Serovek was very glad he'd brought the sensible, cautious Erostis with them. “Agreed. And that brings me to the main reason for this meeting. We didn't plan to encounter agalla, but it’s happened. And I didn't expect to see a canal system surrounding Haradis, but I have. Circumstances have changed, and we have three tasks before us now. The first, to get Megiddo Cermak to the Jeden Order. The second, return to High Salure with instructions for Bryzant to find me an engineer. The third, get a message to the Khaskem at Saggara. I'll have to split our party three ways to get it all done.”
Numerous sputtered protests greeted his announcement. Erostis, spokesman by silent agreement from the others, spoke above the noise. “No disrespect intended, commander, but your plan doesn't seem all that sound. If Chamtivos wasn't still making a nuisance of himself in the Lobak Valley, I'd have no concerns, but it's still dangerous territory because of him. We're safer together as a larger party.”
Serovek nodded. “True, but our numbers also draw undue attention. We may only be eight, but we're eight, heavily armed, escorting a wagon carrying mysterious cargo. Two or three of us would be seen as no more than a family hauling goods or produce.”
“Then just send one of us to High Salure and one to Saggara,” Erostis argued.
“Or send the Kai woman home if you don't want attention.” Ogran's smirk gave his features a decidedly rattish cast. He thrust his chin in the direction where Anhuset slept. “If anyone is drawing attention, it's her with those wolf eyes and claws. Not to mention the teeth.”
Erostis closed his eyes, and his shoulders slumped. “Ogran,” he muttered, “Do us all a favor. Pretend you're smarter than my horse's backside and shut up.”
Snorts and smothered laughter disguised as coughs greeted his comment. Ogran lost his smirk in favor of a snarl, and his hand dropped to the dagger at his belt. The amusement died instantly, and the tension in the group rose fast as the rest of the men mimicked his action.
“Stand down,” Serovek said. “All of you.”
To those listening, his tone was no different nor his voice any louder than a moment earlier when the conversation was far friendlier, but to a man, they obeyed instantly. Even Ogran, though he glared mute promises of retribution at Erostis.
“Ogran is right,” Serovek continued, hiding a smile at their surprise. “Sha-Anhuset does attract notice when she's bare-headed and uncloaked, which has mostly been once we're camped for the night and not in a village.” He then cheerfully wiped away Ogran's self-satisfied expression. “Who among us has witnessed a Kai warrior in a fight?” All but Weson and Ogran raised their hands. Serovek pinned the tracker with an unblinking stare. “A single Kai with martial training, like sha-Anhuset, is worth three of us in combat.” He was pleased to see Erostis's, Klanek's, and Ardwin's enthusiastic nods. “Which means her value as a guard on this journey outweighs the risk of curious stares and a few awkward questions.”
Erostis resumed his role as mouthpiece for the others. “Then who do you wish to stay and who returns with messages to High Salure and Saggara?”
For just a moment, Serovek entertained the idea of keeping Ogran with the group traveling to the monastery, then thought better of it. He didn't relish the idea of burying bits and pieces of the man because he inevitably crossed Anhuset the wrong way one too many times.
“Sha-Anhuset and I will take the monk to the monastery. As Klanek's the wagon driver, he goes with us. Erostis as well to act as rear guard.” Ogran's glower turned even darker when Serovek continued. “The remaining four of you can decide between you who pairs up and who goes to Saggara and who goes to High Salure.” He gave a quick nod to Weson. “I could send one messenger, but as you said, a group is safer, and two are safer than one on any journey.” He glanced to where the captain stood. “We'll reach the next stop shortly after noon. Have your decision made by then and your gear packed. Sha-Anhuset will have a message ready to give to whomever goes to Saggara.”
He left them to confirm the time of the next stop with the captain and discovered Anhuset awake, seated against the railing. She huddled in her cloak, the hood pulled far forward to shield her face from the late morning sun. She held a bowl of the steaming gruel the boat's cook had served for breakfast and stared at it as if she'd spotted a horse dropping floating there. She brought the bowl close to her nose for sniff, gave a disgusted grunt and set it down on the deck as far from her as she could shove it. Her eyes glowed like bright lamps in the hood's shadow when she lifted her head to stare up at him.
“Humans eat the foulest things,” she declared.
Not one to let perfectly good gruel go to waste, Serovek scooped up the bowl and sat down next to her, where he proceeded to wolf down the bowl's contents, much to her undisguised revulsion. He set the bowl down between his feet and winked at Anhuset. “You missed out,” he said. “The boat's cook makes a fine porridge.”
“By all means,” she said in her driest tones. “Help yourself.” She nodded toward the group clustered at the stern. “I see you advised them about your plan. What did they say?”
Serovek shrugged. “The usual arguments about traveling in a larger group, reluctance for playing the messenger.” He chuckled. “I think they've convinced themselves we'll be babes among fiends without them to guard us.”
“I'm surprised one of them didn't consider me a fiend.” She waved one clawed hand at him.
“Ogran was the first to suggest you deliver your own message to Saggara.”
“You'll forgive me if I don't find that surprising.” The yellow of her eyes swirled in countless shades from burnished gold to daffodil, mesmerizing Serovek. “I pity whoever has to pair with him on the trip, though not enough to suggest you have him stay with us.”
“The rest are used to him. They'll just ignore his sourness as usual.”
A frown line creased her brow. “Margrave, would you grant a request?”
His eyebrows rose. This was unusual coming from Anhuset. “Of course.”
“Send Ogran to High Salure. I'll have my message for Brishen prepared for when we split up, but I want someone other than him to deliver it.”
The thought had crossed his mind as well. He saw no reason for Ogran to shirk his duty were he one of the pair chosen to travel to Saggara, but if it eased Anhuset's mind to assign the task to someone else, Serovek had no issue. “As you wish. You may have to scrounge for parchment. I doubt the captain keeps a stock on-hand, but it won't hurt to ask. If there's none to be had, decide what you want to tell Brishen and repeat it to the men. Between the two of them, they'll memorize and relay it.”
Her deepening frown told him she wasn't thrilled at the second choice, but their options were limited, and the next village or town near a boat landing was another day's travel, and another delay if they waited to buy writing supplies before sending messengers to their destinations.
Anhuset finally nodded. “I'll keep it short either way.” She eyed the empty bowl, then Serovek. “I can't believe you ate all of that vile slop.”
He grinned. “And it was my second bowl.” She shuddered. “If you threaten the cook enough, he might be willing to part with some of the fish he's saved for the midday meal.”
“I'm not that hungry to go through the trouble.” The brief touch of her claws on his arm sent a pleasurable tingle across his skin. “I thank you for letting me sleep, though you exaggerated how I would have reacted to Ogran waking me.”