An Affinity For Fire

37. Calio

Calio tugged at Ash's reins, bringing her to a halt. The half-breed snorted, tossing her head in indignance at the abrupt stop. She, much like every half-breed, horse and human in the royal travelling party, was clearly deeply opposed to staying still for any length of time in the snow.

Even Calio had to admit she was struggling with the cold. Strictly speaking, she was capable of keeping herself warm, even without the fleece-lined coat she'd barely removed during the last half of their journey, but doing so would require a level of exertion they didn't have enough food to compensate for. But resisting using her inner fire at such low temperatures was an effort in and of itself. It was like having an itchy foot and having to resist the urge to so much as flex her toes.

She wiped a layer of melted snow from her brow with the back of her hand, blinking away the heavy flakes that kept landing on her eyelashes. She almost hadn't noticed the outlines of small, stone buildings through the thick falling of snow. But sure enough, the outermost houses of The Lungs were beginning to line the Eastern side of the White Passage.

Only one more night on the ground, she told herself.

At the muffled sound of hooves through snow, Calio whirled Ash around to see a single half-breed trotting towards her. Anxious, she reached for the knife strapped to her thigh. She'd deliberately ridden ahead to avoid the chaos of the travelling party, and she hadn't been expecting anyone to catch up with her for at least an hour.

But as the rider drew closer, she released a breath, recognising the mottled grey half-breed, and the dark-haired man riding him.

"Not like you to avoid a crowd," Calio said as Dallas pulled Momohrel up beside her.

"That crowd is full of cold, complaining nobles who haven't bathed in two weeks," He pointed out, scrunching his shoulders up to his ears. His cheeks were unusually pink, his lips ever-so-slightly purple. "Anyway, I figured the sooner we reached the Lungs, the sooner we could make a Tavern stop."

Temping as the idea of getting some shelter and some wine was, Calio rolled her eyes. "We can't just stop for a drink, we're on a schedule."

"We are," Dallas agreed. "A schedule which we're a good hour ahead of. They're miles behind us. And even if way stay longer than that, you've seen the map, you know where we're camping. We can meet them all there. Unless, of course, you'd rather stand around waiting for them in this." He pointed at the sky. In the small time they'd been stopped, his hair had become almost fully covered in a fresh layer of snow.

"You want to visit a public establishment in damp riding clothes, coated in two weeks of dirt and sweat?" She asked.

He raised his eyebrows. "Have you ever been to a tavern? Trust me, we will not be the least presentable people there."

"I fail to see how you could possibly think that would make it sound more appealing," Calio said with a grimace, but she shook her head and sighed. "Fine. But we're only having one drink."

Dallas smirked. "You know that's not a promise I can make."

"Well, if you pretend to agree, I'll pretend to believe you."

He flashed her a wicked grin. "Deal." Without giving her half a second to change her mind, he spurred Momohrel towards the town. Fighting against the smile tugging at her lips, Calio followed.

The first public house they came across was two stories tall, judging by the windows, and had a sign hanging above the door which read 'The Vipers' Nest'. Calio dismounted, leading Ash to the scrawny, golden-haired girl standing at the door of the small stables. She noticed Dallas wincing as he leapt down from Momohrel, lifting his right foot. He glanced at her, trying to smile away the pain in the hope that she wouldn't notice.