Page 24 of Storms of Allegiance

My mind knew the reasons we had to move at our usual pace and understood she wasn’t in any immediate danger, but I couldn’t shake the desire to mount a swift horse and ride at full pace. How could we meander through the fields when the kingdom was in danger? How many more fields would end up burned before we got answers from Grey?

I forced myself to focus on a nearby flock of sparrows. Their darting bodies were always hard to track, and the concentration required distracted me from the sense of helplessness.

“Delphine.” Amara’s voice was quiet, but it carried an edge that broke through my focus.

After a brief glance at her tense face, I darted a look around but could see nothing out of place.

“Do you hear that?” she asked.

Now that I was paying attention, I caught what she was referring to—the distant sound of hoof beats pounding along the road at a gallop.

Amara was clearly waiting for something, so I reached out with my ability, trying to pick up as much information about the approaching person or persons as possible.

“It’s a lone rider,” I said after a pause. “Their heart is beating hard—even for riding at a gallop—but they don’t seem to have any injury or illness.”

“They’re close, then?” Amara tightened her hold on the reins and guided Acorn away from the middle of the road.

“They must have come from the village.”

While I had been distracted with the surrounding wildlife, we had nearly reached it. Beyond the approaching rider, I could sense a dense clump of people, although most of my attention was on the rider.

A slight bend in the road revealed a man racing toward us. He was bent low over his horse’s neck, as if he hoped to marginally increase their pace by reducing his wind resistance.

Amara’s eyes narrowed as she took him in, and she pulled Acorn to a gentle halt. The horse slowed agreeably, always happier to stop than to increase her pace.

The man was slower to see us, but as soon as he did, he shot bolt upright, also pulling on his horse’s reins. The animal reduced his pace, dropping to a walk by the time he approached within easy speaking distance of the cart.

The man was dressed in a typical fashion for a farmer, but the quality of his horse told me he was a prosperous one. His eyes swept straight over me, discounting me because of my age, I assumed, and latched onto Amara.

“I don’t suppose you’re a healer?” he called in a rough voice.

Her shake of the head made him slump in the saddle, his expression that of a man who had been holding onto hope, however unlikely, and was starting to lose it.

He moved to spur his horse back to speed again, but Amara held up a hand to stop him.

“You’re in need of a healer?”

The man pulled his horse to a complete stop, now nearly level with our cart. The hope had sprung back into his eyes at her question.

“Do you know where one can be found? Are they nearby? If I have to go all the way to Caltor…” He didn’t have to finish that sentence for us to read on his face what a journey of that distance would mean.

“I’m an elements mage, but my apprentice is a healer.” Amara gestured at me, and I tried to look less terrified than I felt.

If someone needed me, I would try to help—I had to. But the man’s question reminded me there was no backup within reach, no more experienced healer to guide me.

For a moment the man looked taken aback and unsure, looking me up and down and no doubt noting my age. But it was a sign of his desperation that the hope had returned to his eyes.

“You’re a mage, you say? So she is, too?”

He started suddenly and bowed awkwardly from the back of his horse as if he had only just remembered the formalities.

When Amara confirmed our status, he bowed again, the hopeful look in his eyes growing as he clutched at whatever straws he could. Clearly he hoped my strength would make up for my lack of experience.

“Are you in need of a healer yourself?” Amara asked, giving no indication she already knew the answer to the question from my earlier information.

“No, not me. It’s my daughter. Back in the village.”

“Your village doesn’t have its own healer?” Amara asked with a frown.

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