Page 120 of Between Fear and Favor

“Yes, and she is?—”

“Dewalt! Are you in there?” Saski demanded from outside, and I knew I had only moments before she came in to investigate herself.

“Hello, Saski,” I called, fastening my breeches before reaching for my shirt. My clothes were still cold, not fully dry, but I gritted my teeth through the discomfort. Nor waved her arms wildly, pointing at the pile of clothing and then her naked body.

“I have things for you and the novice. Do you want me to bring them in or is this like that time with the Summerhill girl when you?—”

“Ciarden’s balls, give me a minute!”

Wiping a hand over my face in frustration, I murmured a silent prayer to the old gods for strength when it came to dealing with my sister. Before I finished, a pebble hit the back of my thigh, and I turned to look at the assailant who had thrown it at me.

What do I do?Nor mouthed at me, panicked. Her face had turned scarlet, and I knew it wasn’t from the cold. I spun in a circle, searching for anything which might prove useful, and gestured hopelessly to the fur. I took a moment to run my fingers through my hair. I didn’t know what I looked like, but I certainly didn’t want my sister to have any reason to push her line of thinking any farther.

The moment Nor was bundled safely in the blankets, I pushed the creaky door of our shelter open and ventured from relative safety right into a wolves’ den. Squinting against the sunlight, I was surprised to see most of the snow had melted. Without any wind, it was almost pleasant outside. With completely dry clothing, it might have felt nice. The plains were a fickle beast in early spring—prone to indecision.

Woven into one long braid straight down her back, Saski’s hair was dark with a few new strands of grey mixed in. The silver caught the morning sun, and it reminded me of our mother. She’d tied another horse to hers, presumably for me and Nor, and when it started tugging her mount, she scolded it in the typical Saski fashion—crisp and loud so she wouldn’t have to do it more than once.

When she began fussing with the saddlebags, she swayed her hips in a rocking motion, almost like it came second nature. I smiled, remembering how she’d rocked her eldest to sleep when he was small. She made a shushing sound, and when she turned to face me, I realized she had a babe strapped in a sling against her chest.

“This is your insufferable uncle I was telling you about,” she cooed at the child, gently tracing a fingertip over a pink cheek. “Yes, and he’s the reason we had to leave at dawn to find him.”

“I’m sorry, Sas. I thought you’d send Dickey—the messenger. Or Magnus,” I explained, looking past her toward the horizon. “Where are they? Are they all right?”

“Save for the scare Magnus gave the boy when he found him creeping around the village in the middle of the night, I think he’ll live. Said he didn’t want to start screaming my name and wake everyone.” She grinned up at me, eyes twinkling with a familiar mischief. “The boy wanted to come. Said you’d be cross with him if I came to fetch you instead.” Cocking a brow, she jutted out her chin in defiance. “So, here I am.”

Recognizing the gesture, I didn’t bother with a futile response. I wondered how Magnus handled her contrary shit all the time.

“What’s their name?” I asked, nodding toward the wriggling bundle in her arms. I hadn’t even known she was expecting another. Though I had no right to be hurt, it stung.

“Haven’t decided yet,” she said. “Now, come here. It’s been far too long, little one.”

I laughed, closing the distance between us, and pulled her against me. The baby grunted their irritation as Saski squeezed me tight around the ribs.

“Gods, were you always this tall?” she asked. When she pulled away, peering up at me, I noticed the fine lines across her forehead and at the corners of her eyes. Her light brown eyes were just as inquisitive as ever, and I felt a pang of guilt over how much I’d missed. “You don’t look your age,” she said, brows pitching together.

“Well—I, uh, Lavenia?—”

Her mouth split open into a wide grin as she slapped my arm. “I remember, stupid. Just because you haven’t visited in a decade doesn’t mean I don’t keep up with you. Lavenia has written me more than you have over the years. In fact, she was the one who told me you broke the bond.”

“She wrote you about that?” Ven had spent one of her last moments before leaving Astana to write to my sister? Gods, I hoped there would be a letter about her whereabouts waiting for me at Nara’s Cove. The truth was, any of us could die in this war, and each loss would rip a part of me along with it. Raj had already been a striking blow. I couldn’t stand the idea of losing Lavenia, too.

“A warning, I think,” Saski laughed. “And what a harbinger it was. Here,” she said, shoving a stuffed satchel at me. “You’ll catch your death in those damp clothes; there are things from Magnus in there for you. Do you think my clothing will fit the novice?”

I frowned, wishing Dickey hadn’t mentioned Nor being a novice. It felt inappropriate, since she was trying to figure out that aspect of her life. She was so much more than her time with the Myriad. Not to mention, the less my nosy sister knew about Nor, the better.

“They’ll fit her well enough.”

“I suppose anything is better than wet clothing. Want me to take it to her?” she asked, grabbing for the pack she’d shoved into my arms a moment before. The horror over my sister finding Nor hiding naked under a fur caused my knuckles to turn white as I gripped the bag.

“I’ve got it!” I turned, using my long-legged stride to get as far from Saski as quickly as possible. Ten years my senior, Saski had been more mother to me than sister, and that clearly hadn’t changed. In my sister’s presence for less than five minutes, and I was already feeling like a child again.

Pulling the rickety wooden door closed behind me, I sighed in relief. I didn’t even have a chance to inhale before I jumped out of my skin. Nor was leaning against the earth-packed wall, the grin on her face a clear sign she’d been eavesdropping.

“I love her. She makes you stutter. She’s amazing,” Nor whispered, eyes wide and bright. There was a soft flush gracing her cheeks, and all I wanted to do was kiss her. She’d bundled herself in my cloak, and my imagination went wild, knowing she wore nothing beneath it.

“Fuck,” I said, wiping a hand over my face. “I was afraid of that,” I said, focusing on Nor befriending my sister rather than the idea of shoving her against the wall and wrapping her long, lean legs around me.

“Have you really not seen her in a decade?”

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