by Linda Mooney
This is the way my life will be, she mused, glancing over the fire pit at where Muam sat cross-legged. His head was bowed over the weapon lying on the deerskin spread across his lap. Every so often she would add more wood to the pit so he could continue working without interruption.
She glanced over at his bed. He had not kissed her again since awakening her that morning. Neither had he held her, or touched her in any manner. Two nights ago, she’d slept on his furs. Last night, he had joined her in hers. She wondered where they would end up tonight.
“How are the pelts working out for you?”
His question caught her unaware. Fortunately, the firelight managed to hide the blush rising to her cheeks. She hadn’t expected him to speak. She wondered if he’d been thinking the same thing she was.
“I am not an expert seamstress, but the covering is coming along nicely. The pelts were well-tanned. Very supple. My needle pierces them like butter.”
“Good thing the weather is growing warmer. You will not need to use any of the furs to make yourself a coat for protection against the cold.”
She looked at his bed again. They hadn’t needed the pelts these past two nights. Their own body heat had kept them warm. She tried to hide her smile as she tried to imagine what it would be like to lie naked on those same furs.
“Gova.”
She inhaled sharply and looked up at Muam. That same kind of smile briefly crossed his face before he dropped it, but she’d seen it. Again, she was glad for the blaze in the fire pit.
“Gova, I have been thinking.”
Setting down her work, she patiently waited for what he wanted to say.
“I have thought all day about this, and I have made a decision. I cannot, in good conscience, keep you here as a slave.”
Her body went numb. Her hands shook in expectation of what he would say next. He kept his eyes on the dagger and would not face her.
“I am not a slave owner,” he continued. “I do not know how to treat someone as a slave.”
Silently, she began to plead with him not to utter the words she knew he was about to say. That he had decided to sell her to someone else, or…
“Which is why I have decided to release you from your bondage. You are no longer a slave. You are free to go where you wish.”
It took her a moment to find her voice. “Wh-what would I do? Where would I go? How would I earn my keep?”
“There are many jobs you could get. You could work for a merchant. Help him sell his wares in the market. Or you could offer your services as a caregiver. Take care of children or an elderly mother.”
“That’s what slaves are for,” she bitterly replied. “That way their owners do not have to pay them any wages.”
Muam slowly nodded. “There is wisdom in what you say. Then do you have a skill you could use to earn your keep?”
Gova tilted her head at him. “Are you saying I can stay if I find a way to bring in a few dua to pay for my keep?”
He hesitated as he looked straight at her. “I am trying to find a way for you to survive when you leave here.”
She clenched her hands to keep them from shaking. “Are you sending me away?”
“I am giving you your freedom.”
“I do not want my freedom if it means leaving you,” she blurted out. “I do not want to leave you, Muam Kai.” She fought the tears that threatened to spill. Blinking rapidly to keep her vision from blurring, she pressed on. She no longer cared to hide how she felt. If he was sending her away, she could not leave without telling him.
“You have changed my life. You make me happy in ways I never thought I would feel again. You have given me hope. Please, give me the chance to find a way to repay you. I will try to seek employment. I will try to find a skill that will help me pay for my keep. If you no longer wish for me to stay with you, I will find a spot outside nearby where I can still watch you come and go. But I cannot leave you. I c-cannot give up this happiness you have brought to me. That you have allowed me to have.” She took a shuddering breath. “I cannot leave you without tearing apart something inside of me.”
He laid the dagger down. “I must be honest with you. My feelings for you are bordering on dangerous. These past two nights… You are beautiful and wise, and I desire having you. But I will not coerce you. I will not take you against your will.”
“You do not have to. I willingly give myself to you,” she admitted.
That small smile tugged on his lips. He opened his mouth to respond, when he paused. “You said I make you happy?”
“My feelings for you become deeper with every passing moment.”
Muam released a breath he had been holding. “Forgive me if I have alarmed you, but long ago I swore I would never take a woman unless she and I were wedded. I know many will call my beliefs strange, but I have and always will be resolute. I will not take another woman unless I have feelings for her, and she willingly agrees to be my wife.” He made a motion with his hands. “If I kept you as a slave, how would I know how you truly felt about me? How would I know if your confession was real, or something you believed you had to say because I was your master? I thought…I thought if I freed you—”
“Yes, Muam. I will be your wife. I desire nothing more than to take you as my husband.”
He sat staring at her, his mouth open in surprise. She watched as the smile returned to his strong and handsome face, and he swallowed nervously.
“This village has no priest, but it does have a shaman who marries those who request his services. I am Jamboris. Simple words are sufficient. As an Orshii, do you have need of anything special? Like a prayer that needs to be said? Or something of significance to wear?”
“There are a couple of things I would like. I do not require them. If I do not have them, it will not affect the outcome of the ceremony, but…”
“But you wish to have them.” He said it as a matter of fact.
Gova gave a nod. “Silver. You must give me something made of silver. It does not have to be large or grandiose. I know you do not have a lot of coin to spare.”
“Something made of silver. What else? You mentioned two things.”
“Feathers from a leaning bird. I can get those myself from the market.” She didn’t tell him about how she had to give him a gift herself. Although she had no money, and nothing to barter with, she’d have no choice but to use her powers of sorcery again. Hopefully for the last time.
Muam wished to wed her. It was almost too much to believe, and she unconsciously looked over at his bed again.
“When?” she whispered.
“Tomorrow.”
She jerked back to stare at him. “Tomorrow?”
The smile on his face turned into a teasing grin. “Truthfully, if it were at all possible, I would suggest tonight. But it will take me a while to find your silver, and you must wait until morning to obtain your feathers. Plus, I doubt Teyhas will appreciate having his sleep interrupted in order to perform the ceremony. Tomorrow, my Gova. This time tomorrow. Will that be satisfactory?”
She set aside the pelt and crawled around the fire to where he sat. Kneeling beside him, she held out her hands. He took them in his, placing her palms on his chest.
“At this time tomorrow, I shall call you my husband,” she whispered. “And when I do, my soul will soar with the eagles.”
“Both our souls,” he lovingly corrected her, and leaned over to seal that promise with a kiss.
Chapter 9
Torn
That night they slept in their separate beds. Neither of them made an attempt to move closer to the other. To Gova, it was as if he wanted to keep apart from her, so that their wedded union tomorrow night would be that much sweeter. At least, that’s what she believed. It was a nice wish. Even if it wasn’t Muam’s intent, it made her happy to think it was. It made for a restless night, but tomorrow night would be even more restless.
Her restlessness was even more compounded by the dreams she had. The demons had returned, n
ot in the form of Kolis, but as hawks. The birds circled above the hut, screeching out a warning she couldn’t interpret. Fortunately, the sense of dread they brought her wasn’t enough to overcome the exhilarating sense of expectation for the coming day.
The next morning, when Gova awoke, Muam was already gone. In addition to her regular chores, and the need to buy and make their daily meal, she had to prepare for her wedding. Filled with a lightness in her soul, she hurried to the market to get everything she needed.
The one thing she knew she wouldn’t be able to obtain at the market was gold. She didn’t need much of it. A few flecks would suffice as an offering to the Ancient Mother to protect her husband. The same way silver would ensure that the Ancient Mother would bless their union with many children. Without the means to buy gold, even if there was any to be bought, it would require her to use her powers to make her own.
She hurried back to the hut to fix their meal. After Muam ate and left, she went out into the field to gather the final items she needed. Returning to the hut, she pounded the ava root into dust, added water, and stripped in order to soak her good shift in the dark blue liquid. She did the same for one of Muam’s breeches, then hung them from the ceiling, close to the fire, to dry. When he arrived to eat at midday, he gave her a quizzical look after spotting the darkened clothing, but didn’t comment.
The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon when Muam returned. He carried a cloth bag, which he handed to her with a smile. “I hope this will suffice.”
Holding it in her hand, Gova carefully opened the sack to reveal its contents. The firelight sparkled off a pair of silver disks and other items. Picking up one of the disks, she stared in surprise at the swirls which had been etched into it.
“They are ear spangles,” he told her. “The design is my own. With the season of rebirth arriving, I wanted something that would remind you of this day, so I engraved a flower into each one.”
“It is…beautiful,” she managed to say. “I have never owned anything so beautiful.”
“I had a couple of silver coins I pounded thin to make them. The other things I made from random bits of metal I had left over from making my weapons. I hope they are suitable.”
She lifted two wristlets from the cloth. Jewelry. He had spent the day fashioning jewelry for her. As she turned them over in her hand, the care he’d taken in making them was evident.
One item remained. At first she thought it was a necklace. The delicate chain had tiny bits of round, flattened metal attached to it. Holding it up, she gave Muam a wide-eyed look of astonishment. “You made this?”
“I made the ear spangles and wristlets for you. The chain was my mother’s. My father made it for her and gave it to her on the day I was born. It is the only thing of hers I have left.”
She spread it open with her fingers. The shape was confusing. It wasn’t a single loop, as were most necklaces, but one small one with the ends left dangling. “How do I wear this?”
He laughed softly. “In your hair.”
“What?”
Muam waved her away. “Go. Prepare yourself. We can talk later. But right now, we need to get ready. Teyhas is waiting for us at the temple.” He pointed to the breeches lying across his bed. “Do I wear those?”
“It is a tradition for my people to appear before the Ancient Mother in dark robes. We are not to outshine her when asking for her blessing.”
“What of the silver? Is it to be an offer to your Ancient Mother?”
This time it was she who waved him away as she smiled. “I will explain later. Hurry and change. There is one more thing I need to do before we go.”
Because they had nowhere else to change clothes, they turned their backs to each other in order to don their darker apparel. She was adjusting the feathered collar she’d made around her neck when Muam picked up the head jewelry. She allowed him to drape it above her forehead and down past her ears, drawing the ends tight at the nape.
After putting on the ear spangles, and drawing the wristlets over her arms, she withdrew the small bowl she’d hidden from underneath the pelts on her bed. Muam glanced down at the contents, froze, then gave her a surprised look.
“Is that…”
“Gold,” she whispered.
“Real? Gold?”
“For now,” she acknowledged.
“For now?” His eyes widened.
“You giving me silver is to show you will always provide for me. A home, a meal, and you. Me giving you this gold is my worth to you. My worth as your partner and as the mother of your children.”
“But where…”
She nodded slightly. “Come morning it will revert back to dirt. But for tonight, yes, it is real gold. It is as real as you and I want it to be. Now stand still. This will not take long.”
“I hope no one tries to rob us when they see us,” he remarked with amusement.
“If they do, tell them it is only gold-colored paint.”
“Nevertheless, if they try, they will fail.” He patted his hip. She glanced down to where he’d belted the new dagger around his waist, and smiled.
Dipping a finger in the golden dust, she drew bands around his biceps, then down the center of his forehead, to the tip of his nose. When she was done, she painted similar rings around his fingers and hers, then finished by covering her fingernails with the remainder. When she was done, she smiled. “We are ready.”
He took her hand, and together they walked through the village, to the tent erected on the other end. Several people stopped to stare at the couple, all of whom knew Muam, but not Gova. A few called out to the weapon maker, who greeted them back with a hearty, “I am to be married!” By the time the couple reached the temple, they were accompanied by a group of curious well-wishers.
A scream overhead made Gova pause at the tent’s entrance. Glancing up, she spotted a pair of hawks circling above them, and a ribbon of fear went through her. It was exactly like her dream from last night. A warning of some sort, sent by the Ancient Mother. A gentle tug on her hand drew her attention away from the birds, and she followed Muam inside, but not without a feeling of dread coloring her happiness.
Teyhas was waiting inside when they entered. The shaman waved for them to join him as the crowd filed in to take a stance at the rear. A small table behind the thin, little man served as an altar. On it, Gova spotted a small bowl and pitcher, a burning lamp, and a sheaf of rushes.
“Welcome, Muam. Welcome, Gova. Blessings on you both.” The man had the couple kneel before him. “You are here seeking to consecrate your union as husband and wife. Muam and Gova, are you both free to make that decision of your own free will?”
“I am,” Muam announced.
Gova glanced at him. Now she understood why he had released her as his slave. Otherwise, the shaman would not have allowed their marriage to take place. She smiled at Teyhas. “I am.”
The shaman reached for the small bowl and carafe. Pouring some wine in the bowl, he passed it first over Muam’s head, then hers. “May this union be blessed with the fruit of the belly.” He held the bowl out to Muam, who took a sip. Gova did the same, and the bowl was set to the side.
Taking up the lantern, he held it over them and waved his hand, causing the smoke to waft into their faces. “May this union be blessed with the warmth of the hearth.”
The lantern was returned to the table, and the shaman reached for the sheaf. He shook the rushes above their heads, then lightly tapped them on both shoulders. “May this union remain cleansed of disease and harm.”
“Whatever you are doing, it will cease immediately!” a voice loudly demanded.
Gova whirled around and gasped. At the same time, Muam took her by the shoulder, drawing her protectively against him.
Teyhas stiffened. “This is a solemn ceremony, stranger. Show appropriate reverence.”
“Your solemn ceremony is illegal, if it is what I think it is,” Kolis boomed, striding further inside. He pointed to Gova. “I thought it
was illegal for a free man to marry his slave.”
Teyhas turned to Gova as Muam answered. “She was given her freedom after you sold her to me, Kolis Rahn.”
“So you claim,” Kolis sneered.
“He tells the truth,” Gova retorted.
Kolis’s face darkened. “I believe nothing you say, slave. You do nothing but tell lies.” He waved a finger at Muam. “You are also a liar. You sold me a worthless sword. I have returned to take back my slave.”
Muam lifted his chin. “My weapons are not worthless. That sword was crafted with care. It should have lasted you for many years, unless you abused it…the way you abused this woman.”
Kolis drew a sword from his belt, holding it over his head for everyone to see. Gova stared at what remained of the broken blade as Muam’s hand tightened on her shoulder.
“That is not the sword I sold you,” Muam declared.
Kolis gave a bark of laughter. “I knew you would deny it.” He waved it at the gathered crowd. “Look at this! Look at how flimsy the blade is. I barely managed to escape with my life, no thanks to this man who sold me a worthless sword!”
Muam stepped forward, anger also clouding his face. “That is not my sword!” he yelled back. “I place my mark on all my blades at the hilt. There is no mark anywhere on that weapon. And I changed out the grip at your request. That is not the grip I gave you.” He motioned to one of the men in the crowd. “Look at it, Shesher. You know my work. You own two of my swords. You know I always place my mark at the hilt. Do you see a mark?”
The man named Shesher started toward Kolis to check the weapon, but Kolis was faster. Running over, he suddenly grabbed Gova by the upper arm and jerked her away from Muam. Before anyone could react, he placed the broken end of the sword to her breast.
“You sold me a worthless weapon, so I am taking back the slave you stole from me.”
Gova struggled to free herself. Kolis pressed the point more forcefully through the thin material. She gasped in pain as it pierced her skin, and felt her own warm blood trickle downward.
