Page 66 of Kingdom of Chains

‘Sorry,’ she muttered, straightening herself.

‘There’s a stream up ahead. We’ll rest there.’

The stream was barely a trickle, but it was enough for the horse to drink and for him to fill his waterskin. He brought it over to where Isabel stood shivering. ‘Here.’

She drank, then handed it back to him. ‘Now what?’

He walked over to the horse and began removing things. ‘Now we rest for a few hours. We’ll continue at first light.’

He felt her eyes on him the whole time he was moving about. He did not bother with a fire, not only because he did not want to give away their location but because he knew she was more likely to sleep without one.

‘Why did you come back?’ she asked after a long silence.

He gestured for her to sit down on the bedroll, then dropped down beside her, drawing his knees up. ‘Your bird showed up making alarming noises. Ita seemed worried.’

She looked up at the black sky. ‘She is such a smart girl.’

‘It certainly appears that way.’

Remembering the bread Yvaine had stuffed into her cloak, Isabel fetched it out. ‘I brought us dinner.’

He looked down at the bread in her hands. ‘You go ahead.’

She tore it in half. ‘We will share it.’

‘I’ve already eaten.’

‘I doubt that.’ She held it out for him to take. ‘I will not eat unless you do.’

He reluctantly took it, and they ate in silence.

‘How bad are the hands?’ he asked.

She looked down at them. ‘I guess we shall find out when the sun rises.’

He reached for one, running the tips of his fingers over her open palms, pausing at the sharp bubbles of skin. ‘What happened?’

‘I had to climb over the fence.’ She paused. ‘It was not as easy as Ita made it sound.’

‘I don’t recall her saying it was easy.’

‘You likely would have leapt over it without need of hands.’

He watched as she stifled a yawn. ‘Lie down. Try to sleep. I’ll wake you when it’s time to go.’

She did not lie down. ‘What about you? When will you sleep?’

‘Later.’

She did not move. ‘I am truly sorry for dragging you into this mess. You should be on your way home by now, not stuck here with me.’

He brushed a finger down his nose. ‘I wasn’t about to leave you in that place… with him.’

She shook the blanket open and lay down on the bedroll, moving over to one side and covering herself. ‘Will you rest with me for a moment?’

He watched her from a safe distance. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not after last night.’

‘What was wrong with last night?’

---