I had yet to see Batu in a bad mood, despite his prison stay and slaughtering everyone in the castle. The tightness of his features made me tuck the satchel behind me in case I pissed him off even more.
"It didn't go well," I assessed quietly.
"It did not."
"At least you have your head and … ears," I pointed out.
His gaze settled on me. His face was unreadable, and the fire of anger burned in the depths of his eyes.
"We're not reconsidering our duty to protect the goddess are we?" I asked uneasily and stood, ready to make a run for it, however futile I knew that to be.
"No."
"Oh. Why are you looking at me that way?"
"What way, Moonbeam?"
"Like the wolf is about to eat his lamb."
He snorted and shook out his shoulders before falling still once more. "My uncle has given me until twilight to turn you over to him."
"Ah." I gripped the satchel more tightly. "You, uh, planning on giving me a head start to escape?"
His attention sharpened as it went to the arm I kept behind my back. He approached and stopped within my space, reaching around me to grab the bag. "What do you do, Goddess?" he asked.
"I figured your uncle was not going to react well and started packing."
He gave me the wolf-about-to-eat-a-lamb warning look.
"If you plan on turning me over, why would I take you with me?" I retorted at the unvoiced accusation.
He yanked it free. "I am not turning you over, Moonbeam. You do not understand: this is my duty." He tossed the satchel onto his bed. "We will not need much more than water and my horses."
"We?" I echoed. "You're going to defy your uncle?"
"Your gifts are yours to bestow, not his to take."
It shouldn't have, but his words kind of made me feel like crap. I had the ability to heal through no logical explanation of my own and decided to run instead. Batu didn't seem to be judging me. Not that I cared if he did … although …
Stop it, Josie! There was no way I was going to be bled to death, no matter how almost decent the intentions of his uncle were! I hadn't survived this long and been through what I had to let some lunatic to torture me. Unless that lunatic is Carter.
I was a mess and needed a good cry.
"Why not just give me a horse and tell him I escaped?" I asked. "Then you don't have to upset him."
"I would rather suffer the penalty for defying my commander than let it be known I was defeated by a lamb."