Free The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer Page B

back rigid. “I’ll check the horses before I turn in,” he announced, and headed off into the night without a backward glance.
    Pello’s mobile face creased in theatrical disappointment. Cara cuffed his shoulder. “Don’t expect any campfire tales out of Jerik, not without a lot of sarkosa wine to soften him up first. The man’s got a mouth tighter than a snare trap.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind,” Pello said. His gaze swept across us, and his smile held more than a hint of irony when he nodded to me. I suppressed a scowl as he made his farewells and finally disappeared down the line. Cara watched him go with a small, contemplative smile on her face that made me want to hit her.
    “For Khalmet’s sake, Cara, can’t you manage one trip without any lovesick drovers mooning after you?”
    She smirked. “I’d wondered where your tongue had got to. Who says I’m the main attraction?” She aimed a soulful look at Kiran. “Hard to compete with the likes of you, kid. You must have had herds of city girls throwing themselves at your feet...and plenty of boys, too, I’d wager.”
    Kiran looked like he wished the earth would split open and swallow him, but he managed a stiff little shrug. Cara ignored my pointed glare and flicked a dried fig at him.
    “No need to be so shy. What, you have a lover back in the city? Someone you miss?”
    Kiran hurriedly ducked his head, but not before I saw the way he’d squeezed his eyes shut, as if in pain. “No,” he muttered.
    Well, that little reaction added new weight to my theory that someone back in Ninavel wanted him gone. I didn’t know the rules for highsiders’ love games, but maybe he’d chosen the wrong lover to chase after, and now he was paying the price. I felt a twinge of sympathy, but pushed it aside. Time to distract Cara. Teasing Kiran about his love life was one thing, but from the growing curiosity in her eyes, her next questions might be more dangerous. Anything she learned about his supposed past was sure to end up in Pello’s ears.
    “Have a heart and leave the poor guy alone, Cara. Can’t you see he’s tired after an entire day in the mountains?”
    “Oooh, an entire day, and all he did was ride? Dev, you are going soft. As I recall, Sethan had you climbing laps your first day out.” Cara stuffed another fig into her mouth. A reminiscent grin spread over her face as she chewed.
    “Yeah, up and down that overhanging crack near the second bend of the canyon. I thought my fingers would fall off by the time he finally let me quit.” I’d been mad as a stinkwasp. Later, I’d realized Sethan had been teaching me in his quiet way that endurance was as important as technique for a mountain climber.
    “Gods, you were such a cocky little bastard, bragging that you could climb anything. Sethan had to shut you up somehow, or the rest of us would have strangled you by midmeal.” The look on Cara’s face said she was still savoring the memory.
    Harken gave one of his low chuckles. “If we’re telling tales, I remember one about a blonde-haired little loud-mouthed chit who insisted she could climb the Darran Spire.” He leaned down to poke Cara’s shoulder with one wide finger.
    To my delight, Cara’s cheeks reddened, an event nearly as rare as rain in the Painted Valley. “Oh yeah, let’s hear that one,” I said eagerly.
    “Think I’ll save it for a special occasion.” Harken levered himself off the wagon’s outboard. “Would one of you be good enough to help me put the food away? It’s late, and this old man needs his rest.”
    “Sure.” I jumped up. “Just show me where you want it, and Kellan and I’ll take care of it for you.”
    Kiran scrambled after me with obvious relief. He darted glances my way as we stowed the food back in its warded container, but he held his tongue until we reached our tarp. “Pello’s trying to find out about me, isn’t he?”
    “Oh, you noticed?”
    He winced. “What are we going to do?”
    And by