Free Changing Fate [Fate series] by Elisabeth Waters Page A

you have, and done much less worrying—if he's done any!
    That seemed reasonable, so Akila turned to the next problem. “Briam, please hand me your cloak and then bring the clothing from the fight over here. We might as well wash it while it's early enough for it to dry before night."
    Briam tossed his cloak to her and headed back to the clearing to get the rest. Akila submerged the cloak and started attacking the nearest bloodstain. “If worst comes to worst,” she muttered to herself, “I'll kill a few rabbits and dye the whole thing the color of blood."
    "Here.” Briam came back with the clothing. Akila's nose wrinkled in disgust. She seemed unusually sensitive to smells today—was this a carryover from being a wolf?
    "Put it all in the water,” she instructed. “Even the stuff that's not bloodstained needs washing. I wish we had some soap."
    Briam shrugged. “I didn't know we'd need it."
    "Don't worry about it. Even if you did think we'd need it, you wouldn't have had room to pack it. We'll just have to manage with what we do have."
    "Umm.” Briam looked thoughtfully at the water. “Are we still going to the ocean? Now that you're not a sword, I mean."
    "I don't know—I mean, we don't have to."
    "Then where are we going?"
    Good question , Akila thought despairingly. I wish I knew. Where are we going and what are we going to do with the rest of our lives? Three days ago, I knew. We were going to stay home and Briam was going to rule our estates and I was going to run them. Now Lord Ranulf will do that, and he'll probably do a perfectly good job—he certainly seems highly competent at everything he does. But what are we going to do? Stalling for time, she asked, “Where do you want to go?"
    Briam's prompt answer surprised her. “I think we should go find our kingdom."
    "What?!"
    "You know, the kingdom that Father said we'd rule. I thought he meant our estates were going to be our kingdom, but I guess they're not, so it must be someplace else."
    Akila stared at him in shock. He's actually been thinking about this—or is he making it the beginning of a ballad?
    Briam was obviously expecting a response, so she said the first thing that came into her head. “Father said that you would rule a kingdom, not that you and I would."
    "But if I had a kingdom, it would be yours too.” This was obvious to Briam. “We always share things."
    Enough of that subject. “All right, where is our kingdom?"
    Briam looked confused. “Don't you know? You're the one who knows things."
    Akila wrung out the cloak as best she could and handed it to him. “Drape this on that bush, please.” She picked up a tunic, obviously from the man Briam had killed; there was a slash in the breast. And they didn't even have a needle with them, let alone thread. Why hadn't she done the packing herself?
    Briam draped the cloak, then returned to squat next to her. “Akila?"
    What was the question? Oh, yes . “No, I don't know where our kingdom is.” Assuming we have one . “If the Gods mean for us to have a kingdom, they'll just have to arrange for us to wind up there. And in the meantime...” her voice trailed off. She wasn't incompetent; she knew that. She'd run a large estate very capably for several years. But that was a different kind of competence—or at least on a different scale. There she had lots of help, and it was a matter of directing the steward, overseeing the cook and household servants, going over the clerk's account books. If she wanted dinner, she asked what supplies were available and issued orders. “Briam, were they carrying extra food?"
    "Yes, quite a bit. And money too.” He hesitated. “There was an extra saddlebag with some of your clothes in it."
    "My clothes?” Akila looked at him in astonishment. “Why would a couple of mercenaries be carrying my clothes?"
    Briam shrugged. “I don't know. They certainly wouldn't have fit either of them. But at least you can get dressed now. And the money should be