Page 28 of Forbidden Obsession
“Thanks, but no thanks. Farm’s not mine, and I have to get back to work. Safe travels to you both. Perhaps I’ll see you in a few weeks on your way back.”
“Until then.” I should have known he’s a worker and not an owner, since he’s human. But it’s not as if a human family couldn’t work their own farm. Just more rare.
Falen and I settle across from each other. I unwrap the soft blue cotton cloth covering about a dozen purple longberry muffins. My mouth waters. I offer one to Falen, and his constant grin turns even cheerier.
“From Bessa?”
“There’s no other.”
We dig in. After the muffins, we devour cheese and dried meats, with watered dandyrose ale to wash it all down with. As usual, Bessa has thought of everything.
“We don’t deserve her,” says Falen.
“We really don’t.” I have little spare money, but my wish is to find a souvenir for her from Lemossin. Something she’d like and can’t get in the smaller villages where we live. Something for Jindal as well.
To keep our costs low, we mostly plan to camp, but I’ve brought enough coin for a couple of nights at an inn if we need them. But the less I spend on the journey, the more I’ll have for gifts. Plus, I like camping. It’s fun. Nothing like the stars overhead to send a man sweet dreams.
Once the farmer is out of earshot, Falen nods in the direction he headed. “He doesn’t seem to think too highly of the royal court, does he?”
Now is a bad time to mention I don’t think too highly of them either. “He’s probably lived his whole life farming.” I shrug as if this explanation is all I have to say on the matter, when really, I’ve been curious how deeply Falen’s trust in the court runs. “Why should he?”
Falen doesn’t answer right away, which I interpret as a good sign. A thinking man can be swayed. “The court might not mean much to him now, but if something bad happened, too little rain, too much rain, if the crops failed, well, then he’d need them. I’d bet my best dagger he’d take his share of the stored grain rather than go hungry.”
I concede the point for now, and we finish our lunch in companionable quiet.
With the afternoon sun warming our shoulders, we wave good-bye to the young farmer and return to the road. The horses should be good for a few hours with the weather so nice and the terrain ahead so gently sloped. We ought to make good time until sunset.
Long stretches go by with no houses or farms at all. Musk cattle graze by the dozens in herds roaming free along the countryside. Not much to do but let my mind wander and take in the peaceful scenery. If only Jinny were by my side to enjoy it, then today would be perfect.
Hopefully, he’s not too sad and has found something to keep himself busy, to keep his mind off my departure. I’m sure he’ll settle back into a routine without me. Then the time will pass quickly for him. Perhaps he and Bird can get to know one another better. They’ve always been friendly but never close, and she’s an interesting person. Her family makes clothes, all kinds. Working clothes, casual clothes, fancy dresses, frocks, and formal wear like coats, cloaks, tights, breeches, tunics. You name it, and someone in her family specializes in making it.
Maybe when I come back, Jindal will have won himself a new wardrobe somehow, full of their lovely wares. I can picture him now, preening in a new, colorful frock, teasing me to take it off him and leave him bare.
I squirm in my saddle. Magna's ears twitch back, and she huffs a snort. Point taken. That train of thought will lead to nowhere good while I’m stuck on horseback with no means of taking care of unwanted arousal. Instead, I turn my thoughts to Falen. What could I say to begin a conversation about what might happen when we reach our destination?
I need to feel him out. How open is he to the idea we don’t sign after all? That we make no pledge? Perhaps we could do some digging for information on what’s happening in Irondale instead. What are the queen’s plans for handling the uprising? What are her thoughts on mixlings?
What does she expect of us?
Does Falen share any of my doubts? As much as I want to know, I’m hesitant to ask so soon. I wish he’d bring it up instead of me, but he seems happy to be out for a ride. Not that I’m not. It’s been a lovely day. But my mind won’t rest.
As the hours go by, I fear my body won’t either. I’m fidgety in the saddle, and when we finally stop to make camp for the night at the edge of a grove of old poplar trees, I’m restless.
Instead of using my magic for a fire, I set about gathering wood because I need something to do. Falen takes care of the horses.
We eat. We chat about nothing of importance. We spread out our bedrolls and prepare for sleep.
Without Jindal at my side, I know I won’t sleep well. But it’s been a long day, and though I’m still feeling unsettled, exhaustion creeps in on the moonlight’s silver tendrils and carries me under.
ChapterTwelve
Jindal
I’m grumpy,and my body hurts.
I haven’t had a good night’s rest since Rahz left, and I feel the effects in the tension of my muscles, the headache throbbing low in my skull, and the inflammation around my joints. It’s easy to forget how important sleep is to your health until you’ve had seven long nights without it. Tossing and turning, reaching for an absent lover, is the stuff of nightmares.
I keep thinking I’ll get used to this. I’m the lucky one, still sleeping in our bed. The sheets still smell like us, and if I stuff my face into Rahz’s pillow, the lingering scent of his hair brings me comfort. But not sleep. Poor Rahz. He’s out in the middle of nowhere, sleeping on a pad on the ground, without knowing what the next day will bring. Knowing it’s worse for him only makes me more upset.
