Page 293 of Salt Between the Wolves

"I'm trying."

The words left him before either of them expected them to, and silence followed, different this time and sharper, as something shifted in his expression, not visibly, but enough.

For the first time that evening, Eira became aware of how close they were standing, not across a table or on opposite sides of a road, but close enough to reach.

The realization arrived at exactly the wrong moment, and the bond responded instantly, not with hunger or urgency, but with recognition and awareness, with the simple certainty of proximity.

Soren's gaze held hers, and for one brief moment she thought he might step closer, not because he couldn't control himself, since that had never been the problem, but because he wanted to.

The realization struck with surprising force, and then just as quickly he stopped, the decision almost invisible in a shift of weight and a breath, nothing more, yet she felt it.

He was giving her room to retreat and room to choose, the same thing he had been doing for months, even now and especially now.

Something tightened unexpectedly in her chest as Soren looked away first, not far, just enough.

"You should rest."

The words sounded rougher than before, and Eira suspected he knew it.

"I'll try."

"You will."

That almost sounded like confidence.

For a moment neither moved, and then Eira nodded once in a small gesture that was enough before she turned toward the tent.

Behind her she heard nothing, no footsteps or movement, only the wind.

When she finally looked back, Soren was still standing where she had left him, watching, not closely enough to trap her and not distantly enough to hide it, and somehow that was worse.

Chapter 34: Frost and Iron

Eira

The snow had stopped sometime before dawn, and White Pass looked different without it, sharper and colder, as though the mountains themselves had grown tired of hiding behind weather.

Eira stood outside the command pavilion, watching the Frostvein camp across the valley, where distance changed little, the banners remained visible, the fires still burned, and thousands of people continued to wait, though now she was one of the reasons.

Footsteps approached behind her, but she did not need to turn as Soren stopped beside her, and for several moments neither spoke while the silence felt familiar, not easy or uncomfortable, but simply familiar.

"He agreed."

Eira kept her eyes on the opposite side of the pass, and the answer surprised her less than it should have.

"Of course he did."

A faint breath escaped Soren, carrying neither amusement nor frustration.

"That sounds suspiciously like confidence."

"It isn't."

For a moment she watched the distant Frostvein banners move in the wind before adding quietly, "It means he wants this conversation as much as I do."

That earned silence, not disagreement but consideration, and eventually Soren nodded, perhaps understanding or perhaps not, though either way he did not argue.

The path leading toward the meeting place wound through the center of the pass, forming neutral ground, or as close to neutral as White Pass was capable of becoming, where several dozen warriors already stood waiting from Ironfang and Frostvein, carefully separated, carefully watching each other, and carefully pretending they were not.