Chapter 7
We spent most of the rest of the day on horseback. When we stopped for a drink I switched places. Riding behind Kael, my hands lightly resting on his hips, was awkward at first. But I was tired and emotionally drained from destroying the barn. Frequently, I fell asleep leaning against his warm back. He let me rest and didn’t disturb me, only stopping when I needed a break. I could tell he was in a hurry to get to our destination, so I tried to not call for a rest too often.
Faraway was tireless, as if he could sense Kael’s impatience, and we covered more ground than should have been possible. We didn’t stop until after the sun had set, and Kael had found a small out cropping against a rock wall.
Kael dismounted first and without asking, wrapped his hands around my waist to lift me down. My legs were stiff and my back sore from riding in the same position all day, and I was grateful for the extra support from the ground. Stretching out my legs, I walked the perimeter of the camp Kael had chosen. There wasn’t much to shield us from the elements; large boulders and rocks covered most of the terrain other than the large outcropping. There was enough room underneath for two people to sleep if it rained, but we had no supplies. No bedrolls, food, or anything else.
I turned around looking for Kael but he was gone. “Kael?” I called out.
No answer. My voice echoed into the night, and the lack of response worried me. At night everything looked larger, darker, scarier. I had to remind myself that I had a SwordBrother nearby. Everyone was scared of them. Faraway had remained silent most of the day and even now had moved off to the edge and looked to be standing guard. I knew that my magnificent horse loved to pretend he was invincible but in fact was far from it. He was probably as exhausted as I was.
You should find some food. You look terrible, I thought.
His large equine head turned my way, snuffing at me. I look better than you. I was carrying two today. All you did was sleep.
I felt myself grin as I took shelter under the ledge and pulled my feet up to my body for warmth. I plan on doing some more of that, I teased, my eyelids growing heavy. I was still recovering from the ordeal. My body needed sustenance and sleep to recover, and since there wasn’t any food, I was choosing the alternative. At least sleeping was better than blacking out.
Then I’ll wait a few more minutes. He’s almost here.
Where did he go? I asked yawning.
It looks likes he went up.
Up?
He scaled the rock wall and is now coming down. He’s got a pretty proud look on his face. I’d say he probably found some dinner.
Great! I’m starving.
Pebbles began raining down around me and bounced off of the slab overhead to roll a few feet out in front of me. It didn’t take much to visualize his strong body, nimbly scaling down the rock wall above me. I could almost picture the serious expression he would have on his face, his jaw clenched in concentration, his blue eyes underneath a furrowed brow, with a sheen of sweat across his forehead. I imagined his muscles bunching as he neared the bottom, as he prepared to leap the rest of the way. My imagination was almost impeccably timed with Kael’s actual descent.
He appeared by my side a few seconds later. It was a tighter fit under the ledge for him, and he had to duck his head so he wouldn’t scrape it across the top of the overhang. But he managed to squeeze himself impossibly close to me and pull his knees up like mine. Our sides touched and neither one of us pulled away. My breathing quickened, and I had to concentrate to get it back to a normal rhythm, which was happening more often the more time I spent with him.
Kael reached into the satchel at his side and pulled out two large brown speckled eggs and handed one to me.
“Dinner,” he smiled and took out one of his smaller knives that he kept under hidden away. He poked a small hole in the top of the shell, tipped his head back, and sucked. I watched him eat the large egg. When he was done he tossed the empty shell onto the ground.