stare at him without speaking, as if he were waiting for me to offer judgment. His eyes flashed with anxiety, brightening and softening simultaneously. This was why he wore the hood. He couldn’t command fear when women would be mesmerized by him; people in general would have a hard time whispering gruesome rumors about a man that looked like that.
Nor could I imagine many villagers fleeing in terror should he ride in on a thundering steed. I cleared my throat and decided Shiksa’s paws needed my immediate inspection.
Arrick let out a deep breath and continued, “You are more than prisoners in my camp, although I have not done a good job of proving this to you. You are my guests.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. And I certainly couldn’t believe his words. Something had changed his mind when he removed his hood. But I couldn’t begin to guess what.
“Your guests? Then we’re free to go?” I shared a skeptical glance with Oliver. He didn’t believe this rebel bandit either.
“I should hope you would choose to stay,” Arrick continued. “Or at least wait until we’re ready to go with you.”
That wasn’t exactly the answer I was looking for.
I stared at him, taking in his high cheekbones and the tousled hair that fell too long over his collar. He didn’t fit the image of a rebel I’d always imagined. Where were his jagged scars and gray nose whiskers? Where was the foul breath and repugnant body odor?
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’re clearly not prepared to survive the Tellekane Forest,” he pointed out. “And if you’re on your way to the Diamond Mountains, you’ve more danger to contend with. If you’re lucky enough to survive to the Elysian borders, you’ll still have to make it over the Marble Wall and sneak past battalions of Tyrn’s armies.” When I only stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, he continued, “Since you came to Tenovia unprepared with papers, I assume you have none for Elysia either.” I shook my head. We didn’t. “How about for Soravale?”
“No. I didn’t realize… I hadn’t realized…”
“Where exactly are you from?” He stepped closer, examining my features all over again. “How is it that you’re dressed for this realm and yet you know nothing of current politics or—”
“Heprin,” I offered promptly. “We’re from a remote part of Heprin where the news comes very infrequently.”
“Heprin?”
I decided to redirect him to our original conversation. “Thank you for your offer Arrick, but we can’t accept your generosity.”
“Why not?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why. Not?”
“Because!” I looked to Oliver for help, but he merely shrugged. “Because, as you’ve said our journey is dangerous. You would only draw attention our way. We would like to remain unnoticed for our own, personal, very private reasons.”
“You can’t make it out of this forest without my help. How do you think you’ll make it all the way to Elysia?”
“You’ll slow us down,” I countered without answering his question. “You and any of your men, no matter how small a number you bring, mean more people to feed, to protect, to… bathe.”
“We have horses.” His mouth broke into a full grin. “And food to eat on the road.”
I refused to give into Arrick’s bold, pushy assertions. Even if I was running out of arguments. “You’ll make the road more dangerous for us obviously. No doubt there is a price over your head in every one of the Nine Kingdoms. We’ll be hunted. You’ll be hunted and I doubt I’ll be able to convince my next jailer to consider me a guest, welcomed or otherwise. Nobody is that lucky.”
“You’re right about that, Tess,” he agreed solemnly. “I doubt anyone could be as lucky as you. Twice.”
The gravity in his voice made me uncomfortable. Even more so because I didn’t know where it came from. I glanced nervously at Oliver, but he only shrugged again.
“You do need my help,” Arrick continued. “And my protection. Any trouble we run into will be swiftly taken care of. King’s guards or not.”
“So confident,” I murmured. “But my answer is still no. We don’t need nor do we want your help. Thank you for your forced and unwanted hospitality. But tomorrow we shall be on our way. Without you.”
He lifted that one arrogant brow again and I knew it was to call me out for my brazen argument with the small, unspoken caveat that we would be staying here tonight.
“Fine,” he grunted. “Then I suppose we’ll have to barter for it.”
“Barter?” I laughed. “But you have nothing I want.”
That was