“It is safe. It is only Garrun.”
“Why is he staying in the shadows?” Melanie queried from her place by the fire. Not everyone sat around it, some had gone back to the wagons to rest, but there were a fair few of us sitting outside. It was a good thing the visitor was friend, not foe, because I didn’t realize until this moment how easy it would be to take us off guard. Most of us weren’t trained to protect ourselves like the barbarians were.
Tyos hesitated, glancing over his shoulder and grimacing. His brother, Dras was the one who answered for him. “He isn’t comfortable around new arrivals. He prefers to scout and guard over joining the group.”
A shy barbarian? I didn’t think such a thing existed. Even Matthew’s husband, Einar, while not sociable by any means, wasn’t shy when he decided to speak.
Less than an hour later, more barbarians streamed into our little camp through the trees. Just like when the first one arrived, I froze when I saw the shadows in the darkness, then silently berated myself when they turned out to be friends. Even if they weren’t, I hated my response. Freezing in fear would get me killed if I wasn’t careful. The only time I ever didn’t freeze was when I was escaping home.
“What is wrong?” Tyos asked, tipping his head at me.
There were a few sentences and questions he knew off hand without stumbling over his words, things he’d picked up during his time as guard during tribute retrieval. It made me smile knowing the things he’d been determined to learn were all things to make a tribute more comfortable after being put in his care.
“Nothing,” I answered quickly. Maybe a little too quickly because his brows lifted and he gave me a look like he didn’t quite believe me. Luckily for me, he got called away to join the huddle the barbarians were having, likely discussing what would happen next. I was curious what the plan was, but it didn’t feel like my place to join in on the discussion. I moved instead to sit by the fire next to Melanie’s husband, Bram.
He poked at the fire with a long stick, his expression neutral. He was a quiet one, a blacksmith from what Melanie had told me, and almost as big as the barbarians in size. I wasn’t intimidated by him, though. Melanie trusted him enough to share her secret and kept his in return, marrying each other to spare themselves the discomfort of being forced to marry the opposite sex and all the expectations that came with it. He was a good man in my books. He didn't have to do that for her. As a man, especially a bigger man with fists the size of boulders, he didn't have to marry if he didn’t want to. Anyone who wanted to push the issue likely wouldn’t have survived it.
“Do… Do you look forward to life in the desert? Do you think it’ll be hard to smith when it’s already so hot outside?”
He didn’t look away from the flames, and I wondered if perhaps he wasn’t social, like the barbarian from before, but eventually he answered me, his deep voice low and quiet. “Don’t know. Never been outside my town.”
I grimaced. The man had a point.
“Don’t think it’ll be different. Hot is hot,” he added with a shrug.
Melanie sat down next to her husband, smirking at him. “As always, you’re as eloquent as a rock wall sometimes, Bram.” She turned to me, her smile rueful. “Don’t mind him. He’s not mean, just quiet. It’s nice after a long day, but frustrating when I’m trying to get him to decide what he wants for dinner.”
A flash of a smile flickered across Bram’s face, and when he looked at his friend, his expression was affectionate. They weren’t compatible, but it was obvious they loved each other like only best friends could. He took her teasing in stride, returning his attention to poking at the fire while Melanie spoke to me.
“You’ve gotten cozy with Tyos. Am I hearing wedding bells in the future?”
A deep flush overtook my face, and I glanced hurriedly in Tyos’s direction to ensure he wasn’t close enough to overhear. He was deep in discussion with the other barbarians, though, and didn’t notice a thing, thank the gods.
“I– We–” I stammered, unsure how to answer her. I liked Tyos, wanted to spend more time with him, but marriage? It was too soon to think along those lines. It had honestly been such a foreign concept to ever get married in the first place, I wasn’t sure how to wrap my head around the fact that I could if I wanted to. With these barbarians, at least, same sex couples were accepted. That much was obvious whenever Simon or Zakai were around their men.
Snickering, Melanie reached across Bram to pat my knee. “Relax. I’m just joking. It’s only been a few days. But you lookhappy. After how pale and frightened you were when you first showed up, I’m glad you’re smiling more now.”
I gave her an appreciative smile, sneaking another glance at Tyos. I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to marry someone like him. I’d never be cold at night, that was for sure. But feeling safe every day, knowing he was there to protect me and care for me? The idea was heady and made me a little dizzy. I wanted that. More than anything, I wanted that. To love and be loved, to have the same kind of life many of the people in town had with their spouses and their families. But I never asked Tyos what he wanted. He seemed to be enjoying spending time with me but that didn't mean he wanted commitment. What were the chances he was just enjoying our time together and once we reached Al Nuzem, he would move on to someone else.
The thought didn’t hit right. I’d spent days with Tyos already. The idea of him just using me didn’t fit the man I knew. But… Did I really know him all that well? There was the language barrier, plus the cultural divide to consider. How much did I really know about him? And why did I think it was enough to truly judge him as a person?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
TYOS
Arlen looked like he was trying to solve complex problems in his head, his frown deep and pronounced. I wished to go to him, to kiss him senseless until the frown disappeared and his smile came back, but I couldn’t until decisions were made.
“We received a message just upon our arrival that the king of Al Nuzem is making attempts to bribe the king here into leaving his son and his company alone, but the process is slow. Idrull believes it is best for us to take the company you’ve collected thus far and smuggle them out if necessary. The knights are expecting you to continue your journey. They will not expect us to go in a different direction,” Rukon reported.
“They will especially not expect us to split up even more,” Faldar added eagerly. “A team will each take a wagon and act as protection, crossing the border in different locations so that if one is stopped, the rest will still pass through.”
“That is still risky,” Uttin argued. “Splitting up means less protection than if we stuck together. And it ignores the fact thatthere are more towns and more companies out there who could be stopped.”
Rukon put his hands up to soothe the agitated clan leader. “We will not abandon the other companies. More of our clan has been traveling to meet them and guide them back safely. We are using our talvok to avoid the knights and sticking to forest and mountain passes if necessary while the clan leaders work with the king to call off their dogs. No one will be left behind.”
My eyebrows shot up. “More? There are already more here than I expected. How many of the clan are on this journey?”
“More than half,” Garrun replied with that growly voice of his that made his sound more intimidating than he really was. Most feared him at first glance because of the scars on his face and body. Only our clan brothers knew his true nature. It was why he stuck to the trees instead of joining the group of townsfolk resting by the fire. He didn’t want to frighten them. “Idrull is relying on the Northern Clan and Clan Urthazrak for protection of our people so that we can come here to assist.”