By Force (3 page)

“Good morning, Mrs. Beetley,” I said to the woman behind the bar, trying without success to keep my voice even. She turned to greet me and her smile touched her whole face, making me relax if only for a moment. She reached her thick hand across the bar to briefly squeeze mine. I tried not to flinch. The woman had brute strength. She was almost as thick as the savages, though certainly not near as tall.

“Good morning, dear Isame,” the woman said in a thick accent that revealed her as a foreigner, though she had lived in Haevene for over twenty years. She searched the bar, and upon seeing my sister, the woman added, “Just you and Lilley today then, is it?”

I nodded, smiling. My father and brother had gone hunting at the crack of dawn this morning and my aunt was visiting with my mother on our farm.

“When did they get here?” I mouthed, motioning with both my eyes and my eyebrows to the foreign men behind me.

“An hour or so ago,” she said in a whisper that was more akin to a dull roar. Mrs. Beetley knew only two volumes: loud and louder. “Been no trouble. But then they’re not your regular savages, are they?” She leaned over the counter to close the distance between us.

“What do you mean?” I asked, more interested than I should have been. I leaned in to meet her.

“King’s men. Bit more civilized than the rest of their lot. I can’t imagine what they’ve come to Haevene for. Not that I much care.” Her gaze moved from the savages back to me. “So, what can I get for ya?”

I opened my mouth to order, but she raised a finger to stop me before I could utter a single syllable.

“Let me guess…stew and dandelion cider? Am I right?”

I smiled. Perhaps we came to town and to Blacksnail’s more than I thought, or she had an awfully good memory. Of course, it helped that my brother and sister and I always ordered the same thing.

Mrs. Beetley nodded and patted my hand before disappearing into the kitchen. A man missing his front teeth slammed his mug down on the counter and smiled at me. I returned the smile and stole a peek over my shoulder to check on my sister. She wasn’t where I left her. Oh, heaven almighty! Quickly, I scanned the room. My pulse quickened and my heart hammered in my ears. Of course, she stood by the savages’ table. They all stared at her while her mouth moved a mile a minute. One of these days she would get herself into trouble no one could get her out of. Panicked, and unsure of how they would respond to her, I hurried over to her side.

I grabbed Lilley’s hand and yanked her over beside me. “I told you to stay put.”

“Meme,” she shrieked, startled. “You’re so bossy.”

“My apologies, you’ll have to excuse my sister’s manners,” I said to the men with a slight bow of my head before backing away, careful not to challenge them with eye contact. We didn’t need trouble. Not today.

“Meme, stop it,” Lilley said as she struggled to free herself from my grasp.

“Lilley,” I said, my tone firm.

“The girl was no bother, Miss…?” said the golden blond. He rose to stand in front of me and my gaze lifted to meet his. I gulped, a little too loudly, and my heart beat so forcefully that I could feel my pulse throbbing in my neck. He was unlike any man I’d ever laid eyes on before, undeniably handsome, with full lips and pearl-white teeth. Up close, his eyes reminded me of the ocean. My breath caught and I couldn’t decide which emotion I felt more of, attraction or fear. He held out his hand and I reached out to take it. His hands were calloused and rough and his grip nearly crippled me.

“Raine. Isame Raine.” My voice was tiny and weak, a perfect punctuation to his dwarfing presence. Wincing, I slid my hand out of his grasp and held it behind my back as I tried to shake off the stinging in my fingers.

The blond narrowed his eyes as he studied my face. Quickly, his gaze left me and connected with that of the dark-haired one sitting to his left. It was almost as if they had recognized my name. Was that possible?

“Nole Gallant,” he said, tipping his head and offering a short bow, his gaze never leaving mine.

“It’s very nice to meet you, sir, but we should be going. My sister will talk your ear right off if I let her. Please, excuse us.”

The blond nodded without offering another word and for a brief second my eyes met with the dark-haired one’s again.

“It was nice to meet you,” Lilley said, peeking over her shoulder as we walked back to our table. With a quick glance, I saw the men continuing to watch us with a dark intensity that made me shiver.

“What were you thinking?” I growled at her.

“I don’t know why you’re so upset. I was on my best behavior.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

“That’s hardly the point, is it? I told you to stay put. Why can’t you ever do what you’re told!”

“You’re not my mother,” Lilley began.

I dragged my chair along the wooden floor so that our seats almost touched. Lore said savages possessed unequaled senses, and I wasn’t sure how acute those senses actually were. I didn’t want them to overhear and risk offending them further.

“You’re only twelve years old, Lilley! You cannot approach strange men like that, especially savages!”

She sighed and turned her face away from me, pouting.

“You had no idea how they’d respond.” I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, hoping to slow my racing pulse. “I’m told their patience is thin and their tempers are easily tested. It’s best that we keep our distance and speak with them only if spoken to. Do you understand?”

“But they’re so handsome,” she whined.

“You think every man is handsome,” I said flatly.

Her eyes wandered back to the men and, giggling, she offered a small wave. I slapped her hand back down onto the table and shot her a reproachful look. They were times when she was beyond her years and other times when she acted like the silly girl she was.

“That’s enough. The time will never come when you see a savage interested in a Copaxan. They consider themselves a superior race and they wouldn’t mix with our kind.”

“You’re no fun, Meme. None at all.”

Mrs. Beetley approached us with two large bowls of fragrant stew and two Goliath mugs of cider, effectively halting our tense conversation. “There we are, ladies.” The sweet smell of apples, freshly baked bread, meat, and potatoes hit me all at once. I picked up the bread. It was warm enough to touch, but not hot enough to put down. I tore off a piece and popped it in my mouth.

Lilley offered the stout lady a smile and a small wave.

“What are you ladies up to today?” she said with her hands on her hips.

“We’ve been to the town square and a few shops. I think we’ll go back and listen to the pipers after we’ve eaten,” I told her. Sunday was the only day we had to do as we pleased. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend our day than to listen to music and mingle with people in town.

“Very good. Crowd’s been talking favorable of ’em, they ’ave.”

“We got some silk from Forester’s!” Lilley held up the fabric for Mrs. Beetley to appraise. I shook my head at her as she opened her mouth again. She was about to tell Mrs. Beetley what the silk was for—her dress for my wedding. Fortunately, Lilley took the hint and snapped her mouth shut, smiling mischievously at me. No one in town knew yet that I was engaged, and I wanted it to stay that way. It wasn’t that I thought it wouldn’t happen. I just didn’t want to advertise it yet. It made it all too real.

“Ooh, I say, isn’t that lovely.”

“Less gabbing, more working, woman!” A man appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. Mr. Beetley. He waved a spoon threateningly at his wife. His clothes hung off his slim figure and his pants would have dropped to his knees if he hadn’t been wearing suspenders. As usual, he pretended to run the show, but I was confident he didn’t.

His wife smiled and threw a pointed finger at him before saying in an angry tone that she mostly reserved just for him, “Ne mind what I’m doing, ya slug. Get back in the kitchen else I’ll clip ya ’round the ear ’ole.”

Mr. Beetley grumbled under his breath before stomping back into the kitchen. The missus had a good sixty pounds on her husband, and if their squabbles became physical, I’d bet on the missus.

“Duty calls,” she said with a wink before walking off.

Lilley didn’t miss a beat. Our previous conversation continued once Mrs. Beetley reached the kitchen. “Mama never told us about savages before, did she?”

“I swear you never listen to a thing she says. Mama told us all about them in our lessons.”

Lilley rolled her eyes theatrically at me. It didn’t surprise me that she hadn’t committed this information to memory, or that she now felt an interest in learning all about savages after finding some of them attractive.

“I’ll tell you later.” As Lilley’s full-on pout started, I added, “On the walk home. For now, let’s talk about something else.”

“But—”

“Enough.” To my absolute amazement, she snapped her mouth shut and picked up her spoon. Twice in one day she’d held her tongue. I supposed there was a first time for everything.

* * *

After dinner, we started to head for the clock tower, but dark, swollen clouds overhead threatened rain. We had just enough time to buy spices for my mother before the thunder grumbled overhead. When I sniffed the air it was laced with moisture. Time to leave or risk getting caught in the rain.

Any second, I thought to myself with every rumble.

Blinding flashes of silver lightning shot out from the clouds. The sun flamed above the trees on the horizon, and the temperature dropped. A gust of wind found its way through the fabric of my dress, and I shivered in response. I rubbed my upper arms, the friction barely succeeded in adding warmth. Fall was here.

“So will you tell me now?” Lilley asked through chattering teeth as we hurried home.

“What do you want to know?” I ducked under a stray branch, barely avoiding it.

“Everything, of course. For one, why are they so different from us? They look the same, only bigger and taller.”

“It is said that their ancestry can be traced back to angels, though you would think this would make them kinder, gentler even, which they are definitely not. They take much from our people, from food to weapons and gold, and they give nothing back.”

“How can that be? They’ve never even been here before, have they?”

“No, not around here. But we live on the southern point of Copaxa. The ships and docks are far to the north. They’d have no reason to travel here.” Saying it out loud made me wonder. Why were they here? It had to be important. I pushed the thought aside. “Even though they don’t often come here, it doesn’t mean their actions don’t affect us. They prey on the weak and, compared to them, that is exactly what we are.”

“So what makes them so special?”

“All things physical. They are big and strong, as you witnessed for yourself, and they are also said to have exceptional strength, speed, and senses.”

“I wish I had those talents.”

“What did you say to them at the inn?” I asked. Heavens only knew what words my bold sister had uttered to them.

“Not much, really. I didn’t have much of a chance, what with being dragged away and all.” She paused before continuing. “I introduced myself and asked them if they were savages.”

“Lilley!” I turned to her, my mouth open, completely flabbergasted.

“What?” She lifted her head and held it high, as if she couldn’t possibly see anything wrong with her behavior. My father would have scolded her if he’d been here. Maybe put her over his knee too.

I could only manage to tut at her. Words would have fallen on deaf ears at this point.

“They said they were, of course, and then they told me the term was offensive. That they were called Daentarry instead. So I asked them what it means to be a Daentarry.”

“Lilley, how cheeky… What did they say?”

“They said I must already know since I asked them in the first place and I said I only knew what they looked like and I wanted to know more. They said they were a race from the island of Optavia. Then I asked them what they were doing in Haevene Point.”

“And then?” I asked, wishing I wasn’t quite so interested. They were the first—and probably the last—savages I would ever see.

“They said they were here to find something for their king. I was about to ask them what that something was right before you interrupted us.”

What could they be searching for? It had to be something of the utmost importance for them to journey so far from home. Optavia was far to the west, at least two thousand miles from Copaxa, and far to the north of Haevene. I was sure the answer would forever remain a mystery to me.

Chapter Three

Over the gently rounded hills, a flash of lightning lit up the sky. A thunderclap echoed in the distance and shook the ground beneath my feet. We picked up our pace but even still we had no chance of getting home before the rain—or before the dark. My mother would have a fit. I’d promised we’d be home well before. Lilley wasn’t concerned—of course. The savages still occupied her obsessive little mind.

“That blond one was absolutely heavenly, don’t you think?” she said as we hurried home.

“I suppose so.” His pouty lips and chiseled jaw flashed into my mind and I felt an ache deep in my stomach that made me move faster just to shake it off.

“And the dark-haired one, I could lose myself in those dreamy eyes.” Lilley stopped and clutched her heart.

I rolled my eyes and pulled her forward, picking up our pace.

“And I suppose we shall never see them again.” Lilley sighed and linked her arm with mine. I flinched from the touch of her ice-cold hand against my wrist, and I rubbed my hand up and down it to help keep her warm.

“It’s probably for the better,” I began. “They are famed for their poor temperament, so I am sure their looks would fade if you became better acquainted with them.”

A dull, pounding noise sounded in the distance. It was constant and gained in volume and strength as the seconds passed. It sounded like thunder, but not quite.

“What is that?” Lilley looked about the fields and between the trees that stretched up to the skies.