Blood for her Crown

Chapter Twenty

Grace

After only two minutes of careful planning, they realized they already had a problem: Tanner didn't have a horse.

He did, however, know how to ride one. So, after delaying this decision for two days, they had to decide how to deal with it. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if Jamie hadn't still been too angry with Tanner to let him ride with him. Grace was out of the question because Jysra was still a difficult case. That would only leave Aderah, but Grace had noted that the little healer wasn't thrilled about sitting this close to a stranger for hours on end. She tried to hide her discomfort, but it wasn't a convincing effort, and Grace saw right through it. She also knew that Aderah would never directly complain about it because she was the only member of their circle who was objective about Tanner. She didn't want to give him the impression that she had a problem with him as well.

They had three options then: Tanner could ride with Jamie, which would result in unbearable bickering; he could ride with Aderah, which would make Aderah uncomfortable; they could switch places and one of them had to ride with Grace, which none of them really wanted; or Jamie and Aderah would both take Makhi.

This entire conversation went on for fifteen minutes without ending. Tanner wisely remained silent and waited for them to figure it out. Meanwhile, Grace sat next to the other two, frustrated, and only later turned down Jamie's suggestion that they tie Tanner to his horse and drag him along with them.

She'd had enough after another three minutes when she felt a headache coming on. "Aderah, how would you feel about letting someone else ride on your horse?"

The girl seemed surprised when Grace interrupted her conversation with Jamie, but she shrugged after a few seconds. "As long as it's not Jamie."

"Now, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Tanner takes your horse, then, and you go with Jamie," Grace said, ignoring her best friend. "That is settled, and I don't want to hear any more complaints about it. You'll simply have to deal with it now because I'm not going to listen to this for another minute."

When Jamie opened his mouth, she interjected, "Jamie, I give you my word on that; another argument, and you will be the one tied to a horse and dragged through the mud until we get there."

That shut him up.

Grace leaned back in her chair and rested her legs on the table, satisfied. She didn't only end the mess with this solution, but she also got the opportunity to play matchmaker between the two of them. It didn't matter if she was just reading something into the way they act around each other or if she merely thought they'd be sweet together. She had brought them closer together; therefore, her task was done for the time being. If she was right about this, she would be incredibly happy for Jamie. He deserved someone who was good to him. In a way she never could.

Tanner frowned at first when they mentioned the arrangement. "I'm not sure I want to take your horse, Aderah. It doesn't seem fair of me to do so."

The girl simply placed her hand on his arm and replied, "That's totally fine with me. She is very calm and easy to handle, so that won't be a problem. There's nothing to worry about." She gave Jamie a sidelong glance. "If I strangle him after a while, just know it's not your fault."

Grace took note of Jamie's reaction. He may have pretended to be upset, but she noticed the sparkle in his eyes. He enjoyed how she spoke about him, probably noticing how similar her personality was to his at times.