Page 5 of The King's Sword
“Yes.”
“We couldn’t have sailed closer to our destination?”
He mumbled something under his breath.
“What did you say?”
“I saidwomen. You’re all the same. Always questioning everything us men do, and you’re never able to be quiet for more than two minutes.” He picked up the pace.
Sabine had to practically jog to keep up with him. “You must not have any sisters, and clearly you’re not married.”
He chuckled. “I have three.”
“You have three wives?” she asked, horrified by the prospect.
“No. Sisters.” He shook his head.
“Are they older or younger?” Not that she cared, but questioning him helped pass the time.
“Older.”
“I have five older siblings.” And then she remembered she didn’t. She stopped walking and closed her eyes. She missed Alina terribly. “I mean four,” she said, her voice softer as she opened her eyes. “I have four older brothers.” And no sister.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“We need to keep moving.” He glanced up at the darkening sky.
They resumed walking.
Thunder boomed, and big fat raindrops started to fall.
“We need to run,” he said.
“How far?” Sabine still didn’t see any homes or structures nearby. Just the dirt road they traveled on and ugly dry brush covering the hills all around them.
“It’s about a mile from here.”
While the boots he’d given her were rather large, she’d managed fine up to this point. “Okay.” A mile wasn’t that far, and she should be able to make it without any problems.
He nodded and took off sprinting.
Sabine jogged after him, the bag hitting her back as she ran. After about five minutes, the rain started to come down even harder, soaking through her clothes and making it difficult to see. The road turned to slick mud. She tried keeping her head down in order to see better.
After a few more minutes, Evander turned onto a narrow road. Sabine ran after him. It felt as if they’d already gone a mile and she was just about to ask him when she glanced up, spotting a nondescript wooden house not too far away, barely visible through the rain.
Sabine’s foot caught in a divot in the road and she flew forward, landing sprawled on her stomach in the mud. She’d managed to keep her head up just enough so it remained mud free.
If Evander was lying and her brother wasn’t in that house, Sabine was fairly certain she’d strangle him.
Without saying a word, Evander approached and reached down, grabbed her arms, and hoisted her to her feet. Her shirt and pants were covered with thick mud.
Sabine glared at Evander, as if falling in the mud were his fault. Somehow it had to be.
He looked at her and pinched his lips together, quickly glancing away, trying not to laugh.
As she stood there in the pouring rain, some of the mud began to wash off.
