Morning came, and Rannok was still not used to the beast's muscles rippling under his legs, or its spine digging into his crotch. He winced with every step it made. Sasha stayed ahead on him on the same leggy, brown animal that he'd tried to steal. 

His shoulder and back still ached, and turning his head sent pulses of pain down the center of his spine. Every time the creature looked in his direction, Rannok felt a cold chill run down his spine. He still didn't like the old grey animal he'd been given, but it was at least quiet, and close to the ground if he fell.

Erean easily made up the front, on a red and white horse that didn't seem to really care one way or the other where it was going. Behind it strode a dun mule on a long rope, its ears swaying back and forth in the breeze as it followed Erean.

Sasha pulled her mount back and came astride him. Rannok groaned under his breath and the crow laughed in his ear.

"Get ready for the inquisition," it said. Rannok did not need to be reminded.

"Hi," Sasha said, in a way that reminded him she was only with them because she'd helped them steal the horses. Not that she'd admit that was what she was doing, but the way her hands fidgeted as she darted around the map and the stilted way she answered questions gave her away entirely.

"I would not say anything, if you don't want her to bring us right back where we started." 

"Hi," Rannok grumbled. He tried not to look at Driver as he danced beside him in fits and starts, eyes roiled with white, clearly ready to take off again at the first opportunity. Erean had argued against her bringing him, and tried to get her to bring another horse instead, but she'd insisted he was her friend. Not that he'd looked it. He'd tried to take off with her three times already and almost succeeded two of those times.

"So where did you come from," she asked, clearly oblivious to the fact that he did not want to talk.

"Terres, I told you."

"I kind of meant where in Terres. I know that's where you came from. Did you have any friends, or did you take off for here because you were wanted like everyone else always does?"

His chest squeezed a little. He would have done anything to have brought Wren along for some company. At least if he had, Sasha would shut up. He stared straight ahead into the path forged in fronds of grass nearly as tall as he was. The air smelled waterlogged, but not the same way Agatine did. It smelled alive, like wet dirt and branches. 

"I mean, Erean doesn't really seem like your friend. How do you know each other?" She pursed her lips thoughtfully and looked straight at him. The tight copper curls in her hair bounced as the horse moved.

"Can we not talk about this?" he said. 

"Ooh, was it a girl? I bet it was a girl. Did you like her?"

Rannok shook his head. "No." Even if she was the best friend he'd ever had. He couldn't stop thinking about how her face looked as the ship pulled away. How much she looked like the world was ending, even though Phina stood right beside her and squeezed her hand the whole time. It made him feel terrible for leaving her again. He cursed himself as soon as the words came out of his mouth, because he knew it would only beget more questions.

"Are you sure?" Sasha asked. He wanted to reach out and choke her so she would be quiet for a few minutes. He shut his mouth and stared straight ahead again in the hopes it would make her stop talking. He remembered the men who beat his face in, and how he'd had bruises on his face nearly all the time. He remembered how badly it hurt to leave his friends and wanted to hurt Sasha enough that it made him uncomfortable.

"Do you like men? It's okay if you like men, you know. My cousin likes men and--"

"Would you stop asking me questions," Rannok spat. He kicked his horse in the ribs and grabbed onto the hair on its neck as it jolted forward. He winced as he bounced up and down in the saddle and the sensitive parts of his body slammed repeatedly into the leather. After a few strides the horse stopped and he nearly went tumbling over its neck.

"You should sit down so you won't fall," Sasha called from behind him him. The crow cackled in his ear. He shooed it off his shoulder. It settled on the horse's rump and fluffed its wings.

"Charmer, isn't she," it said.

"I swear if you don't be quiet, I will throw you at the ground," Rannok replied. He looked behind him to see whether Sasha was following. Mercifully, she kept a few yards behind, which was just enough for him to ignore anything she might shout in his general direction.

Around them, the grass was getting shorter. Before long, Rannok could see over the tops of it. It stretched around them for miles, a field of undulating green that seemed to never end. He couldn't believe they'd only been traveling since nightfall. Rannok could hear the sound of rushing water, like the ocean, but louder. Sasha came alongside him, then pushed past. His horse's hooves sucked in the damp earth until the grass parted completely and they found themselves on the bank of a wide river.

Driver made a distressed noise. Sasha held his face tighter and pointed up the bank at an angle.

"We need to follow the river a little way. After that, we'll loop back around and start going the other direction.

Rannok watched as Erean raised his eyebrows at her.

"Why do we need to cross the river?" He asked.

Driver danced and prodded at the streambank, backing up and surging forward with steps so fast Rannok suddenly worried she might fall. Sasha let out a nervous bit of laughter and jerked at his face to hold him still.

"Helps me find my bearings on the map," she replied.

Erean shrugged his shoulders. "You know the way, not me."

"She's lying again, and I do not believe she actually knows the way," the crow said, dryness enunciating his words. 

"Wonder why," Rannok said, though he was positive he didn't actually want to know the answer to that question. He kicked his horse in the flank and held on as it picked up a bouncy trot across the water, its feet splashing in it until they were nearly halfway up to its body.

Rannok's heart jumped into his throat again. He clung to the beast's neck as hard as he could, then clamped his eyes shut until they got to the other side. Erean caught the horse's bridle for him and pulled them to a stop.

"You should look where you are going," he said. Rannok grumbled some choice words under his breath but did not say anything more.

He could hear Driver's breathing even over the rushing water, a shrill scream so much like a reaver's it made him clamp his hands over his ears. He watched as Sasha kicked him again and again in the flank. His feet left the ground once, twice, only just little hops.

She grabbed at one of the stalks of grass, snapped it, and thwacked it across the horse's rump. He let out another harsh sound and circled, so tight Rannok could not help but wince as his front feet trod over the back ones. She brought the grass down a second time, hard. Driver stomped, surged into the water a few steps, then stepped under himself. His front legs came up until Sasha was balanced precariously in the stirrups, the animal's neck leaned so far back it looked like a teetering toy.

Driver landed on his front feet again, heavy, like steel. Rannok winced. Sasha grabbed at Driver's neck as he hopped in circles, then slipped off his side and landed in a heap on the ground. 

Erean's mouth opened in a sharp 'o', his hands reached out as if to catch her, body leaned forward, ready to run. But before a word could come out of anyone's mouth, Sasha was up, her hands snatching at Driver's reins. Water dripped from her hair and ran into her eyebrows. She shook the water out.

"Come on, you stupid animal," she grumbled, tugging at his face while he fitted and spurted, then finally, reluctantly, he crossed. Erean gave her a look.

"Are you sure you don't want to ride the pack mule and leave Driver to carry our things?"

For a second, anger flashed in Sasha's eyes so fierce Rannok was certain she would lunge at Erean. But instead she pushed past him and patted Driver's neck while making a soothing noise through her top teeth. 

"Let's go," she said.

He watched as her shaking hands grabbed at Driver's reins. The horse's eyes went white again as she patted his neck.

"It's okay, Driver. Let me get on." Her voice was so quiet Rannok wasn't sure anyone else was supposed to hear. The crow shook his beak back and forth a few times, then took up his customary place on Rannok's shoulder. 

"She is almost as afraid of him as you are."

"Do you know what she's running from?"

"No."