He shrugged. “We fought the galla many places before we defeated them. Haradis is the remains of a battlefield. The memorial of a tragedy. But neither I nor any of the Beladine lost a loved one there. We don't have a history with Haradis. You do.”
Had it been Saggara destroyed by the galla, he'd be right. Like all the Kai, a part of her mourned the loss of the city and its inhabitants, but the ties that bound her heart lay elsewhere. “Saggara, not Haradis, has always been my home. I won't be troubled.”
Serovek's forehead creased for a moment into a disbelieving frown. He sighed. “So you say. If the river and weather stay agreeable, we should reach the city's edge by late afternoon.”
The captain balked at first when Serovek relayed their plans, quieting only when the flash of additional coin passed in front of his eyes. Serovek's men protested even louder.
“I can go in your stead, my lord,” Erostis offered. “I know nothing of Haradis, but with sha-Anhuset acting as guide, we can scout enough of the city and report back with useful information for both you and the Khaskem.”
He grunted when Serovek landed a friendly swat on his shoulder. “You're more useful to me here. And with Anhuset and I both familiar with Haradis's streets, we can split up and reconnoiter in half the time and be finished before midnight.”
His assurances stretched reality a little in her opinion. He might have fought his way through the streets of Haradis, but Anhuset doubted he remembered much about the city's grid, too busy cutting his way through galla to reach the palace. But she held her tongue and didn't argue. Erostis was a decent sort, and she liked him well enough, but if she had to have human company for this trip, she preferred the margrave. The small voice inside her gave a mocking laugh before she could silence it.
Once they were all aboard and the towboat and barge riding the Absu's waves under his steersman's guidance, he approached Serovek with a pair of filled pipes, offering one to Serovek. Close enough to hear their conversation, Anhuset leaned on the railing to unabashedly eavesdrop.
“The stop where I'd normally put you to disembark has changed.” He puffed on his pipe before using it to point out some unseen detail of the geography on the passing shore. “A squire with holdings not far from here sent a small army of crofters and vassals to dredge the shallow spots. They're deeper and wider now, no drying up during the hot months, and they cut down every bridge and tore away every natural dam they found just in case you and the others missed a demon or two.” He shot Serovek a challenging look, as if questioning the Wraith kings' success and believing more in their failure. “The landing is too deep for your horses and too treacherous for a swimmer. I can pull to shore about a half league farther back. You can hike in from there and meet us down river by a way-stop called Cat's Paw Hollow.”
Serovek's gaze met hers over the captain's head. “Decision's still yours,” he told her in bast-Kai.
She replied in the same tongue, much to the captain's consternation. “It'll delay the journey.”
“Not by much and only if you want to pitch camp overnight in Haradis.” A tiny shudder belied his casual tone. “I'm not much eager to avail myself of the hospitality.”
Decision finalized, they made plans to disembark at the agreed-upon spot, leaving behind their horses and most of their gear, carrying with them only what they could transport in oilskin packs. For Anhuset, that meant going without her armor, her shield, and some of her heavier weaponry. It was much the same for Serovek.
They both watched the tow and barge for a moment as they sailed onward, leaving them on a spit of dry ground that stretched into the river like a pointing finger. A short footbridge had once stretched from this spot to the main shore, but the captain had spoken true. All that remained now were bits of cut rope and a few broken boards that hadn't been scavenged yet for firewood. The current tumbled slower there in the gap between land and river but was still something not to take lightly. People had drowned in waters shallower than these.
“I should have asked this on the boat but just assumed it was so. You can swim, yes?” Serovek eyed her with part hope and part dread.
Anhuset bit back a laugh. She understood what he implied. If she couldn't swim, he'd have to carry her across, and if he did, they were in imminent danger of drowning. If she were to guess, she probably equaled Serovek in weight, and while he was impressively strong, carting another person across deep, fast-running water presented significant risk for both. “I'm an excellent swimmer.”
His wide shoulders drooped in relief and his square teeth flashed white with his smile. “Is that a boast?”
She sniffed. “It's a fact, margrave. I'll even challenge you to a race across if you wish and promise not to tell your men that you lost. Badly.”
His laughter carved the lines at the corners of his eyes a touch deeper. “As cold as that water promises to be, I wager I can walk on it just to keep from freezing my balls off.”
Anhuset was growing to enjoy the look of his amusement. The sound of it too. It teased but didn't mock. She'd never known him to be cruel, though she'd witnessed his ruthlessness firsthand when he'd sentenced a brigand to die and carried out the execution himself without hesitation. Those who
