For the next eight days, we carry on that same way. I try to ride with my friends, but often have our parade rained on by Emerick and even Lyons. Emerick clearly takes no hints about the new state of affairs, and Lyons…
Well, he hasn’t tried to get violent with me again, at least. He’s upheld his end of the bargain thus far.
I really hate thinking about the bargain.
“Jesse,” I say under my breath one morning when somehow it’s just the two of us riding near each other. Emerick’s off flirting with Lyons (that’s a figure of speech, of course, but you catch my drift), and the Tattered Companions have fallen behind a bit; clearly Jesse and I have the strongest horses of the group. “Can we talk for a minute?”
He glances carefully around us, then nods. “Of course.”
“I’ve been thinking about
