Darian smiled at the look of their quarry on the other side, and he motioned for his men to find a way across the rushing water. Within fifteen minutes they whistled back and the others soon followed. "These two look like they've been beaten," Darian said after he inspected the pair.
Veles shivered in the cold, steeling himself as he felt the lead hunger draw near. Turning, he met the other man's gaze, and he scowled, biting down at the cloth between his teeth.
"Why did you beat them?"
"They struggled sir! And wouldn't shut the hell up. I did what I had to do to keep them under control."
"And you devalued them by at least a third by the time we get to market," Darian growled and before anyone knew it, his hand slammed hard against the stockier man's face. The smaller man tumbled to the ground, landing on a rock against the riverbank.
Veles frowned and with what hand he could, wiggled it toward Ghost to somewhat intertwine his fingers with hers. And all the while his heart beat wildly in his chest.