Moon Blessed

Chapter 16 ~ Tense Companionship

By the end of their tenth day on the road, Nikolai had taken to walking alongside his friends, rather than riding. His entire body ached, but at least he wasn't stiff and off balance like he was when he got out of the saddle at the end of a long day.

And long days they were. They were traveling from sunup to sundown in an effort to reach Ulrik, the capital city of Blod, earlier than expected. At an easy pace, they'd make it to the city in a total of fifteen days. At the rate they were currently traveling, they might make it in thirteen.

The group had already passed through the capital of Seena two days ago. During the day, they could see the dust from the traveling Seenanites ahead of them. Nikolai had also spotted Andrian scouts on the road a few times. The sight of them put everyone on edge.

To ease internal tensions, General Nikita had ordered that every Knight spend at least an hour training after the group stopped for the night. Nikolai was quick to take advantage of the opportunity. He'd sparred and brawled with a few of his fellow travelers, earning himself some new tricks and one-on-one lessons.

So far, no one had questioned him, or rather, questioned Alyosha Arlov, about changing his mind and entering the tournament. They also hadn't asked about Mischa, Yuri, or Danitza. For that, Nikolai was grateful. Not even Volya had questioned them, though he knew his brother had noticed his friends.

Nikolai looked up as Danitza appeared beside him. "Come see me before you spar with the others tonight," she ordered. "I'll need to reapply your glamour." The Mage didn't give him a chance to reply. She strode on ahead, leaving Nikolai to fall in step with Mischa and Yuri.

"What did she want?" Yuri asked.

"She needs to recast the spell on me before I spar tonight," Nikolai explained.

Yuri's mouth stretched into a grin. "Oh, good. That gives me time to introduce Mischa to the maids who came along."

Mischa's face flushed crimson. "I thought we agreed we weren't doing that."

Yuri elbowed him between the ribs. "Come on. We all know you'll never ask a girl to dance during the banquets unless you meet her beforehand. I'm doing you a favor."

"What about finding your own dance partner instead of worrying about me?" Mischa huffed. "There are plenty of men here you don't know."

Yuri began to reply, but Nikolai cut him off. "He does have a point. You might want to find someone to dance with from our own ranks before we arrive in Ulrik. We don't know how people in the other kingdoms will treat you. If they act like some Nyctolians..."

"I agreed to come along for two reasons," Yuri interrupted. "One, you both would be lost without me. Two, I intend to meet new people, and I will not tiptoe around them or hide who I am just because they might not like it. If we all did that, none of us would be here right now, would we?"

Mischa inclined his head and Nikolai nodded. "All right. We understand."

"All the same, don't try to get yourself killed," Mischa chuckled. "I don't want to carry your body all the way back to Dimesa."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you don't have to." He pursed his lips. "Someone is riding towards us."

Nikolai stiffened, recognizing his brother astride the approaching horse. Volya reined his horse to a walk and rode alongside them. "I'm sorry I haven't had time to speak with you before now, Alyosha."

"No need to apologize," Nikolai said, once again grateful that Danitza's glamour also extended to his voice. "You've been even busier than the rest of us, I'm sure."