Free The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer

from shaking some sense into him. “Remember how you agreed to lay low and stay close? Was I somehow not clear? Or in highsider talk, does laying low mean running screaming from a simple thunderstorm in front of half the convoy?”
    “I wasn’t—!” He shut his mouth so fast I thought he’d bite his tongue off. His gaze dropped back to his hands. When he spoke again, his voice was carefully controlled. “How much of a problem will this cause?”
    “Did Pello find you? Talk to you, at all?”
    He shook his head. My relief didn’t lessen my anger. “He could have, easy. You gods-damned idiot! You think just because you’re highside, you can ignore anything I say? You pull another stunt like this, and you can go to hell on your own.”
    “I’m sorry, all right?” His blue eyes were stricken. “Have you never acted out of emotion without thinking first?”
    I opened my mouth to deny it, but couldn’t manage the lie. Not with memories of my final night with Jylla so raw and recent. If I’d kept a cool head, I might have bargained with her and saved myself from losing everything. But no, I’d let my fury take my tongue, and done my level best to rip her apart. You don’t live with someone as long as I had with Jylla without learning what will cause the most pain. Of course, that goes both ways. By the end of that night, we’d both said things we could never forgive or forget. And look where that had gotten me.
    “Next time, think twice,” I growled. “This isn’t some fucking kids game. At the border, we’ll be playing with our lives.”
    “I know,” he said quietly. My anger faded at the sincerity in his voice. I studied the dark circles under his eyes, frowning.
    “You okay, now? You still look a little...” I waggled a hand.
    “I’m fine.” The stubborn look reappeared.
    “Whatever,” I muttered. I shoved myself to my feet. “Come on, then. Time to eat.”
    Dinner wasn’t much, without spare water for proper cooking. When I handed Kiran his ration of jerky, hardtack, and dried fruit, he released a sad little sigh. Harken and I chuckled, and even Jerik’s mouth twitched.
    “Last night of dry rations, lad.” Harken gave Kiran a sympathetic look. “Tomorrow night we’ll be high enough the stream will be in full flow, and I promise you won’t be disappointed in my cooking.” He leaned back from his seat on the wagon’s outboard and reached into the stacks of supplies. “In the meantime, I brought a little something extra to share around.” He produced a fist-sized sack which proved to contain Sulanian seedcakes sweetened with peachflower honey and dusted with cinnamon.
    “You’re a marvel, Harken,” I mumbled through a mouthful of seedcake. Harken grinned at me, the warm golden glow of the lanterns softening the years etched in his face.
    “You outriders aren’t so different than the horses. Give you a treat every now and then, and it keeps everybody happy.”
    Footsteps crunched on rock, and Cara’s high, clear laughter pierced the night air, followed by a man’s indistinct murmur. I peered into the darkness beyond the lanternlight. That male voice sounded all too familiar.
    “Hope you boys saved me something.” Cara stepped into the light, her companion trailing after. Gods all damn it, I knew I’d recognized Pello’s voice. Couldn’t he mind his own business for one night?
    He nodded to us all, friendly as could be, but my annoyance grew when his eyes lingered a fraction longer on Kiran than the rest of us. “I thought I’d return your awl before morning,” Pello said to Harken, handing him the tool. “Many thanks for the loan.” He sketched an exaggerated bow to Cara, his face full of wry humor. “And Suliyya’s grace upon you, for the delight of your company on the way.”
    Cara’s eyes sparkled with mocking amusement. “I love a man with a smooth tongue.”
    I stifled a disgusted snort. It hadn’t taken Pello long to figure out the perfect excuse to come lurk