Book One – Chapter 17

Yu drew a breath he did not trust, drew another, and then obeyed. Not because he felt better. Not because the weight in his chest had lifted or the sharp, twisting suspicions in his gut had loosened. He obeyed because if he did not, he would collapse from freezing, exhaustion and starvation.

The stillness hit him first. As the massive door fell shut behind him, it locked out the Albweiss wilderness. The wind had torn at Yu’s cloak and feathers since the moment he had stepped outside. But now, all the noise was reduced to a heavy hush, laced with fire smoke, boiled meat, and damp wool. The calm was so sudden and thick it felt false.

Yu lifted his arms to rub at his ears, and his eyes took over. The walkway was dimmer than he remembered. Only two orbs clung to the corners, their glow swallowed by two looming shadows.

The travellers were still there.

The borman sat hunched on a stone bench, his massive shoulders folded forward. In his arms he cradled the two still shapes, one about Yu’s size and one smaller, both swaddled in towels so large they looked half swallowed. At first glance, Yu could only make out parts of their faces. The larger body, bare of fur or feathers, was unmistakably a tairan. He or she lay draped across the bormaan’s lap at an angle, legs hanging off to one side. The smaller one, a beastkin of some kind, was pressed tight against his stomach. It seemed like he had not let go of them since he entered.

The krynn crouched before them, his long arms busy as he massaged the area around their chests with delicate, rhythmic presses.

Next to the them, a heap of discarded things sprawled across the stone bench: folded coats, rough tarps, and a pile of towels sodden with melted snow. On the floor, the rest of their baggage sagged open. There were battered satchels and packs, some of them unlatched as though someone had rummaged through them in haste.

Yu’s gaze lifted.

Both the borman and the krynn were looking at him.

He was looking back at them.

Their bodies radiated expectation. Yu was equally anxious. He took way too long to register what they were doing, and even longer to realise that him watching them meant that they were also watching him.

It was awkward.