Free Avalyne Series 02: The Easterling by Linda Thackeray

they were new to each other as travelling companions, trust was still a forming thing between them.
    ‘ Am I to assume that you intend to remain silent throughout our entire journey to Tor Iolan?’ Aeron asked an hour after leaving Sandrine behind them.
    Melia relaxed visibly, aware that she was probably being a little unreasonable, not to mention childish in her behaviour. She was using her silence like a tantrum thrown by a wilful child and was somewhat embarrassed at being called out on it. She remembered that he was only here because he was worried about her safety and because Arianne had asked it of him. He could have very easily left her to stumble about in Tor Iolan, possibly to fatal consequences.
    Letting out a heavy sigh that dispelled not only her petulance but also her lingering resistance to his presence, she decided if this was how things had to be then she ought to try and make the best of it. ‘Of course not,’ she answered, staring at his back while he rowed down the river.
    Glad to hear her speak, he had expected to her silence to last a few more hours but was pleasantly surprise to hear that she had relented before that. Besides, a thousand years of living had taught him that women could not be deprived of speech for too long.
    ‘ Will wonders never cease,’ he teased when he paused his rowing to glance back at her.
    ‘ Do not make me regret speaking to you elf,’ Melia warned, her eyes narrowing in mock anger.
    ‘ I doubt you would have been able to resist my charming conversation for very long,’ he smirked, glad that things were back to normal between them. Well, as normal as it could be, Aeron supposed.
    Melia rolled her eyes but she too was pleased that they were on more familiar ground. ‘If I can resist the Berserkers, I can resist you.’ She said sweetly.
    ‘ You never did tell how us how you and Celene escaped from their hands in Sanhael,’ Aeron reminded, recalling how closed mouth she and Celene had been about that part of their liberation.
    ‘ It is not important,’ Melia grumbled, not about to tell him that her great plan for escaping the Berserkers Captain was a false seduction designed to put the beast off his guard. She considered herself exceedingly fortunate that gamble had worked as well as it did because at the time she was terrified of the consequences if she failed. Nadiran women were educated about how Berserkers treated the female prisoners captured and she had no desire to see for herself.
    ‘ Oh come now,’ he balked at her attempt to deter him. ‘It is a long journey to Tor Iolan, I must be entertained.’
    ‘ If you want entertainment, you should have stayed in Sandrine,’ Melia retorted tautly. ‘I am not your court jester.’
    Aeron was not about to let the matter rest since her reluctance to tell him convinced the Prince that the tale must indeed be an interesting one. ‘It will pass the time,’ he insisted. ‘Besides, how awful could it be?’
    ‘ You have no idea,’ Melia muttered under her breath.
    ‘ I promise you,’ he replied, looking over his shoulder again so that she would see that he was completely sincere with what he was about to say. ‘No I give you my word, as a Prince of Eden Halas that if you tell me I will not breathe a word of it to anyone.’
    Melia let out a groan, wishing that she could throttle him about the ears except if she did so, it would most likely capsize the boat and that was probably not the best thing to have happen in the middle of the Yantra River. Still, the word of a Prince was not something to be refused when offered so earnestly.
    As much as they enjoyed trading insults, she knew it would be a real offence if she did not believe him. Even if he was not offended, which she very much doubted, Melia could foresee being asked this same question continuously throughout their entire journey. Since killing him was out of the question, because it was wrong , she reminded herself, Melia supposed how bad could it be to