“I liberated them for ye, from yer enemies. The horses are the spoils of war, and as yer champion, I gift them tae ye. So they are yer horses now.”
“Great, I have horses that I don’t know how to drive. Can I name them whatever I want? Is that how horses work?”
He chuckled, “Aye, horses are verra intelligent, but they canna tell ye what their names are. Ye get tae give them new ones.”
“I have to think about it, sounds important to name horses.”
Then I asked, “What is that smell? I want to say mud and bracken, but not sure that’s what it is. It reminds me of the shallow riverbeds near home, but also a little like flowers.”
“Tis the moor, the heather has a lovely smell.”
I nodded, then asked, “Thenwhat?”
He was quiet. “What dost ye mean?”
“What is our plan? You told me the plan was to get away, now we’re away, but you also promised me that we would get me home, and this does not seem like home — this is very far away from home.”
“Aye, we are verra far away…”
“So…?”
“I am considering our predicament. We might hae a vessel in these packs — I took the best of the horses. This horse wascarryin’ m’sword, tis likely it has our vessel as well, daena ye think?”
“Yeah, that seems right.” I counted the saddlebags on both the horses. “There are six packs, that bodes well.”
“As soon as we get a little farther, I will find a place tae rest, and then we will dig through all the gear.”
“The vessel might be here — that would be amazing.”
“Aye.” He added, “Twould be verra good, unless it inna there.”
“Then what?”
“Then we will go back and search for it. But twill require some caution afore I go back. First I need tae get cleaned up, because I am covered in the blood of yer enemies, as I promised.”
I nodded, and we rode in silence, with his warm arms around me.
3
LEXI
1558 - BY THE RIVER DEE
He jostled my arm. “Wake up, Princess.”
Huh?
It was dawn, the first light of the day beginning to come up in the east. We were on a pass with woods beside us. I wiped drool from my face with my arm. I had been sleeping so hard that I haddrooled. Had I also snored?
“I am sorry, Torin. I just fell asleep on the horse, weird and embarrassing.”
He shook his arm.
“Did it fall asleep?”
“Aye, a bit.”
I felt like an ass.
