That’s all he says, and then he turns and walks away, stomping toward the men. He barks out orders, indicating to everyone that it’s time to move out again.
I let out a puff of breath that coalesces in front of me like a starved cloud. Sail nudges me. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
I let out a chuckle and shake my head, following him as we start to make our way back toward my carriage. “No. I got let off easy.”
Midas would’ve raged at me for doing something so dangerous.
When we reach my carriage, Sail opens the door for me, stepping aside. “Well, if it means anything, I like what you did back there.”
I look at him with surprise, but he shrugs shyly, embarrassed either by his words or my attention. “It was risky and rash, but it showed you cared. That you saw, that you looked. Nobody else would’ve ever stopped for them,” he tells me, and the tone of his voice tells me everything I need to know about who he is and where he’s come from.
Sadness fills my cheeks, holding them up into a makeshift smile. “You would’ve, Sail,” I tell him. “You would’ve stopped too.”
And even though I just met him, I know this down to my bones. Because this soldier from the slums, he’s not so different from me.
Sail dips his head, and I offer him a smile before I climb into the carriage, the door closing quietly behind me. At least I know that for every King Rot that exists, there’s someone like Sail in the world to balance it out.
We travel for a couple more hours until Digby finally calls everyone to halt, just an hour before dawn. We’re well outside the city walls now, with nothing but a plain white canvas of snow surrounding us and a mountain range at our backs, the golden castle out of view.
Nearest to the fire, a thick canvas and leather tent is erected for me, fur rugs rolled out on the floor. Sail gives me a wink where he stands watch outside, and I climb in, barely shoveling down travel rations before I crawl onto my bedroll.
By the time night eases away and the dawning sun comes, I’m snuggled deep under golden covers with my ribbons wrapped around me. My legs and back are sore from riding, though it’s nothing compared to the aching sight of those molded men roped up, or the crushing poverty in Highbell.
But…I’m outside. I’m moving rather than stagnant. I’m out in the world, and I’m embracing it rather than hiding from it. So that’s something, at least.
I don’t know what I’m going to do once I reach Fifth Kingdom. I don’t know what to expect. It’s been one night, and I’ve already had to face heartbreaking destitution and rancid cruelty. But I’m okay. Despite not having the security of my cage, the world isn’t crushing me. Isn’t breaking me.
For now, I’m okay.
Chapter Nineteen
“Dammit all to Divine’s hell,” I hiss under my breath as I grip the reins, forcing myself to stay seated in the saddle.
I haven’t even been riding for very long yet—thirty minutes, tops. The night is thick and misted, like the air is holding up frozen patches of fog, forcing it to cling to our bodies as we travel over the frozen landscape.
I slept like the dead all day, so I should be well-rested and ready to go, but instead, I feel tired and sodden, like a towel wrung out.
I grit my teeth when my thighs begin to shake. My legs feel like one giant bruise from the inside out, though I have plenty of bruises on the outside too. Every time Crisp takes a step, I wince from the strain, my entire body sore.
The past seven days have been grueling. Even though the weather has held for the most part, it’s still not easy to journey all night every night in the dead, stark cold of Sixth Kingdom.
Each night, I’ve slogged my way through re-learning how to ride a horse, and my muscles hate me for it. I’m only able to ride for a few hours until I practically fall off Crisp and have to stumble back into my carriage.
But I don’t like to be cooped up in there, so I try to press on. I force myself to sit, to ride, to handle the strain, because the trade-off is that I get to be out in the open and enjoy the fresh air. I get to talk to Sail, who’s always ready to ride at my side with an easy smile and a story.
It’s nice, nicer than I can even express, to have a friend, to be without the constraints of a cage. Even if I do freeze my ass off.
Tonight though, my thighs and back are screaming at me earlier than usual, threatening to revolt. Unfortunately, my stomach isn’t satisfied either. The dried meat I ate as soon as I woke up didn’t do the trick, and I’m already hungry again. Tonight is going to be long.