Page 74 of Echoes of the Raven
“Food supplies from the princess’ kitchens,” Gaspar points out. “She even got pepper and saffron. Not sure how to use that last one.”
“I’ll tell you how,” Esmeralda puts in. “We sell it.”
Rífíor looks at me sideways, and it feels like a reproach. I instructed Jago to gather supplies that might be useful for the trip. It seems he let his stomach do the thinking. Spices didn’t even make my list.
We all sit around the fire, except for Rífíor who stands aside, reclining his back against the tree. He braces one foot against the trunk and sips his tea almost carelessly, eyes surveying our surroundings. When offered food, he dismisses it with an absent hand gesture.
Angry at myself for being so focused on his presence, I tear my eyes away from him and stare into the distance. The terrain is flat and covered by thick trees. The underbrush is dense and undisturbed, except for thearea that marks our passage. I focus on a bug flying overhead, then a bird, which turns out to be Cuervo.
Good bird, I think, meeting his inquisitive gaze and inclining my head in greeting. He doesn’t appear to have The Eldrystone with him, but I have to assume it’s somewhere nearby, well hidden.
I clear my throat. “Excuse me, I need to… relieve myself.”
Heading in the opposite direction of where Cuervo sits, I push through the brush, ensuring the wagon remains a barrier between my companions and myself. I walk a safe distance away to make sure no one sees or hears a thing. I wait and start to worry when Cuervo doesn’t appear after a long moment. Swirling, I peer up at the trees, trying to spot him.
“Where are you, Cuervo?” I say under my breath.
A rustling sound makes my head jerk to the left. I squint, scanning the heavy foliage. Wings flap on my right, and I turn to watch Cuervo land at my feet, the amulet clamped tightly in his talon.
I squat next to him. “Hello, friend,” I coo, happy to see him, wishing I only had him and Jago for company on this journey.
He releases the amulet so I can retrieve it.
“Thank you.” I pick it up from the ground and quickly hang the chain around my chest, hiding the gem under my tunic. “And thanks for being here.” I smile as he preens, pulling on one of his iridescent feathers. “Stay close, all right? Don’t be a stranger.”
He flies away, likely to find himself a delicious breakfast.
I return, take a seat, and sip my tea, trying to act normal. Gaspar hums as he spoons oats into a battered metal plate and bangs the spoon against its edge.
Before long, my attention returns to Rífíor, drawn as if by a magnet. I feel his presence like a thorn in my side, a thorn I wish I could extricate and cast away.
He’s a bad male, Valeria.Kick him out of your mind then burn the memories to ashes.
It doesn’t matter what he said about helping his people, about doing all those things for them and not for selfish reasons. I can’t trust him. He deceives like a spider spins its web. Expertly.
“Why do I get the bottom dregs?” Esmeralda demands. “Give them to him.” She points at Rífíor.
“In case you didn’t notice, he didn’t want any of it,” Gaspar replies. “Besides there’s nothing wrong with it. I didn’t burn it this time.”
She sneers and stares at her porridge. “I see burnt bits in here.”
“Here, you can have mine,” Jago says.
Without hesitation, Esmeralda exchanges her plate for Jago’s.
Gaspar shakes his head. “Don’t you go pandering to her. She’ll strip you bare if you let her.”
“I don’t mind the burnt bits. I like them,” Jago says.
What? What is he talking about? He doesn’t even like oats. I look between my cousin and Esmeralda. Jago stares at his plate, swirling the spoon, and looking chagrined. What is going on here? My cousin has never looked chagrined in his entire life. Does he like her? I know him well enough to recognize the signs of his attraction to someone, but I haven’t seen any of them. Typically, it all begins with flirting and making his intentions known from the start. Instead, he’s behaving as he did when he was ten and had a crush on one of the chambermaids.
Saints and feathers!Does this mean he really, really likes her and doesn’t only want to get under her skirts?
The thought makes me almost giddy inside. Jago seems to have a real crush on someone! It’s endearing except… my giddiness vanishes right away. Esmeralda is the last person Jago should have that kind of crush on. She is shrewd, and I get the impression she’s very experienced in matters of the heart? Or should I sayloins? Either way, this can’t bode well—not to mention this is the wrong time for such complications. Wehave enough troubles as it is. I’ll have to talk to him about it when we have a moment of privacy.
“So how long will it take to get to the veil?” Esmeralda mumbles between bytes.
“At our current pace, I would say about a fortnight,” Gaspar responds.
