Page 18 of Oath of Rebellion

The maid frowned and looked from where he stood next to Ryder to Scarlet's horse to the donkey. He pointed to the donkey. "You're riding Herb."

He didn't wait to see her expression, but as he turned to swing into the saddle, he heard her sputtering in disapproval about the ill-treatment by the low-life lumberjack.

Eirwyn smiled and waved goodbye to Olive. "Helga, that's enough. We don't treat people like that. He's been nothing but kind."

She didn't wait or listen to Helga's whining either as she seemed to glide over to him with a smile. The sunlight fell on her face, making her seem full of life and energy.

She held a hand up to him, and he blinked as he remembered what they were doing. He moved his foot out of the stirrup and helped her up. She immediately sat astride today and wiggled against him as she found a comfortable spot.

He growled, his hand on her hip now. Was that a giggle? She was definitely shaking.

"Are you laughing?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him, her blue gray eyes twinkling with mirth. "Maybe. At least both of us will have a miserable ride now."

She turned back to watch Scarlet assist Helga onto the donkey. She was miserable? He knew it. She didn't want to ride with him and her ass was punishing him for the inconvenience.

He stiffened and turned the reins, waving at Olive as they walked slowly into the forest.

"So, did you like the eggs this morning?" Eirwyn asked.

He frowned. "Yes, they were good. Why?"

"Well, I made them, silly. I'm glad you like them. I like to cook."

She kept up a steady stream of one-sided conversation as she talked about the tavern at the center of town where she'd learned to cook. She also entertained the patrons with stories and light projected puppets.

"Do you spend a lot of time in town?" he asked.

"Oh yes, as often as I can escape, I do. Probably a few hours every other day, when I feel well enough. I like to visit the local medicine woman too. She has an apothecary shop across the square from the tavern that smells like my childhood. I was a pretty sickly child."

He frowned, leaning away from her and putting a few inches between his chest and her back. He didn't want his breath to make her sick.

He asked, "How so?"

She told of how lethargic she'd always been, how her stomach was upset all the time. "But I haven't felt sick at all since I went to Glathen to negotiate peace."

He narrowed his eyes, a thought forming. "Have you been poisoned?"

She tilted her head to the side. "Poisoned?" She snorted. "Not likely. Everyone loves me, so who would even think to do it?"

She waved a dainty hand in the air as if it were the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. "Besides, surely Lailant would've been able to identify being poisoned by now. She's the medicine woman, but I've heard whispers of her being a witch. It's said she can cure anything for the right price. Surely she would've identified it and exploited it for a little coin."

He didn't respond, and the forest's shadows danced around them. He wiggled his fingers on his knee, keeping the magic flowing to keep them safe on the road.

Maybe he could get some information out of her about the war. The Robins would definitely ask if he'd learned anything useful.

"I heard the peace negotiations didn't go well."

She sighed and her shoulders seemed to slump. "No, they didn't. I thought everything was going well. We were making progress. Then the Counsellor stepped in and said I actually had no authority to sign any legally binding documents for Busparia."

Her hand fisted on her knee. "I don't even know why Gastone sent me. He's never let me participate in politics before. Sure, I get along with everyone and have a way of setting people at ease. But I'm no diplomat, and I despise the limits of court."

He let the silence fall, listening to the birds and sounds of the forest as they found the Lone Road and turned toward Busparia.

She finally said, "Actually, I do know why I was sent. I was being punished for running away to the tavern instead of attending a ball. But it wasn't just any ball. It was a masquerade, and everyone knows those things are just fancy orgies."

He sucked in a breath, his mind rolling with images of her in a situation like that. He was both turned on and on high alert. "And you don't like participating in orgies?"

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