Confessing this to Sandulf was impossible. She wanted to show him that she was better than any simpering lady he’d encountered before. She wanted to live up to the nickname he’d given her earlier. She wanted him to think well of her in a way she had not wanted anyone else to before. It seemed like such a long time since anyone had believed in her, but he did, even if she wasn’t brave as he thought.
She dangled her foot over the water, stared at its swirling depths before putting it firmly back on dry land.
‘We need to get to the other side as soon as possible,’ she said. ‘If we keep going inland, the river becomes a giant lake and we’ll have to go out of our way to avoid it.’
‘Or obtain a boat.’
Boats and rough water? A recipe for disaster. She shivered slightly. ‘I would prefer to find a bridge or ford. Crossing here is dangerous.’
‘These people who require your death will be watching the nearest places where it is safe to cross.’
‘What do you suggest?’
He shaded his eyes, looking up and down the river. ‘We go this way, back towards the sea until we reach a ford, but if not, we will reach this fabled bridge of yours.’
‘That way? It is towards Dun Ollaigh. We need to keep going away from it.’ Ceanna pointed in the opposite direction. ‘I say we go towards the loch. Maybe you are right about the boat. We won’t be on it long enough to get seasick.’
The corners of his mouth twitched. ‘You get seasick? A loch is nothing like the sea.’
‘My stomach revolts on a mill pond.’
He instantly sobered. ‘You need to take a voyage across the sea. It will settle you, allow you to get your sea legs.’
‘Once I am at Nrurim, I will be bound to the monastery and will make no further journeys.’
‘You will be a holy maid who spouts wisdom and piety to all who will listen.’
‘I have to believe in something.’
‘Why not try believing in yourself?’
‘You’re being impossible.’ She started off in the direction of the loch, but Sandulf remained still. At Vanora’s whine, she glanced back. ‘Will you keep up or not?’
‘Either you trust me to protect you, or you don’t.’
Ceanna stilled. ‘How can it be safer to go back towards Dun Ollaigh?’
‘I promised to keep you safe, my lady. As soon as it is safe to cross, we will. If it isn’t until the bridge, then we cross at night. You were right in your first thought—we want to keep our presence known to as few people as possible.’
‘You said they will be watching the bridge.’ She pointed towards where the great loch lay. Her stomach remained sick at the thought of travelling in a boat. She’d never been a good traveller.
‘Let me worry about that, Lady Ceanna. My sword arm is strong.’
Ceanna rolled her eyes. She was back to being my lady, a sure sign Sandulf was displeased with her attempt to control the situation. ‘Very well, I’ll bow to your expertise. We head for the bridge.’
Silently she prayed that it was just around the bend and they would not have to use a ford.
He gave a smile which warmed her all the way to her toes. ‘I knew you’d see it my way. It is good to see that you are not completely headstrong and foolhardy, Skadi.’
Headstrong and foolhardy. A combination of words she had never thought would be applied to her. She was known for her caution and prudence. ‘I’m not that. These last few days have been unusual.’
A smile tugged at his mouth. ‘Someone who likes to take risks now she has discovered the joy it can bring.’
She smiled back at him. ‘Maybe.’
‘We can cross here,’ Sandulf said, pointing to a bend in the river where a large tree had become wedged between several stones. ‘There looks to be a reasonable path with stones out to the log and the water is not running nearly as fast.’
‘Will that log hold?’
‘No reason why it shouldn’t.’ Sandulf frowned. Ceanna had become very quiet during their journey along the river. He found he missed her light banter. It was a relief from his own sombre thoughts about his failings and the memories of what had happened in Maerr.
She gave a brief nod, but continued to watch the river with trepidation.
‘Shall I go first?’ He started across the stones, managing to keep his feet dry until he reached the log. As he suspected, it was wedged tight. He rapidly walked across and looked down into the shallows. A series of flat rocks made the rest of the fording simple.
‘It is straightforward because the log won’t move until the next time the river floods,’ he said, returning to where Ceanna stood. If anything, her face wore even more of a pinched look. Once they were clear of the river, they could relax, Sandulf repeated in his mind. He had no wish for Ceanna to realise the danger he suspected they were in. Anyone who wished to should have no real trouble following their journey, but crossing the river would help solve that problem. ‘You need to follow where I put my feet precisely.’
‘Precisely?’
‘You’re more than capable of it. I’ve seen you in action. Remember, Skadi?’
Without waiting for her answer, Sandulf plunged ahead into the river. The water was moving swiftly, but nothing he was unduly concerned about. By moving from rock to rock, he managed to make it over to the other side with the water merely wetting his boots during the final few steps.
Vanora went in after him and rapidly made it over to the other
