Chapter 72: Chapter 72

Omar had just bitten into fresh roasted hare when he heard noise in the woods that was decidedly not animal.

He ignored it, hoping he was wrong. He had a strong suspicion that his uninvited visitor was not a bandit, but someone far more headstrong and dangerous.

The noise came again several minutes later, followed almost immediately by what sounded like someone desperately trying to smother a sneeze.

He was almost impressed it had taken three whole weeks for her to catch up. Setting his dinner aside, Omar fixed a second plate and called out in Cormian, "You may as well come out, Lady Astira. If you make me come find you, I won't be sharing my supper."

Colorful swearing came from a dense copse of bushes at the far end of the clearing, then she pushed through the foliage and strode toward him like a princess in a throne room. The impression was in no way lessened by her dirty travel clothes or the ragged state of her braided and bound hair.