The Whitefire Crossing - By Courtney Schafer Page 0,22
dark, as if the bushes themselves had turned black. I squinted, trying to make them out, but the light was fading fast. I gave up and reached for the rope. I’d have another chance to take a look when we bashed our way through the catsclaw for water in the morning.
By the time I returned to the outrider wagon, twilight was giving way to darkness. The storm still blotted out the eastern sky, far enough away now that only silent sourceless flashes lit the horizon. Overhead, the first stars glimmered amidst stray wisps of cloud. Cara straightened up from lighting a candle lantern and clapped her hands, slowly. “Well, you win one drink, at least. Harken and Jerik are about to dig out our dinner rations.”
“You’ll want to talk to Meldon. I spotted major rockfall on the trail, about a mile up. Probably a full morning’s work to clear.” I shrugged out of my pack and tried not to be too obvious about looking around for Kiran.
“Figures, after that little show we had during the storm.” Cara glanced across the canyon to the lightning-struck pinnacle, a sharp black outline against the darkening sky. We squatted down together next to the lantern and I drew a quick diagram in the dirt for her of the rockfall’s position and extent.
Cara stood and brushed off her hands. “I’ll head up to Meldon, fill him in before I eat. Oh, and the kid’s back, safe and sound—he took your gear up to your tarp. Looked kinda wobbly, though. You sure you’re feeding him enough?”
“He’s just tired. Long day, for a city boy.” Relief made my voice light. If Khalmet really favored me, maybe Kiran had even managed to avoid Pello. I’d have to think of some innocent way to ask Cara about Pello’s little visit.
“He can sleep in some tomorrow, thanks to that rockfall. I doubt the convoy’ll move before noon.” Cara peered at me, her blonde brows drawing together. “You look like you could use some extra sleep yourself.”
“Not my fault if Kellan snores.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. Kiran didn’t snore, but he certainly was a noisy sleeper. Lots of thrashing and sighing and whimpering. From the sound of it, his dreams weren’t much more fun than mine.
She grinned and strode off. I hurried over to the tarp, my nerves keying up a notch. When I ducked under the edge, the glow of a lantern illuminated our sleeping blankets, laid neatly out beside our personal gear. Kiran sat cross-legged beside them, staring at his hands laced together in his lap. He raised his head when I squatted down in front of him. Cara was right, he did look a bit unsteady, though that was a big improvement from the last time I’d seen him.
“What in Khalmet’s name happened with you?” I demanded.
His eyes slid away from mine. “Nothing. I just don’t like storms.”
“Right.” I drew the word out. His chin lifted, and I got another glimpse of a highsider’s usual arrogance. Judging by the stubborn, mutinous look on his face, I could wait until all the snow melted off the Whitefires before he’d explain. I clenched my hands on my knees to keep myself from shaking some sense into him. “Remember how you agreed to lay low and stay close? Was I somehow not clear? Or in highsider talk, does laying low mean running screaming from a simple thunderstorm in front of half the convoy?”
“I wasn’t—!” He shut his mouth so fast I thought he’d bite his tongue off. His gaze dropped back to his hands. When he spoke again, his voice was carefully controlled. “How much of a problem will this cause?”
“Did Pello find you? Talk to you, at all?”
He shook his head. My relief didn’t lessen my anger. “He could have, easy. You gods-damned idiot! You think just because you’re highside, you can ignore anything I say? You pull another stunt like this, and you can go to hell on your own.”
“I’m sorry, all right?” His blue eyes were stricken. “Have you never acted out of emotion without thinking first?”
I opened my mouth to deny it, but couldn’t manage the lie. Not with memories of my final night with Jylla so raw and recent. If I’d kept a cool head, I might have bargained with her and saved myself from losing everything. But no, I’d let my fury take my tongue, and done my level best to rip her apart. You don’t live with someone as long as I had