The Seer by Rowan McAllister (reading comprehension books .TXT) 📕

they’re fortifying against a wizard, I would assume they would have at least one Sensitive here as well. The Seer must go first.”

Daks lifted a troubled gaze to the town behind them, remembering the strange feeling he’d had and the man watching them in the market. She was right. They had to get Ravi out first, before anything else could happen.

“Ravi,” he called, “you’re with me.”

Ravi startled as if he’d been miles away, but he moved to Daks’s side without saying anything. Shura moved to Fara’s side and explained the situation. Then they all waited in heavy silence as the last of the debarking passengers trundled up the landing toward the market.

The ferry consisted of thick tree trunks lashed together, with a layer of planks nailed to the top and a railing to keep anyone from accidentally pitching into the water. A huge rope, as thick as Daks’s arm, spanned the narrowest spot on the Matna and was connected to a large wheel on either side. Massive horses turned the wheels on each bank to pull the raft across while the current tried to push it downriver. Everything about the setup seemed sturdy and well-maintained, but Daks’s stomach still churned just thinking about trusting his life to it. He had no intention of letting anyone else see his distress, but Shura knew and eyed him with concern, which only made him more irritable.

Swallowing against the sudden tightness in his throat, he turned his back on the water so he wouldn’t have to think about it more than absolutely necessary, now that it was almost time. Ravi stepped closer to him, close enough Daks could feel the heat from his body and the brush of his cloak against the back of his hand. Daks glanced down at him curiously, but Ravi’s head was bent as usual, hiding his face within the shadows of his hood.

“Are you all right? Is your chest hurting you?” Daks asked.

“I’m okay… just ready to be across the river and away from all these people,” he answered tightly.

Daks nodded.

“Soon,” he replied, trying to sound reassuring despite the fear riding him.

Daks shifted from foot to foot as he waited for the last of the passengers to get out of the way. Focusing on his breathing, he sucked in a long, slow breath and blew it out again, studiously ignoring the sound of rushing water at his back and the thick, dark clouds overhead. When Horse suddenly snorted and raised its head, Daks nearly jumped out of his skin. He scowled at it, but the stallion was looking over its shoulder, back toward the town.

Daks searched the milling throng for anything amiss. A few brothers in russet robes had joined the crowds heading toward the market, but none of them seemed to be paying them any attention. But as Horse continued to stare fixedly at something, the hairs on the back of Daks’s neck rose. He sent his gift out one more time when his other senses failed him, and that odd whisper of magic brushed his consciousness again. His heart kicked up, and he searched every shadow and every face until his eyes stung. When he spotted the red-beard and his companion again, he tensed. The man had moved from his perch by the inn and was watching them from the edge of the market now.

“Shura,” he murmured under his breath, “red beard, northern end of the square. Can you see him?”

Both women turned in the direction he indicated as he felt Ravi shift and tense by his side.

“I see him,” Shura replied.

“He’s watching us. I saw them earlier too. I didn’t think it meant anything, but there they are again. He’s clearly watching us, right?”

“He is. He’s not a guard or a priest,” Shura said.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Do you sense anything?”

“Maybe… I’m not sure.” Daks dragged a hand through his hair, his fingers catching in the braid, and gritted his teeth. “I don’t like it.”

“Forget it,” Shura said firmly. “Go. Get on the ferry. They can watch all they like. It changes nothing. He can’t be a mage, not in Rassa—unless he has a death wish—so whoever he is, he can’t interfere with your crossing.”

“But you’ll still be—”

“For an hour, maybe two. I’ll keep an eye on him, but we will be fine here. We can handle ourselves.”

Daks closed his mouth, swallowed his anxiety, and nodded. To keep arguing with her would only insult her and piss her off, neither of which he wanted to risk.

“Loading next ferry. Next ferry loading!” the little man with the slate barked out, and Daks grimaced.

He searched the space where red-beard and his companion had been once more, but the two men were gone.

“Just be careful, okay?” Daks said, holding her gaze.

She smiled. “Always. See you on the other side, Vaida.”

“You better.”

He turned away from her and forced himself to walk to the ferry while Ravi shuffled along silently behind him. The cart and horse were loaded onto the ferry first before the other passengers were allowed to squeeze on around it. Daks gave the cart and driver an ugly scowl as he moved to the far side of the deck, making the man start and eye him nervously.

Once he’d found them an empty spot, he gripped the rail tightly and kept his gaze riveted on the far shore, away from the swirling murky water below him and the thickening clouds above. He really hoped the rain would hold off until Shura managed to make it across, not that a little rain should make the crossing more dangerous, but he thought he just might’ve glimpsed a flash of lightning in the far-off mountains. If that storm moved south, it could delay the next ferry considerably.

A horn blared behind him, and the ferry jerked as the rope pulled taut a few moments later. He swallowed thickly and breathed in the fishy, damp air through his nostrils before blowing it out again through his mouth. He took several breaths like this until