s a good man. It’s hard to remember attimes, and you haven’t seen it really, butwhathe has to be andwhohe is are two different things. I don’t know if you can understand that. I hope you’ll remember it in the days to come.”

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