"He doesn't know--"
"I'm quite certain he realizes I'm no warrior. And a young man who can wield a blade but is not a warrior is a criminal. He knows what I am, and he's not pleased that I've planted myself
at your side."
He went quiet then, as if falling into his thoughts, and after a moment, she ventured, "If you think he realizes you are casteless, I cannot see how that would matter. He's not from the empire. The North historically does not have castes in the way we do."
Ronan said nothing.
"I'm sorry for bringing up that, too," she said. "I do not wish you to regret having told me your secret." One of them at least. She could tell when he'd confessed that there'd been more--some darker secret. But when she'd pressed, he'd been past talking.
"I don't," he said. "And it's not that. It's true I don't particularly want him to know I lack caste, or it will give him more cause to drive me from your side. But more than that, I'm simply frustrated with the entire situation. If we were to leave, we'd need to sneak away."
"Do you think we ought to?"
"I think we will not get the chance before nightfall, and we should be at our destination by then, so the point is moot. Let's see these dragons. Find out if this can be done quickly and, if not, we'll discuss our departure."
TWENTY-TWO
They did indeed arrive at their destination before sundown . . . the next day. The horses had tired, and Edwyn had apologized for the delay, but they'd needed to make camp for the sake of the beasts. Ashyn would never argue with that. If Ronan disagreed, he'd wisely kept it to himself.
Already today they'd stopped briefly for a midday meal, and when they had, Edwyn had sent two of the women on ahead to "tell the others and begin the preparations." When Ashyn had asked what that meant, he'd only smiled enigmatically and said, "Patience, child."
They had not gone overly far when they stopped again. Ronan grumbled under his breath as he and Ashyn both gazed out over the landscape, seeing nothing that would explain their halting. Simply another delay, they presumed.
"We have arrived," Edwyn said.
Ashyn looked out again, as if she might somehow have missed a dwelling. To the west was a distant hill. The rest was flat, grassy land. There seemed nothing for a quarter day's ride in any direction.
"Well?" Edwyn said. "Ronan? I may be old, but I've clearly heard your grumbling about the distance. Perhaps you'd like it to be farther?"
Ronan grunted and slid from his horse. When Ashyn tried to do the same, he stopped her with a raised hand, then said to Edwyn, "Show me where we're going first. I do not like the looks of this."
"There," Ashyn said, pointing at the hill.
Edwyn smiled, pleased. Ronan only looked confused.
"Does not the hill look odd?" she asked.
"If you're saying it isn't a hill at all, but concealing some building, then I'd say you share some of your sister's imagination. Look at the ground, the way it's split and scarred all along here. I'm no scholar, but clearly there was some sort of break or eruption ages ago. That strangely shaped hill is the result."
"Exactly," she said. "Which makes it unusual. Which means that is why we've stopped." She glanced at her grandfather. "Is it some sort of sacred place?"
He smiled. "You might say that. Shall we ride closer?"
"Could you not have mentioned that before I dismounted," Ronan muttered as he got on his horse again.
Edwyn ignored him, and the three of them rode off with Tova and two of the warriors, leaving the rest of the party behind. As they drew near the hill, Ashyn realized it was more of a small mountain, seeming to have erupted from the very earth. The rough, barren rock was made of layers, some of the top ones overhanging lower ones, which gave the formation its very odd appearance.
Edwyn dismounted and walked to an area where the layers overhung the most, leaving a cave-like dip in the side. It was not a cave, however--Ashyn could see the rear wall of it, which did not extend more than a dozen or so paces. Edwyn continued to a corner hidden by the shadow of the overhang. And then he disappeared.
Ashyn scrambled off her horse and jogged over with Tova at her heels. She expected to see there was indeed a cave entrance. Instead, she saw a solid rock wall.
"Around here," Edwyn called, seemingly from inside the mountain itself. Then his hand appeared, and she followed to see the solid wall was an illusion, created by shadow and the jutting rock. Squeeze past that jutting rock and there was indeed an opening, enough for a man to easily pass through.
She was about to step when Ronan caught her arm. He tugged her back.
"Move aside." Then he paused and squinted through at Edwyn. "I mean, would you please allow me to go first, my lady, to ensure your safety?"