Page 23 of Salt Between the Wolves
Something tightened unexpectedly in Soren's chest.
Of course she had volunteered.
The realization should not have surprised him. Eira had spent her entire life confined by other people's decisions. Ironfang offered movement where Frostvein had offered walls, and it made perfect sense that she would seize every opportunity placed in front of her.
Even so, he found himself staring at her name longer than necessary.
“She'll be riding with Riven's group,” Kael said.
The reaction was slight, subtle enough that most people would have missed it, but Kael didn't.
The room grew noticeably quieter as Soren met his gaze.
“No.”
The answer came smoothly enough to sound convincing, though they both knew it wasn't entirely true.
Kael appeared to recognize that immediately, but fortunately chose not to pursue the matter further.
“Departure is tomorrow morning.”
Soren's attention remained fixed on the roster.
A western patrol was not a short ride around the territory. The route crossed difficult ground, unpredictable weather, and long stretches of wilderness where mistakes carried consequences. None of that should have concerned him any more than it concerned anyone else responsible for the fortress.
Yet he found himself staring at Eira's name longer than necessary.
“She'll be fine,” Kael said.
Soren's jaw tightened.
“That isn't the point.”
“Then what is?”
For a moment, Soren considered answering, only to realize that every explanation sounded unreasonable the instant he examined it too closely. Concern would have been easy enough to justify. Everything else was considerably more difficult.
Kael waited for a response, then eventually allowed the silence to stand.
“Well,” he said at last, gathering the map from the table, “the roster is finalized.”
A faint trace of amusement touched his expression when Soren failed to look pleased by that information.
“I noticed.”
“Clearly.”
The comment earned him a look, and fortunately Kael was wise enough not to elaborate.
When the door closed behind him, silence settled over the room once more.
Soren remained seated for a while, his gaze lingering on the folded roster before he finally set it aside and returned to the reports waiting on the table.
They should have reclaimed his attention immediately.
Instead, he found himself thinking about a patrol that would not leave until tomorrow morning.
The encounter happened by accident.
