by Linda Mooney
“No.” It was the truth. She’d been terrified, yes. Worried and hurting from having to walk all those miles behind Kolis’s horse. But she hadn’t tried to use her abilities to convince Muam to take her in.
“How do I know you are not lying to me?” His voice was rougher. The man was starting to believe she had beguiled him. She opened her mouth to respond, when he set his bowl down. “How do I know you have not put some kind of potion or poison in this food?”
“I am eating the same food,” she calmly pointed out.
“Perhaps you are impervious to your own conjurings.”
Setting aside her food, she went around the fire to kneel in front of him. Bowing her head, she held out her arms, wrists together. “If at any time you believe I have placed a spell upon you, you may beat me as punishment.” She raised her face to stare into his, realizing for the first time that his eyes were a light brown, almost golden color. “I have never used my abilities to harm, and I never will. Until this morning, when I was at the market, I have not used sorcery for years. The entire time I was with Kolis, I never used it, even though there were many times he tried to force me to. But I knew that as soon as I did, he would start demanding me to do things for him, or do things to his enemies, and that was a fate I could not face. That is the biggest reason why I think he traded me to you, because I had convinced him that all the stories about the Orshii were simply that. Stories. Fables. Tall tales meant to pass the time, or to fascinate small children. Because he found me worthless, he found a way to exploit me by trading me for his sword. And you…”
She couldn’t continue. Tears were rising in her eyes, and she turned her face away to prevent him from seeing them.
There was the sound of the fire popping, and the soft whisper of his breathing. She was so close to him, his breath wafted over her extended wrists. After a while, he gently pushed away her arm.
“If at any time you intend on using your sorcery, let me know. I will decide if you should or should not use it.”
She gave a single nod to let him know she accepted his terms.
“Gova.”
At the sound of his voice, she turned back to him, knowing he would see her tears.
“Since you have been truthful to me, I will give you the same courtesy. I do not know if you will stay with me. I have not made that decision. I have been alone for so long, I have come to accept my solitude. I have learned to enjoy the silence. I have come to expect this life of peace that I have earned with my blood and sweat.”
“And I have completely disrupted that peace,” she murmured.
“Yes, you have.” Getting to his feet, he left the hut without another word, leaving her to wonder how she would be able to survive if he eventually chose to be rid of her.
At the thought of having to leave him, the tears flowed faster.
Chapter 6
Happy
He was in luck. Hesho had several old wolf pelts he hadn’t been able to sell in several months. For the cost of two ducats, and a promise to give him three free sharpenings in the future, Muam was able to purchase the furs for Gova to use to ward off the night’s chill. Of course, she would need to sew them together to make a blanket of them, but for now he had found an answer to one of his problems.
He needed to double everything. Two bowls, two spoons, two beds and two sets of bedding. And that was just his immediate concern.
By the time he returned to the hut with the bundle of furs, Gova was not there. The pot of cooked meat sat on the ground, next to the pit, which she’d banked. Dumping the pelts onto her bed, he went outside and glanced around. Not spotting her, he silently chided himself. He wasn’t getting any work done. When he should be inside his shed, he was standing here looking for a woman who had…
Muam straightened. I am becoming obsessed with her, and that is dangerous. I cannot allow her to fill my thoughts. If she stays, she stays. If she leaves, she leaves. But whatever she does, I will still be here. I will still need to make my swords, and daggers, and knives, and sell them so that I may have food to eat.
Setting his mind on the task at hand, he returned to the shed, but his thoughts continued to stray. Continued to focus instead on the dark-haired woman with eyes the color of spring flowers.
He tried to keep his attention on the weapon he was shaping, but after a while he gave up. Images of Gova trying to eat with her fingers kept popping up. She needed her own utensil. Then I will make her one. And when I am done, hopefully I can return to what is more important.
Pieces of scrap metal lay in a box in one corner of the shed. He selected one that would suffice and took it over to the glowing furnace. It didn’t take him long to shape one end into a bowl she could use to scoop her food. The other end… He stared at the plain handle. Smiling, he retrieved his awl, and elaborately carved her name into it before adding a design. When he was satisfied with the results, he polished the spoon and placed it to the side.
A customer appeared in the doorway as he was turning to resume work on the dagger. The woman needed two knives sharpened. Although some people resorted to sharpening their own blades, it took great care and expertise. Luckily for him, most of the village came to him when they needed the task done. He charged them very little per blade, and by doing so he had enough business in that offering to help sustain him between sales of his larger weapons.
“You seem happier,” the woman remarked as he worked. Muam glanced up to see a warm smile on Cossi’s face. The old woman loved to gossip, as most did. However, this time there appeared to be genuine concern in her eyes. He replied with a grunt and turned back to his work. Yet, her words continued to haunt him.
“You seem happier.”
The realization was like a kick in the butt. Yes, he was happier. In spite of the worry, the aggravation, and small amount of resentment he thought he felt due to having his life completely up-ended, he was content having Gova with him. In less than a day, she had become more important to him than his business, and that admission worried him.
He finished the knives, and Cossi paid him for his effort. But before she left, she gave him another smile and nodded. “It is time you had some happiness come into your life, Muam. You are long overdue.” She walked away without further comment.
Muam walked outside to survey the road and what he could see of the village from the front of his shop. The wisdom of the ancients. The elderly woman had given him her honest, albeit unsolicited advice, and every bit of it was true. He was a happier man. There was a brightness inside him he never realized was there. It was like a banked fire had come back to life, bringing with it warmth and light.
A fire named Gova.
Returning to his shed, he went back to work on the dagger. He was able to immerse himself in his labor without further interruption.
The sun was directly overhead when he dipped the blade into the wooden bucket of water to cool the metal and glanced outside. The hiss of steam covered the sound of his stomach reminding him it was time to eat. Taking both blades with him, he went to his hut to grab a bite, and hopefully exchange a few words with Gova.
Again, she wasn’t there, but there was evidence she had returned after his previous visit. The wolf pelts had been stacked on one end of the bed. Also, his bowl and spoon sat to the side of the fire, where the low heat could keep the contents warm. A piece of cloth lay over the top, to protect the contents from dirt and insects. Knowing she’d left him this portion pleased him.
Laying the weapons on the shelf, he deposited the money he’d earned from the sharpenings into the small clay pot he kept buried underneath that shelf. Once he was assured it was safely hidden, he retired to the fire pit.
As he ate, he also noticed her old shift, as well as a pair of his breeches, appeared to have been washed. They now hung from the wall pegs to dry, along with more fresh bundles of herbs. Slowly, the hut was beginning to look lived in and comfortable. He sniffed. It smelled good, too.
“Ah! You finally stopped long enough to
eat,” a voice greeted him from the doorway. Gova entered and went over to her bed to dump the small bundle of items she’d been carrying in the makeshift pouch she’d created out of the front of her tunic. “I was wondering when you would come eat. Did you get much accomplished?”
“I worked on the dagger,” he commented around his mouthful of food, and watched her dust off her lap. She went over and picked up the weapon, lightly testing the edge with the ball of her thumb.
“It does not get a final sharpening until I am satisfied with the overall design,” he added. Seeing her examining the blade reminded him of the spoon he’d shaped for her. Pulling it out of the small pouch hanging from his belt, he held it out to her. “I also made this for you.”
She gave him a surprised look and plucked the utensil from his hand. After turning it over and over, she tilted her head at him. “For me? This is for me?”
“You need your own to eat with. I cannot in good conscience watch you burn your fingers when I have the ability to furnish you with one of your own.”
She sat down beside him, still staring at the simple spoon in amazement. “No one has ever made something specifically for me.” She touched her knee. “This shift is the first new thing I have ever owned in…” She smiled and sighed. “I cannot remember the last new thing I have owned.”
“Maybe it is time for that to change,” he remarked, and gestured to her new bed. “You were not here when I brought you those pelts. They are not the softest quality, but they will do for now.”
A warm hand rested on his arm, surprising him. At her touch, he stared into her face, into those purple eyes, and he would almost swear he could get lost in them.
“Did you think I had left you?” she softly asked.
“I had wondered.”
“Muam, you never have to fear me trying to run away. I do not care how many times I will have to repeat myself, but I will until you finally believe me.” The corners of her mouth curled upward. “I am happy here. I am content. Why would I ever leave?”
He couldn’t answer her, and didn’t.
Giving his arm a little squeeze, she removed her hand, and he regretted the loss. He curled his fingers into fists to keep from reaching for her, when everything in him screamed to pull her into his arms.
She rose, twirling her spoon in her hands. “Until you sell me, or give me away, or until the day when you tell me to leave, I am staying. You have my word.”
He swallowed hard. “Be assured, Gova, that day will never come. Only in the event of my death, or yours, will we part. And on that, you have my word.”
Her smile widened, and it was then he knew he had fallen in love with her.
Chapter 7
Comfort
The horses were getting restless. She could hear them snorting and shuffling their feet in anticipation of the day to come. The morning was cold, making the sunlight hitting her face a welcomed warmth.
Nearby, a group of men were talking. No, arguing. One man’s voice, in particular, stood out among the rest, rising in volume as his anger increased. The moment she heard it, a shaft of pure fear went through her, chilling her to the marrow of her bones.
Gova’s eyes flew open.
No. No, this was not possible!
Panic threatened to shred her sanity. Slowly, she lifted her head to look around her. Not far away, Kolis stood nose-to-nose in a heated argument with another man. Challenging him. Berating him. Insulting him. At any moment he would instigate the first slap, the first poke, or the first shove, and the fight would commence.
She tried to muffle the whimper rising into her throat. When Kolis got angry, he lost the ability to reason. And when that happened, in most instances, he came out the loser. Beaten and resentful, he would take out his shame on whoever was least likely to strike back. In almost every case, that would be her.
She glanced around in mounting dread as it all came roaring back to her. Muam, the hut, the shed, the village—it had been a dream. A lost dream. A wish her heart and mind had made and turned into fantasy to help her escape the ugly reality of what she was forced to live in.
He had been a wish that had never existed, and would never be.
“Gova.”
Kolis caught her eyeing him. His brows lowered as the thundercloud darkened his face. “I said get up, bitch! Time to move on! Get your ass up, or I will drag you behind my horse! The choice is yours!”
“Gova!”
She tried to rise, but for some reason her body refused to obey. She seemed to be caught in some sort of invisible web. Kolis saw her struggling, and his anger intensified. Striding over to her, he reached down to grasp her by the arm. She tried to fight him off, although she knew she would pay dearly for the attempt.
“Gova! Wake up!”
He shook her. At any moment now he would start beating her about the face. Cursing at her. He wanted her to fight back. He liked it when she resisted. Those few times when she no longer cared and simply let him tear into her, his venom hadn’t lasted long. But this time, she couldn’t stop herself. Tears streamed down her face as her inner pain overwhelmed her.
“Gova, wake up! You are dreaming! Wake up! Please, wake up!”
The voice overhead was not Kolis’s. The deep voice was filled with concern, not disdain. The voice pleading to her was…
She gasped loudly, as if her head had suddenly broken through the surface of a body of water she’d been drowning in. Her body wouldn’t stop shaking as a pair of hands grasped her shoulders. A wall of warmth suddenly braced itself against her. Beneath it she heard the rapid thud of a heartbeat. One hand released her arm, and strong fingers threaded through her hair. She sensed a kiss being pressed above her forehead, and the voice spoke again.
“You were dreaming, Gova. A bad dream. It is over now. You have nothing to worry about.”
She lifted her face to stare into those golden eyes. Muam’s gaze dropped to her mouth, and there was no mistaking the look of hunger. But she knew he would not act on it. He would not make the first move. He would never initiate anything against her because he did not want her to feel intimidated or coerced. Which meant if there was ever going to be anything between them, she would have to let him know she would welcome his advances.
She reached up to caress his bearded cheek, running her thumb across his lower lip. He tenderly brushed her cheek with the backs of his knuckles.
“Demons were invading your sleep,” he murmured.
“I thought I was back with Kolis. I thought you were…” Her voice hitched.
He continued to stroke her cheek, and his gaze softened. “You are awake now. The demons have fled. You are safe. You have nothing more to fear.”
She believed him. He would protect her, not harm her. He would help keep the demons at bay so that she would never have to face them again.
His roughened palm cupped her jaw. “Your skin is silk. You deserve to sleep on a bed of fox or rabbit, not wolf.”
“I have a bed. That is more than I have had in many years.”
His lips were close to her. So close, the breath from his nostrils tickled. Closing her eyes, she drew his head down until his warm mouth covered hers.
She felt lightheaded. Her body was no longer hers to command. It was as if she had become the air, her feet barely touching the ground. His arms encircled her, holding her closer to prevent her from floating away. His mouth gently moved over hers, teasing her lips with his.
She wanted this moment to last forever. If she were to die, let her last memory be of this. Of the way he held her. Of the way he kissed her. Of the way he made her feel.
His mouth released hers, but his arms continued to keep her tight against him. His heart was still galloping, which told her he still feared for her. But feared what? That she would leave him? That he would somehow lose her?
Drowsiness crept up on her. She was exhausted, and not from that day’s activities. It would take a long time for her to completely get over what she’d been forced to endure t
hese past few years, ever since her village was raided, and she was taken away from her family. But with Muam’s help, with his caring and understanding, and time, she would heal.
She yawned. “I almost wish I could stay awake. I do not want those demons to return.”
Muam chuckled. “I think I know a way to keep them at bay.”
“How?”
Instead of answering, he reached underneath her legs, lifted her off her bed furs, and moved her over. Before she could comprehend what he intended, he climbed onto the bed to join her, pulling the layer of wolf pelts over them. There wasn’t enough room on the frame to stretch out, but it didn’t matter. Last night she’d been content to cuddle against his back, to take comfort in his warmth and strength. Tonight, she would find happiness in his embrace. In the safe, protective circle of his muscular arms.
And if he chose to take the next step, she wouldn’t resist.
She would welcome it.
Chapter 8
Freed
She was aware of his absence before she opened her eyes. For the space of a handful of heartbeats, her body tensed as she wondered if she was still inside Muam’s hut, or if the demons had taken her back to Kolis’s camp. That is, until she felt the tickle of a furred pelt against her skin, and realized she wasn’t lying on the hard, packed earth.
Muam had already left. Before his departure, he had refreshed the fire. She also noticed two more copper dua sitting on the stones, next to her bowl and spoon. Smiling, she got up and made herself presentable before heading out to the market.
Muam said little when he came to eat later that morning. It was clear he was pensive and didn’t wish to talk, but the silence was comfortable. He didn’t stay long, and she didn’t ask why. He was involved in his work, and she had no objections.
Their middle of the day meal followed the same pattern. When he returned at the end of the day, she continued working on stitching the wolf pelts together as he bathed. After they ate, he spent some time polishing the dagger he’d managed to finish as she returned to working with the furs.
