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

been a comfortable experience, but with Daks so close, he couldn’t seem to help it. It was like a switch had been flipped inside him, and all he could hear was his dick and his skin begging for more. Daks hadn’t helped matters either, teasing him relentlessly. Ravi’d been tempted to walk the rest of the way, just to get a little relief, but after their journey and another dunking in a river in Horse’s packs, his old boots might not finish the journey.

Even now, as Daks greeted the mountain masquerading as an innkeeper in Sambaran and Ravi struggled to keep up with the foreign words, his eyes kept straying to Daks’s mouth, his hands, and his ass. When Daks caught him, his lips twisted into that smug, infuriating grin, but for some reason Ravi’s cock had decided it didn’t hate that grin in the slightest.

Daks finally seemed to remember Ravi wasn’t Sambaran and switched to trade speak with an apologetic smile, and Eben, the innkeeper, followed suit, just in time for the conversation to turn inevitably to the flood.

“It was terrible,” the huge, tawny-bearded man said. “The inn is high enough up, we didn’t know it was happening until we heard the shouts and screams from down by the water.”

“Did you lose any people?” Daks asked solemnly. “Did anyone else from the ferry survive?”

“Weren’t sure who all was on the ferry, mind, but the ferryman was one of ours, and he hasn’t been found. Old Taun runs the horses and the crank on this end. He was injured. Broken leg. One of the horses had to be put down. He said a few waiting for the ferry were swept up in it. I think Mawd lost her nephew, cracked his head on a rock, found him a half mile downriver.” Eben grimaced. “A few houses flooded, but we’ll be fixin’ ’em up soon enough. Ferry rope snapped. That’ll take a bit more time, but we’re still here, and boats are running across until then.”

“Have you seen a Cigani woman in town?” Daks asked.

“You mean that woman you traveled with before, right? I remember her. But no, haven’t seen her, sorry.”

Daks’s face fell. “If she’d been able to get a message across, it would have been delivered here. She knew where we were headed.”

Ravi shifted uncomfortably, wanting to touch him, to give what comfort he could, but he wasn’t sure what the rules were between them yet, so he held himself still.

“Sorry,” the innkeeper murmured again. “If a message comes, I’ll let you know. And I’ll keep an eye out and spread the word you’re looking.”

“Thank you,” Daks replied, his voice sounding weary and tight. “We need to find your healer. Can you tell us where?”

Eben nodded. “Hers was one of the houses caught in the flood, so we set her up in Aver’s common house, down near the market, since he has the room. Lots of cuts and bumps around these days; you may have a wait.”

“You think you can find me a spare pair of shoes or boots until I can get to a shop?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks. We’ll visit the healer after we’ve had our meal, and then come back for the bathhouse, if that’s all right with you.”

“Of course. We’ll be ready for you. The spring waters will do you good too, mark my words.” Eben gave them each a nod before heading toward what Ravi assumed was the kitchen, but he stopped halfway and came back. Leaning in close, he whispered, “Now, I don’t traffic in gossip as a general rule, but you being from the Council and all… the few boats that’ve come across since the flood have carried tales of a wizard on the other side, if you didn’t know already.”

“A pain priest?” Daks asked sharply, making Ravi’s stomach jolt.

“Nooooo. No robes. No stone ’round his neck. They’re saying he just lifted his hands and pushed the waters back from the town.” Eben shrugged as if embarrassed. “Now, I know what the waters did on this side, and I never heard of a wizard strong enough to do that on his own, with no time to prep or potion… except maybe in the old tales. So I don’t know if it’s true. But since I can tell you’re worried about your friend, I thought I should mention it. If this man did as the people are saying, and most of the town was saved from the worst of it, chances are, she’s okay.”

Ravi shot Daks a startled glance, but Daks looked just as confused as him.

“You think that might be the same wizard—” Ravi began excitedly, hoping to offer Daks some comfort through words if not through touch, but Daks put a hand on his arm and gave him an almost imperceptible head shake.

“Thanks, Eben,” Daks said. “I hope you’re right.”

The innkeeper glanced between them for a moment before shrugging. “Like I said, I don’t know for sure if it’s true. But you shouldn’t give up hope just yet.”

“I won’t,” Daks replied.

When the enormous man lumbered out of earshot, Ravi asked quietly in Rassan, “You don’t trust him?”

“What?” Daks had obviously been lost in his own thoughts because he frowned in confusion.

“You stopped me from talking about the other rumors we’d heard.”

“Oh, right. No. It isn’t that I don’t trust him. He’s probably heard the rumors already anyway. But if he hasn’t heard everything we have, I prefer to keep that to ourselves until I can report to the High Council.” He paused for a second and grimaced. “Sorry. I’m sort of conditioned to not share any more information than I absolutely need to. I shouldn’t have interrupted you. I’m sorry.”

Daks’s gaze grew distant again, and Ravi decided not to press. Shura wasn’t the easiest person to like, but Ravi found himself worried for her and Mistress Sabin too, and not only for Daks’s sake. It was amazing what sharing an adventure and almost dying could do to your feelings about