help you with?" His voice was strong and had a gravelly quality to it. He looked at Jessmei first, surprised by her beauty, and then his eyes darted to the swords at my side.
"We are travelers en route to Nia. We don't have any money, but would be willing to trade for food and shelter for the night." Jessmei's words flowed smoothly out of her mouth. The man looked at her in shock.
"Why are you going to Nia?" I got the feeling that he didn't like conversing with women.
"That is our destination," I said to him shortly.
"Are you two daft?" He was getting angry. Jessmei turned to look at me and then the man seemed to sense the confusion on her face.
"You haven't heard?" he gasped.
"No. What has happened?" I felt the words leave my mouth and the dread build in my stomach.
"Nia's capital has been conquered by Losher. The king has been killed. The whole country is fucked like a whore that just got her mouth broken--ah sorry, miss." He took off his hat and smiled sheepishly at Jessmei.
"The king is dead?" Jessmei's words were almost softer than a whisper. Her skin looked as pale as it did when she had almost died of hypothermia.
"That's what I heard. The Losher army is still at the city. Supposed to be there all winter. There isn't much food and many people are leaving the capital. There are highwaymen and other atrocities on the main road heading north into Gradar and south into Brilla."
"My father is dead?" Jessmei repeated. Her voice sounded dead and empty. The man seemed confused and looked to me with his face bent in question. I pulled my horse next to hers and managed to grab her as she slumped over her saddle. Her arms wrapped around me and she pushed her face into my chest. The man looked around in embarrassment as she sobbed uncontrollably in my chest. The cries quickly turned to screams of anger as she dug her nails into my arms.
"What about the rest of the royal family? The queen? The duke?" I asked the herder, afraid to even ask of the duchess. My stomach felt like it had ice in it.
"I just know that the king has been killed. I get my news from travelers that have come by." He looked around nervously and I saw a few other villagers take interest in our exchange. A few of the children were also peeking at us from behind the homes. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked sincerely.
"We had not heard of these events. Her family lives in the castle." I ran my hands through her hair and kissed the blonde waves. Her body was shaking against mine.
A middle-aged woman and man walked up behind the man. They pulled him away from us with a smile and apology and whispered to him. They asked him what we were doing here and why the girl was crying. He explained that we had not heard the news of Nia and we were heading there to visit family. Jessmei's frantic cries were getting worse and more villagers seemed to be congregating toward the entrance of the wall to see what the commotion was.
"We can put you and your wife up for a few days," the woman said to me. The other man with her nodded and looked up at us with concern on his weathered face.
"Thank you. We don't have any money but I--“
"No. Don't even think about it lad. She looks devastated and you look like you haven't had a thing to eat in two months. It will be our pleasure. Greta and I don't get many visitors out here and the company will make us happy," the man said. I nodded and tried to smile down at them while Jessmei continued her teary cries of anguish.
"Thank you. I'm Kaiyer and this is Jess." I didn't know if I should use her full name or not but it wouldn't hurt to be too cautious.
"Greta is my wife and I am Rayat. The man you have been speaking with is Ves." I nodded at each of them. Greta and Rayat were probably a dozen years younger than Ves but all three of them possessed the tanned, stout features of ranchers.
They led me to the other side of the town, to a tiled roof house that was one of the largest in the small village. In the back area of the
"We are travelers en route to Nia. We don't have any money, but would be willing to trade for food and shelter for the night." Jessmei's words flowed smoothly out of her mouth. The man looked at her in shock.
"Why are you going to Nia?" I got the feeling that he didn't like conversing with women.
"That is our destination," I said to him shortly.
"Are you two daft?" He was getting angry. Jessmei turned to look at me and then the man seemed to sense the confusion on her face.
"You haven't heard?" he gasped.
"No. What has happened?" I felt the words leave my mouth and the dread build in my stomach.
"Nia's capital has been conquered by Losher. The king has been killed. The whole country is fucked like a whore that just got her mouth broken--ah sorry, miss." He took off his hat and smiled sheepishly at Jessmei.
"The king is dead?" Jessmei's words were almost softer than a whisper. Her skin looked as pale as it did when she had almost died of hypothermia.
"That's what I heard. The Losher army is still at the city. Supposed to be there all winter. There isn't much food and many people are leaving the capital. There are highwaymen and other atrocities on the main road heading north into Gradar and south into Brilla."
"My father is dead?" Jessmei repeated. Her voice sounded dead and empty. The man seemed confused and looked to me with his face bent in question. I pulled my horse next to hers and managed to grab her as she slumped over her saddle. Her arms wrapped around me and she pushed her face into my chest. The man looked around in embarrassment as she sobbed uncontrollably in my chest. The cries quickly turned to screams of anger as she dug her nails into my arms.
"What about the rest of the royal family? The queen? The duke?" I asked the herder, afraid to even ask of the duchess. My stomach felt like it had ice in it.
"I just know that the king has been killed. I get my news from travelers that have come by." He looked around nervously and I saw a few other villagers take interest in our exchange. A few of the children were also peeking at us from behind the homes. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked sincerely.
"We had not heard of these events. Her family lives in the castle." I ran my hands through her hair and kissed the blonde waves. Her body was shaking against mine.
A middle-aged woman and man walked up behind the man. They pulled him away from us with a smile and apology and whispered to him. They asked him what we were doing here and why the girl was crying. He explained that we had not heard the news of Nia and we were heading there to visit family. Jessmei's frantic cries were getting worse and more villagers seemed to be congregating toward the entrance of the wall to see what the commotion was.
"We can put you and your wife up for a few days," the woman said to me. The other man with her nodded and looked up at us with concern on his weathered face.
"Thank you. We don't have any money but I--“
"No. Don't even think about it lad. She looks devastated and you look like you haven't had a thing to eat in two months. It will be our pleasure. Greta and I don't get many visitors out here and the company will make us happy," the man said. I nodded and tried to smile down at them while Jessmei continued her teary cries of anguish.
"Thank you. I'm Kaiyer and this is Jess." I didn't know if I should use her full name or not but it wouldn't hurt to be too cautious.
"Greta is my wife and I am Rayat. The man you have been speaking with is Ves." I nodded at each of them. Greta and Rayat were probably a dozen years younger than Ves but all three of them possessed the tanned, stout features of ranchers.
They led me to the other side of the town, to a tiled roof house that was one of the largest in the small village. In the back area of the
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