She plays with the leather cord binding the end of her braid. “That’s a unique name.”
We often bathed in rivers like these back home. The women were always separate from the men, of course.
I always wore a linen surcoat when other people were around. Father demanded that I hid the serpent mark on the inside of my wrist. Today, I have no such luxury. There are no linen robes.
If I shy from this woman or try to hide my mark, she might see through me and she might see my purpose beyond healing Leah.
I strip off my worn clothes and hurry into the water. Water laps at my skin as I use the herbs. My nerves tighten in my throat as I think about the last few nights and everything that has transpired. Mostly, I cannot stop thinking about finally being among the Bloodstone people.
It was an out-of-reach fantasy for so long. Now, here I am, precisely where I have longed to be for ten summers. Ten summers of waiting, planning, training.
Everything that led me here was worth it. The army. The alehouse.
I never dreamed Katya would betray me, though. She put something in my ale. Then, she tricked me and sold me to Luc. How much was I worth to her? Probably not much.
Sunlight sieves through the trees as I walk out of the water and consider my next step. The man standing guard three nights ago wants to send me away. That cannot happen. Somehow, I must convince the Bloodstone people of my worth.
After I dress, Kassandra leads me back to the camp and into a small tent. Familiar smells and sights greet me. Frankincense burning in a brazier. A kettle with venison cooking over an open fire. Various bottles of herbs sitting in glass jars on the shelf.
Kassandra moves to the kettle, pulls off the lid, and stirs the soup inside.
She seems friendly enough. Maybe I can get her to answer some questions for me. Over the summers, I found out some things about Roland and the Bloodstone tribe but not enough.
And Luc. I was surprised when the other warrior called my abductor Luc.
If my information is correct, Luc is Roland’s nephew. If Luc is here, maybe he can lead me to Roland, the Bloodstone’s chieftain.
I’m close.
I know I am.
Inwardly, I dance with elation. I twirl until the moon rises high in the night sky. Outwardly, I remain calm.
From a nearby table, Kassandra grabs a jar and pours wine into a terracotta goblet. She offers it to me, and I happily accept. It has been a while since I drank anything more than warm water.
“Is Luc Roland’s nephew?” I ask, testing the validity of my information.
“He is.” Kassandra says.
“And Hector is Roland’s only son.” There’s a part of me that desperately wants to know the world Luc brought me to. If I understand the Bloodstone people, I can better infiltrate them.
Kassandra traces the rim of her goblet for several breaths before answering. “Yes, but he has been gone for many summers.”
That’s what I heard as I traveled around Tarrobane. Some people claimed that Hector was dead. Even more argued that he turned his back on his people and chose to live deep in the Bloodstone mountains. Some even said he wielded the blade of his ancestors, the one infused with the blood of a serpent.
Though, I doubted the validity of the blade. After all, the gods took the Bloodstone’s magic.
A memory from three nights ago races through my thoughts.“I’m close to finding the stone.”
Unease trembles down my back. If these people find any bloodstone, they may awaken their long-dead gifts. I shake the thought free. The high gods, the ones who don’t walk among us, will never allow them to cast magic again. There’s a reason they punished the Bloodstone. One stone will not revive their darkness.
It cannot.
The Bloodstone people once wielded dark magic, the kind capable of sending plagues into villages and destroying everything. Every crop. Every animal. Every human.
Thick, summer heat slips through the cracks in the tent, beading sweat on my brow. I wipe it away as Kassandra sits across from me and props her elbows against the table.
“Are you married, Sol?”
