Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) - Mara Rutherford Page 0,30
is they saw the flag from the kite seller and decided we must be friends. I suppose we’ll have to wait till morning to find out for certain. Nor and I will take the horses. Zadie, if you wouldn’t mind seeing if there’s anything to eat? Grig, tend to the fire. Osius, make sure the house is secure.”
The men nodded and set out to begin their tasks. I led Titania and Osius’s gelding toward the barn. It was as tidy and cozy as the cottage itself. I removed Titania’s saddle and bridle, patting her damp neck. “Welcome home,” I whispered in her ear. “No wonder you’re so perfect.”
“It does make sense,” Talin said, untacking the other horses and leading them into the small stalls. It was the first night the horses had had fresh hay since we left the port, and they all eagerly buried their noses in the piles.
I took a seat on a low bench, stretching my aching legs. “They’ll probably make me give her back to this Landrey, won’t they?”
“We’ll get you another horse.”
“Not one like Titania,” I pouted. I had never developed a bond with an animal before, and her large, warm presence had become an unexpected reassurance during our journey.
Talin sat next to me and lowered his head into his hands. “I still can’t believe my brother came all the way to the Galethian border. I know he despises me, but I didn’t think he was foolish enough to abandon New Castle for so long.”
After seeing Ceren take the Varenians prisoner, I had believed I was no longer his target. But I couldn’t deny that the visions and dreams had taken on a new meaning, now that I knew he had tracked us here. I should have told Talin sooner, but how could I explain something I didn’t understand myself?
I took a deep breath and released it heavily. “I don’t think your brother came for you.”
“You think he came for you? But why...” His furrowed brow rose slowly in understanding. “You mean you still think he wants your blood?”
I nodded.
Talin considered for a moment. “But why does he need more of it? He’s healthy, isn’t he?”
He had certainly looked healthy, and the fact that he had chased us after capturing the Varenians meant he was stronger than we had imagined. “I don’t know. But the day you came to Varenia, when you lost me in the water? I had some kind of vision. I thought it was a dream or a hallucination, but there was blood on Ceren’s mouth, and I think... I think he could see me, too.”
Talin stared at me for a moment. “I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I. There was another time, before you arrived in Varenia, when I cut my hand on a splinter, and for a moment I thought Ceren was right there with me. And then I’ve had nightmares while we’ve been traveling, and they always seem so real.”
He cupped my face in his hand. “Why didn’t you tell me about your suspicions, Nor?”
“I thought it was just a result of my experiences in New Castle. I thought it was normal to have nightmares after something like that.” And I didn’t want to believe that I was somehow linked to the man who had caused me so much pain and suffering.
I was afraid Talin would be angry with me for not telling him—or at least be skeptical about the trustworthiness of potential hallucinations—but he only stroked my cheek with his thumb. “In these...visions—did he seem angry?”
“No. At least, not to the extent I would imagine he would be if he was coming to kill me.”
“And you think he saw you, too?”
“Yes. I know it doesn’t make sense. I have no idea what he wants from me. But I know that whatever I’ve been experiencing is more than just nightmares.”
Talin took my hand and kissed the back of it. “We’re safe for the moment at least.” He rose and helped me to my feet. “Let’s get some rest and see what the Galethians have to say in the morning. The fact that they helped us cross the border seems like a good sign to me.”
I could only hope he was right as I moved on stiff legs back to the house.
Inside the cottage, Grig had a fire going in the stone hearth, and Zadie was making stew with the ingredients she’d found in the pantry. It wasn’t much, but it would fill our bellies until morning.