As he lifted the tent flap to leave, Ere threw him a pouch of coins, half of what little they had left from his earlier winnings.
“We need a better horse. Work your magic, darling. Speed over brawn.”
Sorin caught the money, gave one nod, then disappeared into the night. Per their unspoken agreement, Ere would remain here until he returned so that they could head out together to relieve some drunken lords of their purses.
Ere turned back to Rui.
“A fast horse for the target shooting obstacle horse,” he noted, ticking off one finger at a time as he went through his mental list.
“I have your disguise and makeup, as it were.” He ticked off another finger.
“We need bow and arrows,” Rui said.
“I’ll get them at the fort in the morning. Pending the money I’ll be procuring tonight. You are an expert archer and horse master, I assume?”
He arched a brow at Rui.
“Of course,” she responded matter-of-factly.
“Of course,” he echoed, a small smile hovering on his lips.
“Is there anything you don’t excel at?” he asked rhetorically.
She shrugged.
“What else?”
“You are all set for the sword fight?” He nodded toward her gleaming, long, Asian-style sword.
It was very different from the swords people used in these and nearby lands, in this time. Whereas the swords warriors used here were influenced by the Romans—thicker, heavier blades with more recent modifications of a wider cross-guard between the grip and the blade, Rui’s sword was long, thin and lean, almost delicate looking.
Rather like the wielder herself.
It was ornately engraved with (unsurprisingly) dragons, all along the leather-wrapped metal grip and down the blade itself. It looked like a gorgeous piece of priceless art rather than a deadly weapon.
“Wrath of Tides will not fail me,” Rui assured him.
She even bared her teeth in a confident smile.
“Wait and see.”
“You named your sword?” Ere blinked. “How very warrior of you. But I suppose most of the fighters here do that, eh? Never having been a warrior myself, I wouldn’t know.”
“For any true warrior, her sword is her partner,” Rui explained. “More so than her horse. We always have it within reach, even while we sleep.”
“Indeed,” Ere rejoined, with an elevation of brows.
“I always make sure to have my sword partner with me at all times. Within reach.Especiallyin bed. But the sword I reach for only runs me through, for happily, I am his one and only eternal sheath.”
He bared his teeth in his own beatific smile back at her, waiting for her to comprehend the meaning of his words.
She frowned. Not with disapproval, but with confusion.
Oh dear.
Poor little truffle dragon was truly an innocent. Ere wondered what he might do to help her along. Obtaining the Jewel of Dreams was their first priority, but he was growing strangely fond of this female.
She obviously wanted the warrior called Wolfe. Wanted him badly, from what Ere observed. He wondered how he could help her at least get a little “fun” in this serious, fate-of-the-world-in-the-balance quest.