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

away from Ravi’s forehead, he watched the man’s struggle to stay awake and it made him smile, Ravi being as stubborn and contrary as ever.

Daks stayed with him for a long time after he finally lost the battle and his breathing evened out, just watching him and enjoying the warmth and solidity of his presence. If Shura could see him now, she’d give him no end of grief for the disgustingly sentimental smile he couldn’t seem to wipe from his face.

Gods, he missed her already.

Let her be safe, he prayed to who or whatever might be listening. He threw a nervous glance over at Horse, but he didn’t have the strength or desire to try to unpack what the stallion’s presence meant just then.

Inevitably, he grew restless after an hour or so, despite his exhaustion. If he stayed in that warm cocoon, he’d definitely break his word and fall asleep. Besides, according to Ravi, he’d lain around uselessly for two days. That was long enough.

He eased away from Ravi’s side and struggled to his hands and knees. Climbing to his feet took far longer than it should have, but he managed it, and he only had to wait a few seconds for the dizziness to subside.

After finding his leather breeches and his other tunic in the nest of clothing and grasses Ravi had built for him, Daks shuffled to a roughly repaired chair—the only stick of furniture in the whole cabin—to try to get dressed. Horse whickered from his corner of the room, and Daks’s lips twisted in a wry smile despite the throbbing in his head.

“I don’t know how you did it. And your preternatural abilities are starting to make me question some of my most firmly held beliefs—particularly since I’ve sensed no magic on you whatsoever—but I’m glad you’re here.”

He still flatly refused to explore the implications of Horse’s presence any further than that. Sure, he’d left the animal on the other side with Shura, and now he was alone on this side, but that didn’t have to mean anything. Ravi would have told him if he’d seen Shura along that riverbank. Daks wouldn’t panic, at least not until they made it to Pazar and learned more.

Fading orange light filtered through the tree branches near the roof of the cabin when Daks heard the first howls echoing outside, and his blood chilled. But Ravi had done a great job of finding shelter for them. The cabin walls and door were still sound, and he’d piled branches as a barrier around where the tree had broken through. Ravi had done a fantastic job at taking care of them all around, and Daks cast yet another proud, sappy look at Ravi’s sleeping face.

Gods, he wished Shura was there to give him shit for it before he went completely soft.

“Come on, you,” he murmured to Horse as he stood up. “We need more water and wood before the sun goes down, and I’m not sure I’m up to both collecting it and carrying it.”

He’d regained a little of his strength from downing two more skins full of water and the last of the cold grain porridge Ravi had made, but he definitely wasn’t at full strength yet. Hopefully the wolves would be content with what they could scavenge along the riverbank for one more night and they could all agree to leave each other alone. At least Horse still looked in fine fighting form. The damned beast didn’t have a scratch on him.

When full dark had fallen, Daks had a second pot of porridge bubbling in the cookpot, plus a decent reserve of downed branches to feed the fire. He’d already eaten the first full pot on his own with a small portion of dried meat from the packs that seemed to have survived Horse’s swim. The grain had been a lucky find, though he was pretty sure whoever lost it wouldn’t agree. He felt a slight twinge of regret for all the people on the ferry, but there wasn’t much he could have done for them. Hells, he couldn’t even save himself.

Ravi finally stirred and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, I’ve got dinner going… such as it is,” Daks said.

Ravi bit his lower lip before smiling shyly back, and Daks’s heart squeezed disgustingly again.

“How’s your head?” Ravi asked, climbing slowly to his feet.

“Better. A little food and some more water took care of most of the pain. I’ll make it.”

Ravi looked much better too. He was charmingly rumpled, but the dark circles under his eyes and grayish cast to his olive skin had faded.

After accepting the wooden bowl of gruel Daks offered him with a nod of thanks, he sat cross-legged on the dirty plank floor of the cabin, refusing the chair Daks offered to vacate. That stung Daks’s pride a little, but if he were honest, his pride would have taken a bigger hit later when he couldn’t get up off the floor without help. His little supply gathering mission earlier had wiped him out.

They ate in silence for a while, and Daks thought the gnawing pit in his stomach might have finally been satisfied by the time he finished his second meal. With a sigh of relief, he stretched his legs toward the fire and patted his full belly. The makeshift bed looked awfully good right now. He just needed to force himself out of the chair to go to it.

“How long did I sleep?” Ravi asked somewhat hesitantly, drawing Daks’s gaze back to him.

“Probably not enough. The sun only went down an hour or so ago.”

After another couple of beats, Ravi cleared his throat and dropped his gaze to the empty bowl in his lap.

“Uh, about earlier,” he murmured without looking up. “You were right. I was pretty out of it. I’m sorry for the whole tears and begging you to hold me thing. It had been a rough couple of days.”

“You don’t need to apologize for anything.”

Ravi grimaced. “After the other day by the river, and