Free Healer (Brotherhood of the Throne Book 2) by Jane Glatt

been on the road before now with this news.
    “Duchess Avery has been warned and Laurel assures me that steps will be taken to ensure it’s not the disaster I saw.”
    “But Brenna,” Kane gripped her arm until she looked at him. “This has to be stopped.”
    “Don’t you think I know that?” Brenna snapped. “Do you think …” she paused and stared at him. Then she shrugged his hand off her arm and backed away until he was no longer touching her. “You really think that I would just allow this to happen? That I could blithely carry on knowing that hundreds of people would sicken, that many would die, trying to escape what must be horrible conditions? I heard their cries in my visions. I know the depths of that misery. You really think I could ignore that?” She glared at him and Kane shook his head.
    “No,” he said. “But there must be something we can do to stop it?”
    “It’s already been done,” Brenna said. “Duchess Avery has been warned. We don’t know the reason for the flight so we can’t stop that, but Aruntun is prepared for the refugees.”
    “Is that enough?” Kane asked.
    “Laurel thinks so,” Brenna said. “Once she told Duchess Avery, my visions stopped. Laurels says that’s because there is a different outcome.”
    “Oh. Good,” was all Kane could say. Brenna had already resolved this, and he was relieved that she had. She did understand what was at stake and that she had a role to play. But why had he thought the worst of her? He wanted her to trust him, so why did he find it so hard to trust her?
    The days after that, Kane tried to show Brenna that he did trust her, but he wasn’t sure how successful he was. She’d been hurt by his mistrust, and he couldn’t blame her. As well, the awkwardness from the kiss never went away, at least not for him, although Brenna acted as though it had never happened. He wondered if she’d decided she didn’t care for him, not after he’d shown so little faith in her. That would be for the best, for both of them, as he often reminded himself.
     
    Kane mounted Runner and joined Brenna who already sat atop Blaze. They had just a few more days before they left for Smithin, not nearly enough time to get her travel ready. He had to worry about Laurel as well, who had jumped at the chance to travel south with them. Laurel had promised to get some serious riding in before they left, but she’d been so busy packing up the house that Kane wasn’t sure she’d have time. Two women not used to the road - it could be a very long trip.
    “There won’t be any inns to stay at you know,” Kane said as Runner pulled even with Blaze.
    “I know,” Brenna said. “I’ll be fine.”
    “That means no hot baths.” He ignored Brenna’s glare. “Last time we traveled you needed a hot bath every night.” He was being a little harsh, but it was still early spring and he’d only made this trip once before. Who knew what the road was like now that the snow was gone?
    “Not at the end,” Brenna said. “At the end I was fine.”
    “You were not fine,” Kane retorted. “I practically had to carry you across the border.”
    “That wasn’t from riding,” Brenna said. “That was because I was using too much magic. It won’t happen this time.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Are we going to be chased?” she asked. “No? Then I won’t need to use so much magic. Besides, that’s been the whole point of being taught by Mistress Utley.”
    “I suppose,” Kane said. “Do you think Laurel will be all right?”
    “Laurel,” Brenna said. “Will do anything to get to Smithin to see her children. They always attend the spring festival of Ush together. She was worried she’d miss it this year, but now she thinks there is just enough time to make it.”
    This was the first time Laurel had been away from her two children - seventeen year old Russel and fifteen year old Tressa - for so long. Laurel hadn’t come out and said it but Kane was sure she’d