I wasn’t sure I liked that. Our clan had no issues with the two other clans, but we had never been close. We met in times of trade, but the gathering outside Al Nuzem’s capital city was the first time so many clans were interacting for such a long period. I wasn’t sure how many treated their people like we did, their protection and happiness a priority to the whole clan.
Like he could see what I was thinking, Dras shook his head. “The clan leader would not have made the decision if he didn’t trust the clans to look out for our people. Relax.”
Faldar snorted, giving me an appraising look. “You’re asking Tyos to relax? He is almost never relaxed when it comes to the safety of the clan. Overprotective ox.”
I moved before he could see it coming, snatching him into a headlock and holding him there effortlessly. Faldar only recently came of age and was at times too cocky for his own good.He thought because he was now a warrior for our clan that I wouldn’t put him in his place for his disrespect.
He squawked in protest, wriggling and shoving against me to try and get free, but I paid him no mind, giving my attention to Rukon again. “Would it be better to travel by night? Einar says they haven’t come in this direction yet, but if they catch sight of us, it would be easier to do so during the daytime.”
He smirked back at me, enjoying the show, but answered seriously, “That is still up for discussion. If you feel your townspeople will fare well, we’d prefer not to stop more than once or twice until we cross the border.”
My mouth fell open, and even Uttin looked shocked by the suggestion. “You wish to travel without rest? We are two days from the border.”
In my shock, my grip on Faldar finally loosened enough for him to wriggle free, shooting me a glare as he fixed his clothes. I ignored him, my attention on the clan brothers who had shown up to assist us. They received their orders directly from our clan leader. If he felt it was best, then we could perhaps pull it off, but it wouldn’t be comfortable for our wards. We would need to dry some meat and cook some extra bread so that our only stops would be to relieve ourselves during the journey. I glanced over my shoulder at Arlen, worry eating at me as I thought about how much he’d gone through already. After all that he’d faced, asking him now to endure a journey of hard and fast riding, with no rest in between, felt cruel. But if it meant keeping him safe…
Discussion over the plan lasted long into the night. Long enough that Arlen retreated to our spot in the wagon to sleep. When I eventually crawled in to join him, I found him snuggled not only under his fur, but mine as well, and yet somehow still shivering from the cold. I slipped in behind him, wrapping myself around him, and heard him gasp in the dark, turning in his fur cocoon to look up at me with wide eyes.
“How are you so warm?” he whispered, wiggling in an attempt to get closer to me.
Chuckling, I tugged the furs away, ignoring his protest, and pulled him against my chest. When I settled the furs around us again, he let out a little moan that went straight to my cock, melting against me like snow in the spring sun.
“Oh, goddess. You’re like my own personal fire,” he mumbled, face pressed against my chest with his arms tucked between us to keep himself warm. “I never enjoyed the cold. In the winter, I made myself thicker clothes and wore them even indoors to keep from getting chilled. Sleeping in the winter always left me uncomfortable until it thawed a little and the spring warmth eased the sting of the cold.”
“You like Al Nuzem, then,” I told him, keeping my voice low so as not to disturb the others. Simon and Feigrind were suspiciously absent, but other townsfolk slept nearby. I didn’t wish to wake them merely because I liked talking with Arlen. “Always hot. Even night cool, not cold.”
He hummed, completely relaxing against me as the warmth of my skin sank into his. “That sounds wonderful. I look forward to it. Will we leave soon?”
I grimaced, glad he couldn’t see the expression in the dark of the wagon. “Tomorrow evening. We will prepare first.”
His head lifted enough to look at me, though I knew he couldn’t see much in the dark. The sky was without moonlight tonight, making the next few days the perfect time to sneak the townsfolk out of the country to safety. I just wished it wouldn’t be such a rough journey.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I replied, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “It will be fine.”
Uncomfortable, but fine.
I winced as Arlen’s smaller frame heaved in another attempt to dispel the contents of his stomach. There was nothing left, he’d already vomited several times and skipped eating entirely during the midday meal, but it was obvious the trip was taking a toll on him. We’d barely been traveling a full day, but the quick pace plus the jostling inside the wagon seemed to be a bit much for him.
He wasn’t the only one. Another townsperson, a female, leaned out of the back of the wagon like he did, with another female holding her long hair back as she fought to keep her lunch. I shot a concerned look at Faldar. We still had another full day of travel in front of us. It was cruel to let them suffer that long.
Faldar nodded in agreement, his expression twisted with concern, so I raced ahead to where Rukon led our smaller company. Only our clan was in this group, the rest had split up to cover the others or to finish the journey to the rest of the towns, so when I hailed my clan brother, he slowed enough to listen to what I had to say without complaint.
“There are at least two who are struggling with the pace,” I informed him. “Arlen has been vomiting every few hours and is quite pale. I’m worried about finishing the journey without hurting him.”
He raised his hand, urging the rest to slow to a stop. The moment the hooves of our horses quieted, even he could hear the groaning from those who felt unwell due to the journey. Just as I glanced over my shoulder, Arlen stumbled out of the wagon, falling to his knees as he heaved over and over again.
Abandoning the conversation with Rukon, I hopped off Ghaevek’s back and hurried over to him, kneeling beside him and rubbing his back as he trembled and heaved again.
“This is too much,” Melanie complained from inside the wagon. She looked pale and uncomfortable, though not as bad as Arlen. “The jostling is so bad, even Bram is unwell, and he’s got an iron stomach. We can’t keep on like this.”
Rukon, who’d dismounted and come to join us, frowned at those inside the wagon. I could see the conflict on his face—he wished to pass the border quickly so that the townsfolk would be safe, then give them comfort after—but surely there would be another way.
“How many sick?” he asked in the common tongue. He had less experience than I did, he’d only just begun learning after our move, but he was a better student than I was and was understood just fine. A few townsfolk raised their hands, while others looked uncomfortable but able to tolerate the journey. Arlen hadn’t even bothered to look up. He leaned heavily against me, breathing through his nose with a hand pressed to his forehead, discomfort written all over his face.
Rukon looked up, whistling for his talvok, who landed on his arm gracefully a moment later. “We will need to send word that our pace has slowed. It is risky, the goal was to take the soldiers by surprise by leaving before they figured out we’d come, but I do not wish to cause illness.”
He’d said it in our tongue to me and my other brothers, who all looked concerned but determined to protect our charges. We were discussing stopping for a short period, perhaps near a river if we could find one so that the townsfolk could have a proper rest, when Dras appeared from where he’d been ahead scouting, frowning at the group.