myself to the ground and pressed my back against a tree, trying not to groan. Vihn sat down beside me, and we silently watched the men bustling around making camp.
“At least we’ll get to eat now,” Vihn said. “Don’t you think?”
I nodded, watching as Tavin walked toward us, holding what appeared to be two canteens of water in his big hand.
“Thank you,” I said politely, when he tossed the canteens to the ground beside us. I wanted to wait for him to leave before I drank, but he appeared in no hurry to walk away, and I was too thirsty to care overmuch. I grabbed the canteens, handing Vihn one before I unscrewed the cap of mine and began gulping the cold, clean water. I was pretty sure nothing had ever tasted so good.
Tavin continued to watch us, a strange look in his eyes, but after I glanced at him once, I didn’t look at him again. Let him study us like we were bugs under a microscope. I didn’t care.
It was so cold that icicles formed in the trees, and a layer of frost lay across the ground. I continued to shiver, burning calories that I couldn’t afford to burn. I felt as though I’d lost ten pounds since last night.
“He keeps looking at you,” Vihn murmured. “I bet he’s—"
“Trying not to think about it,” I growled. I’d noticed the big man’s thoughtful stares, and I couldn’t imagine he was planning anything good when he looked at me.
Someone had built a fire, and when it blazed huge and hot with a welcoming light, I couldn’t help but force myself to my feet so I could hurry toward it. My very bones were frozen, my legs sore and stiff from the xilde, my face throbbing from the blows the guards had dealt me. But that fire would make everything all right. If I could just get warm, life would be pretty perfect.
I staggered toward it with my hands out, unaware of anything else until one of the guards grabbed my arm.
“Where do you think you’re going? Get back over there and sit down with your friend.”
“Just to get warm,” I said. “Please just let me get warm.”
His grip tightened on my arm, but before he could say anything, Tavin spoke. “Leave them alone,” he growled. “We are not so cruel that we would keep frozen kids away from a fire.”
“Sorry,” the guard muttered, and sidled away.
I turned and beckoned Vihn. “Come on,” I told him.
But Vihn couldn’t get up. He began to crawl toward the fire, smiling with eagerness, so wretched and pitiful that I couldn’t help but cry out. I ran to him and helped him to his feet. “Come on, kid,” I said. “Let’s get you warm.”
“Fuck,” Tavin muttered. Nothing more, just fuck.
“The life of a thief must be easy nowadays,” one of the guards said. “It’s turned all the street kids into weaklings and softies.”
“I feel like I broke every bone in my body when I fell off the xilde,” Vihn said. “Is there food? I can’t heal without food, you know.” He looked hopefully around, as though one of the guards might suddenly appear with a platter of meat and bread.
At the thought, my own stomach growled so loudly that even Vihn took a break from his own misery to stare at me. I blushed and put my hand to my stomach.
The guards laughed, but not in an ill-natured way. “Food coming up,” Bo said. “I could use a bite myself.” And I began to think that maybe he wasn’t a bad sort.
“We’ll camp here and start again in the morning,” Dexx said.
All the men froze and no one said a word. Finally, Bo asked, “You want to stay here for the rest of the day and all night?”
Tavin eyed Vihn. “If I don’t let him recover, he’s not going to make it to Corsov.”
My jaw dropped. “What?” I sputtered, shocked. “This miserable place isn’t Corsov?”
The men roared with laughter, and even Dexx cracked a smile.
“This is paradise,” Bo said. “Corsov is a mean son of a bitch.”
“Then why,” I asked, bewildered, “would anyone want to go there?”
Dexx Tavin shrugged and folded his arms, making his biceps bunch. “We like mean sons of bitches.”
Vihn and I looked at each other, and I knew the dread on his face was mirrored in my own. Still, no matter how much worse—dark, cold, and grim—Corsov was, if they fed us and let us sit around a fire, we’d be