03 - Sworn by Kate Sparkes Read Free Book Online

Kel said. “Looking for somewhere to swim.”
    “Oh, perfect,” Rowan said. “I have something I need to practice, but I need water. A lot of it. And preferably away from people, just in case.” She looked down at her hands, and a pinched expression came over her face.
    She was a strange person. Too innocent, too trusting, too eager to please. She hadn’t complained about the insulting task Ulric had set for her, and her lack of spine didn’t warm me to her. And yet she’d been kind to me even after I stated outright that I didn’t like her, offering help, thanking me for the potions and ointments that had helped heal her injuries and Aren’s, asking me questions about my work. She’d saved our lives when we escaped from the city, and that was a mark in her favor. She obviously cared deeply for my brother. That was another. But in spite of the great things she’d done so recently, she seemed unsure of herself. Seeing a person in that state made me uncomfortable. Where I came from, hesitation and doubt made one a victim, as did seeking the approval of others.
    I would know.
    “Your magic is fully recovered and under control?” I asked.
    She turned to me, eyes wide. Probably surprised I was speaking to her. “I think so. But I need to practice. I learned control in that cell, but I haven’t had many chances to practice at full power since the pushback effect wore off. I don’t want anyone to get hurt if it turns out I still need help containing it.”
    I was about to point out that her joining us might not be the best idea if she could injure us, but didn’t. Kel caught the tightness of my expression, and watched the two of us carefully.
    Rowan noted it, too, and took a step back. “I’ll ask in the kitchen where we can find water.”
    “I’ll come,” Cassia added, and they left us.
    “That was pleasant,” Kel observed.
    I sighed. “I’m trying to be nice, but what was I supposed to say? She rubs me backwards, that’s all.”
    Kel laughed. “Pardon?”
    “It’s an expression. If you pet a cat the wrong way, back to front, they hate it. It ruffles them.”
    I waited for the I’d like to ruffle you comment that was clearly waiting behind his smile, but he held back this time. “I’m not going to tell you what to do, Nox. You can’t force these things. But you might think about why you don’t get along with her. See where that takes you.”
    I frowned, but couldn’t put my heart into it. “Not everyone can be friends.”
    “I know. But tolerance wouldn’t be a bad thing, right?” He pulled me close and kissed the top of my head.
    Rowan’s shoulders slumped with disappointment when she returned. Cassia looked absolutely devastated.
    “There’s no water.”
    “What?” Kel released me and placed his hands on Cassia’s arms. She just shook her head.
    Rowan stepped closer. “We talked to a woman in the meal tent. They used to get their water from a lake nearby—nothing impressive, but it provided enough for drinking and bathing, and was clean and clear when they got here. It’s almost dried up now, just since the autumn, and everything in it was dead before that. They were collecting snow through the winter, and now they’re using rainwater.” She gestured to a set of wooden barrels outside the tent. “Even that’s running low. It hasn’t rained properly in weeks. A lot of the people want to move on, but Goff and Laelana won’t have it. I suppose they feel safe here.”
    I scraped at the ground with the scuffed leather toe of my boot. Beneath a layer of dust, the soil was hard and cracked. “You can call water though, right? That’s your magic thing?”
    Rowan paled. “I... I have, when it’s available. I could try now, but—”
    “Never mind.” I sighed and tried not to blame her for being nervous about it. She’d just killed a man with her magic a few days ago, something I wouldn’t have thought her capable of. I’d try not to judge her for shying away from it