Rune Knight: Book Two of The Empress Saga

CHAPTER TWO

Enfri sat on a fallen log while waiting for the fire to be built. The sun had set, and night was settling upon her unusual band of travelers. Deebee was out in the woods and scouting the surroundings. Jin saw to getting the fire going. Spider, Enfri's horse, dug at the snow with his hooves in search of grass to nibble on. Enfri, for the most part, spent her time feeling utterly useless.

The others had their skills. Jin seemed capable of just about everything and anything, Deebee had knowledge and experience that spanned centuries, and even Spider had carried her this far on his back. Enfri's education as a healer and herbalist wasn't of much use in the wilderness, and her new talents in alchemy required reagents that were simply unavailable. Her sole contribution since fleeing Sandharbor was once warning Deebee that she was about to bed down in a patch of poison oak.

Enfri rubbed her hands together in a vain attempt to get warm. It was impossible, even with her new gloves. They were made from calf skin and lined with ermine fur. Enfri had never owned anything so fine in her life, yet they were still unequal to holding back the chill of a night spent in Altier Nashal.

The rest of Enfri's outfit was equally extravagant. The hooded coat likely cost more than she could afford if she had saved every coin that had ever crossed her palm. The knee-high leather boots with silver and turquoise accents had taken over an hour to be fitted for and were easily twice as expensive as the coat.

After leaving Althandor by way of the Espalla Dunes, Jin had taken Enfri south for several leagues before entering the mountain kingdom of Nadia. After tracking down a fine clothier, Enfri was outfitted for the journey into the frozen south. Jin, of course, footed the entire bill.

Enfri was forced to admit that there were benefits to traveling with a princess. Funds never seemed to be an issue when Jin could promise payment direct from the treasury of Althandor.

As the wind began to pick up, Enfri hugged the fine coat tighter around herself. Although the clothes weren't quite up to protecting her from Altieri weather, Enfri would treasure them forever. These clothes were the first gift Jin had ever given her. Such things were sacred.

The next gust brought a spray of powdered snow with it. The snow stung Enfri's face, but she was grateful that only her eyes were exposed to the elements. The rest of her was hidden away behind white fur and supple leather.

Not for the first time, and likely not the last, she felt a pang of longing for her home on the desert's edge.

The weather in Sandharbor had the decency to only get cold in the winter, Enfri thought as her teeth started chattering.

"Only a moment longer," Jin said. She knelt in front of Enfri and bent over a pile of branches she had gathered.

"There's no rush," Enfri hurried to assure the other girl. "Just a sudden chill. That's all."

Jin glanced over her shoulder at Enfri. The soft, blue glow of her eyes shone in the fading twilight. There was a sparkle of amusement within them.

Her eyes, with slit pupils like those of a beast and that glowed in low light, had once been a source of profound fear for Enfri. Remarkable how drastically things could change. Now, Enfri couldn't imagine looking into Jin's eyes and feeling anything other than...

Looking away, Enfri covered her cheeks with her hands. She could feel the heat rushing into her face even through the gloves.

It's been seven days, and I'm still not used to this, she thought in embarrassment. I've never had... a lover... before.

Since leaving Sandharbor and Althandor behind, there had been little time for the two of them to just talk. Every moment was spent riding as hard as Spider could carry them, planning on where to procure supplies, choosing which route was least likely to be watched by King Cathis' agents, or simply resting after a hard day's journey. Aside from clinging to Jin while riding double, they hadn't had an opportunity to discuss what exactly there was between them, let alone for anything... physical.