He made a considerate sound. “I think if Lleu vouches for me, I can get transferred here. There’s nothing to hold me in Erania. Given the circumstances, it shouldn’t be an issue at all. I have no doubt the Araneidae and the Mimetidae will rush to secure the Salticidae. Paladin Vaughn can consider me a volunteer.”
I jerked upright, bumping our heads together. “You’re going to transfer to Beltania?”
He rubbed his jaw where it had rested on me. “You sound surprised.”
“I am surprised.” I twisted to face him. “Living conditions here were primitive compared to our lush appointments in Erania. That was before the fire gutted all the buildings. Old Father expects the clan to live in tents while the city is rebuilt. Life here will only get harder in the coming days.”
“I was born and raised in Cathis.” He stared at me. “I am used to going hungry, to working hard. It doesn’t matter where I am, as long as you are with me. You see this as a sacrifice, but it’s not. It’s greed. Now that I have known the luxury of spending whole days with you, I don’t want to lose that.”
My face grew warm. “You make being together sound so simple.”
“It’s only as difficult as we make it.” He risked a smile. “I had hoped you felt the same.”
“I have my brother to consider.” I glanced his way. “Edan needs me now more than ever.”
“I understand that, and I would never come between you.” He shifted toward me. “I want to be a part of your life. I don’t need to be the center of it.” He touched my cheek. “I don’t need much to be happy. Just you.” His gaze darted toward Edan. “He and I might never be friends, but I think we will eventually stop trying to kill one another. After a while, we might even begin to tolerate each other.”
“When you phrase it that way…” I rolled my eyes, “…how can I resist?”
“You could tell me no. You could tell me you aren’t ready or aren’t interested.” The seriousness of his expression disarmed me. “I would never force you to do anything you don’t want to, Marne.”
“I know.” My heart cracked when I glimpsed this side of him, the side Lailah had damaged.
Sitting next to me was a show of trust. That he cared for me was the ultimate show of faith.
“I want you to stay.” I pushed his shoulder until his back hit the ground, then I curled against his side. I stretched out beside him and rested my head on his chest. “Do you still have the last sigil?”
“I put it back in the box.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “Why do you ask?”
“Idra said something before she died.” I smoothed my hand down the hard ridges of his stomach and relished the soft catch of his breath. “She told me if I wore a sigil, that its venom would keep me alive. I wouldn’t have to take the antivenin any longer because the sigil would regulate the venom in my system.” He tensed under me. “The obvious issue being I would have to bond with a sigil, then I would have to wear it for the rest of my life.” I sighed. “I can’t decide if I’m being selfish to dismiss the idea or if I’m being smart. Isn’t wearing a sigil one step closer to becoming a true harbinger?”
“While I am disinclined to believe anything Idra told you, the logic is sound.” His fingers toyed with my hair. “If a sigil bonded to you and based its venom profile on your blood, it’s a possibility.”
“I wish Henri were here.” I pressed my face against his shirt. “He would know what to do.”
“It seems to me the Araneidae will send an emissary to Beltania to survey the damage and offer their assistance. Who’s to say that person can’t be Henri? Zuri’s ankle should be healed by now. She would jump at the chance for some fresh air and sunshine. If we catch Maven Sikyakookyang before she sends her report to Maven Lourdes, we can send a message of our own to him.” Asher vibrated with his laughter. “If you told Henri you had a live sigil, he would have his laboratory strapped to the back of an ursus and be on his way here before he finished reading the letter. What do you think?”
“It’s a great idea.” I pushed upright and kissed him soundly. “He would come for Zuri alone.”
Zuri was the only other female I knew who had survived the attachment and removal of a sigil. If Henri thought for a second he might find a way to cure his soon-to-be wife of her dependency on antivenin, he would not hesitate to come. The trick was in whether he could convince his sister to let him go. Considering her husband came from this stock, I doubted she had the heart to deny Henri.
Not to mention if he came, then Pascale could see her family and perhaps make her own peace.
“We have company,” Asher murmured.
“So I hear.” I turned my head. “At least there’s more white willow bark tea where Edan’s came from.”
Pascale tromped from the trees onto the sand. Her shirt hung off one shoulder, her face burned a bright red and her lips were swollen. Oh dear. Lleu swaggered behind her, pleased as any male I had ever seen. I would rather charge a rabid ursus with my hands and feet tied behind my back than ask what had happened between them. From Pascale’s wide-eyed expression, I wasn’t the only one confused.
“We’ve been searching for you for hours.” Pascale righted her shirt. “Is that Edan?”
“Shh.” I put a finger to my lips. “He’s resting.”
With hearing as sharp as his, he must have heard them coming too. When he didn’t stir, I took it as a sign he was quite content playing up his sickness, as if it wasn’t grave enough, to avoid them.
“Oh,” she whispered. “Sorry about that. Can we join you?”
Lleu glanced from Asher on the sand to me kneeling beside him.
“We can come back later.” He chuckled. “Five minutes? Or should I turn my back and sneeze?”
Asher sat up, and I sat down. He glared at Lleu. “I doubt you can count that high.”
Lleu’s brows slanted downward. “Testy.”
Covering my smile, I asked Pascale, “What brings you all the way out here?”
“Old Father wants an answer.” She sat beside me. “To what, I don’t know.”
“He made Edan and me an offer if we choose to remain in Beltania.”
“Ah.” She adjusted her chains and got comfortable. “I thought he might.”
“Why is that?” I had done no more than she had to protect his clan.
“Consider this. All your life you tell people you’re a spirit walker. You tell people you can walk between worlds. People believe you, or they have convinced themselves they do. Religion is faith in the unseen.” She frowned. “Then the yellow death comes and people question why their gods would allow their children to perish. People question the gods. They start to lose faith. And then something unexpected happens. A harbinger of the plague arrives, only she isn’t. She is a good person who fate dealt a harsh blow. She persevered. She triumphed. She is walking, talking proof the gods do exist.”
Lleu tapped the side of his head. “She’s smarter than she looks.”
Pascale’s smile was beatific. “If only I could say the same for you.”
“Old Father asked if Edan and I would stay here to protect his clan from future harm,” I said.
“Whatever the reason, the offer has been extended.” She shrugged. “Will you accept it?”
“We will.” Edan’s voice carried.
Pascale twisted toward the sound and called, “Sorry about the noise.”
He didn’t reply. He did, however, appear at the edge of the woods.
Pascale almost swallowed her tongue.
“Dear gods.” Her lips parted. “I can see now why you pretended to be married to him.”
I scowled. “That tone is one I would rather not hear associated with my brother. Ever.”
“Is he wearing anything under that silk?” She bit her thumbnail. “I bet he’s not.”
I covered my ears with my hands. “I don’t want to hear this.”
“Neither do I.” Lleu waved a hand in front of her face. “Stop staring. It’s rude.”
&nb
sp; Her gaze never left Edan’s bare chest. “Since when does my being rude bother you?”
“Since you—” He turned her loose. “Never mind.”
Asher scratched his jaw and pointedly ignored them. “Does Old Father expect a reply today?”
“He does.” Pascale sounded distracted. “He’s asked that you join him for dinner.”
“We can do that.” Pity I couldn’t plug my ears and follow the conversation at once.
“They are dividing the land behind the city into family plots. I believe the Maratus clan will visit later tonight and bring supplies and tents.” She reached for my hand. “You and I will be neighbors.”
“That will be wonderful.” Except for her shouting matches with Lleu. “Are you staying then?”
“I am.” She finally returned her full attention to us. “I want to serve my time. I want to help.”
“What about you?” Asher asked Lleu. “Will you stay or return to Cathis?”
“Cathis. I wish.” Lleu sighed wistfully. “No. I’m here for the duration.”
“We should get moving.” Edan rolled his shoulders. “I could use the exercise.”
Pascale stood mesmerized by the sight of him stretching his wings.
I jostled her shoulder as I passed. Edan was grown. Let him handle her sudden infatuation.
For one thing, it would keep him from brooding over my relationship with Asher.
For another, it rather amused me to see how his eyes widened when she set her sights on him.
He set off through the trees at a blistering pace she couldn’t match thanks to her shackles.
Lleu tromped off after them, lips mashed flat and color high in his cheeks.
Asher and I exchanged glances, raised our eyebrows then followed them into Beltania.
Upon reaching Old Father’s house, I was struck by how much the city’s condition had changed. Overnight, the streets had been swept and the debris cleared and stacked in a pile ready to be burned. Behind the elder’s dwelling, a smattering of tents lined what would become the new main street. The sight bolstered me. There were far worse clans to belong to than this one. Even with little choice, we were making a sound one, I believed. We may never be truly accepted, but nor would we be outcast.
In a situation such as ours, it was a far better outcome than any I had dreamed for us.
Old Father sat in his chair beneath his tree, snoring. The same young female from the day before sat beside him, mending shirts from a basket of slightly charred clothing. She glanced up and smiled.
“How is he feeling today?” I pitched my voice low.
She set aside her work. “He is well. Tired, but good.”
Asher stepped forward. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Asher. This is Marne.” He indicated the rest of our party. “I’m sure you know Lleu and Pascale very well.” He hesitated. “And this is Edan.”
The female ignored Edan, something Pascale had as of yet been unable to manage.
“Pleased to meet you,” she said. “I am Yawi’oyi. I came with my kin when we saw the smoke.”
I extended my hand. “You are from the Maratus clan?”
Yawi’oyi stiffened, staring at my hand in honest surprise until I felt certain I had offended her. With a grimace, she straightened her shoulders and clasped my forearm instead. “I am.”
“Pascale mentioned your clan would be bringing supplies.” I smiled. “You’re here early.”
“It is a short walk between Maratus and Beltania.” She shrugged. “Why wait?”
Asher extended his arm. “Why indeed?”
“Forgive me.” Yawi’oyi ducked her head. “I am unclean. I should not have touched her.”
Dear gods. She thought he had meant to strike her.
“You have done nothing wrong.” I gripped her shoulders. “He only meant to greet you as I did.”
Pascale leaned close to my ear. “You won’t break through to her. Let her go about her business. It’s easier for the Maratus to remain unseen and unheard.” She hooked my arm and drew me a short distance away. “The Maratus are outcast Salticidae who live on a parcel of the clan’s holdings. They have broken the One Law. For them, there is no redemption. If you want to show this girl mercy, you would do better to pretend she doesn’t exist. Show her attention, and you will only cause her grief.”
“I have heard the same said for slaves. I have heard the same said for me. I can’t ignore a person or treat her as if she is beneath my notice. There is no one lower than I am,” I said. “Look at me.”
“I see you as clearly as I see her. Your circumstances are not the same.” Her lips flattened. “You think I’m being callous or cruel, but if they stay much longer, you’ll see for yourself what I mean.”
“I’m sorry.” I squeezed her shoulder. “It’s a sensitive subject for me.”
The sound of Edan’s voice turned my head.
“If any person raises their hand against you, tell me,” he said, “and it will never happen again.”
Yawi’oyi cringed. “I want no trouble.”
“I better handle this.” I left Pascale to pry my brother from his target. “Let’s talk, all right?”
His stiff gait made me work to pull him out of earshot of the others.
Because of our upbringing, Edan met violence with extreme violence. Harm a female, and he came unhinged. I worried that one small reaction might have gained poor Yawi’oyi a guardian during her stay. Already Edan tracked her, and nothing I could say would help.
“Pascale warned me not to interfere where the Maratus are concerned,” I told him.
He scoffed. “Pascale is spoiled. She is so used to overlooking people, she has no idea what harm can come of turning a blind eye to a person in need. In this matter, I must follow my conscience.”
“I figured you would say that.” I sighed. “The size of your heart is one of your best features, but it makes for an easy target. We can’t afford to alienate the Salticidae. If they have some type of feud running with these people, it is not our concern.” Old Father must understand that. “Promise me you will strive to understand her situation before you seek to worsen it. That is all I’m asking from you.”
He grunted. “There have been times when a generous hand earned us generous punishment.”
“Exactly.” I was grateful he understood. “Now, are you ready to meet with Old Father?”
“Yes.” He rubbed his neck where his sigil once rested. “I want this matter settled.”
To avoid involving the Maratus, I asked Pascale to wake Old Father. His chair creaked when he stood, and his jaw popped when he yawned. He gestured for his walking stick and herded us inside his home.
Pascale shadowed him until he sat in his chair. She found extra pillows and tossed those onto the ground for us. She had decided she ought to be present for negotiations, which meant Lleu remained as well. Once the four of us were settled, Old Father thumped his walking stick against the dirt floor.
Our meeting commenced, and the bargaining went as expected. Edan and I had a clan now, and a place to call home. There were other ceremonies involved if we wanted to become full members and have all the rights that came along with such a commitment. We told Old Father we would consider it.
Belonging would be nice. Acceptance would be better. Both required time if they came at all.
Fortunately for us, now that we had secured our dayflower supply, we had nothing but time.
Chapter 21
Fabric rustled at the entrance of my tent. Dust motes stirred as sunlight sliced through the gloom of the interior. Asher stood at the flap, holding back the fabric. He shifted from one foot to the other.
I took a moment to admire the neat part in his hair. His clean, freshly shaven face. His clothes fit him well. His boots shone. This was the Asher I had first met, and his grim expression worried me.
He cleared his throat. “I’m never sure how to announce myself at these things.”
Two weeks had passed since the last tim
e I saw him. My heart remembered. It swelled until my chest felt too tight, like a bubble ready to burst at the slightest touch. I had difficulty breathing when his gaze settled on me, his eyes so dark and yet so warm. The urge to taste his lips overwhelmed me.
“I’m told the Salticidae string shells or a hollow reed outside the flaps so that guests can rattle or thump until the owner of the tent arrives.” I dusted my hands on my skirt. “What brings you here?”
His lips pursed, not liking that question at all. “Can I come inside?”
“I…” I weighed my wants against propriety and found myself at odds.
He glanced left to right down the street. “We could go someplace else if you like.”
I peered around his side. “What’s that in your hand?”
“A gift.” He drew his arm from behind his back. “For you.”
I studied the light blue fabric wrapping the small square. “A gift. For me.”
His face cracked into a smile. “That is what I said.”
“Edan is the only person who—” My throat closed. “You didn’t have to bring me a present.”
“In this case, I think I did.” He picked at the bow on top. “You see, I’ve been home.”
“Home as in Cathis?” I started. “I thought you only meant to deliver our letter to Henri.”
“Henri’s departure was delayed. His brother, Armand, was to be married the day after I arrived. There was also the matter of him packing enough supplies to make the visit worthwhile. He plans to arrive within another week with reinforcements.” Asher ducked his head. “I figured that bought me a little time to handle a personal matter before returning.” He peeked at me. “I hope you didn’t worry.”
“I did.” I put my hands on my hips. “Since you came prepared to bribe me for my good opinion, I can hardly complain.”
“It is not a bribe,” he said slowly, “but it does come with strings attached.”
My excitement waned. “Isn’t the nature of a gift that it must be freely given?”
“Marne.” He reached for me. “I must be doing this wrong.”
“It depends.” I approached him, and he joined our hands over the threshold. “What are you doing?”
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