Page 71 of Daughter of the Dark Sea

Rage bubbled to his cool surface as Kora disobeyed him by taking the forefront of the convoy. Cadence brazenly swished her tail, her hair flicking into Erebus’ face, and Kora hummed to combat the silent loneliness as they trudged on through the desert.

Samuel didn’t sing another sea shanty after that.

They had ridden through two more, awkwardly silent, blisteringly hot days.

Two nights of sitting around their small fire, silently eating their small-portioned dry food and sipping at their emptying waterskins. Rationing whatever they had till they arrived at Whitestone Bay was becoming a challenge.

Blake had kept his distance so far from Kora his tent may as well have been in Galen. When he was present, he barely acknowledged her presence, but his jaw constantly clenched, his fingers repeatedly curling into fists.

Oh, she’d love to punch him. Get a few strikes at his legs, too. Maybe his groin.

She wasn’t getting much use of it anyway. Their five-day trek across the desert, romancing each other under the stars, curling up in a tent together. Obliterated.Gone.

Their new routine consisted of retiring to their single, popped-up tents, shivering through the ice-biting darkness. Cadence slept by the entrance of Kora’s tent, which she found comforting and endearing, and she’d sacrificed one of her blankets to cover Cadence’s rippling, muscled body during the brisk, dark chills of nightfall.

Then they’d rise before dawn, packing their camp away in uniformed motion, working in a rhythm they’d now perfected, followed by covering their bodies with light clothing to protect them from the extreme heat and sun.

And then the authoritative pissing competition would begin.

At first, Blake hung back, perhaps in guilt, allowing Kora to lead the convoy on the day of their fight. Her chin had beenhigh, proudly guiding their group through the dunes, liaising with Samuel for directions and ensuring they didn’t wander too close to the Southern Oasis. After a few hours, he’d galloped to the front, forcing Cadence to retreat from the might of Erebus, the shadow.

Since then, it’d been consistent, unspoken overtakings. One leaping in front of the other, steering the convoy in a ridiculous zig zag path down the centre of Aldara. At least the exiles would struggle to track their footprints from the patterns. Hopefully. Perhaps Blakedidhave a point about compromising their position, but it was clear the exiles were nowhere near. Should she apologise? Her gut screamed, stubbornness sinking its claws.No.He’d called her an escort. He didn’t deserve one.

“We’ll be at Whitestone Bay early,” Samuel called as they stopped to water and feed their horses under the shade of a rare cluster of palm trees. He flicked his ancient map in his hands, thick bands of rings sparkling on his fingers, unfurling the fraying edges as he peered at various lines intersecting the land.

“How soon?” Blake asked.

“At this pace, we should be there tonight. That’s a record, for sure.”

“Good, let’s go now. The sooner we get there, the better.” Blake studied the map briefly before nodding.

Blake hoisted onto Erebus, and motioned them all to follow him onwards. With a scowl, Kora mounted Cadence, and gently stroked her mane before squeezing her thighs, signalling to trot. Samuel sidled up to her side, with his twin horse—Rayne—gently nuzzling Cadence.

“What’s going on with you two?” Samuel whispered.

“Nothing.”

“Are you fighting?”

“No.”

“Well, something’s wrong between you.”

“There’s nothing between us.” Kora’s heart splintered.

Samuel arched a blonde brow as he glanced from Kora to Blake’s stiff straight back. “I never said there was.”

Kora bit her tongue. Damned the gods, her tongue was loosening of late. Her mask slipping. She needed to tread carefully, especially with this metal noose around her neck. A huff sounded to her left, and Aryn joined them, precariously eyeing his horse. She was stunning up close, and Kora was mesmerised by her colouring.

“I think she’s slowly warming up to the others,” Aryn spoke evenly, as if the slightest change in tone would set the horse off. Kora snickered as Cadence moved a couple inches closer to Rayne.

“She’s lovely.”

“Her name is Fajra,” Aryn hesitantly stroked the horses’ back with two fingers. “The stable boy said it means fiery, and he’s certainly not wrong about that.” Fajra flicked her tail in response.

“Maybe she should’ve been my horse,” Samuel teased. “I like a fiery woman.”

“Absolutely not. Not after all the effort I’ve gone to get her to warm to me.” Aryn tightened on the reins. Fajra snorted, and Cadence flicked her head.