The Ippos King (Wraith Kings #3) - Grace Draven Page 0,46
internal voice had a tongue so she could rip it out.
That night, when all but she found sleeping spots not far from the fire and wrapped in blankets for warmth, she approached Serovek. He'd set up his makeshift bedding near the wagon, almost within touching distance from Megiddo's ensorceled bier. Even facing the probability of suffering from another round of bad dreams that were more than dreams and much, much worse, he refused to stray far from his fallen comrade, though it meant revealing to the others how the Kai magic that protected the monk also infected their stalwart leader.
His half smile held a question and a hope that refused to die no matter how she might scoff. “Decided to share my bed, firefly woman?”
“I admire your fortitude,” she said. “And my answer is still no.”
His quiet chuckle warmed her more than any fire ever could. “I'm also a patient man.” He reclined back on his elbows, long legs stretched so that one foot rested against hers where she stood. “So why have you decided to loom over me?”
She had little skill with the diplomacy of words. Most of the time she preferred not to speak at all. Serovek didn't need a nursemaid, and Anhuset couldn't think of anyone less suited to the task than herself, but she could be of use to him beyond the roles of night guard, armed escort, and Kai representative. “Should you begin to dream, I'll be nearby to wake you.” She kept her voice soft, once more feeling the weight of Ogran's grim regard on her back. No doubt he strained to hear whatever they said.
For a long moment, Serovek didn't answer. He glanced at the wagon adjacent to him before returning his gaze to her. The half smile was gone, allowing her to see the serious side she once thought him incapable of displaying. Shadows darkened the deep-water blue of his eyes even more. “I appreciate and accept your safekeeping.”
She told him goodnight then and left to reconnoiter their campsite and the makeshift rope corral where they'd confined the horses. The forest around them rustled continuously with nocturnal foragers and the predators that hunted them. In the distance, a wolf's lone howl echoed through the trees and was soon joined by a chorus of others. The nearby river tumbled and murmured under a cold spring moon.
To her relief, the night hours remained uneventful, and if Serovek dreamed, they were easy ones that didn't trouble him awake or twist his features in anguish and horror. Megiddo's bier remained dark, no glowing aura of Kai magic to illuminate it or the wagon. When the sun broke across the horizon, she yawned, slid her hood over her head to shield herself from the brightening day, and greeted the yawning margrave with a quick nod.
His slow blinking and sleepy smile made her wonder if this was how all his bedmates saw him when they woke beside him. Made restless by the image her thoughts evoked and the sight of Serovek with the first rays of the sun gilding the silver in his hair, she turned her back and set to relighting the smoldering fire in preparation for the group breaking their fast.
Amid grumbling about the cold and bland road rations, they made short work of the morning meal before breaking camp and setting off once more toward the first dock where a tow boat and small barge waited to take them down the Absu, passing the remains of Haradis, before heading farther east and south by way of one of the river's tributaries.
The captain and his crew waiting at the dock eyed their party with doubtful looks, settling briefly on the wagon with its blanket-covered cargo before resting on Anhuset whose face was mostly obscured by her hood. She kept her hands tucked into the sleeves of her cloak, as much for warmth as to minimize the inevitable macabre curiosity humans had for the Kai.
“We can take the lot of you, but it'll be slow-going with the weight and all. Hope you aren't in a hurry.” The captain smiled a yellow-toothed smile. “And the fare is more when I'm traveling such a distance.”
“How close do you sail to Haradis?” Serovek counted out a pile of coins from a fat purse he kept tied to his belt.
The captain's face froze at the question. He dragged his gaze from the money dropping into his outstretched palm to frown at Serovek. “Too close to my liking, but to get where