, plod down the road in the dark.
I caught up with the envoyage the next day. It was still early morning; the sky overhead was dark gray, and a light rain drifted down. My cold was a little better, but my head spun, from hunger and from relief. I stopped to look over the camp. It was a cluster of white canvas tents in a grassy clearing just off the road. A couple of fire pits were scattered around; the horses were tethered together and the wagon and the carriages were pulled up next to the road. I saw a few people, guards and servants, carrying firewood and buckets of water.
Rowan was in the biggest tent, I reckoned. I walked into the camp.
I’d only taken three steps when somebodygrabbed me and jerked me off my feet. She spun me to face her.
Kerrn, with one of her guards. Drats.
“Rowan!” I shouted. Kerrn clapped her hand over my mouth. I struggled, my ribs twinging, but she and the other guard picked me up and carried me into another tent, at the other end of the camp. They set me on my feet, and I made a dive for the tent flap to get outside.
“Ro—” I got out, and then Kerrn had me by the collar and twisted, choking me.
The tent had a central pole holding it up. Kerrn slammed me up against it; she searched me, and came up with my knife. She held it up in her other hand. “Well, well. What are you doing here, little thief?” she asked. She twisted my collar tighter and thumped me back against the post.
I gasped for breath. Dark spots flashed in front of my eyes.
Someone else came into the tent, duckingunder the flap and standing just inside. He said something, and Kerrn let me go.
I bent over, holding on to the pole, catching my breath.
“We caught this thief sneaking into the camp with a knife,” Kerrn said.
“Ah, I see. But Captain, I believe Lady Rowan knows him,” said the man. I looked up. Argent. Rowan’s friend, the one who taught her swordcraft lessons.
“I need to talk to her,” I said to him. “And I wasn’t sneaking,” I said to Kerrn.
“Be quiet, thief,” Kerrn growled.
Argent was tall, looked a few years older than Rowan, and had blond hair neatly combed, blue eyes, and a long nose for looking down. He looked down it at me and snorted. “I suppose she will have to see him, Captain.” He turned to leave.
Kerrn grabbed my shoulder—my bad shoulder, ow—and pushed me after Argent; I followed himout of the tent, trying not to stumble.
Dragging me by the collar, Kerrn brought me to a fire, where one of the servants stirred a pot of something that smelled delicious. Porridge, I guessed. With raisins in it.
Argent ducked into the big tent nearby, and after a short while came out again with Rowan.
She saw me and raised her eyebrows. “Well, Connwaer,” she said.
“Hello, Ro,” I said.
“So you’ll talk to me now, will you?”
I nodded.
Kerrn still held me by the collar.
“Captain, you may release him,” Rowan said.
“Are you sure, Lady Rowan?” she asked. “We caught him sneaking into camp with a knife.”
“I am quite sure,” Rowan said. She was annoyed, I could tell. Kerrn let me go.
At the fire, the servant started dishing out bowls full of the porridge. They were frying bacon, too. My stomach growled.
“Are you listening, Conn?” Rowan said.
I turned back to her. “Sorry,” I said.
“I asked why you are here.”
I opened my mouth to tell her, but the pyrotechnics, Heartease, Benet, Nevery—it was too much to explain. I shook my head.
Rowan’s eyes widened; she could see that I was in trouble. “All right. You’re coming with us, though?”
I nodded. Yes, all the way to Desh. And what I would do once I got there, I wasn’t sure.
Rowan Forestal
This morning Conn walked into camp.
My mother told me I would face challenges on this journey, and that I must “assert my leadership.” One challenge is to decide what to do with Conn. I asked Magister Nimble to take him on as an apprentice until we return to Wellmet. Nimble said,
I caught up with the envoyage the next day. It was still early morning; the sky overhead was dark gray, and a light rain drifted down. My cold was a little better, but my head spun, from hunger and from relief. I stopped to look over the camp. It was a cluster of white canvas tents in a grassy clearing just off the road. A couple of fire pits were scattered around; the horses were tethered together and the wagon and the carriages were pulled up next to the road. I saw a few people, guards and servants, carrying firewood and buckets of water.
Rowan was in the biggest tent, I reckoned. I walked into the camp.
I’d only taken three steps when somebodygrabbed me and jerked me off my feet. She spun me to face her.
Kerrn, with one of her guards. Drats.
“Rowan!” I shouted. Kerrn clapped her hand over my mouth. I struggled, my ribs twinging, but she and the other guard picked me up and carried me into another tent, at the other end of the camp. They set me on my feet, and I made a dive for the tent flap to get outside.
“Ro—” I got out, and then Kerrn had me by the collar and twisted, choking me.
The tent had a central pole holding it up. Kerrn slammed me up against it; she searched me, and came up with my knife. She held it up in her other hand. “Well, well. What are you doing here, little thief?” she asked. She twisted my collar tighter and thumped me back against the post.
I gasped for breath. Dark spots flashed in front of my eyes.
Someone else came into the tent, duckingunder the flap and standing just inside. He said something, and Kerrn let me go.
I bent over, holding on to the pole, catching my breath.
“We caught this thief sneaking into the camp with a knife,” Kerrn said.
“Ah, I see. But Captain, I believe Lady Rowan knows him,” said the man. I looked up. Argent. Rowan’s friend, the one who taught her swordcraft lessons.
“I need to talk to her,” I said to him. “And I wasn’t sneaking,” I said to Kerrn.
“Be quiet, thief,” Kerrn growled.
Argent was tall, looked a few years older than Rowan, and had blond hair neatly combed, blue eyes, and a long nose for looking down. He looked down it at me and snorted. “I suppose she will have to see him, Captain.” He turned to leave.
Kerrn grabbed my shoulder—my bad shoulder, ow—and pushed me after Argent; I followed himout of the tent, trying not to stumble.
Dragging me by the collar, Kerrn brought me to a fire, where one of the servants stirred a pot of something that smelled delicious. Porridge, I guessed. With raisins in it.
Argent ducked into the big tent nearby, and after a short while came out again with Rowan.
She saw me and raised her eyebrows. “Well, Connwaer,” she said.
“Hello, Ro,” I said.
“So you’ll talk to me now, will you?”
I nodded.
Kerrn still held me by the collar.
“Captain, you may release him,” Rowan said.
“Are you sure, Lady Rowan?” she asked. “We caught him sneaking into camp with a knife.”
“I am quite sure,” Rowan said. She was annoyed, I could tell. Kerrn let me go.
At the fire, the servant started dishing out bowls full of the porridge. They were frying bacon, too. My stomach growled.
“Are you listening, Conn?” Rowan said.
I turned back to her. “Sorry,” I said.
“I asked why you are here.”
I opened my mouth to tell her, but the pyrotechnics, Heartease, Benet, Nevery—it was too much to explain. I shook my head.
Rowan’s eyes widened; she could see that I was in trouble. “All right. You’re coming with us, though?”
I nodded. Yes, all the way to Desh. And what I would do once I got there, I wasn’t sure.
Rowan Forestal
This morning Conn walked into camp.
My mother told me I would face challenges on this journey, and that I must “assert my leadership.” One challenge is to decide what to do with Conn. I asked Magister Nimble to take him on as an apprentice until we return to Wellmet. Nimble said,
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