I slipped out of bed, dressed quickly, and stepped out just as a clan brother from Clan Velgraz sent his bird into the sky again, a small roll of paper in his hand that he offered to me when I came to join him.
“This arrived just this morning. The bird is Tyos’s. He was with Uttin’s company. The color means it's urgent.”
Unrolling the scroll, I carefully read the common tongue words written in Uttin’s rough handwriting. Neither of us was fluent in the common tongue, but our people didn’t have the written word until Finn arrived.
“They are being blocked by the king’s knights. We need to alert King Zohaib.”
“I can send a runner,” the Velgraz brother offered, but I stopped him with a raised hand.
“No. He will need to hear from me directly. He will have questions.” I turned, searching the crowd until my eyes landedon one of the children of the clan who stood nearby. I crooked a finger at him, kneeling enough to speak on his level. “Go find Godr. Tell him I will need my stallion. I will bring two others with me. Do this now.”
He nodded sharply and took off toward the makeshift field we’d constructed for the stallions. Tavik and Saneth, who’d overheard me, followed him, already preparing to join me for the journey.
“Orthorr? Is everything alright?”
Cedric’s cautious tone drew my attention, and I turned to find him peeking out from my tent, a worried frown on his face. My gut tightened at the thought of leaving him behind so soon after we had decided to spend more time together. I found myself offering to take him with me without thinking about it.
“Are you comfortable riding horses? I need to go to Al Nuzem’s capital to speak with the king. I’d like you to come with me.”
He blinked rapidly, gaping at me. “Me? Why?”
I raised an eyebrow at him, conveying without words why I wished him to accompany me. He flushed bright red, looking around the crowded village center. I knew what he saw. My clan was nosy, and I wasn’t unaware of their attention on us the night prior. I ignored it because I wanted to gain Cedric’s favor without their intervention. Perhaps I would have more privacy to do that if Cedric joined me for the journey.
“O-Okay. I can ride a little, but I don’t think I can ride a horse as big as the ones you have.”
“That’s alright. You’ll ride with me,” I encouraged, jerking my chin at my tent. “Finish getting ready. We will leave momentarily.”
He disappeared back into my tent again to get dressed while I turned to the rest of the clan. Uttin hadn’t picked a second yet, but Rath stood nearby, and I trusted him to watch the clan inmy stead. He approached me when I looked at him, putting a fist to his chest and bowing slightly in deference to the position I no longer held. I chose not to comment. It’d be a habit easier broken once Uttin returned.
“Watch over them. I should only be gone a few days. And send a runner if anything more occurs. Have Khaul send a runner to the other clan leaders as well.”
He nodded once seriously. “It will be done, clan leader. Blessings on your journey.”
I squeezed his shoulder, turning to duck into my tent to change. I would need fresh clothes to meet with the king.
CEDRIC
I wasn’t sure what to pack to go to the capital, or how much. I didn't know how long we’d be there. I figured a spare outfit was good enough and my money pouch to buy anything else I might need while I was there. Maybe I could buy Orthorr some more of his bread oil to make up for using it the night prior.
A shiver rolled through me at the memory of the way his hand felt on me, the glide of his cock against mine. It was a shame we couldn’t have a repeat when we woke this morning. After a lifetime without sex, I was eager for more.
“Cedric? Where are you going?” Tobias asked as he came into the shared tent. He cocked his head at my bag. “Are you leaving?”
“Just for a little while,” I told him, checking for the fourth time that my money pouch was where I’d left it. “I’m going with Orthorr to the capital. He has to speak with the king and asked me to join him.”
“Oh, to help with more paperwork?” he chirped, plopping down on his bed and digging through his things. “I’m glad you found something to do here. The classes are nice, but I feel weird not working, you know? I spent my whole life on the farm. I’ve been feeling restless lately.”
Straightening with my bag on my shoulder, I suggested, “Speak to Finn. He mentioned something about finding work in the clans. I’m sure one of them has animals to care for, if that’s what you’re interested in. Otherwise, you’ve got plenty of options, I’m sure. I’ll be back soon. Remember to wash your clothes. You’ve been avoiding it since we arrived.”
He wrinkled his nose, and I realized I sounded a lot like his parent, but he was still so young. And his clothes were starting to look more brown than cream like they had been when we arrived.
“Alright, alright. I’ll wash them,” he grumbled. “Have a safe trip. I can’t wait to hear what the city is like.”
Giving him a fond smile, I waved at him and stepped outside, nearly bumping into Orthorr who had come looking for me. He beckoned me to join him, launching himself onto his horse like it was nothing before offering me a hand. If I hadn’t seen all the muscle he kept hidden under those robes, I would have wondered how he made it look so easy. Goddess, the man was sexy.
I was far less graceful getting onto the horse behind him, and I wrapped my arms tightly around his middle once I was seated properly. It was one thing to see them next to the wagon. It was something else entirely to ride one. The ground didn't look quite so far away when the stallions walked next to us.
Orthorr’s hand squeezed mine momentarily in a reassuring gesture before moving to the mane of the horse, speaking gruffly to the men who were traveling with us. “Make haste. The longer we take, the longer they go without our support.”