Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group, and I could practically feel the excitement and nerves notching higher as we got closer to our final destination.
Uttin, who seemed to be the leader of our group, pulled up beside the wagon, his gruff voice stilted as he spoke in the common tongue. “We will be bringing you first to our clan. Should you wish to move to the capital, there will be a group traveling there once our final journey is through. For now, there is a teacher in our clan who can teach you our tongue, and a visitor from the capital who will teach the language of Al Nuzem and the laws of the land. You will rest there for the time being.”
That sounded smart, ensuring we understood how things worked in our new environment before throwing us into anew city. I appreciated their thoroughness. I much preferred knowing the lay of the land before making any big decisions on what I wanted to do next.
Uttin’s bondmate, an actual prince of Al Nuzem, raced up to his side, grinning at him. He said something in his language, his tone challenging, and an indulgent smile crossed Uttin’s face. He jerked his chin at Simon, who rode at the front with his barbarian.
“Simon will introduce you to your teachers, who will show you where you will stay. Rest easy. This part of the journey is the safest. More of our people are already coming to watch over your arrival.”
Swinging around, I watched in surprise as a familiar dust cloud headed in our direction. Before I could ask why more were coming, Uttin’s bondmate whooped, and his horse darted forward, racing toward the smaller encampment a short distance from the capital city. Uttin chuckled and took off after him, leaving us in the dust as they raced each other toward home.
Snickering, Tobias leaned over the edge of the wagon to get a better look at the city. “If those two are an example of what’s waiting for us, I’m excited to get there.”
So was I. I’d long since resigned myself to living my life alone. When I was still young and hopeful, I thought if I changed the minds of the council, I could find love and be just like everyone else. I fought for a position in government so I could make strides towards that. It didn’t take long to realize that unless I had others on the council on my side, nothing I said or did would make any difference. The only way around that would be to become the mayor, and I was never popular enough or cutthroat enough to earn that job.
Tobias leaned a little too much, and I grabbed a fistful of his tunic automatically, hauling the boy backward to prevent himfrom falling out. “You won’t make it if you fall and break your neck. Sit back. We’ll get there eventually.”
And once we arrived, I’d finally be able to live my life. For the first time in forty years, I could seek happiness, love, and freedom in ways I’d only ever dreamed of. It almost seemed a little too good to be true.
CHAPTER TWO
ORTHORR
Despite having handed off clan leader duties to Uttin, I was busier than I ever had been establishing our new place in Al Nuzem. I sat in for Uttin on clan leader meetings while he journeyed to retrieve the townspeople who wished for a new life here in Al Nuzem, met with officials from the capital who were helping us learn more about the area and find a permanent spot for us to settle, as well as continued to care for my clan until Uttin’s return. I’d tried talking him out of making the journey himself, he had duties here, but he said he could not stand by knowing people were suffering if he had the power to do something about it. And his bondmate was of no help. The prince of Al Nuzem had a vengeance for the guard who sold him to us, and he would not be deterred from finding the man himself and putting an end to him.
I could not begrudge Uttin, he had always been protective of those who he felt couldn’t defend themselves, and he was strongheaded just like his mother. So, even though I had lookedforward to returning to a more simple living, I continued to act as clan leader until Uttin’s return.
The crack of my axe cutting through the wood I was chopping was loud in the early morning quiet. We’d learned quickly that in Al Nuzem, tasks such as these were best handled early in the day or after the sun had set. The heat in the middle of the day was too great to do any heavy lifting without risking illness. We were warned against it during the first few days of our arrival. Even now, with the sun just lifting over the horizon, sweat gathered on my brow and I had to remove my clan leader robes while doing the task to stay cool.
“Goddess…” a small voice murmured behind me. Turning around, I found Rath’s bondmate, Finn, staring at me wide-eyed, the shock in his expression so great, his eyes were as wide as the taalin birds that hunted in the night.
“Finn? Is something wrong?”
He blinked rapidly, his cheeks turning a bright shade of pink as he shook his head. “N-Nothing!” be blurted, thrusting the book in his hands at me. “You said you wanted to practice reading more! I thought you might like to practice with this!”
He was shouting, and in the mostly empty temporary village center, he drew attention to us. I shot a confused glance at Rath, who was already headed in our direction, Patrick not far behind him.
“Finn?” Patrick asked as they got closer. “Is everything– oh, goddess… um, good morning, clan leader.”
Patrick looked just as surprised as Finn, though I still didn’t understand why. When I looked at Rath, he was frowning down at his bondmate, his expression just as confused as I felt.
“Korvash?”
“Huh?” Finn dragged his gaze away from me, his cheeks getting even darker as he looked up at his bondmate. “Rath! I, uh– I was going to give this to Orthorr to practice.” He wiggledthe book in his hand, his free hand gesturing nervously like he couldn’t contain himself. “Do, uh… I think I forgot something in our tent. Can you come with me to get it?”
Bemused, Rath nodded slowly. “Of course. Why–”
“No reason!” Finn squeaked. He offered me the book again, his eyes darting to me and away like he was embarrassed for some reason. I took the book since it seemed as though he was getting more anxious by the minute waiting for me to take it, but before I could say thank you, he hustled off, dragging Rath away without a backward glance.
I turned to ask Patrick if he knew what was wrong with Finn, but he was already gone, the spot he’d been in just a moment earlier empty. I jerked my head back in surprise, looking around, but the village center was once again empty aside from me. I would have thought I imagined it if not for the book in my hand.
Deciding not to dwell on it, I took a moment to put the book in my tent before returning to my work. There were few things the clan didn’t fuss over me doing myself, but chopping wood was a necessary task to keep the fires in the village center burning after the sun went down, and everyone took a turn chopping wood for it. It was a good form of exercise, since most in the clan were reluctant to spar with their clan leader. Perhaps I could ask Bren to spar with me. As clan leader for Clan Urthazrak, he wouldn’t see my title, even temporary, as a hindrance like my clan brothers might.
I finished chopping the wood provided to us by the capital city, setting my axe aside and wiping my brow on the back of my hand, my back aching a little but my spirit lighter for a task well done. I preferred to start the day doing something physical. It made the many meetings throughout the day more manageable if I got the blood pumping early.
“Clan leader! Riders incoming!”
Twisting to follow the hail, I looked toward the horizon. A familiar rider raced closer, and my heart stuttered in my chest when I saw who it was. Einar was the scout for Uttin’s journey, and he wasn’t supposed to be back for a while yet. It worried me that he was back so early, and alone. Where was Uttin and the rest of their traveling party?