Page 28 of Ties of Frost

I worked my jaw, not wanting to speak of it. “The…you know. You felt my pain at the infirmary.”

“Oh.” Kyrundar grinned weakly. “I don’t think feeling each other’s pain is a normal part of a heartbond. That would be incredibly distracting in battle, and I know of a few married rengiri with heartbonds. Maybe it was because it was new and so strong? Just like how we were sharingemotions without meaning to, but then that went away. Or maybe it was just because my magic tangling with the curse isn’t…pleasant.”

“Oh. Good.” I brushed some dirt off my gauntlet. “Still, a scratch from a claw—”

He waved his hand with an amused smile. “It really is just a scratch. I’ll clean it, though, so you can stop looking so anxious.”

“I’m not anxious,” I muttered, then crouched beside the corpse. “Anyway, I’m going to search their clothing. Maybe there’s something on one of them that can give us more information.”

After he washed his injury—which, with the blood gone, I could see really was minor—he assisted me in searching the corpses. The assassins were no fools, though. They carried no letters or documents, and their clothing bore no symbols or crests.

“I suppose you’re going to insist we bury them,” Kyrundar said.

“It is the rengir way.” I turned around, searching for my pack. We both carried small shovels with folding handles—all rengiri did. Usually we used them for things like building fire pits or makeshift shelters as, thanks be to Iskyr, we seldom had to take a person’s life. I spotted my discarded pack and shuffled over to it.

Kyrundar kicked a pebble. “They fought without honor. I heard that panthera say they knew you might not be able to shift. And this was not a battle, but an assassination attempt! That woman slandered the character of allrengiri. They deserve no honor.”

I opened my mouth, but he held up his hand.

“I know. ‘None deserve honor, except that Iskyr has granted us honor as his people. Therefore treat one another with integrity.’” His mouth pulled to the side. “But…this ‘league’ might collect the bodies themselves. They took the other ones.”

I paused in rummaging through my sack. “We don’t know how long that might take. We can’t leave the bodies until then.”

“Then can we dig shallow graves?”

“All right.” I didn’t mention that I agreed so readily because I was more tired than I should have been after such a short fight. Nor did I mention the slight chill and low-level pain in my arm.

I wasn’t about to let Kyrundar fuss over me on the side of the road. I’d probably recover by the time we reached Ravensburgh, anyway.

Twelve

Kyrundar

After we buried the corpses, I turned to Zidra. “How is your arm feeling?”

Her snapped “fine” came too quickly. “We should continue if we want to reach Ravensburgh before dark.” A pout twisted her lips. “If I could shift…” Her fingers strayed to the bandage tied around her arm.

“Are you certain your wound is all right?” I pressed. It had to have been difficult for her, fighting the urge to face the panther and wolf shifters in her wyvern form as would have been proper. Not to mention shifters usually used some of the energy of their magic to heighten their strength and speed during a fight in their true form. “Your dragon fire didn’t—”

“I’m fine, Ilifir.” Zidra crossed her arms. “We need to talk to thisfriendof yours as soon as possible, so—”

“Oh, we won’t be able to visit her tonight.”

She blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“We’ll meet her tomorrow. It’ll be better.”

“Better? How is waiting better?”

“It’s more polite.” I didn’t expound. It’d be much more fun for it to be a surprise. She was going to be upset, but a chance to relax would do her so much good. “Besides, you just said your arm is fine, so it’s not as if there’s any new urgency.”

She blew a long breath out her nose that probably would have been smoke-tainted if she hadn’t been keeping her dragon fire at bay. “It’s your contact, so fine. We’ll do it your way.”

I grinned and created two ice disks. Only after we set off did I risk reaching out along the heartbond to check if she was being honest. A simmering annoyance overlay a constant hum of worry. I glanced toward her, but her face was set in a stony mask. Shedidhave an ice curse stuck in her arm, after all. It was fair to be worried.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to her concern than that.

We reached Ravensburgh after dark, but oddly, Zidra seemed more relieved than irritated by our lateness. As we walked to the Ravensburgh Haven, she kept to the edges of the streets and favored the shadows. Was she seriously that averse to being seen with me?

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