A/N: You probably noticed that Bo is OOC. But I figured that's okay because Bo is OOC all the time. ;) Thanks so much for reading and being sweet!
By late afternoon they passed through rocky hills and into a cedar forest. There was a mutual sigh of relief when they stopped by a creek to camp. Bo rolled up the cuffs of her pants and stepped into the water.
Tamsin noticed her positioning. "They taught you more than how to talk pretty?"
Bo could tell that it was said in jest, but couldn't help but be offended. "I apprenticed under Usne Dur, our wise woman. I learned countless survival skills. It was for my personal enrichment and if—" Bo stopped herself.
"If I get killed." Tamsin finished her sentence.
"There are many reasons why I may be on my own. That is one. Usne feels it's important to teach everyone survival skills. Though the Council doesn't give her the opportunity to do so." Now flustered, Bo continued to search in the water.
"A lot has changed since the Council came to power," Tamsin said, watching Bo.
"There was constant war before the Council formed," Bo replied. She lifted her unyielding eyes above the water towards Tamsin.
Tamsin returned her look. "There was war, but it was one where the people were fighting against the elite landholders. Those powerful with money and land joined together to consolidate power into the Council." Tamsin walked closer to the creek. "It's not like what they told you, Bo. Have you ever wondered why this is such a long trip? You know the map was well as me. Did you wonder?"
"Of course I asked. The Council told me that we would be visiting many sacred places and celebrating the Binding with villages," Bo's voice was calm, but she could feel an anxiety building inside of her.
"Bo, there are many people that don't want this Binding, who think it will be our undoing. There are rebellions all over. This 'journey' will take so long because we have to avoid most of the villages and monuments. You have been lied to for twelve years. I am bound to this mission to protect Acacia from the Council. Know this now, it's the only reason I am taking you." Tamsin rose and walked towards the trees, leaving Bo to stew in her thoughts.
Bo's chest constricted as an ache settled over her heart. How could Usne do this to her, leave her in the dark? Worst of all, how could she ever trust the people that raised her to thrive always for the sake of the Binding? Those final days of preparation with Usne were grueling and emotional, but none of it compares to the pain she was feeling now. She heard Tamsin's return and looked up at her.
Tamsin's face looked sorrowful. "I know this is the Council's doing. I shouldn't direct my frustration towards you. I'm sorry."
Bo took a deep breath. "Truth is always best."
Tamsin nodded in agreement. "I'll start a fire for dinner."
Bo smiled in gratitude. She felt better knowing that Tamsin was trying. But she also needed her to know that she was not as naive as Tamsin might think. "Tamsin, I believe what you say about the rebellions. I know you don't want this. But I feel a cord between us that tells me this is the right journey for me." Tamsin was visibly taken aback by her words, but Bo didn't care. "I want you to show me what was hidden from me. Then, I and I alone will make the choice whether to do the Binding."
Tamsin nodded again silently and Bo returned to her task.
After she caught two fish, Bo went to their hearth. She noticed Tamsin had set out a smooth stone to prepare the fish on. Bo set the fish on the stone.
"Bo, what were you mumbling while you fished?" Tamsin asked.
"The Taking Prayer. It is for giving thanks and helping one pass gently. Don't rangers use it for the hunt?" Bo had assumed that it was a widely used practice.
"Not Acacia at least. She is swift in her killing though and likes to do things her own way. She was the first person I saw kill an animal."
"I can teach you next time." Bo enjoyed the idea of showing Tamsin something new.
"I'd like that." Tamsin said.
After they ate fish and roots, Bo thought they would talk more about the Council, but Tamsin was pensive. She passed a bottle of spirits to Bo. Bo hesitated and Tamsin continued to nudge the bottle towards her. "Usne and I never drank spirits," Bo finally said.
"It'll warm you. The fire does not have much life left," Tamsin said as she placed the bottle in Bo's hands.
Bo took a small sip and felt a strong jolt followed by amazing warmth. She took another sip, this time a little larger, and passed it back. "This feels really different from wine and ale." Bo put her hands on her chest. "I feel that warmth you spoke of." Sitting back, she watched the flames become a city of glowing embers.
It might have been the spirits that made lying next to her ranger feel strange; that it was not Usne's smell of herbs and tonic entering into her sleep, but Tamsin's smell of cedar and leather instead. Bo dreamt of Council members. They were sea monsters. Bo had never seen the sea or its creatures, but her imagination filled in the gap and created a very scary approximation of what they could be like. She awoke startled and it took her a few seconds to remember where she was and to smell food cooking.
Through sleepy eyes she saw Tamsin and felt the tug she was now growing accustomed to. This was a new day many miles from her old home. It was only her, Tamsin, and their beautiful horses. There was no one to tell her what to do, say, or wear. Bo felt truly happy for a moment before she recalled Tamsin's revelation about the Council. Her heart sunk, bringing quick breaths of panic. She sat up. Tamsin must have heard her because she turned from her cooking to smile at Bo.
One look from Tamsin brought Bo back to the present and calmed her anxiety. She quietly watched the morning light trickle down through branches onto Tamsin's face. Somehow that swelled her appreciation for this new, unexpected turn of events. She marveled at her mood shift; it was as if the woods and Tamsin's presence were a balm to her spirit. Bo decided then and there that she will find the truth and still trust Usne. The wise woman might not have predicted this exactly, but she could have most certainly set up the Binding pair as a move against the Council. Her mentor held many tricks up her sleeve, and her choosing Bo and Tamsin could have been one of them.