Fletcher (A Prydain novel Book 3)

by AJ Adams

  Also, being stuck in Caern was going to be dangerous. I would have plenty of people after me, looking for revenge, and working for the constable meant they would all know where to find me.

  To top it all, my thrall was prone to erupting into a foul-mouthed rant at the slightest provocation, determined to run away, and I couldn’t turn my back on her, seeing she was more than capable of taking me out.

  I sucked it all up, keeping my eye on the prize: revenge. I’d complete the constable’s contract and try to find out more about Ranulf. After all, he had his devices made in Caern, so there might be a connection. And while I was working, I’d follow the plan and tame Lind.

  I spoilt her with clothes, sweets and food, and even then she lounged in the inn’s comfy chair, cross-eyed with drink, defying me. “You think you can train me, like that damn horse,” she slurred, “but you won’t get to me.”

  Lind was going to be a handful, I had no doubt of that. “I’m untrainable,” she challenged me, and I was thinking she was certainly a great deal of trouble.

  My family hasn’t had many dealings with thralls. That’s because farm life is very different than city living. Crops and stock are easily damaged, so it’s a bad idea to have unhappy people working for you. Even if they’re not actively sabotaging you, they’re expensive, and you have to look after them for life, in sickness and in old age.

  The old laws limited slavery to seven years, except for cases where death sentences were commuted. It’s expensive to maintain thralls, so merchants asked their dukes to make bylaws that covered training and medical costs. Over the years it snowballed, and now a thrall is a slave for life.

  Thralls are now part of our society. They’re born into it or sold into it, and there they stay. Freeing them is not really an option, either. Thralls have a reputation for being lazy and dishonest, so nobody would have one when there are free-born people to hire. To free a thrall is to condemn them to a slow death of starvation.

  So I looked at Lind and wondered if I’d been insane buying her. If it hadn’t been for her climbing skills, I would have sold her. To the Guild steward, in the hope my gift would give him a heart attack. Actually, I would’ve gifted her, just to get rid of her.

  But I was stuck with her, so I’d better get on with it. The little she-wolf cheeked me, but luckily for me the crowd was noisy and she passed out before anyone had time to understand what was going on. It was bad enough having her set herself up against me, but as I didn’t want anyone to see me carrying my wretched drunken thrall to bed, I had to sit there until the common table emptied.

  I sat in my chair, watching Lind curled up and sleeping happily, wondering if I’d been a total fool. Kindness is the way to train animals, there’s no doubt about it, but I was seriously considering if I should follow the common approach and beat the hell out of her.

  “Master Ware?” The innkeeper was hovering. “More wine?”

  “No, thank you.”

  He was staring at Lind. “A silver collar. Everyone is talking about it!”

  “Are they?”

  “It’s like your horse, sir. She’s special, your thrall.”

  “She certainly is.” I was gazing at her, thinking how peaceful she looked, quite unlike the wicked wretch yelling, “Tyr’s warty cock up your arse.”

  The innkeeper went off, but it decided me. I’d made a name for myself by being unusual, so Lind would just be one of my peculiarities. I’d have to be careful because she was a bright girl and dangerous, but I had my tricks, too.

  I reminded myself that I had talked her round earlier when she’d been ready to rage at the merchants sitting at the common table, so she wasn’t completely wild. It would take care and planning, but as I was her owner, I held the whip hand. I’d bend her will slowly but surely, and in the end I’d have her climbing Ranulf’s tower for me.

  Thank heaven the gods don’t give us foresight because if they had, I would’ve been appalled at the troubles in store for me. Or maybe the gods have a sense of humour, and they were chortling as they watched me head for a fall.

  Anyway, as I didn’t know, I picked Lind up and carried her upstairs. I dropped her on the bed and considered what to do with her. Lying there in her apple green tunic and dark skirt, she looked remarkably sweet. I sat next to her and stroked the short, sleek hair. Her eyes opened. “Shwup?”

  “Lind, it’s bedtime. Time to get undressed.”

  She was struggling to sit up. “Syokay.” She was all thumbs and she fell over a few times, but she let me strip her and put her under the covers. Remembering her threat, I chained her and put the key away as I had the night before.

  “Huh, coward.” She was bleary-eyed, unable to sit up without assistance, but the scorn was running freely. “Chicken.”

  “Absolutely.” I suppressed the urge to turn her over and spank her. I undressed, got into bed and blew out the candle. “Go to sleep, Lind.”

  Her voice drifted over in the dark. “Are you going to fuck me?”

  The gods had definitely cursed me. “Not right now.”

  “Okay.” A blast of wine floated in the air. “Because if you wash, wish, wanted to, I wanted to shay you should go schlow.”

  I should’ve put her in the stable with Wolf.

  “Schlow was nice.” Lind settled against me. “G’night, Ware.”

  The wicked girl fell asleep, leaving me fuming. This was not going to be easy.

  She woke me up an hour later, shaking me by the shoulder. “I need to pee.”

  Yes, I should’ve let Wolf deal with her. I got up, groped in the dark, got the key and unlocked the cuff. “Don’t wander off.”

  Lind disappeared, and just as I was cursing her, thinking she’d run away, she came shooting back. There was a blast of alcohol fumes and then her body was curling up against mine. She was freezing cold. It was like being wrapped in a sheet of ice.

  “You’re warm.” Her face was buried in my neck, her polar feet rubbing against mine. “You shmell good.”

  Yes, Lind was still soused, and she was a very friendly drunk. Despite the frosty hands worming their way into my armpits, I could feel myself harden. In the dark, Lind’s curves were undulating silkily.

  I was stroking her hair, my hands moving down her back. She was half shivering, her flesh rippling against mine. I pulled her into my arms, feeling her small high breasts brush against my chest.

  Wine-soaked Lind was a soft, silken, sinuous package. Her lips nuzzled my neck as her loins were moving sweetly against mine. We lay in the velvet blackness, exploring each other leisurely. Lind’s shivers vanished, only to be replaced by ripples of delight. I dipped my head, sucking her tightly beaded nipples. Her excited little gasps echoed in her nails running lightly over my back. It was an exquisite sensation that had my cock throbbing.

  I turned her onto her side, spooning her so that I could feel that firm little bottom slide against my hot shaft as I fondled her breasts and buried my face in her neck. I bit her lightly, arching my hips so that my cock was sliding between her satin thighs. She was creaming rapidly, her hands reaching down and stroking me as she whimpered and wriggled with excitement.

  I cupped her hand and placed it over her clit. “You said slow, I think.” As our fingers brushed the tight nub, her little moans told me I was spot on.

  We pulsed in the dark, our bodies heating as we arched and writhed. I was aware of my rapid breaths bursting out of me, of her hair, softly fluttering around my face, of her sweet flowery scent drifting through the lingering wine fumes and of her sinuous body, dancing against mine.

  She turned her head, kissing my arms as she pulled me around her. “Fuck me,” she whispered.

  I almost exploded on the spot.

  My hands were full of warm curves. She arched spreading her legs, and then I was sliding into tight creaminess. I lost myself, aware only of the rippling muscles that gripped my cock and the sweet bottom bumping into my hips.

  I was wrapped in heavenly girl, drowning in her. Cre
am, silk, satin and warmth flooded my senses. I was gasping, holding on for dear life as I fucked her. Her moans and whimpers drove me on, my cock ramming in and out of that hot, wet tightness, her juices drenching my balls. Her moans and gasps were driving me wild. My breath was ragged. My body throbbing like a drum. I was flying, hovering over an invisible cusp.

  “Harder!” Her wail pushed me over the edge. “Ware!”

  Her cries sent me powering into her. My arms cinched over her chest, holding her steady as I pounded into her. I bit her shoulder, hearing myself growl like a beast as I rammed into her.

  “Ah! More!”

  She was bucking, her hips shuddering as she squealed in ecstasy. I felt her juices spill over me, soaking my thighs, and then I exploded into her. I came in shimmering, shuddering waves, groaning as I poured into her. I was clutching her to me, immersed in her soft sweetness.

  We pulsed in tight circles, hot, sweating, gasping in rippling delight. Slowing finally, my hips moving against her lusciousness in small grinding circles, I found myself kissing her neck, stroking the soft curves. “Tender beauty. Sweet Lind.”

  She curled up, pulling me around her. “Hmmmm, good.” The wine fumes were still rolling off her. “Sleep now.”

  She breathed deeply and then she was out. Me, I was lying there, gasping like Wolf after a hard gallop, wondering what on earth had just happened. My hardened, difficult, foulmouthed, evil-minded thrall had a sweetly silken side. Her kisses and soft mewls still echoed in me. She was all delight.

  The eastern lords I’d worked for had sent me girls, and I’d thought them heaven on earth, but Lind was a different experience. The exotic charmers had been practiced, professional; Lind was in-your-face immediate. She was all woman, she was mine, and I blessed my luck. At least there’d be some reward in taming her.

  I was dropping off to sleep, but as I held Lind in my arms, I remembered the look in her eyes as she’d tried to kill me. I reconsidered. It was safer not to take chances. I lit a candle, went for a wash, found the key and cuffed my thrall again. It felt strange, chaining the slight girl, but the memory of that staff whooshing past my head told me I was being sensible.

  When I woke up, the birds were singing a pre-dawn chorus. Lind was moving about, her hair tickling my face.

  As I got up and fetched the key, she opened her eyes. “Whatcha doing?” she asked sleepily. Her eyes fell on the key and she frowned irritably. “Chained me, did you?”

  Engage, even if you want to spank her for her insolence. “Well, you did try to kill me, and you said you were running away.”

  Her voice was pure sarcasm. “Right, like I can walk through the city dressed in a silver fucking collar.”

  The sweet girl had vanished. “You really are rude, Lind. I should beat you.” But I was blessing myself for having trapped her so efficiently. It would give me time to reach her.

  “Go ahead. Like I care.” Lind was grumbling, which I took as a good sign. Seeing she was talking openly, I could get to her.

  “Do you care about chocolate?”

  She tried not to react but her eyes flickered. “No.”

  “Liar.”

  “I’m a thrall. I lie and steal as easily as I breathe.”

  It was a declaration of war. I refused to be drawn in. “Shocking.” I stroked her hair and put an arm around her. “I’ve already ordered your chocolate, so there’s no need to steal—or lie.”

  “But first I have to fuck you?”

  “Why not? You were screaming with delight last night.”

  She looked nonplussed for a moment and then shrugged. “Did I? I forget.”

  At first I just stared at her. Nobody ever had a more difficult thrall! Also, I was actually feeling crushed. I’m not the sort to boast, but still! To be totally forgettable smarted.

  Then I saw the evil glint in her eye. She was being purposely nasty, and the clever little bitch had known exactly how to get to me. “Lind, you wretch!” The words tore from me, and amazingly, it made her smile.

  What a difference that grin made! The dark eyes sparkled, the rich curved mouth turned up engagingly, and there were dimples in her cheeks. My northern, dour, sulky thrall actually looked quite fetching. “Maybe I do remember,” she sighed. “A bit, anyway.”

  I tugged her hair. “You were disgustingly drunk.”

  “Why are you complaining? It was good for you, right?”

  Definitely impossible. But I had to laugh. Lind was wicked, but she was smart as a whip.

  “It was good for both of us,” I told her. “Now be nice, Lind.” Seeing the eyes narrow again, I added, “Afterwards we’ll have chocolate.”

  And that’s where it went wrong.

  It was weird because it should have been perfect. Remembering the night before, I tried to take my time. I stroked her hair, smoothed a hand over her breasts, and then, suddenly, she was stiffening, her eyes going dark. For a second I thought I’d frightened her, but then she was arching, running her hands over my shoulders and then teasing my back deliciously with her nails.

  I don’t know how it happened but one moment I was perfectly in control and the next I was swept away. She stroked and writhed, pulling me over her body, spreading wide and then I found myself pounding into her, rough and uncontrollable, like an animal.

  In short, I lost myself.

  I exploded inside her and rolled off her feeling disconnected, disoriented and discomfited. I didn’t understand what had happened. It was as if I were possessed, used somehow. When I looked at Lind, she was shut off, remote, just like when she’d tried to kill me.

  It gave me the creeps.

  Lind’s eyes, dark and inscrutable, were gazing into mine. “Hot chocolate?” Her voice was distant, flat and lifeless. It was a challenge. Her watchful eyes and her tense body screamed danger. For a moment I thought she was about to attack me. Then I realised she was tense from strain; she was expecting me to hit her.

  The part of me that’s always watchful shrieked a warning. This was significant. But I couldn’t get my mind together. I spoke at random. “We’ll see Wolf first.”

  Lind exhaled, all the tension dissolving. “I’m surprised he’s not in bed with you.”

  “If you get drunk again, you’ll be the one sleeping in the straw.”

  She shrugged, but there was no malice in it. In fact, she was calm, that screaming sense of tension had vanished, although she was watchful.

  “We’ll have a bath.” That brought some real life to her eyes, but somehow I felt like I’d lost her. Lind was outwardly serene and compliant, but her inner self was hidden away from me. Breakfast didn’t open her up, either.

  “Good chocolate?”

  “Yes.”

  “Want some bread and butter?”

  “Sure.”

  It occurred to me that I’d been so fixated on my own business that I didn’t know much about my girl.

  “Tell me about yourself.”

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “You were sold as a child? For debt?”

  Lind shrugged, her face blank.

  “You were trained by a jongleur?”

  Her eyes were stormy. “Yes.”

  “You’ve had several masters?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who?”

  “Lots.”

  “Like?”

  “Merchants, mostly.”

  I wouldn’t know them. “Any Guildsmen?”

  “A baker in Tanweld, a tanner in Volgard, and a smith in Brighthelme.”

  “What smith in Brighthelme?”

  “Don’t remember. It was just a few weeks.”

  It was like pulling teeth. “But your last owner was a soldier? What work did you do for him?”

  “He sold me. For drink, mostly.”

  “I won’t do that.”

  The smoky eyes were ironic. “I’m so grateful.”

  The anger in her was visible. Pushing would make her withdraw even more, so I decided to give her some time alone. “Wolf
needs a gallop. You can spend the morning in our room.”

  I shackled her, which made her furious, but I couldn’t afford to risk her causing trouble, and I needed time to think.

  Wolf was pleased to see me and even happier to go out. We walked quietly out of the city gates, down the rocky road and then cantered across grassy fields.

  I hadn’t taken his saddle because Wolf adores a good roll. We stopped by the river, where I had a swim and he got himself thoroughly muddy, rolling in the field, all four legs in the air, oiled hooves flashing.

  It was relaxing and exactly what I needed to regain my perspective.

  I realised I should’ve questioned Lind earlier, but I’d been completely taken up by my own goals, my revenge. I’d seen her climbing skills, and it’s why I wanted her, so I’d not thought others might have simply valued the use of her body.

  Now I realised that Lind had known freedom once, and she’d been a tumbler. She must have had some pride as a performer, but her career had ended when the jongleur had sold her. By the look of her, she’d suffered from several bad owners. Clearly her experiences had soured her.

  Like I said, being out and about gave me the distance I needed. Now it was all clear to me. Lind had nothing to lose. She’d been tried too far. Even her hair was a symbol of her degradation; her last owner must have shorn her for punishment or sold it.

  Lind needed hope, pride and a focus for her energies. I knew how to give her that. It would infuriate the guild, horrify the public and put me at the centre of a scandal, but it would be worth it because Lind would be mine.

  Chapter Eight: Lind

  “Wolf needs a gallop,” Ware said, and instantly I felt my freedom. It was a cold day, more winter than spring. It would rain in the afternoon, and so the gates would be open and everyone would be trying to stay indoors. I’d raid Ware’s trunk, dress like a boy, cover the collar with a scarf, and I’d be ten miles away by sunset.

  But bloody Ware shackled me before going out to play with his damn horse. There wasn’t anything I could do about it. I was furious but I tried. “Like I can go anywhere in this damn silver collar.”