Free Noble Falling by Sara Gaines Page B

killed my response to the woman in front of me. Turning toward Ori, I realized his blade was at his side, ready to come to my aid had Kahira given any indication she might hurt me. However, I was not foolish enough to believe he could have done anything had she wanted to harm me.
    “Go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute.” The harsh tone I first heard in Kahira’s voice started to return.
    I tried to offer Kahira a smile before I walked away from her but could barely manage one. Ori raised his eyebrows to me when I reached the campfire. His mood had obviously not improved in the time he spent alone. As I sat next to Ori, accepting the warm porridge he handed to me, I struggled not to whimper at the pain in my side.
    He must have noticed the clenching of my jaw. “Milady, are you well?”
    “Ori, just call me Aleana.” I checked over my shoulder to make sure Kahira had not heard the honorific. “I was kicked in the side earlier. I’m fine, though, just sore.”
    The lie had slipped out with little thought.
    “How is your head?”
    “I’ve had far worse.” Ori reached up to touch the now bruising cut on his brow.
    Kahira’s appearance at our fire interrupted the easy conversation between Ori and me. Even with the large dog at her heels, the woman seemed much less threatening without her leather vest and vambraces. Still, the simple undershirt she wore with pants and leather boots made her more intimidating than most people could achieve even when trying. Her choice in attire made me realize two things: she would look out of place wearing anything else, and even though she’d be able to hide it, Kahira chose to display the scarred flesh of her arm.
    “You two managed to tempt me here, but I hope feeding me is not too much of a strain on your supplies.” Handing one of the two bowls she had retrieved from her saddlebag to Ori, she let him signal that we had plenty to eat by filling it to the brim. “Thank you, Ori—it was Ori, yes?”
    “You are correct.” The guard’s voice had not eased in the slightest, but then again, neither had Kahira’s now that she was talking to Ori once more.
    Kahira sat, pouring a hearty portion of her porridge into the second bowl and placing it before Enza. She caught Ori’s look and, shrugging her shoulders, she explained, “Why should I eat if she does not?”
    I smiled without knowing entirely why and let silence fall on us as we ate. After several minutes, when our stomachs were full and drowsiness began to seep in, Kahira spoke.
    “So, you’ve obviously been trained well enough to stay alive when facing three armed men. And you”—Kahira shifted her gaze from Ori to me—“have not learned how to injure brutish men grabbing at you, meaning you definitely are no peasant girl, for if you were, you’d know a well-placed kick would have freed you. All I know is there were men in the uniforms of a Halvarian noble carrying Dakmoran blades in lands they should have no business in, asking questions about a man and woman. I’ve heard things about political shifts of late, so now I’m curious as to how you two fit in.”
    “Political shifts?” I tried to keep my voice even, but I knew I sounded worried.
    “The Meloran family in Eniva tried to start a war, from what I hear.” Kahira stretched herself out and scratched Enza’s ear. “The men I overheard talking said the duchess decided to secede her lands rather than marry the future king of Halvaria. However, there were apparently too many guards loyal to the Halvarian kingdom, and so they started a rebellion, removing the duchess from power—probably by sticking her head on a pike on the city’s walls—and placing their captain in charge. There were also whispers that whoever is leading Dakmor now sent troops into the duchy as a show of good faith to Halvaria and to stomp out the last of those wishing to start another war.”
    Kahira raised her eyebrow as I shot up from my seat, despite my body’s protests.