“You are most welcome, Finn. Tributes bring joy to the clan.”
“I, uh… Thank you…” I didn't really have a choice to come, but now that I was here, I didn’t want to leave either.
“Has Rath shown you his favorite place?” he queried, tipping back a cup full of some kind of alcohol. Rath had offered me some, and it was sweet, but potent, and I ended up choking on it. Now I could only have small sips of it from his cup, so I didn’t overdo it again.
“What place?” I looked up and over my shoulder at Rath, who smiled indulgently. He was quiet tonight, mostly watching the festivities, though he was a steady presence at my back as Iinteracted with the few people who approached me. Zoya helped translate too, which was nice.
Khaul jerked his chin toward the forest. “The hunter loves his forest. He would live there alone if we didn’t force him to stay.”
“Oh…” I looked warily over at the forest. Rath had warned me against going in there. He said it was dangerous. But he loved it anyway. I frowned, dropping my eyes to my lap. I never liked going into scary places. My brothers tricked me once into going into a hut on the outskirts of town. They told me our father was waiting for me, only to lock me inside and reveal that it was haunted. I cried for hours until someone from town heard me and let me out. Nothing even happened, but I was frightened all the same. I wasn’t sure I could handle walking around in a forest full of dangers. Would that be a sticking point for Rath?
The clan leader called out to get everyone’s attention, drawing the focus to a young woman with a bundle in her arms. The clan barked out a chant as one, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Zoya explained it was a chant to welcome the new babe to the clan, and after they were through, each member would go greet the little thing and press a small dot of ash to the babe’s skin. She said something about what it meant, but Rath got up to join the line to meet the baby and pressed a kiss to the top of my head and I tuned everything else out. He’d been a little standoffish since we came out, but that was a good sign. Right?
The line was long and would obviously take a while, so when my bladder started making demands, I tapped Zoya’s shoulder and asked what to do.
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “You should be fine to go on your own. You’ve been introduced now, so you don’t need constant supervision. I’ll let Rath know if he comes back before you’re through. Just go past those tents. It’s not far.” She waved a hand in the direction of the trench. It felt a little weird to goon my own after almost a week of constant supervision, but my bladder wouldn’t be ignored and I didn't want to pull Rath out of line to go with me. I figured if I made it quick, no one would even notice my absence.
“So you’re the little whore they’re bending all the rules for.”
I’d just finished and was tying my trousers again when someone spoke behind me. Not a voice I recognized, but the tone was familiar. Filled with disdain and superiority. My spine stiffened, and I turned slowly to face the small group of women who’d appeared at my back. Five in total, all unfamiliar to me. And all of them looked angry.
“I-I’m sorry?”
“You should be,” the middle one hissed. “This place was bad enough without being tainted with people like you.”
Eight
Like a habit, my gaze drifted to where I’d left Finn. Not because I believed he’d run, but because I knew he was still nervous and wanted to check on him. When I noticed the spot next to Zoya was empty, my shoulders tensed, and I immediately scanned the surrounding area. Where had he gone?
“Brother!” Verus said brightly, clapping my shoulder as he sidled up next to me. “You look well. How are things with Finn?”
“He’s not where I left him,” I murmured.
Verus tracked my gaze and frowned, but shrugged nonchalantly. “Maybe he had to relieve himself. He was drinking with you, yes? I saw so myself.”
I grunted in agreement, shuffling forward with the line to greet the new babe. It was true, I had been giving Finn small drinks of my ale. If the need arose, it would take me a while to get back to him, so going by himself made sense. Still, a growing sense of unease thrummed through me. The longer he was gone, the more I worried.
I was at the front of the line, next to greet the babe, when I heard Finn’s scream. I moved on instinct, racing through the crowds toward where I’d heard the sound. I nearly ran into a group of tributes who were wandering toward the food tables,ducking around them in my haste to get to Finn. The light was muted past the circle of tents and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I couldn’t see him and I hurried forward, worried he’d run off into the trees, but a whimper halted my footsteps.
“Brother? What’s wrong?” Verus asked as he joined me. A few others came as well, all frowning at me.
“Finn,” was all I said. I shushed him when he opened his mouth to ask more questions, listening. They all fell silent. I cast around for a clue of where Finn had gone. Another choked sob drifted on the wind, but it was confusing. He sounded close, but I couldn’t see him anywhere.
“Brother…” Verus said again, this time gripping my shoulder. When I glanced at him, his gaze was not on me, but lower, his finger pointed toward the trench.
Horror slammed into me when I saw him. The trench was used by the entire clan, and while it was drained regularly, it was not a place anyone wanted to slip and fall. Most would have probably thrown down a rope and asked for Finn to climb out himself, but the poor thing had fallen hard enough to get stuck. He choked on sobs, trying to free himself, and I knew he wouldn’t be able to manage it on his own. Without questioning it, I climbed into the trench, ignoring the smell as I reached for Finn.
“N-No!” he protested, big tears streaming down his face. I recognized the embarrassment, he made that expression before, and normally I would give him space to figure things out on his own, but I couldn’t do that now. My heart couldn’t take leaving him there.
Plucking him out of the mess, I cradled him to my chest. He shook with great sobs, refusing to touch me. Not like it would make a difference. We were both covered by now. A rope dropped, and I took it, holding Finn against me with one arm asI climbed out. Once I was on solid ground, I turned and headed away from the festivities. I’d been avoiding taking Finn to the river, he didn’t handle the cold well, but it was necessary. He needed to be clean.
I didn't bother to undress, heading straight into the water. Finn gasped at the cold, but like the first night, I ignored his tears to care for him properly. When we were deep enough that the water went to his chest, I stripped him out of the soiled clothes before starting on my own. Finn was shaking, his arms wrapped around his middle, and he wouldn’t look at me.
“Rath,” Godr called from the hill overlooking the river. He tossed me a bar of soap without a word and stood guard with his back to us. This far from the main parts of the village, the creatures of the forest were more brave and could attack if not on guard. Usually, we bathed in large groups for safety. That wouldn’t happen now. No one was getting near Finn without my say so.
I was cleaning off his face when he flinched. I frowned, tipping his head up with a knuckle under his chin to study his face. I hadn’t noticed it before because he kept his head down, but there were scratches on his face. Not from a fall. They were too close together. They looked like they came from a person.
Outrage filled my chest and my voice was foreboding when I asked, “Who hurt you?”
