Followed by Fros(34)

My belongings had already been loaded onto my choice camel, and when I left the palace with Aamina, I was surprised to find Lo securing my load—I had not expected him to be my escort. He had shaved and trimmed his hair, and donned a fresh uniform of indigo sewn with mail. A heavy, curved sword hung at his left hip.

“Do you have everything?” he asked in Northlander.

I glanced to Aamina, who didn’t speak that tongue, and nodded. I had little to bring with me and could not bring myself to ask Imad for anything more.

The three of us walked down the steps of the palace, Lo guiding his camel and mine. My storm, which blew and twirled about us, had left the earth slick beneath the animals’ feet. Aamina and I held on to the straps of my camel’s saddle as we picked our way through the half-shoveled roads beneath the palace. The snow soaked my slippers, and I knew Aamina had to be freezing despite the extra layers she wore. I apologized to her, but she merely shook her head and reassured me that she was fine. Fortunately, after some walking, we outstripped the worst of the storm and the winds died down. The earth suddenly dried beneath our feet, and I imagined it felt much warmer to the others.

Lo halted the camels between a few low-roofed houses and had them both kneel down. He helped Aamina onto his own animal. As I approached my blanketed mount, however, I heard a noise that froze me in place.

Barking.

I whirled around, stumbling over my own feet, as two long-legged dogs came racing down the street, the wispy hair of their ears and tails blowing in their self-made wind. Three boys chased after them, waving sticks in the air.

I stopped breathing. My leg still bore the marks of the basset hound’s bite from that long-ago day when the two hunters had come for me in the mountains. My mind screamed at me to run.

I cried, a mewing sound with no air, and stumbled backwards, tripping over the folded legs of my camel.

The dogs bolted for me. I flung both arms over my head and held an icy breath.

I heard the faint scraping of metal, and the dogs’ gallop slowed. My heart racing, I glanced up and saw Lo standing over me, his thick, curved sword in his right hand. The tall dogs stopped and regarded him warily.

I shivered.

The three boys, none older than perhaps fourteen, caught up to the animals and snatched them by the thick woven collars around their necks. Their eyes bugged at the sight of Lo’s sword.

He sheathed the toothed blade. “Keep your animals under control,” he growled, “especially so close to the city limits. You disrespect these women who are in the service of your sheikh.”

Trembling, I forced myself to my feet and gawked at Lo. The children’s gazes moved between Lo and myself, and they gushed out an apology before darting back the way they had come, tugging their animals with them.

“I-I’m sorry,” I said, covering my face and willing myself not to cry. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s all right,” Lo said, his tone softer than when he’d addressed the boys. “I would have gone around this area had I known dogs frighten you. There are a lot of them here.”

I tried to swallow, to wet my frozen throat, but I couldn’t. I only nodded, focusing my energy on keeping back my tears. Aamina watched me with an almost maternal concern, but she didn’t speak.

“I do not think they would have hurt you,” he offered.

“There were men in Iyoden who feared what I am,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I scrambled onto my camel’s saddle with little grace. “Men with dogs.”

I left it at that, and Lo didn’t ask me to explain, only nodded his understanding. He took his own seat behind Aamina and guided us out of the city, following the Finger Mountains north.

I recognized my cave before we reached it—its entrance stood high and narrow, much like the eye of a needle, and a wooden door had been fitted just inside of it. When we stopped and climbed off our camels, I hesitated to approach it, but Aamina led the way as Lo unpacked my belongings from the camel.

I had not known what to expect—after all, it was a cave—but the reality exceeded my wildest imaginings.

The room inside was about the size of my home in Euwan but narrower, stretching back about thirty paces. A bed with a thick mattress sat against the left wall, and a beautiful stone table was positioned against the right, complete with three chairs. Thick rugs hid the rocky floor, and long draperies masked most of the walls. They alternated red, cream, and white, some decorated with inky depictions of Mac’Hliah itself. A white drapery, ironically, depicted the profile of a dog. The cavern’s ceiling did not quite meet itself, leaving a long crack overhead. It had been covered with what appeared to be a thick canvas, which let in the soft gray glow of storm-filtered sunlight.

“This . . . is amazing,” I said as Aamina lit a tall glass lamp in the corner, illuminating a short red chair with high armrests and a plum-polished wooden cupboard. When I rushed over to look inside, I saw it held a variety of dishes and food. There were even animal skins filled with water, not that I needed it. My snow had always been enough for me. Closer to the door I noticed a small fireplace filled with coals, its chute drilled into the rock.

Lo opened the door, a load of blankets and clothing in one arm. I hurried to him and accepted the items myself, though he seemed hesitant to hand them over. His gold earrings glimmered in the lamplight.

He glanced around and smiled. “Our sheikh has outdone himself.”