at the bladder balanced on Aerax’s thigh. “I would take that and offer it to Caeb when he is hungry. Will your cat like me more for giving him a treat?”
“He will not like you less.” Aerax handed over the bundle, glad to be rid of it. Despite the washing Lizzan had given the organ, flies would likely swarm it by midday—and no doubt, that was why she had passed it off to him. “Don’t expect to feed him. When Caeb wants it, he will come and take it.”
Degg nodded and busied himself tying one end of the bladder to his saddle so that it hung near his knee.
“Do not take his leg with it,” Aerax said under his breath, and Caeb gave him a disdainful look before loping ahead to catch up with Lizzan.
An ache threatened to fill his chest until he breathed past it. Already the heart she’d shredded had healed, because what Lizzan had torn apart was the man she hadn’t recognized—a man that Aerax hardly recognized, either. The man who’d been without her for so long, who’d had a purpose but no path forward, who’d lost everyone he’d loved except a cat. But it had not been the baths that had healed him. Instead it was the hunt he’d begun. The hunt that would bring her back to him.
And now Aerax was no longer a stranger to himself. He was not without her, though she rode ahead. His purpose and his path were clear. He would have her again.
But until then, she wished for Aerax to be a stranger to her, and so he would. She wanted to ease the pain of their coming separation, and Aerax only wanted to give her pleasure enough to last until they were together again. For that, however, he could be patient. The journey to Koth would take at least two full turns of the moon—and even when they’d tried, Lizzan and he had never been able to stay away from each other for long.
And this time, he would not try.
Despite Ardyl’s statement that she and Kelir would ride at the head, instead it was she and Lizzan who led the procession. Kelir rode a few paces behind, followed by Seri, Tyzen, and Preter.
With Lizzan’s task of making friends with the southerners in mind, Aerax brought his horse alongside Kelir’s. There he had little to say—but as his minders quickly followed and created a cluster of councilors, warriors, and princes, a conversation was struck up around him. Aerax paid no attention to any of it. Not with Lizzan so near. He would rather hear the sound of her laugh as she talked with Ardyl, would rather watch the play of dappled sunlight over the liquid black of her hair, would rather feel the full warmth in his chest when Caeb butted his head against her leg, seeking attention, and she bent in the saddle to rub her face against his.
His body tensed when both she and Ardyl suddenly glanced back—though not because of any danger. Instead a quiet argument had arisen behind him that he’d ignored until it drew Lizzan’s attention.
Abruptly it ended, with Seri’s sharp “It matters not if the same silversmith makes them, they will not be the same!”
A moment later, Tyzen rode up between Kelir and Aerax. The boy’s jaw was set and his face flushed.
After exchanging a glance, Lizzan and Ardyl faced forward again.
Kelir said quietly to Tyzen, “If you wish to help, make no offer to replace them. At least not so quickly. Instead give her time to grieve for what was lost.”
“How long will that be?” the boy asked tightly.
The warrior shrugged. “As long as she needs.”
“It will be forever,” Tyzen muttered. “She is more stubborn than a lump-headed bison.”
Kelir huffed out a laugh. “So she is.”
Still upset over the loss of her claws, Aerax gathered. He glanced behind, where Seri was glaring at Tyzen’s back, yet there was a wobble in her chin when Lady Junica gently asked her, “They were precious to you?”
The wobble firmed before she said thickly, “Ran Maddek had them made for me in thanks for serving as a Dragon to his bride.”
“So they are not just a weapon, then,” Lady Junica said, and Seri shook her head. “Kelir told us what it means to be a Dragon. You must be proud to have served your queen in that way.”
Determination lit Seri’s eyes. “And I will again, if Yvenne is ever named Ran.”