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Rhys wiped his brow on his sleeve as they traversed the length of the road leading to Carleon's foggy forests. He frowned at the sudden intensity of the heat. It shouldn't be summer right now. Was it always this hot in Cardina?
Airese hummed from her place ahead of him. The brownie's back was pressed firmly against the roofed wagon's wooden wall. Rhys had kept his away from it, eyeing the buckles by the edges. If the coach decides to betray them...
Airese snorted. Rhys flinched as his eyes landed on the woman now dusting her boots. Couldn't she stay still? "I can read your mind, boy," Airese tapped a finger against her temple. "And no, he won't betray us."
"How can you be sure of that?" Rhys ran a finger across the pommel of his sword strapped beside him. It's almost his comfort gesture but he's not telling anyone that.
"Seems like I have a little charm in me," Airese winked and her fingers lit orange. Beside her Marthiaq snorted. She gave her friend a sharp look before turning back to Rhys with a smile. "And some little spells."
Rhys felt a shiver run down his spine. The glint in Airese's eyes wasn't exactly innocent...or sane. Suddenly, he was glad that Airese had seen him as an ally and not the other way around. Otherwise...
"Where did you smuggle him from anyway?" Rhys eyed the numerous wooden crates that exuded various smells. Some crates clinked like glass every time the wheels went through a small bump on the road. Low-lying leaves brushed the wagon's roof, making shuffling sounds against the cloth above them. It's impossible nobody knew they were here.
Airese shrugged, toying with the ends of her knee-length brown hair. "I found him drinking in a tavern in the Commons," she said. "He's a trader from the North on his way to circle the island to sell his goods."
Rhys pursed his lips. Even in the midst of a war, some people still have to work for food. "What about his wares? What will happen to him once we leave him on his own?"
The sound of a versal flipping reached his ears. By the time Rhys looked, Marthiaq had already caught the coin. The male brownie grinned at him. "We brownies are known for our little gifts," he tapped a boot against the crate nearest him. "Don't worry about it. We've got a lot to go around."
"Are you princes in Dwanzeig or what?" Rhys scratched his scalp with his knuckles.
Marthiaq shrugged. "Turns out spying is lucrative," he jerked his thumb in Airese's direction. "I don't really care much about the money. All I wanted was to find her."
"Oh, you were looking for me?" Airese droned, her voice carrying a hint of teasing. Eldan's ears reddened and his jaw clenched from his place at the corner of the wagon.
Marthiaq frowned. "Eldan wouldn't stop bugging me about it," he turned to his friend who had already started wilting like a dehydrated flower. "I had to do it or else that poor tree sap would have died long ago."
