Red Heir - Lisa Henry Page 0,8

He tucked the information away to ponder over later.

“Anyway. I’ll be taking the front of the horse,” Grub insisted.

“Make a change from you taking the back of one.” Loth said airily as he dismounted. He watched as Grub struggled to pull himself into the saddle, and when it looked like he wouldn’t quite make it, Loth gave a helpful shove.

Grub landed in the saddle with a solid thunk and let out an outraged yelp. “Don’t you dare put your hands on me!” he hissed, and Loth was eerily reminded of every spoiled palace brat he’d ever come across.

He lifted his hands in the air, palms splayed. “Trust me, I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m not sure all the lice are dead yet.”

Grub’s face became even more pinched, if that was possible. “Get on,” he snapped finally. Loth did, making a show of swinging his leg over easily and settling right against the little monster’s back, wrapping his hands around his waist just to be obnoxious. That, and Grub still had his cloak, and Loth was feeling the chill.

They set off at a brisk pace, and Loth was pleasantly surprised to find that Grub did, in fact, know how to ride. Loth wondered idly who he really was. Political prisoner he’d said, just before Loth had accused him of stallion shafting and all hell had broken loose. The son of a baron or a duke maybe, Loth mused, kept in the lockup to ensure his family’s loyalty. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. He wondered if there wasn’t a way to use it to his advantage—if they were wealthy, Loth was sure he could swing it so they rewarded him for the return of their lost lamb somehow. It all depended on whether the family were well situated, or one of those that boasted a name and nothing else.

Well. One way to find out. “Did you learn to ride as a child?”

“What is it to you?”

Okay, then. Still sulking.

Loth recalled that old saying about honey and flies. (He’d always wondered why you’d want to catch flies anyway, but that wasn’t important right now.)

“It’s just that you ride well,” Loth commented. He manfully resisted the urge to make a horse joke—it wouldn’t serve his purposes right now. “Almost like nobility. Didn’t you say you were a political prisoner?”

“What does it matter?”

“Call me curious. Surely you have a family eager to see you again?”

Grub’s shoulders stiffened. “It’s none of your business,” he said shortly. He twitched the reins so the horse moved into a trot, and Loth had to stop talking just to make sure he didn’t lose his seat. Really, there was no point in pursuing the conversation further anyway.

He settled in behind Grub, and since it didn’t seem like he’d be getting in the boy’s good graces any time soon, he made himself comfortable, settling his chin on the lad’s shoulder so he had a good view, and letting his hands run up and down his sides just to watch him squirm. He stopped that after a few minutes though, because the ribs jutted out disturbingly and reminded him that somewhere along the line, Grub had been treated far worse than an ordinary prisoner. Loth wasn’t in the habit of entertaining disturbing ideas if he could help it, so he pushed the thoughts away. Still, a part of his mind niggled at him, asking the question.

What on earth had Grub done?

Chapter Three

They made good time, and Loth learned over lunch that Calarian was a vegetarian. “Oh? Is that the elvish word for terrible hunter?” he asked innocently, not missing Ada’s smirk.

“It’s a lifestyle choice. I’m all about animal welfare,” Calarian poked at his plate of greens with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

“Yet you ride a horse,” Loth observed, because hypocrisy was only okay when he was the one practising it.

“Yes, well. Questing involved a lot more walking than I expected,” Calarian said with a sniff.

Loth ate his own meal, noting that a bigger portion seemed to have made its way onto Grub’s plate this time. He obviously wasn’t the only one who’d seen those ribs. They finished their meals in short order and struck out once more. Grub’s foul mood seemed to have dissipated, and he rode with his head tilted back, obviously enjoying the weak rays of sunshine on his face. He almost smiled once. Loth, for his part, behaved on the back of the horse. It was only fun teasing someone if you lulled them into a false