Page 32 of Forbidden Obsession
“Thanks. It’s not too bad.”Yet.I bite off a hunk of the bread just in case. Better to be on the safe side.
Aside from the horses—ours and about a dozen other animals, unattended because they must be accustomed to this crossing—we’re alone. The ferry is quite large, and the river noisy enough to drown out conversation.
This is as good a time as any. “Hey, Falen. I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
His nut-brown eyes focus on mine in that friendly way he has. “Sure.”
A deep breath helps to settle my nerves. Whether the answer is good or bad, I need to know before we enter those gates. “What would you think if I…” I chicken out for a moment, staring at the bread instead of him. “If I didn’t sign the queen’s registry after all?”
Confusion twists his features. “But we came all this way?” He doesn’t look offended, just curious. That’s a good sign.
Probably.
“Yes, well, I had to do that, didn’t I? Or Vander would never have let it rest. But what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Or me, if I’m lucky.
“You don’t want to be on the registry?” His voice has gone low. So quiet as to be sure our conversation remains private.
I shake my head and keep my voice down too. “We don’t know what it’s for.”
“You don’t trust their motives.”
“I don’t.” If my stomach was churning before, it’s practically flailing now, and not because of the river. Falen’s considering gaze, the intelligence in his bright eyes, and the slight downward turn of his lips have me on edge. I want to keep him as a friend, but I want my business to remain my own even more.
“What do you think will happen?” he asks.
The open-ended question stumps me. “You mean if I sign?”
“That, and in general. The fighting in the south. The registry. The pledge. It must be connected, all happening at once like this. What’s she preparing for, and how do we fit in?”
The fact that he asks these questions gives me some measure of relief. I’ve been asking myself the same things ad nauseam. “I don’t know, but my gut says it isn’t good. I’m afraid to be called to fight and to be put into a position where refusal isn’t an option.”
Falen presses his lips to a thin line and tips his head. “The thought has crossed my mind as well.”
“But you like her, don’t you?”
“The queen? Yes, but as a child likes a hero in a storybook, so to speak. I realize my limited experience doesn’t count for much. I don’t know Aurielle or Lord Waren. Not really. Though I have briefly met the princess, Suvi, and found her to be as charming as you’d expect. It’s hard to believe they’d mean us any harm. My gut says they mean well.”
The dinging of a shrill bell startles me and Magna both. I stroke her neck as a booming voice calls, “All aboard.”
“We’ll be off soon, then.” Falen shifts to a more secure position, effectively ending our conversation before I’ve received the reassurance I’m looking for. “May want to hang on to the rail.”
I do that. One hand calming Magna, the other white-knuckled around the rail as the ferry lurches into motion. “Wow.” It’s almost as if I can feel the water beneath my feet.
Falen smiles. “It’s rather fascinating, isn’t it? A ship this large traversing the river?”
“How is it propelled?”
Falen points to the ropes overhead. “It’s a combination of methods, depending on conditions. A rope and cable system that spans the river, oars that can be churned by either muscle or magic, sails when the wind is right. A modern marvel.”
“Indeed.” A sudden longing so fierce my heart pounds rises within me. If only Jindal were here to see this. He’d love it. The water. The ingenuity. The adventure.
Well, maybe not the adventure so much. Jindal is a bit of a homebody. But if I could paint a picture of this view to send to him so he could witness the beauty along with me, I would.
Falen has a faraway expression on his face. I get the feeling he might be thinking along the same lines about Bird.
As much as I like Falen, it’s a shame we’re here with each other instead of with our mates. How romantic would it be to kiss in the middle of the largest river in the world?
“Rahz.” Falen’s attention is on me now, intense, but not unwelcome. “I will tell no one if you decide not to sign. Or not to pledge. It isn’t anyone’s business but your own.”
