CARNAL, The Beast Who Loved Me (12 page)

“Stole?” Dandy looked like she was having trouble processing that question. “You mean when somebody takes something that doesn’t belong to them?”

Rosie blinked. “Yes. That’s the definition of stealing.”

“Well, no. How can somebody steal something that already belongs to them?”

“Yeah. In that case, why are you so worried about leaving the bar unattended?”

“Because if nobody’s here, people will just come around and help themselves, breaking stuff and messing things up.”

“Oh.”

“So try not to do it again.”

“Only in emergencies.”

“Uh huh. Get out of here before I ask what constitutes an emergency. I have a feeling I don’t want to hear the answer to that.”

“Gone.”

“I still see you.”

“No you don’t,” Rosie said as she threw her apron in the bin and grabbed her shawl from its hook.

Carnal and Charming were steps away from the Commons as Rosie was leaving, pulling her shawl over her shoulders.

“Hey,” said Charming. “Carnal’s having an ale with me.” He said it like it was an occasion.

She smiled. “That’s nice. Have fun.”

Carnal smiled that smile that made him look like he knew all her secrets. “You’re welcome to join us.”

“No thanks.” She kept walking, but said over her shoulder, “The room where I’m staying needs a lot more homey touches.” When Carnal’s smile fell, she turned her head so that he couldn’t see that she was laughing.

Carnal and Charming were seated at a table by the fire with two pewter mugs of ale. Charming cleared his throat and, after looking around, said, “Carnal. Blaze…”

“Don’t.” Carnal cut him off with a single word spoken quietly, but so full of emotion it spoke volumes. He looked down at the mug for a minute before saying, “So. What’s her story?”

Charming looked suspicious. “Rosie?”

“Yes. Rosie.”

“Told you she’s not for you.”

“Just curious, kid. It’s not unreasonable to ask why a human is staying in the Extant’s house. Is it?”

“No. I guess not.” Charming looked around like he was confirming that nobody else was there. “Kellareal asked Free if she could stay here for a while. She told me she was on a break from her real life because her man left her.”

Carnal’s expression didn’t change. “Left her? She was mated?”

“No. I think that was the plan, but she said he chose work over her.”

“Who is she to Kellareal?”

“Don’t know. Why don’t you ask her?” The second that question was out of Charming’s mouth he regretted it and it showed on his face.

Carnal laughed. “Maybe I will.”

“She’s nice, Carnal. Leave her alone.”

“I’m not going to cause her harm.” Carnal took a sip of ale without taking his eyes off his brother. “Now what’s this I hear about you showing off during training?”

Charming looked sheepish. “Who said I was showing off? It’s not showing off if you can do something better. I can jump higher. So what’s wrong with that? You’re strong and fast. I don’t see you trying to hide that.”

Carnal sat back and grinned. “I get you. Nothing wrong with being good at something, but no reason to needlessly worry our mother either.”

Charming gaped at that, not being able to believe what he was hearing. “
You’re
giving me a lecture on worrying Serene? What the fuck is the matter with you?”

Carnal’s brows came down. “You got something to say?”

“As a matter of fact I do. What do you think she’s been doing when you disappear for weeks and months at a time? You think she forgets all about you? And especially since Crave is…”

“Don’t.” Carnal whispered, but the message was clear. Crave was an open wound with Carnal and the biggest part of the reason why he stayed away from home.

Charming sat back and blew out a breath. “Okay, look, I shouldn’t have… I know the two of you were, are, close.” Understanding seemed to wash over Charming, changing his expression to that of an older, more settled male. “That’s why you went absentee from our family. Isn’t it?”

Carnal didn’t answer. He just looked away. “I’m not absent now.”

“No,” Charming said slowly. “You’re not. You coming to supper tonight?”

Carnal’s gaze slid from the fire to his little brother. Charming may have only been a few years younger, but Carnal felt like the difference, reflected in the youth and hope on Charming’s face, was as deep as an abyss.

He felt the ghost of a smile form around his lips, reading a little anticipatory excitement in his brother.

“Sure,” he said.

Rosie was almost to the porch of the Extant’s house when Serene caught up with her. Forming a crook with her elbow, she looped Rosie’s hand through the space, patted her arm and turned them around so that Rosie was walking away from her temporary home instead of toward it.

That had happened so fast Rosie had to take a second to recalibrate whether she was coming or going.

“Wait,” she said, looking back over her shoulder. “I was going to…”

“You’re invited to come to the weaving barn as my guest.”

“I am?”

Serene looked over at her. “I saw you at the training field earlier.” Rosie said nothing because there was nothing to add. It wasn’t a question and the statement was factual with no room for correction or argument. So she waited for Serene to continue. “Were you just happening by?”

“No. Not exactly.” Serene kept guiding them toward the large structure, with long strides that made Rosie hurry along. “Charming’s friend, Tag, came to the bar. He said Charming was hurt.”

“I see,” said Serene. “And you left your post because of that?”

“I, uh, don’t really think of the bar as a ‘post’ per se. I more think of it as a job?”

“Here we are. I want to show you around.”

Rosie wasn’t sure what she’d expected. Rafters full of cotton and sheep’s wool, she supposed. She stepped into a foyer that opened into a wide aisle running the length of the building. The space on either side was divided into rooms with both exterior and interior windows so that anyone traversing the aisle could look in.

In the first room on the left were ten or so young Exiled looking toward an adult woman. Though the accoutrements were somewhat different, there was little doubt that Rosie was looking at a classroom. Serene let Rosie set the pace. As they passed by slowly, beautiful young faces turned to look with open curiosity. Serene nodded a greeting to the woman, who was certainly some sort of teacher, and she nodded in return.

“It’s a school,” Rosie said.

“Well, we do have space for looms and quilting, but yes, we also house the nursery and school here.”

As they proceeded down the aisle, the occupants of the rooms grew younger.

“Oldest near the front, youngest at the back. For defense?” Rosie asked.

Serene smiled. “Those least likely to be able to defend themselves would, in the case of an attack, be least likely to need to.”

“So during the day, women do domestic and education chores while men…”

“Build or farm or care for livestock. Some train those who will serve our commitment to Kellareal and some are occupied in active service.”

The scene in the bar with Blaze flashed across Rosie’s mind and made her jaw tighten.

“Free told you what I said. About ending it.”

Serene cocked her head to the side. “How did you know that?”

“I overheard. It wasn’t intentional,” she hurried to add. “I was coming downstairs. When I realized you were having a private conversation, I went back up.”

Serene nodded. “He told me.”

“And what do you think?” Rosie pressed.

“I think Free is considering.”

“He’s thinking about it.”

Serene nodded. “Would you like to see the actual weaving rooms?” She reached for a handle to her right and swung the door open wide for Rosie to enter.

The room did, in fact, have natural materials that could be made into threads and placed on the looms for weaving. The room was about four times the size of one of the classrooms and everything in it was fascinating to Rosie. The women looked from Serene to Rosie and smiled, making her feel like less of an outsider.

The tour concluded with a dining hall, backed by a large kitchen.

“So this is where you have lunch.”

Serene looked around, clearly proud of the facility. “Yes. It’s more civilized than lunch at the Commons. The men are rowdy and they eat too much.”

Rosie laughed at that. It was true, but as an outsider, she never would have said it. “I’m glad you showed me this, Serene. It’s very impressive.”

“Well, I have an ulterior motive.”

Rosie slanted her eyes toward her hostess. “Oh?”

“What you said to Free… it was smart. I thought you might have something to offer. If you wanted to teach, that is.” Rosie stopped and stared, which made Serene look unsure of herself. “Not… all the time.”

Rosie looked around. She’d never gone to school. The closest thing she had to experience with school was her parents’ memories. Her mother was home schooled by seven monks who were part of a cult of humanists/scientists. Her father was for all purposes kicked out of public school, but found a home with Black Swan. She wasn’t sure either of those scenarios would translate to teaching Exiled young. “Teach what?”

“What interests you?”

Rosie was struck by the fact that she’d never been asked that question before. She’d barely had time to do anything except look for her father and explore a relationship with Glendennon Catch. She hadn’t really spent any time asking herself questions about who or what she wanted to be.

“Rosie?”

She came out of her reverie, seeing that Serene was waiting for a reasonable answer to a reasonable question.

“I guess I’m interested in a lot of things. Geography?”

“Geography?” Serene laughed. “Well, there’s our settlement, the human city, and the Rautt live across the wasteland. Next?”

She couldn’t explain to Serene that, to Rosie, geography meant navigating dimensions, worlds upon worlds, being able to move not just back and forth, but up and down through a reality far more complex than the Extant’s wife could imagine.

“What do you need?”

Serene shifted her weight back and studied Rosie. “Now there’s a question worthy of a teacher. How do you feel about twelve-year-olds?”

“I don’t know.”

Serene laughed. “No siblings?”

“No.”

“No friends with siblings?”

“No.”

“Cousins?” Rosie shook her head. “No experience with children. At all.”

“How about this? You have some time between lunch and dinner. When you feel like it, you can sit in on classes. Any one you want. I’ll tell the teachers you’ve been invited. You can sort of try them out and see if there’s an age group that feels like a fit.”

Rosie grinned. “A fit.”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Maybe.”

“Think you can find your way back?”

“I know the way back.”

“Well, then. See you tonight. We’re having potato and squash venison.”

“What’s wrong with now?”

Serene laughed. “You sound like one of my boys.” Rosie caught the faintest flinch when Serene finished that sentence and supposed she was always grieving for Crave, not knowing whether he was dead or alive, but always in pain either way. It would be so easy for Rosie to find out at the least, bring him home safe at the worst. And she wondered what was the point of having unusual abilities if she wasn’t supposed to use them to do some good in the world. Serene’s voice brought her out of that fugue. “We were lucky Charming wasn’t really hurt.”