Page 287 of Salt Between the Wolves

The silence lingered just long enough before Eira's expression shifted and the amusement disappeared.

"What happened?"

There it was—the real reason she had come, not him, not the bond, not unfinished conversations, but White Pass.

Soren's own expression hardened slightly. "Exactly what you were told."

"And?"

He studied her for a moment, measuring and determining how much she already understood—probably more than most.

"Your father refuses to withdraw."

"I assumed as much."

"So did I."

The answer earned the faintest shadow of frustration, not because she disagreed but because she agreed too easily.

"And you?" Eira asked.

"You refuse to move."

"No." That caught her attention.

Soren looked toward the mountains. "I refuse to abandon the pass."

It was a subtle but important distinction, and Eira understood immediately, of course she did.

The silence that followed carried no confusion, only implications, until she finally asked the question he had expected from the beginning.

"How close?"

The wind shifted, and snow spiraled briefly across the road as Soren considered the answer.

"Closer than I would like."

That was enough. Eira's gaze sharpened.

"How many incidents?"

She did not ask whether there had been incidents, only how many—again, exactly the right question.

"Three."

The number settled heavily between them.

"What kind?"

"Patrols."

She waited, and Soren continued.

"Arguments."

Still she waited.

"A fight."