Silence fell between them, and Diana hazarded a glance at him and smiled at the look of consternation on his face as he frowned down at the crocotta’s fur he stroked beneath his fingers.
“Thank you,” she said. He glanced up at her with a perplexed expression, and she laughed. “I mean it. You have done a lot more than you needed to, and I know I haven’t been very grateful. You would have hurt him on the smallest suggestion that one loyal to you would kill me. I can’t express how much that means, that my welfare has some meaning in a world where I doubt human lives have much value. Thank you, lucomo,” she finished as she leaned down to bury her cheek against Keena’s pelt.
There seemed to be a softness to his eyes that almost made them appear a pale, velvety gray rather than their usual pearl hue. “Names have power among my people, but I wish to give you mine. You may call me Silvas.”
“Silvas,” she murmured, and she hid her smile of pleasure within the crocotta’s fur.
Chapter 12
Riding Keena was an experience. Diana had limited experience in her youth riding horses, but the crocotta’s gait was more of a rolling lope. She actually found it comfortable to lean forward against the thick padding at the front of the saddle like Silvas and Raskyuil. Two handgrips on the harness allowed her to cling securely. At first, she worried about her ability to direct them without reins, but she soon discovered that a significant shift in her weight or the grip of her legs conveyed a wealth of commands in addition to the verbal commands that they understood.
Keena raced between the trees as green foliage whipped by them, her sharp pants loud in Diana’s ear. The sound was comforting somehow, and Diana was certain that the closer she lay against the crocotta, she could also almost feel the large heart beating and the strong rush of blood through the powerful animal beneath her. Silvas had cautioned that even at the breakneck speed they were traveling at, it would take several days to make to the Hyperborean Mountains. The hours they would ride would be long, but so far, she was enjoying every minute of it. She had the impression that her mount was enjoying the vigorous exercise too. Keena’s mouth gaped wide like an enormous hyena grin. Every now and then, those large ears would turn back toward her as if assuring herself that all was well with her passenger.
Diana had no complaints, although there were times when she was startled by the sudden shifts that had her clinging to Keena’s harness for dear life. The crocotta barely slowed to dip low and wiggle out from beneath obstacles, to climb up rocky hillsides, or leap over a fallen log. Though Diana could feel the pressure of her heart lodged in her throat, a dizzying rush of excitement flooded her, joy singing in her blood.
Just ahead of her, she saw Silvas’s head turn, the long white lengths of his hair streaming behind him, mixing with the gold dripping from his horns, tangled over his face as he glanced back at her. His long tail was looped around the back of the saddle and curled through one of many small rings that were sewn into the saddle to carry supplies. The shift in his weight, however, made him release his tail. It arched behind him, the tufted end flipping in the air.
She couldn’t hold back her grin as she met his gaze. His expression softened, his eyes shining with amusement. The tiny telltale smile tugging at his lips disappeared as Raskyuil made a derisive click in his throat from where Dagani loped at her left. Over the last several hours, she had concluded that the troll was a complete killjoy. Even though she had stuck up for him, he still strenuously disapproved of any unnecessary interaction between her and Silvas.
The moment he had discerned the fact that Silvas had granted her use of his name, he had been all scowls, irritated grunts, and grinding sounds beneath his breath. She wrinkled her nose as she glanced over at him. As far as she was concerned, he would fit in pretty well among the wretched ruins of some of the cities, scraping a living from the wreckage, with that sour personality he possessed.
Silvas turned fully in his saddle to call back to them. “We will be