Page 28 of The Sorcerer's Thief
“Hurry.” Julian prods us along. “Before they do something stupid.”
Too late. In a commotion of horse flesh and fury, the cart driver urges the beasts forward, even while the posted guard yells at him to stop.
The bridge rolls and bobs under their combined weight. Our section lifts in response, sending Slinger into a panic. She tosses her head, snorts her displeasure, and rears onto her hind legs.
“Whoa, girl. Whoa.” Her front feet land with a heavy double thwack, and water splashes on both sides. She looks at me as if I’m the idiot for holding still and waiting for her tantrum to be over.
At least now she’s ready to move.
I put on a burst of speed, hoping to win as much distance as possible between us and the wagon. With Slinger on my heels, obviously thinking the same thing, I might make it across unscathed.
A yelp, followed by a big splash, rends the air.
What in the seven seas…?
Slinger whinnies loudly in my ear. We make it to glorious dry land and whip our heads around, searching for Julian, but our sorcerer isn’t there.
Not on the bridge at least.
Because he’s in the river. Specifically, he’s spluttering and struggle-swimming from the center toward the bank, where we wait with twin slack-jawed expressions.
“You fell in,” I say stupidly as he drags himself out of the water, bringing half the river with him.
“I was dodgingherhooves.” He waggles an angry finger toward Slinger, who looks about as sorry as a toddler with apiece of birthday cake. If a horse could chuckle, that’s what she’d be doing.
Julian takes off his black outer jacket and wrings it out.
Laughter roars from deep inside me, spilling over like the foam of an overpoured ale. “You fell into the river!”
“Nothing gets past you, Cricket,” Julian mutters, stomping murky water from his boots.
I have to clutch my stomach, I’m laughing so hard.
“Oh, come on.” He grabs Slinger’s reins, not harshly, and leads us away from the bridge and the small audience of people who’d seen him fall. He must be embarrassed.
Perhaps I should feel bad for him, but I can’t stop laughing. “At least you know how to swim.”
“Ah, yes. Thanks for that. Would hate to leave this miserable world behind me so soon.”
“Cut the sarcasm. Nothing’s hurt but your ego.”
He shoots me a glare that says I should quit while ahead. I press my lips to a line and smirk. He shakes his head and continues down the road so quickly I have to trot to keep up with them.
Before long, we’re alone again. “Why didn’t you magic your way out of falling?”
“I was worried about Slinger, not me. I didn’t think that I’d actually go over the side.” He glowers at his sopping wet clothes and muddy boots.
“Didn’t think you were capable of losing your balance like us lowly mortals, eh?”
“You have fae blood, do you not?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because you don’t want to tell me. Isn’t that enough of a reason?” With a snobbish toss of his head, sending his hair back behind his shoulders, he's dried off. Completely and in an instant.
I gape at him. “Well, if you could do that, why didn’t you do it right away?”
Julian brushes nonexistent dirt off his sleeves. “And risk letting the crowd at the bridge see how strong my control of magic is? I think not.”
