21. The Left Behind

"Why don't you come to the back of the column now?"

Thorn glanced at Evin tiredly. "What?"

Evin motioned to the forest. "Can you smell it? Smoke from campfires?"

Thorn turned away and just continued to doze. "Okay."

"We know where they are now. You don't need to lead us any longer." Evin said.

"Okay."

"Thorn? Are you all right?"

"O….kay." she slowly said in return.

"Thorn?"

"O….--"

He caught her just as she was slipping off her saddle.

"Thorn." He sighed as he pulled her in front of his own saddle.

Thorn felt the warmth of his body seep through their clothes and into her; she jerked wide awake.

"What are you doing." she demanded in a flat voice.

"You were falling out of your saddle."

"That doesn't mean that you have to put me on yours." she retorted, blinking as sleep started taking over again.

"Well, if you prefer to just fall flat on your face…"

She didn't reply.

Alanna rode over beside them. She observed the sleepy Thorn sitting in Evin's arms. "I was wondering when she'd give out." she said, motioning to the girl.

"It's been a long day." Evin agreed.

Alanna gave a rueful smile. "And the fight hasn't even started." There was a short silence. "She's a lot tougher than she looks."

Evin looked down at Thorn. "Yes, she is."

"How is it going between the two of you?" she asked him quietly.

He grimaced. "Not too well."

She gave him an encouraging smile. "Good thing you were always a very persistent lad." She reached out and gripped his arm. "It's not over till it's over."

To Thorn, who continued to doze in the saddle, the conversation seemed to be a million miles away. She heard voices, but her mind was too tired to distinguish the words.

She suddenly felt Evin pull himself off the horse, pulling her with him. He placed her on a patch of soft green grass, and the grass suddenly grew, as to form a nice soft cushion for Thorn to rest on.

She heard him speak.

"Alanna says to make camp here. We're still a good distance away from them. We'll get them tomorrow, when everyone's fresher."

"O…kay." she said sleepily. She then tried to pull herself up but found that she was just pushed back.

"I need to set up my tent…and things." she protested, eyes still half closed.

"Don't worry about them. I'll do it."

She nodded and laid back down on the cool grass.

"Thanks, Evin." she mumbled, just on the brink of real sleep.

Soft lips brushed against her forehead. "Your very welcome."

~~~~~~~~~

"What do you mean I can't go with everyone else!"

Evin sighed. He and Brecc had been the lucky chosen ones to tell Thorn that she was not allowed to participate in the bandits' captures.

"Thorn, please--" Brecc pleaded.

"I come all this way, lead you people to them, and you won't even let me…let me watch?" Thorn said, outraged.

"You'll be safer here." Evin said.

"Don't even think about deciding what's safe for me or not. I spent seven years of my damn life with those bandits, and you won't even let me watch them getting captured? Much less participate?" she said in irritation.

"We don't want you to be a weapon." Evin said reasonably.

"I won't have to use my magic. I know how to fight." she replied.

"Thorn--"

"But I want to help!" she continued to protest.

This statement made Evin's eyebrow raise. "You? Want to help? Since when have you actually wanted to help?"

Since I fell in love with you! But the words got choked up in her throat. She knew that he was referring to the incident where she had fed him only to make Torhte angry and not because she had wanted to help him.

"Your being there might influence Torhte or Asianna's reactions. We've all thought this through. Many times. And everyone, including Alanna, has decided that you're better of staying here."

She glared at Evin and crossed her arms angrily across her chest. "Fine."

Brecc breathed an audible sigh of relief, but Evin looked at her suspiciously.

"You will stay here?" he asked.

"Yes." she confirmed.

"And you will stay here until we return?" he continued.

"Yes." she said through clenched teeth.

"And you will not try to--"

"Yes, yes, yes, dammit!"

Evin nodded. "Good."

::You're really going to stay put while they go off to meet the bandits?:: her staff asked her doubtfully as Evin and Brecc started walking away.

::Are you kidding? There is no way that I'd let them go off without me…::