Before the landslide, the camp, or Blue.
“We need to talk.” Calish startled me. I held my hand to my heart as if it were about to jump out of my chest. “You didn’t expect me? That seems to be a reoccurring theme tonight,” he mumbled as he took a seat at the round table.
I sat across from him slowly, afraid of what he would say.
“I’m only going to ask once.” He moistened his lips then dried them with the back of his hand. “You take all the time you need but tell me the truth. Don’t lie to me.”
My whole body started to tremble. “I won’t.”
“Is there something going on between you and him?”
I didn’t know how to reply, so I gave him the best explanation I could. “We’re friends, Calish. That’s all.”
“No, that’s not all,” he didn’t break his stare, “not for him at least.”
“He’s not going to do anything inappropriate, nor would I.”
Calish rubbed his chest and leaned back in his chair. “I’m not a Seer, but I see the way he looks at you, and I don’t like it. I don’t trust him, not with you, anyway.”
“He’s not you,” I mumbled.
“Excuse me?” He sat forward. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Never mind.” I tried to stand, and he grabbed my hand.
“You have something to say, so say it.”
If this is what he needs to move on, then fine, I will.
“He’s not you, Calish. He’s not going to pursue a married woman.”
He released my hand and tightened his jaw.
“Don’t act so offended. If I’d married Blue, do you think you’d leave me alone? For god’s sake, Calish, our first time was in his house. I wore his medallion for two seasons, and you never backed down.”
“That was different.”
“Was it?” I raised my eyebrows. “Besides, Nik isn’t the one you need to trust. I am. I’m the one you need to trust. The fact you don’t is the real problem between us, and it hurts. I’ve been faithful to you. Can you say the same? Did you refuse Merci’s affections?” I flicked the tear from my cheek with the back of my hand.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. I’d seen it myself. While he didn’t share himself with her, he did enough to make the people watching believe their engagement to be legitimate. Calish changed his posture and averted his eyes.
“Stop pushing me away. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
His face softened. “I’m sorry, Una.” He reached out for my hand. “I’ll never ask again.”
“Thank you.” I found my breath.
“Do me one favor?” He knelt next to my chair. “Don’t play that game; it only leads to trouble.”
“I figured that out on my own,” I admitted and accepted the affection from the only man in the world I truly wanted to kiss.
Chapter 10
We sat on the wicker chaise lounge on the veranda until the stars made themselves known. I laid back against Calish, and his arms wrapped around me, feeling the movement of the baby beneath my shirt. We welcomed the coolness of the evening, and I didn’t want to rush it. Hawk told everyone to sober up, but neither Calish nor I were drunk. I figured it would be morning before anyone else could function. A knock on our bedroom door proved my assumption wrong.
“Come in,” Calish yelled over his shoulder into the vacant room.
Marsh poked his head through the bedroom door. “Hawk said to come and get you two.”
“We’re out here,” he said, nuzzling the top of my head.
“Oh.” Our brother padded through the master room and popped his head outside. “Hawk said, ‘it’s time’ and ‘you’d be expecting it’?” He shrugged.
“Yeah, I know what it’s about.” Calish helped lean me forward to stand.
“Before we go down there, I’d like to talk to you.” Marsh leaned against the doorjamb casually.
“Sure.” Calish stood behind me, rubbing the length of my arms.
“Um, I was hoping we might talk alone; no offense, Una.”
“None taken.” I patted Calish’s hand, and he slid it off me. “I need to freshen up anyway.”
“Thanks.” Marsh moved out of my way as I headed to the washroom.
Of all the things gigantic houses provided, the assumption of privacy had to be the greatest lie ever believed. Large rooms with closets, billowing curtains, and oversized furniture gave an illusion of security in an otherwise empty room. Calish’s house had corners, doors, and windows, and when coupled with a hint of wolf spirit, I gained the privilege of leaving while hearing every word they said. I left the washroom door open a crack as I readied myself and listened.
“You should know nothing happened with Una and Nik earlier,” Marsh reported. “He is a good guy.”
“I’ve heard,” Calish replied.
“I don’t know how to say it, so I’ll just lay it out for you; you need to back off, brother.”
“Excuse me?”
“Cut the shit. You know what I’m talking about. You and Una were made for each other, but when you left, you just disappeared. We all thought you were dead. Like it or not, Nik picked up the pieces and gave her what she needed to survive, without you. You keep pissin’ over everything, and you’ll wake up one morning without any turf to mark, you understand?”
“Me? Let me tell you something—”
“Shut up. I’m talking.”
Silence.
“Una’s never wanted to be any man’s property, and there was a time you didn’t want that for her either. You’ve got to quit being an ass. Nik’s not your enemy, brother.”
“He’s in love with her, Marsh.”
“What’s not to love?”
“And she loves him,” Calish said quietly.
“Are you out of your damn mind?” Marsh argued. “Who is she with?”
Again, silence.
“Did she tell you Nik gave her the fastest horse, fully equipped to get her to you? What neither of you know is he also sent men ahead of her to make sure she didn’t get into any trouble the day she came to find you.”
“I appreciate what he’s done for her, but—”
“You didn’t think to send us a letter to let us know you were alive? I found out you were engaged from the Town Crier!”
“I, um…”
“You what? Were you too busy?” Marsh paused. “The only reason she’s here with you is because he helped her when no one else could. The only reason she’s not still fucked up in the head is because he came here and sorted out her nightmare memory thing. Did you ever thank him? No, you didn’t.”
“I said I appreciate everything he’s done…”
“Then quit kicking the shit out of him! I’m pretty sure Una’s going to get tired of it, too.”
“Fine!” Calish yelled, in a tone making it clear he didn’t want to discuss it further. “Anything else?”
Heavy footsteps traveled into the room, and I busied myself in case they checked on me.
“Yeah,” he chuckled, “you gotta lot of wine, but you need more ale.”
“You drank all of it?”
“Not by myself!” Marsh opened the door, and together they headed downstairs.
* * *
Muffled conversations happened casually around the table as everyone waited for the meeting to begin. Calish entered the room with two pitchers of water. He set them on the table. “Hey.” He kissed me and pulled back the chair next to Nik, inviting me to sit. I accepted his direction, and he took care scooting me in.
“Dinner would have been more impressive, but someone sent the servants home,” Calish said, taking the last empty seat across the table from me.
Handfuls of dried fruits, meats, and nuts lay in uneven amounts on a large serving tray. Next to that, a loaf of bread with a knife wedged in its middle had rolled half off the cutting board, stopped by a dish of butter and a jar of unopened redberry jam. Since Calish and I had been upstairs, and everyone else appeared hungov
er, I assumed Hawk had prepared the spread himself.
Once we were all seated, Hawk gained the attention of the group. He didn’t need to clap his hands, clear his throat, or whistle. His posture and confidence did it for him. A hush fell over the room, and after taking a sip of water, he began. “Calish and I met with the Authority and Clergy today. There’s a general consensus that the Temple needs to be rebuilt for the people.” He rolled his eyes. “I think we all know it’s going to happen whether we want it to or not. Now we know Noran’s a Charmer, we know he’s bound to get what he wants, and as such, we’ve decided not to fight him on it.”
Calish spoke up. “Noran is pressuring us to prepare for the Atchem Festival, instead of following our recommendations to narrow our efforts to ready ourselves for Talium.”
“I think we can all agree without food or shelter, most of Ashlund will starve, or worse, without a plan in place. Our discussions have gone nowhere until today.” Hawk sighed.
Calish folded his hands on the table, tapping his thumbs together. “They are thinning the herd, making sure only the strongest will survive long enough to be part of New Ashlund.”
Ino leaned forward. “They’re actually hoping more people will die?”
“They referred to it today as ‘The Prodigious Cleansing.’ I’m not sure where the idea originated, but the ones who don’t starve, or perish from exposure, will be taken out by the wolves at Talium,” Calish explained. “Reinick has a clear vision to create a stronger Authority, and Noran seeks to establish a new Priesthood Charter.”
“He wants to be the next Usa Hanuk…” Ino fell back into his chair.
“Usa Hanuk?” I asked. “Why is that name familiar to me?”
“He assembled the original Charter and wrote the doctrine the priests hold true to,” Hawk answered. “The books he wrote by the divine were protected in the Temple. Since they were destroyed by the river when it fell, Noran, as the High Priest, is the best candidate to recreate them.”
“The new Temple is for him, not the people,” Calish interjected. “The closer we get to Talium, the more people will fear the god’s decision to abandon us and the more instrumental Noran becomes to their survival. He’ll try to keep safe those who support him and leave the others to be killed by the wolves.”
“It seems we need to kill him, then,” Marsh said with his mouth full.
“That’s not going to be so easy.” Nik rotated his water glass on the table, never picking it up.
“Can you see when he dies?” Marsh adjusted to see Nik.
“I’ve not been close enough to him. Besides, anything we change here, tonight, may influence his whereabouts in the future. It seems to me we actually will need him around for a while; am I right?”
Calish looked at me and nodded his head apologetically. My stomach knotted up. I reached for my water, but instead of gripping it, I knocked it over. Nik threw his napkin over the spill before it bled off the table and onto my lap.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He touched my shoulder. “Are you all right?”
I shook my head, lowering my eyes to my trembling hands clasped together beneath the table. I thought we were meeting to talk about how to deal with Noran, not give him more power, a building, and the opportunity to kill more innocent people.
Nik offered a new glass of water and helped me take a couple of sips from it. The entire table watched as he offered a few encouraging words in my ear and returned to his seat. Calish probably regretted sitting me next to him, but my mind had more pressing thoughts to push away than dealing with my husband and his insecurities. I clenched my eyes shut and remembered the iron chain around my neck. My stomach twisted, feeling Noran’s tongue lick the side of my face. My hand wiped across my face to brush away the memory of his wet mouth devouring my lips.
And the beads of Kali’s warm blood on my skin.
“Una.” Calish startled my eyes awake. “Hawk and I spent most of the afternoon trying to figure a way around this.”
“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” I warned. “You didn’t see what he did to those people.” I appealed to Nik to validate my fear.
“Let’s hear them out,” he said calmly.
“Calish and I agree”—Hawk folded his arms on the table—“Una can’t stay here. Not with Noran two doors down. It puts her at risk. If he finds out what you are…”
What I am?
“We’ll take her back with us in the morning,” Ino said. Trisk and Marsh agreed.
“No.” Calish glanced at Nik before focusing his eyes on me.
“She can’t,” Hawk intervened. “If Noran or Reinick gets to the camp, everything we’ve done, everything we’ve created would be destroyed in a matter of days. There is a good chance we’d all be dead before we knew he found it.”
I folded my arms tightly across my chest, feeling small in my chair.
Calish apologized, “All I wanted to do was keep you safe, Una. Knowing the world we live in now, I realize I can’t.”
Marsh shook his head. “I don’t get it, Cal, if she can’t stay here, and she’s not going back to the camp, where is she supposed to go?”
“Home,” he answered.
“Our house was destroyed,” Mother spoke up. “There’s nothing there, so we left. It’s not ours anymore, sweetheart.”
Hawk bobbed his head knowingly. “There is a small group there—”
“We’re going to reclaim what is ours,” Calish interrupted.
Mother objected, but he didn’t allow her to finish her thought.
“I have men at my disposal, and I intend to use them. Once we’ve cleared the lot, and reestablished our presence—a stronger presence, one that will ward off would-be instigators—Una will be safe.”
Hawk nodded in agreement. “We’ll assign Authority men, but we’ll also plant members of the Resistance security team in and around the residence to ensure your wellbeing.”
My weakened voice cracked in whisper. “I don’t understand. What difference does any of this make?”
This solves nothing.
“It gets you away from Noran but keeps you close enough where I can check in on you,” Calish said. “Most importantly, it puts you close enough to the people.”
So I can watch them die in the road?
I buried my face in my hands, too exhausted to offer any other sign of disappointment. Sitting in a stolen house while my friends sat at a table full of untouched food, I realized whatever fate I would endure had already been decided by men of more power. Ironically, it wasn’t Reinick or Noran, but Calish and Hawk. They’d chosen a side to ensure their survival and intended to coordinate things to prolong mine.
Calish stood and came around to my side of the table. Ino offered him his seat so he could be next to me. I let my hands fall and caught my husband taking the open chair with a nod of gratitude.
A well-placed hand in the middle of my back, paired with a gentle smile, stayed any argument I considered giving. “You were right. Are right. I’m not sure how much of a difference it’ll make, but I guess you could say a lot of things have happened recently that I didn’t expect to work out. So, I figured we could set up a few fire rings where you could make the broth like you wanted. You can’t do it here, but our family’s property would keep you safe and give you plenty of room. There would be no advantage for the anarchists to attack you there. We’ll put security there as a precaution, you know, just in case someone decides to do something stupid.” He brushed the hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “What do you think?”
“What made you change your mind?”
“You did.” He held my hand. “Your idea is a good one, and it’s the right thing to do. I wanted to keep you safe. I never meant to keep you prisoner.”
“It’s a good plan,” Nik confirmed knowingly.
“Excuse me, can I point out the obvious?” Marsh spoke up, raising his hand to draw more attention to himself. “She’s pregnant. Is it a good idea for
her to do this now?”
“I’ll stay with her,” Mother volunteered. “As long as you’ll let me, Nik.”
He nodded. “I’d feel better about a Healer being with her, not that I foresee a reason to have one there.”
“Well, Una? What’s your position on this?” Hawk asked. “You’ll run it, and we’ll give whatever resources we can, but we’ll have to make it clear: nothing you do there is credited to either the Authority or the Resistance. This is your pet project. For all anyone else knows, your husband is simply making his wife happy and keeping you occupied while he attends to more important matters.”
I hesitated.
Guards? Resources?
I figured I would start something small and eventually someone with more experience and more confidence would show up. I imagined myself pressing thistle, that’s all.
Calish’s hand drew away from my back, his head tilting slightly off center. “Una, I thought this is what you wanted.”
“I did, I mean, I do.” I glanced around the table nervously, flooded with a sudden guilt for not eagerly accepting the plan made for me.
This is so much bigger than what I prepared for.
My spirit quivered with more fear than excitement. How would I complete such a task? I questioned my motivation, regretting my carelessness to embark on an idea I never planned out. The servants and I had a good plan, or so I thought, but it meant living here. Staying here. Not in an open field guarded by armed men.
The iron fence, tall, robust, and impenetrable, seemed the perfect barrier between us and them. Them. A part of me didn’t want to be an “us” anymore. Sure, I wanted to help, but I assumed if I pushed hard enough, Calish would make someone in the Authority do it. Passing cups of broth through the fence, I figured, would force the hand of the rulers to provide for the people of Ashlund.
Now, it’s been assigned to me?
Marsh narrowed his eyes. No longer interested in the half-eaten pastry in his hand, he set it down and brushed the sticky icing off with the draped edge of the tablecloth. “I thought this was what you wanted.”
I swallowed hard and let my eyes fall to a nonspecific place near me. “I’m not sure if I can.” Glancing up at Calish with a quick apology, I shrugged. “You want me to feed everybody?”
Scavenger Girl: Season of Toridia Page 12
