Book of Water

Chapter 19

19

“No,” Michaela said. “We agreed.”

She handed Astolpho her empty bowl. The soup had been delicious, made especially for her by the camp cook. Bits of onion and turnip and spices. A chunk of dark brown bread floating on top, noticeably stale, but that didn’t matter. It was the first bread she had tasted in months.

She had awakened once again inside Rinaldo’s tent, this time well after dark. The only light came from the torches outside positioned in front of every tent. She could see them flickering beyond the fabric walls.

Her head throbbed. Her mouth felt so dry it was if she’d swallowed dirt. When Astolpho came to check on her he brought a full water skin that she drank from until it was empty. Followed by the bowl of soup and the bread. She was beginning to feel better.

But now Astolpho was trying to break his promise.

“We leave in the morning,” Michaela said. “First light. We agreed.”

“You need more rest,” Astolpho said.

“I slept all day.”

“You healed two,” Astolpho reminded her. “Not only one.”

“The horse was nothing,” Michaela said.

In truth, the horse was the only one she willingly would have healed if anyone had offered her the choice. The stallion was beautiful. Pure. He made her ache for her own horse. She wished now she had never let her mare, Cal’la, go.

At the time she assumed she would never have need of a horse again.

At the time, she assumed she would soon die.

But then this stranger had appeared. Astolpho. A layo’lin. A seer. Claiming he knew Michaela. That he had seen her. That he knew a part of her future.

Michaela wanted no future. Not anymore.

But then the more that Astolpho talked—told her who he was, where he had come from, that he was a seer for the king—Michaela began to understand.

One last task was asked of her.

There was still some use for her life.

But not here. Not with these soldiers. Her only future belonged with the king.

“See how you feel in the morning,” Astolpho said. “I don’t think we should move until you’re completely well.”

“Astolpho.” She had been afraid of exactly this: that once they were among his people again, he would find it difficult to leave. “You promised. I believed you.”

The layo’lin looked away uncomfortably. Michaela had seen that look before, every time he seemed reluctant to share some unattractive truth. He had been uncomfortable telling her how long they would have to travel to meet his king. Hesitant to answer some of her questions about how King Carleman ruled his kingdom. Most recently, Astolpho had resisted telling her why she should save just that one warrior, Rinaldo, when there were other men injured in the same battle.

“I know his… family,” had been the answer, but Michaela assumed he knew other men’s families, too. Astolpho said he had been part of the king’s inner circle for the past few years. It was the only reason Michaela finally agreed to go with him. He could provide her with access that she could never gain on her own.

But she was not Astolpho’s slave, bound to go and do whatever he said simply because it was what he wanted. Michaela demanded and expected answers. She had made it clear from the beginning that she would leave and return to the wilds by herself if Astolpho tried to lie to her or trick her.

“You know I can’t stay,” she reminded him now. “Look what happened with the horse.” She knew that would have an effect. Astolpho had been angrier than she expected when she awoke from the second healing. He blamed Rinaldo, said that he took advantage of her, said it wasn’t supposed to happen that way.

“What if someone else comes to me?” Michaela said. “What if there is another battle? Too much blood. I have to go.”

Astolpho sighed. Once again she could see how remarkably poor he was at hiding his emotions. She knew she had already won.

“Only if you’re strong enough to ride in the morning,” he said.

“I will be,” Michaela answered. She would make sure of it.