“Remind me not to die when you are close by.” Ronan wrinkled his nose. She rewrapped his arm.
“It is healing quickly.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” Ronan told her.
“A little spell to ease your suffering.” She shrugged. “I thought you would need it after that exchange between you and Fiona last night. You may not remember but if you hadn’t have been ill you would have needed both of your arms.”
Ronan frowned. “You should have healed me earlier then.”
“I tried. You would not drink the broth remember?” Ula looked at him and he grinned.
“And I wouldn’t have this morning if you hadn’t forced me.” He turned, waving her to walk with him back to the camp. “I want to trust you, Ula. Do not make me regret it.” She merely nodded.
“Will you and Fiona…” Ula’s mouth closed when Ronan slanted a gaze at her.
“Will we what?”
She chose her words carefully. “Will you finish what you started in Fullerk?”
Ronan turned his eyes forward. “No.”
Ula grunted. “She did stay at your side when you were groping at her last night.”
“I’m no good in relationships.” Ronan murmured, uncertain if he wanted to broach such a subject with this sorceress.
“Humph!” She sniffed indelicately. The sound made him smile as the stepped back into view of the camp.
“I suppose that grin means you’ve made up?” Keegan jibed.
“It does.” Ronan reached for Sorcha and swung atop her back. He held his hand down to Fiona. She stared at his fingers. Surely he didn’t mean for her to ride with him.
“I’ll take no chances. You were sent to protect the sword.” Ronan could see her thoughts flickering in her golden-flecked eyes. “The sword stays with me.” Fiona still hesitated a moment longer, then hesitantly took his hand and allowed him to swing her up behind him.
“You’ve ruined my horses.” Keegan growled. “Two weeks ago if you’d done that, she would have bucked both of you to the ground.”
“She likes me.” Ronan patted Sorcha’s neck. “And she’s not ruined. She’s just right.” Keegan grunted before turning his horse toward the road. One by one the others followed.
Arien soon took the lead, scouting for dangers ahead. Ronan watched him, noting the smile on the boy’s face. He felt important with a task that would benefit the group. And he was as brave as any soldier.
“Don’t you think it’s dangerous to let him do that?” Fiona asked lowly when the boy disappeared fromm view.
“Ahearn would protect him,” Ronan answered with confidence.
“That’s a lot of faith in a horse,” she said. “The boy is very young.”
“What do you do, Fiona, when you aren’t saving swords from the dark forces?” Keegan called back over his shoulder.
“What do you mean what do I do?”
Keegan allowed his horse to fall back and rode along side Ronan. “I mean where do you call home? What do you do there? Are you married? Do you have children?”
“No husband,” Ronan said without thinking.
“That’s right. No husband. No children,” Fiona answered. “I live in a place called Hovinda. And when I’m not doing work for Merisgale, I’m training.”
“Training for what?” Keegan asked, curiosity edging his voice.
“For the work I will do for Merisgale.”
Ronan turned to look over his shoulder at her. “That’s not much of a life.”
She looked at him pointedly. “As opposed to the life of an unmarried blacksmith and apprentice?”
“Good point.” Ronan faced forward again. It had been a good many years since he had any life outside of smithing.
“No suitors? Boyfriends? Lovers?” Keegan pressed and Ronan slanted him a curious look.
“I have no time for it,” Fiona said sharply.
“Serpentines are excellent gardeners,” Ula offered suddenly, joining the conversation without being invited. “Hovinda has the best soil for herb growing I’ve ever seen.”
Ronan felt Fiona stiffen behind him. “Yes, we are and it does.”
“What do you grow in your garden?” Ronan asked, attempting to ease the tension between Fiona and Ula. He didnt like it, especially since Ula had offered him the truth of what was between them.
“I grow vegetables. Some grow herbs. Others harvest larger crops.”
“Profitable.” Keegan nodded.
“I bought some gullberries from a Serpentine in Fullerk once that were the best I’d ever used. They were picked at exactly the right time. Too soon and they would have been sour. Too late and they would have rotted before I could use them.” Ula continued, “As it happened, they were perfect and I was able to save someone’s life with them.”
“That should have been quite a change for you,” Fiona said then her words snapped off when Ronan reined the horse. He could not let this continue or it would grow worse. If it weren’t stopped now, eventually there would be another episode to deal with like the one before. And there might not be Sledgers about to put an end to their fighting again.
“Ride ahead,” He told Keegan and Ula.
“Let it go,” Ula murmured but Ronan just looked at her, waiting for her to do as he wished. She sighed and continued on. Ronan did not dismount.
“We were ambushed by centaurs. One of them was going to kill Arien. She saved him. She held my hand when we crossed the River Blanch. And I believe she was fighting the Sledgers right alongside the both of us.” Ronan kept his voice low and non-threatening. “I understand your pain, Fiona, but she does not deserve to suffer because of it. She suffers enough with the memory of what she had to do.”
“You were not there,” Fiona argued. “My grandmother was a good woman. She never hurt anyone. She would not.”
“No I wasn’t there. And you were just a child. Your memory is of a child’s point of view. Have you done nothing yourself at one time or another that would frighten someone so young? Would they understand your motives?” Ronan shook his head. “And no one is without flaw or weaknesses.”
Fiona said nothing so he continued. “I have doubted Ula many times. She is hard to understand. But her actions have told me that she means to only do what is right.”
“I shouldn’t have been made to see it.”
Ronan turned then so he could see her. “No, you shouldn’t have. She told me that it was your grandmother that made the choice of having you witness what happened.” Fiona’s eyes lowered and he saw a tear roll down her cheek. “So she has hurt you by making that choice.”
“It is easier to hate someone you don’t know than it is someone you love,” she whispered.
“You are not a child anymore, Fiona,” Ronan said softly. “And she is older and haunted daily by what she has done. Let her live with the punishments she sentences herself. She does not need yours atop that.”
He touched her knee, gave it a squeeze. “You do not have to like her. You can hate her if you wish. All I ask is that you be civil and as a favor to me, do not be cruel to her.”
“Why do you think I would do you any favors?” She blinked back any other tears she might have had, forced her pain away.
“Because you are still here and have not slapped me yet.” He smiled. “And because you took care of me when I was ill.” Fiona met his gaze, and then slowly inclined her head.
“That was easy enough. Perhaps I should ask for that kiss as well.” He was joking with her and he was relieved when she rolled her eyes and smiled. “No? I suppose it would be pressing my luck.” He faced forward and urged Sorcha forward.
“We are stopping?” Keegan called back.
“I need to stretch my legs.” Ronan answered. He ran a hand over his face, letting his fingers slide over the stubble that had begun to stick out roughly from his jaw.
“Is anything wrong?” Keegan circled his horse around as Ronan walked away from the horse and Fiona. Ronan didn’t like the way Keegan scrutinized his face.
Ronan shook his head. “No. Just sore and need a moment to think.” The others took advantage of the break, each dismounting to either relieve themselves or to stretch their own limbs. When he looked back at the horseman, he found Keegan’s eyes still narrowed on his face.