Without any warning, Khai dismounted to relieve himself on the side of the road. Vrell gasped and spurred her horse to pass.
Men were revolting.
Vrell had to go herself, but was not sure how to manage it. They were headed for the NaharForest, but it was three days away. She couldn’t wait three days for the privacy of a tree, but how would she ever escape long enough to do her business?
The sun set quickly, casting a beautiful array of color over the flat horizon before vanishing. Jax lit a torch and held it high above his towering form to light their way on the dark, dirt road. It helped little. Natural darkness stretched around them on all sides. Within the beam of light, Vrell could make out only the silhouette of her horse.
She would rather wet herself than leave the small circle of light beaming from Jax’s torch. The darkness had plunged the meadowlands into a black void. Behind her, a hollow squawk rang out and dwindled to a gurgling moan. Her horse jolted.
Vrell’s breath caught and she patted his neck. “Do not fear, boy.” She shuddered to think what kind of an animal made such a—
RAWHH!
Nickel reared up. Vrell gripped his mane, but the horse took off at a gallop.
“Vrell!” Jax called out as she passed.
The horse bolted out of the torch’s beam and into a shroud of darkness.
Shadows loomed before her, making her afraid the roaring beast might attack at any moment. She gripped both reins and grabbed the roots of Nickel’s mane with her fingers. She pulled back with her left hand, turning the horse’s head toward her. Nickel slowed to a canter. Vrell pulled the left rein back to her hip and let the right slip through her fingers a bit, hoping to turn the horse’s head more.
Nickel circled. The sensation was terrifying in the dark, but Vrell fought to maintain her calm since horses could sense their rider’s fear.
When he stopped completely, Vrell patted his neck. “See?” she said in a soothing voice. “You are just fine. Yes, you are. You are a good boy, Nickel.”
She stayed put, continuing to comfort the animal. She strained to hear any sound of the wild beast approaching again. Jax’s torch bobbed in the distance, growing slightly with each passing second.
“Vrell?” Jax yelled from afar.
“Here!” Vrell called back, not too loudly.
Nickel stiffened beneath her palm, but did not bolt.
Slowly, the torch lit her surroundings. Jax and Khai trotted up and reined their horses.
“You okay?” Jax asked.
“Yes. A wild animal scared my horse.”
Khai snickered. “Jumpy little sprig is just like his rider.”
Jax spun around, the torch’s flame sputtering. “Enough of your gowzal calls, Khai. We don’t have time for this foolishness.”
Vrell gaped at the weasely knight. Had he purposely frightened her horse? She could have been killed.
Khai glanced away, still smirking.
Jax scratched underneath his beard and dismounted. The dead grass crunched under his footsteps and his axes jangled. “We’ll stop here to get some food in our bellies. But only for a few hours. I want to travel as much as possible when it’s cool.”
“How will we get back to the road?” Vrell asked.
“It’s just there.” Jax pointed the direction they had come.
Khai wheezed a laugh. “Plus, the sun will come up soon enough, boy. This ain’t Darkness, you know.”
Vrell gritted her teeth and slid off the side of her horse. “I meant to ask, how can you be certain where the road is? Everything looks the same here, even in daylight. We have been traveling all day, and I have not seen a single traveler. How do we know we are even on the right road? Have you a map?”
Khai mocked Vrell’s raspy voice with a lofty tone. “Yes, Sir Jax. But how can you be certain where the road is? Everything looks the same and I’m tired and hungry and daft.”
Vrell was thankful for the black void that hid her flushing cheeks. This was why it was best for her not to speak.
Jax rounded on Vrell and thrust the torch into her hands. “Hold this.”
She pulled her neck back to keep her hair free of the flame and lifted the torch high away from her skittish horse.
Jax unfastened his pack from his horse and dropped it into the grass. He removed some rope from it and tossed it to Khai. “Tether and water the horses. Vrell, help him.”
Khai gathered his and Jax’s horses and stomped away, the parched grass swishing under their steps. The tip of his massive sword’s scabbard dragged behind him.
Vrell stayed put, unsure of what to do with the torch. “Do you need the light, sir?”
Jax looked up and held out his large hand. Vrell passed him the heavy torch, and he drove it into the ground so it stood on its own. He got on his knees to go through his gear. In this position he was almost her height.
Vrell turned and blinked. The torch cast enough light that she could see where Khai had taken the horses. Bushes lit up like misty shadows. She led Nickel to the others. Khai had already stripped off their saddles and set out a bucket of water for each, including her own.
This surprised Vrell. “Thank you for pouring a bucket for my horse.”
Khai grunted. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it to conserve water. If I see your skinny fingers on the water pack, I’ll break them. Understood?”
Vrell’s eyes widened, but she held her tongue. She turned away from Khai and tied Nickel to a chaparral bush. She took care of his gear, then returned to the torchlight. Khai and Jax busied themselves in their packs. If ever there was a time to steal a moment alone in the dark, this was it.
“I am going to…” She pointed away into the darkness. “I need to…”
“Fine.” Jax dug in his gear for something. “Don’t go far.”
Vrell inched away, looking over her shoulder with each step to verify both men remained at the camp and that she could still see the torch. She walked straight ahead, arms stretched out in front to feel for anything. She did not want to stumble into any cactus.
When the camp had shrunk to a small glow, and Vrell was confident she would not be seen, she crouched over the dead grass. For the first time in her life, she relieved herself outdoors. When she finished, she used water from her water skin to wash her face and hands. The road had been so dusty her nostrils were stiff and crusty. She did not have a handkerchief.
She did have a salve to protect her skin from sunburn, though. She had made it herself with chaparral from Mitt’s garden. How strange it had been to see so much of the desert bush in its natural state during her ride earlier. She rubbed the salve generously over her face. The cool mixture tingled the heat from her skin. She thought of Bran and smiled. He had such a fair complexion. She had often tried to convince him to use one of her salves, but he never had.
Vrell returned to the torch and found Jax and Khai eating. She settled down on the ground to Jax’ left, putting the fire between her and Khai. Jax passed her a hard bread roll, some dried figs, and a chunk of dried meat.
“Thank you, sir.”
Vrell bowed in silent thanks for the meal, then bit into the bread.
Khai was watching her, his brows heavy over dark eyes. “What’d you do? Bewitch it to taste like tarts?”
Vrell lowered her hands into her lap and swallowed the bite of bread before answering. “I always thank Arman for my food.”
Khai bit into his roll. He tore off a chunk and spoke with a full mouth. “Arman? Why not Zitheos or Dendron? It’s their provisions you eat.”
Vrell huffed a sigh. “There is only one God: Arman the Father.”
“Ohhh.” Khai tipped his head back with a wide grin. “You’re one of those crazy Waywarders.”