His face falls. “Aye. I should’ve done that. I’m sorry. . . I truly am.” The sight of a big bloodthirsty warrior sheepishly apologizing causes a strange feeling of power to surge through me. Until he steps forward. “Now, if you’ll just let me take a look—”
“No.”
“Let me see!”
“If you come any closer, I will. . . I will take my leave of you!”
He stills and I think I’ve won, but the corner of his lip twitches. Slowly, he raises his hands.
“Okay.” His tone is placating, at odds with his large physique. “Okay. At least sit down. I’ll water the horse, light us a fire. Okay?”
He leads the horse down to the loch.
I shiver, and pull my furs closer. It is never this cold in the King’s City.
There’s a copse of fir trees nearby, so while he’s fussing with the horse, I select some dry twigs an
