Page 27 of The King's Sword
“Instead of talking to fill the silence, I want you to learn to listen to your surroundings.”
She suspected he just wanted her to stop talking. Maybe he truly enjoyed it being quiet. What a strange man.
“If something sounds off, then there’s a problem. For example, if you’re outdoors, and the birds are suddenly quiet, you’d better hide. It means that someone is near and has probably already spotted you.”
Sabine shivered.
“Also,” he continued, “pay attention to what’s around you at all times. Like now, what do you see?”
She shrugged. “A few boats in the water, some homes on the shoreline.”
“Good. So, if all of a sudden, there’s an increase or decrease in the number of boats, you’d want to take note. Right now, I know without looking, that there are three boats behind us and two ahead. I know the number of people in each one, whether they’re male or female, and if they’re carrying supplies.”
She hadn’t noticed any of those things.
“Your lesson for today is to start paying attention to everything around you. Not only what you see, but what you hear as well.”
“I can do that.”
“It’s harder than you think,” he said. “It means you have to clear your mind from thinking of other things and just be in the present moment.”
She nodded.
“Shall we give it a try?” he asked.
“Yes.” Sabine sat there, observing her surroundings and listening to the water lapping against the boat, the frogs on the shoreline, and the birds overhead. She didn’t know how long they’d been traveling, but the homes and stores on both sides of the canal hadn’t stopped yet. She supposed most people would want to live close to the canal since it was used for transportation and exchanging goods. She wondered how many blocks deep the towns were. And if this was one large town or several all lined up next to one another.
A piece of bread hit her on the forehead. She blinked, startled.
“Focus,” Evander hissed.
Sabine just ignored him because he was right. Paying attention to her surroundings proved to be rather difficult when her mind kept wandering to other more interesting topics.
* * *
They traveled all day without any additional conversation. Every time Sabine went to say something, Evander would pelt her with a piece of bread and tell her to focus on her surroundings. He said it was not only for her benefit, but his as well. He didn’t want her distracting him since he knew Ex was tracking them. To catch an assassin, they had to think like one. She honestly couldn’t tell if this was the truth or he just didn’t want to deal with her. It wasn’t like she was all that chatty. But seriously, it was boring sitting in a boat all day floating along a canal. Not talking.
At sunset, Evander used the pole to steer them to one of the docks jutting out from the land. After tying the boat up, they got out.
“Stay right next to me,” he said. “And keep your hood up and head down.”
They entered the town. All of the structures were made from similar dark wood and had those oddly slanted green roofs. Signs hung above the doors to the buildings. They had strange markings Sabine couldn’t read, so she had no idea what they were looking for as they made their way along a narrow wooden pathway, a stream next to it. Evander had mentioned that there were a lot of waterways, and Sabine was beginning to think that Avoni had been built on water.
Evander guided her along with purpose, as if he knew exactly where they were going. He’d said he wanted to travel where he was familiar, so perhaps he knew these towns well. He led her across a narrow bridge and to one of the taller buildings. Inside, lanterns hung from the ceiling, providing just enough light to see. There were about three dozen tables, most full with people. Evander reached out, taking hold of Sabine’s hand, and leading her to the back wall where they sat at a table next to one of the open windows.
Sabine peered out, seeing another stream directly below. “Do boats travel through these waterways as well? Or only in the larger canal?” She hoped she was permitted to talk and she didn’t have to make it through supper doing another exercise in observing her surroundings.
“Just the larger canals,” he said, waving a server over. “I’ll order food for the both of us.”
Sabine nodded. She’d never eaten in an establishment such as this and had no idea how one went about deciding what to eat. While Evander spoke to the woman, Sabine examined her left hand. The one Evander had held. It meant nothing, of course. But the feeling of his skin against hers had been warm and comforting. Strange that a simple touch could feel that way. By an assassin no less.
Once the server left, Evander leaned back in his chair. “These waterways are too narrow for boats. There are thousands of them crisscrossing the towns.”
“Avoni is a fascinating kingdom.” It was beautiful and unlike anything she’d seen before. So different from the flat, farming land in Bakley and the mountain towns in Lynk. Sitting there, she scanned the room, looking at the faces of those around her. There was a mixture of skin tones and hair color. While she hadn’t seen many people with red hair before, Evander didn’t stand out as much as she thought he would since there was such a variety here.
Like the delegation that had visited Lynk, most of the people here wore long-sleeved shirts, pants, and many even had on gloves. Granted, it was colder here so it made sense, but she still found it strange. “Do women not wear dresses in Avoni?”
He leaned forward, closer to her. “They do. But it’s not necessarily practical. Women mostly wear dresses for special occasions.”
