Risk

Chapter XVII

After sitting near the fire for a short time, Jasta decided that the tent was as good a place to sit as any. In fact, better than most. She could be farther away from Rowan, and it would warm up after a little while. She got up, hobbling over to the tent. She was glad that she no longer needed a stick just to walk.

She was a lot more tired than she'd felt on the horse, and she only realized this once she was settled in the darkness of the tent. She fell asleep quickly. Her last thoughts before she drifted off were something along the lines of: I hope it doesn't rain again tomorrow.

She woke peacefully, with no rain or sharp noises to startle her into the world of the waking. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. From the lack of birdsong and proper lighting, she guessed it was a bit before dawn. However, there was a faint greyness to her surroundings that told her the sun wouldn't be long in arriving.

She pushed her way through the tent flap, blinking into the pre-dawn gloom. The fire was completely out like it had been the morning before, without even the slight orange glow that would come from dying embers.

She decided to get an early start and collapse the tent again today while she waited for Rowan to return from wherever he had disappeared to this time.

She was glad to find that, even though there was much worse lighting than there had been the last time she'd done it, she was able to fold the tent much better this time. Although it was still sloppy and awkward, at least it was smaller than when she'd done it last time. She wondered how Rowan managed to do it so neatly every time, and in less than half the time that it took her to do it. With the small amount that she had improved, she guessed that he had to have done it thousands of times over to get it so flawless. He was able to unset the entire camp in the time that it took her to unset the tent alone, and she didn't even do a good job.

She stuffed the tent into the pack, which was leaning against a tree. The horse was sleeping nearby. She wondered when it would be appropriate to wake the horse up. She didn't want to wake her up too early, because then they would both be sitting awake and waiting for Rowan.

She would wait. And instead of waking the horse, she got her pack of food that Rowan had bought her and ate another of the small loaves of bread, this time with a couple of the fresh berries.

She flopped onto the ground, laying down against the soft bedding of leaves that had built up over the years. They were still damp, but Rowan's coat seemed at least slightly waterproof. It was obviously not good enough to keep out a torrential downpour, but at least she could lay on the ground without getting wet. She would have to get herself one when she got back home.

The sun rose and the birds starting singing. Bright yellow beams of light slanted through the trees, hitting the drops of water that still remained on the trees, making them glimmer like gemstones.

She glanced over at the horse. Now that her saddle was off, the markings on her flank looked more light starlight, just appearing in a milky twilight sky.

The horse let out a soft whinny, signaling that she was awake now. Jasta wondered where Rowan was. It was high time they set out. They were burning daylight, and she didn't want to lose even a second of traveling time just because Rowan was running late. She didn't even know where he was running late.

"Where is he?" she turned her head to look at the mare, heaving a sigh. "Why is he taking so long?"

The horse nickered, almost as if she could understand Jasta, and was actually replying.

"Oh really? You think he's drinking at the tavern with all his bandit buddies?" she played along, pretending that she actually understood what the grey horse had said. The mare let out another throaty whinny, shaking her head this time.

"That's exactly right. I don't think he should drink either. It's unhealthy." She muttered, gazing at the gentle animal, and she by the look in her big, brown eyes, she could swear that she was looking straight back.

The horse made no reply this time. Jasta went back to staring at the gleaming dew in the trees. Either Rowan was taking a very long time, or the time was just passing very slowly.

With another look at the horse's gleaming silver coat, she decided that she would start calling the horse Starlight, or maybe just Star; both were pretty enough to match her beautiful markings.

She puffed out a breath, rising to her feet. Wherever Rowan was, he was sure taking his sweet time with it. She wished he would hurry up, or better yet, not even leave the camp in the first place.

She stopped short, her foot mid-way through a step. Rowan was there, near the fire where he'd been last night, but he was asleep. She must have missed him in the early morning gloom. He'd been there the whole time.

She walked over and kicked his shoulder lightly, not only to keep from hurting him but also to keep from hurting herself. "Wake up," she grunted, annoyed at herself for missing him for so long. She felt as blind as a bat.

He didn't move or make any signs that he was waking, so she kicked him lightly again, hoping for better results. Nothing changed. He was deeply asleep.

She crouched down and shook his shoulder with her hands, then she stopped cold. She suddenly remembered the last time he'd woken up around her. He had attacked her then, and she was afraid he would attack her again.

She backed away slightly, still crouched down. She readied herself. The last time, she had been taken completely off guard, and she'd been on her back before she even realized what was happening. It wouldn't be like that this time if she could help it. In fact, she hoped he would just stay asleep for a while longer. She wanted to get home, but if waking him up risked her life, there was no point in doing it. What if he didn't snap out of it as he had before? She could be killed, she had no doubt.

She backed away a few more shuffling paces, but it was too late to let him sleep, so she clapped loudly a few times.

A few seconds passed, but she kept clapping like she was until she saw his face twitch.

He rolled onto his back, blinking his eyes open. She expected him to notice her and pounce at her; any second.

Nothing happened. He stared up through the trees, his eyes bleary and seemingly unseeing, then they drifted shut again. She sighed.

"Not so fast." She walked forward again, hoping that she was right in her assumption that he wouldn't kill her. She kicked his shoulder again.

He grunted and opened his eyes again. "Jasta." He mumbled, closing his eyes for a brief second. "Is it already time to leave?" his words were slurred, and he looked as if he could hardly keep his eyes open.

"Yes, now get up." she looked away after speaking her brisk response. She still didn't want to have a conversation with him. One night wouldn't change that.

She could hear him shuffle into a sitting position. She looked down. He was swaying, if only very slightly, and he wasn't even standing up fully yet. She narrowed her eyes. Maybe a day of rest was good. She didn't want him to keel over before she was delivered safely.

"Wait. You need to sleep." She studied him as she gently pushed his shoulder to make him lie down again. His eyes, which were only half-open, looked red, and they were surrounded by dark circles.

She'd been so angry at him that she hadn't even taken in his appearance, which had definitely worsened in the past day.

"No. We need to keep going." He yawned, blinking slowly. He rose to his feet and stood there for a second. Jasta frowned. If he insisted, she couldn't really refuse any extra travel time.

She shrugged and walked over to Starlight, grabbing the pack and saddle to strap onto her before they could set off. Rowan made no move to help, but once she was done, she heard his footsteps as he walked closer.

"Listen, Jasta—" his words sounded clearer now, but she still didn't want to hear them. She held up a hand, closing her eyes and taking a breath before she swung herself up into her seat at the back of the saddle.

"Just get me home, Rowan." She stared straight ahead, not wanting to see his reaction because she knew that whatever it was, it was a lie.