Betrayal by Jon Kiln Page A

take care of you.”
    He felt a dry twinge in his throat that had nothing to do with the cuts. He swallowed several times. “If we are going to say I am your husband Dreth, you’ll need to stop calling me by my real name.”
    Arianne sighed. “As you wish, husband.”
    Nisero swallowed again. “Let me help you up.”
    She mounted the horse without his assistance and he climbed on his horse next to her. He stole a glance back at the man on the ground before they retook the trail and rode away.
    They passed other riders that gave nods or hails as they went. The other riders seemed to pay attention to Arianne’s condition still, but Nisero swore they were studying his face as they passed. It could have all been in his head or they might have been wondering what sort of man would be riding on any journey with a pregnant woman on horseback.
    It occurred to Nisero that he might have taken her by wagon to spare her the roughness of the ride, although she seemed uncomfortable and uneasy while reclining. He did not know much about pregnant women and their needs. He supposed his paranoia over thinking the travelers were staring at him was from the heightened energy of having fought for his life, and less connected to the reality of any recognition on their part.
    He drew the strings on the tie of his cloak tighter and up over his throat to hide the dark scars still caked with dried blood on his throat.
    He thought about the travelers coming across the injured man in the clearing or on the road. He would be awake again unless Nisero had crushed the man’s throat, which was a risk. If common bandits came upon him while he was still down or struggling along with his broken shoulder, they might beat him further or finish killing him for his dagger and whatever coin he carried. It would essentially be the same as if Nisero had straight out killed the man himself.
    If the bounty hunter claimed to be waylaid by the criminal, traitor, murderer, former Lieutenant Nisero, they might turn back to run him down with Arianne as good citizens would. They might alert the closest authorities and send them racing after Nisero with an accurate description and the correct route.
    “Should we leave this road?” Arianne pulled Nisero up out of his thoughts.
    “I do not know what roads we can and can’t take,” he said.
    Arianne took a moment to consider their options. “We can move along the spur ahead of us here. It will take us wider and farther out from the main villages and travel arteries. It will be a bit longer, but we are less likely to be seen by anyone that will care who wants you or for what.”
    Nisero stared at the fork ahead and the more narrow spur that Arianne was suggesting. “How likely are we to come across someone that wishes us harm regardless of who we might be?”
    “That I can’t answer, but I know we have come across one such man on the main road, so there is that to consider… husband.”
    Nisero chewed at his lip. He thought that a bounty hunter seeking out a warrant on a wanted criminal was not quite the same as a purposeless bandit. One man overestimating his ability to bring in a bounty was a bit different from a group of desperate killers and thieves looking to rape, murder, and steal. The army had not done a sufficient job of clearing the kingdom of such threats.
    He decided not to address any of these issues with her as there was not much to be said on the subjects. He had two paths in the woods with unknown dangers ahead on each. He had to make a choice on what he did know from the poor choices at hand. That form of decision was not new to him by any stretch.
    “Very well,” Nisero decided. “Let’s take the spur. Stay close to me and follow my instructions without delay. If I say it, I say it for a reason that I may not have time to fully explain. Do you understand?”
    “I do,” Arianne acknowledged. “Now you speak like a right proper husband. We should find you a nice wife you could order