Ghaul gave the border guard would have shivered Khirro’s spine had it been intended for him and he worried Shyn might take exception. After a second, Ghaul relented.
They heard other sounds. The voices of the two men joined Elyea’s and they quickly realized they weren’t hearing the sounds of a struggle. Khirro blushed, embarrassed and angry.
She’s a harlot. This is what she does.
Still, he felt disappointed. In the weeks they’d traveled together, he came to see her as so much more than her profession.
After a minute, the noises ceased, a fact that brought a quiet chuckle from Shyn. Ghaul favored him with a contemptuous look that the border guard ignored. Khirro strained to listen over the caress of water lapping against the dock and the creak of ropes and boards as boats floated nearby. It seemed to him he heard sounds of a scuffle, but he couldn’t be sure. Shyn didn’t react, so he assumed he must be wrong. Then one of the men cried out, a short bark of alarm quickly cut off. Shyn and Ghaul both came instantly to their feet, hands on weapons, but Athryn stopped them again, barring their way with his arm as he stood, too.
Elyea emerged from behind the sacks, a sheen of sweat on her naked skin shining in the moonlight. Gazing at the hang of her breasts and the curve of her hip silhouetted against the night sky, Khirro forgot his worry. The feeling in his stomach remained, but he paid it no heed. When she bent to retrieve something from behind the sacks, he saw the dagger in her hand. She wiped it with the shirt she picked up, then bowed her legs and wiped herself. The action might have seemed rude to some, but Elyea made it appear natural and business-like, something she’d done many times before. She discarded the soiled shirt and disappeared behind the sacks, reappearing moments later, clothed. Khirro brushed his disappointment aside as she crossed the dock, gesturing with a sweep of her arm toward a small sloop.
“Gentleman, your ride awaits.”
She replaced the knife in her boot, then pulled the pouch from her belt and tossed it to Athryn. It jingled as he caught it.
“And it cost them a lot more than it cost us.”
“Are you all right?” Khirro stepped forward, but Ghaul spoke before she answered.
“Never mind that now.” He pushed past Elyea toward the boat. “Others will come. We must leave now.”
Shyn, Athryn and Maes followed Ghaul to the boat; when Khirro went to follow, Elyea caught his arm. He faced her, gazing into her green eyes.
“I’m fine, Khirro. Thank you for your concern.” She smiled but he found he could only return it half-heartedly and she saw his unease. “It was business, nothing more. I did what needed to be done.”
Khirro nodded and allowed her to take his hand and lead him to the boat where the others waited.
“Now we’re here,” Shyn said, “does anyone know how to sail a boat?”
Athryn nodded. “Yes. Climb aboard and I will cast off the line.”
Ghaul boarded first. Shyn picked up Maes and passed him to Ghaul, then climbed on and offered Elyea his hand. Khirro came next, wavering unsteadily as he stood on the boat’s swaying deck. Athryn freed the line and pushed the boat from the dock, then jumped aboard, landing softly beside Khirro.
“We must go quietly,” he said plucking an oar from the deck. He placed the tip against the dock and pushed them away. “We will drift with the tide until we are far enough away to put oar to water without raising alarm, but then we must cross the sea as quickly as possible. When they notice the boat missing and the men slain, they will look for us.”
“I’ll take the first watch,” Shyn said before Ghaul could volunteer. “The rest of you get some sleep.”
Athryn nodded. “Wake us when the city lights are distant.”
Khirro gathered some empty sacks littering the deck to fashion a pillow and settled down beside a canvas tarp at the stern. He lay on his back, trying to find comfort in the stars peeking through wispy clouds, but irritation still churned his gut. His muscles tensed as Elyea lay close beside him.
“You were very brave,” he whispered without taking his eyes from the sky. He felt her turn on her side, facing him.
“What you do is important. The fate of the kingdom is at stake. That makes me braver than I truly am.”
Khirro sighed. Why doesn’t it