With you?I wonder. The thought sparks something inside my chest. I reach for his wrist, and he flinches—not away, but as if the warmth of my touch is startling.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He covers the spot where I grab him with his other hand, and then moves my hand.
“You… are welcome.”
“Did you sleep?” I ask, reaching back and pulling the blanket tighter around me. The morning air is cold.
He nods once. “We did not touch while you slept, if that is whatyou wonder. I would’ve asked before bringing you in, but you didn’t stir.”
I smile a little. “I wouldn’t think you would do anything inappropriate.”
He smiles, and I’m just so grateful to have him here. It wasn’tthatcommon to have a friend that was willing to risk their life for another.
Moments like this made me trust him. My most important emotion.
“We need to get moving soon,” he says. “Will you help me clear out the tent?”
“Of course.” I push out of the space, and squint, shading my eyes. “Maldita sea. The sun is bright. Does it bother you?”
He frowns. “No? I do not notice it so much.” Then he turns back to the stretch of leather he’d laid out, with strips of meat laid equidistant apart, and rolls it into an easy-to-travel bundle.
I take a breath, then duck back inside. Raking my fingers through my tangled hair, I am grateful that Vann hasn’t mentioned how I look. Being in the sun would make my freckles worse, and it was hard to manage my hair with few materials.
A bun was impractical without a mirror, so I quickly braided my locks, and then pulled on fur gloves. I rub my hands together, grateful for the warmth, and then start winding up the bedrolls.
Something rolls out of Vann’s blanket.
I suck in a breath, turning the stone over in my fingers. The name is carved in enduar, the etchings worn but careful.Li’Adra.The letters mean nothing to me at first, but a memory stirs. Vann's woman, the one who passed on.
I glance toward my traveling companion, a strange unease curling in my chest. Not fear, not jealousy—just a reminder of how little we know each other.
The stone is warm from where it had been resting, as if it still holds the memory of his touch. I press my thumb against the name and wonder about her.
Then I slip the stone into his things.
No sooner than I exit the tent, he begins to take it down. He foldsit into nothing, wrapping the leather in the blankets and then tying them to two rods supporting his bag.
Once everything is cleaned and I’ve eaten, I stand there quietly.
“We’re two days from the Sisterhood’s Enclave,” he explains, walking slightly faster than my natural stride.
I huff along, letting the heat exercise brings zap through me.
After what feels like an hour, I stop, panting.
“Vann, about last night?—”
“We don’t need to speak of it anymore. I know it upsets you.” Then he continues walking. His silver hair catches in the sun’s glow as he moves past endless trees.
Gods, he moves fast.
“Wait! I just… wanted to thank you.”
Vann exhales slowly, rolling his shoulders before flashing me a grin. “Again?”
“…Yes.”