Adeya, taking in a shallow, shaky breath, stopped. “Kyen?”
He looked up and smiled a little. “Hello.”
A weak giggle escaped her.
His smile faltered.
Tears spilled from Adeya’s eyes down her cheeks. Drawing in a gasp, she buried her face in her hands and wailed. Kyen, Gennen, and the others gaped. As her voice rang through the common hall, those at nearby fires stared at Adeya. Her shoulders shook, first with a fit of giggles, then ragged sobs, followed by more giggling. In between she struggled to get enough air to breathe.
“Did she just crack?” whispered Inen.
“Quit fountaining, mainlander!” Wynne scoffed, balancing her empty bowl on a finger. “Pull yourself together and act like a woman!”
Oda sniggered but cleared his throat and composed himself.
Adeya cried harder, sinking to her knees. Fits of choking joined the sobs and giggles.
Kyen started to get up but Nellalain reached Adeya first with a hanky. She put an arm around her shoulders, measuring out a huffy look to each of them.
“Stop gawking like you’ve never seen tears. You’re all ruffians!” Then to Adeya, “There, there, you poor dear. It’s alright. You’ve been worried sick, haven’t you?”
Adeya lifted her face long enough to nod. She buried another wave of sobs in her hands.
“It’s all right now. Come have a seat, and I’ll make you a cup of tea. Don’t listen to those scoundrels.” Nella shot Gennen a frown. He hunched under the look and lowered his eyes.
Helping Adeya up, she settled her between Kyen and Oda then busied herself getting the kettle on the fire. Adeya used Nella’s hanky to try to wipe her cheeks but hid her face in it instead. Her sobs slackened as she shuddered to draw a breath.
Kyen leaned over. “Are you alright?”
Adeya, taking in a little choking gasp, nodded into the hanky.
“Then why’s she crying?” Wynne whispered to Inen.
Inen shrugged and mouthed the word “women.”
Wynne—unable to reach his head—smacked him on the arm.
Inen rubbed the spot and shook his head at her.
Oda sniggered again.
A steely look from Gennen settled them down.
“Here we are.” Nellalain came with a steaming cup and handed it to Adeya. “This will calm your nerves. Bowls up, all the rest of you. We can’t be at the fire all night.”
Inen, Oda, and Wynne, all crowded in to get their fill first.
Ignoring the scuffle and curses, Kyen said to Adeya, “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m sorry. Yes.” She laughed a little and bit back more tears. “Just—just relieved. And tired.”
“She’s not slept a wink since you arrived.” Nellalain handed Kyen a bowl, and he passed it to Adeya.
“She’s not slept since Ennyen wounded you,” said Gennen.
“Three nights ago?” Kyen frowned.
“It’s alright. In Isea, all the healers are trained to stay awake through the night to care for—” A long yawn cut her off.
“Heh! Blades of Avanna are trained to stay awake for a week!” Wynne held out her already emptied bowl. “More!”
Nella gave her a look as she dished up a bowl for Gennen. Wynne scowled back, but said nothing as she kept her bowl stretched out.
“I’m sorry,” said Kyen.
“No. It’s alright.” Adeya gave him a teary smile. “I’m just glad to see you up.”
An uncomfortable silence settled around the fire. Kyen picked up his bowl but didn’t eat. Adeya stared into her mug of tea.
Wynne, oblivious, demanded, “Where’s my white loaf, Nella? You promised!”
“Here it is.” She pulled the bread from the folds of a cloth.
“She gets a white loaf?” cried Oda. “What about the rest of us?”
“If you can keep dirty words off your tongue until sundown tomorrow, I’ll make you one, too.”
Oda cussed under his breath.
Wynne broke her crusty loaf under the envious stares of the two other swordsmen.
Nellalain came and sat down next to Gennen.
“Now that we’re all comfortable,” she said. “Gennen has told me that you are Kyen of the House of Crossblade, but I don’t believe you know me. My name is Nellalain of Veleda.” She held out her hand to him.
Kyen looked up. He set aside his bowl for a moment to take her proffered fingers and bow over them. “Veleda? How did you end up here?” He took a big bite of stew.
“I’m Gennen’s wife.” She smiled.
Kyen choked so hard he had to put his bowl down again.
All the others shared grins except Gennen. He glowered at Kyen, but he was too busy hacking and coughing to notice.
Odallyan elbowed Adeya, leaned in confidentially, even though he spoke loud enough for the whole camp to hear. “Gennen spent his whole life swearing off marriage with every other sentence!”
“He seh every woman is un’isciplin’ and ba’ tempereh’,” threw in Wynne, talking with her mouth full. “An’ he woul’ ‘ie before he marry one.”
“I was speaking strictly of Avanna women,” said Gennen with a pointed glance at her.
“You’re married?” Kyen managed to croak.
Nellalain, who’d been smiling placidly over the whole conversation, ladled stew into a bowl for herself. “I kept my poor husband’s inn—I was a widow and childless, you see—on the borders of Veleda on the Great Highway. Gennen visited one a night. He said he had business in the area, but he stayed on, and on, and on. He’d make repairs in exchange for room and board. He even drove off a few unscrupulous fellows causing a ruckus one night. Then, one day, after a great speech over how he’d likely die in a fortnight, he asked me to marry him.” Nellalain laughed. “I always fancied myself running off on an adventure as a young girl. How I would have laughed knowing adventure would come to me at such an age!” She rubbed Gennen’s arm as she leaned against him.
The old man colored and set about stuffing the whole bowl of stew into his face.
Kyen gaped at them both.
“Gennen’s like a good loaf of bread.” Nellalain’s smile took on the smallest hint of mischievousness. “Even if he’s a little crusty on the outside, he’s soft on the inside.”
“I am not soft!” Gennen slammed his bowl down.
Sniggers traveled around the campfire.
Oda leaned in next to Adeya with a fiery look in his eyes. “I’m looking for a good woman, myself. What do you say to being mine?”
Adeya, appalled, leaned away from him.
Gennen and Kyen both shot Oda a hard look; their expressions so identical, they looked like father and son for a moment.
Odallyan chuckled nervously and sat back in his own space.
Nella took the empty bowl from Kyen’s hands, refilled it, and returned it.
Adeya tried to lift a bite of stew to her mouth, but a large yawn intercepted it.
Gennen, giving Oda a last warning glance, turned his attention to Kyen. Leaning over, he planted the slice of river reed in front of him with a thunk. The firelight caught its ruler-like edge.
“You never answered my question,” said the blademaster.