Page 62 of Dead Crown
“Fine.” Jaki handed it to him. “Put it on so you can get undressed enough. I’ll put more balm on you so you can try to be comfortable when we lie down.”
Jaki only took the Crown again when they were ready to sleep. With his cloak, clothes, a blanket, and the fire behind him, Lumi was fine. Jacqueline was safe since she was nestled against him.
He was so tired, he barely registered it when Jaki got up in the night to add more wood to the fire. Jacqueline was the only thing that really woke him up when she needed to nurse, and he dozed during that. He awoke in the morning with the Crown back on his head.
“We’ll share.” Jaki’s tone said there wouldn’t be any arguing.
“You get it first at night.”
“Fine.”
Jaki had been in a rush to get to Lilling and find Lumi, so he’d taken a more direct, harsh way. He said he wouldn’t risk the same path with a baby even if they had the Crown, and the snow would be a bitch for Lumi to struggle through while holding her. Jaki would have to guide the horse, and the process would be too slow.
They had to go far, far around to avoid an area with outlaws. The constant riding wore Lumi out, although he didn’t dare complain.
Jaki was rather quiet at times since he had to focus on controlling the horse, and he said they needed to keep an eye out for bandits. They saw travelers a few times, but fortunately, no one bothered them.
When they came to the Ivar River, Jaki asked if Lumi was okay with acting for a bit. If they could get on a boat, the Ivar would carry them into East Iceland a lot faster.
“I don’t trust outsiders,” the rough owner of a fishing boat complained. “I just stopped to sell my fish, not pick up people who might slit my throat in my sleep and kill my son afterward. Outsiders nowadays don't usually mean no good.”
“You’re an outsider here,” Jaki reasoned, wearing the illusion of a rather plain man.
“Not like you. The people ‘round here know me. I’ve been fishing for almost forty years.”
“If my husband finds me, he’ll kill me,” Lumi fibbed. “He beat me all through my pregnancy, and I’m scared for my child. All I have now is my cousin and the stuff I managed to grab on the way out. I can’t go back to my husband. Would you want your son or daughter in a house with such a man? He'll abuse my baby too.”
The fisherman eyed the horse. Maybe he thought it was stolen since it was a decent one.
“We had to get away, and I know he’s got his friends out with him to look for me,” said Lumi. Jacqueline picked that moment to cry, and she sounded particularly pitiful like she was trying to act too.
The fisherman stuck the end of his empty pipe in the corner of his mouth to gnaw on as his eyes lingered on Lumi’s bruised face. “Fine. One wrong move, and I swear to Elira I’ll shove you both in the Ivar.”
The fisherman also grumbled about the horse bringing bad luck, but he was nice enough to let them have one of his tiny cabins. He’d stay with his son in the other one. Perhaps he felt sorry for the baby. Lumi had thought they’d have to hunker on the deck.
The cabin looked like it had been one divided into two so the Father and son could have their own space.
A tiny brazier didn’t put off much heat, but with two in the space, it felt warmer after a bit. Jaki made sure the horse was settled on the ship while Lumi fed and changed Jacqueline. Despite the rough start to her life, she appeared to be doing well.
Jaki still hadn’t noticed her eyes and thought she was his niece. Lumi almost always had her against him, and it wasn’t like Jaki could feed her. He hadn’t asked to hold her either, and he seemed like the sort who wasn’t used to babies.
Jaki came into the cabin that was barely big enough for one person. Lumi couldn’t straighten his legs without bumping the wall.
“I’ll sleep on the floor, okay?” Jaki sat next to him. “The bed’s small, and you’ll have her.”
Lumi couldn’t argue with that. The fisherman and his son hadn’t thought of comfort on their boat. “I hope she doesn’t mind the motion.”
“I think she'll be all right.”
Jacqueline had fallen asleep, and Jaki gave her a small smile. Lately, he’d been nicer than the cold version Lumi was more used to from court. He wasn’t quite as warm as the version in the tower or before he left, but the trip wasn’t easy for him either. He was tired and anxious too.
“I’m sorry I stabbed you,” Lumi blurted out.
Jaki sighed. “I’m not mad about it. Let’s leave it in the past. I would have preferred if you had stayed…”
The silence stretched out, and Lumi wondered if he was thinking of the almost kiss. Or other things they’d done. “I had to go. He said if I didn’t…”
“You don’t have to explain it or justify it. I know why you attacked me and left. If the situation had been reversed, I would have done the same. You were scared, and you've known nothing but Tivar’s control for years. Even though I gave you an option, I can see why it seemed like there were none after what you went through. I’m not bringing you back to punish you for it or because you were a spy. When you’re settled, I would like to know stuff about Tivar’s side if possible, but it can wait.”
