‘I am a virgin!’ Leesha hissed.
Marick pulled away, his erection still in his hand, and looked at her wryly. ‘Everyone in Cutter’s Hollow knows you stuck that ape Gared a dozen times at least,’ he said. ‘Are you still lying about it after all this time?’
Leesha scowled and drove her knee hard into his crotch, storming out of the guildhouse while Marick was still groaning on the ground.
‘No one would take you?’ Rojer asked that night.
‘No one I wouldn’t have to bed in exchange,’ Leesha grunted, leaving out that she had indeed been willing to go that far. Even now, she worried that she’d made a huge mistake. Part of her wished she had just let Marick have his way, but even if Jizell was right and her maidenhead wasn’t the most precious thing in all the world, it was surely worth more than that.
She scrunched up her eyes too late, only serving to squeeze out the tears she sought to prevent. Rojer touched her face, and she looked at him. He smiled and reached out, producing a brightly coloured handkerchief as if from her ear. She laughed in spite of herself, and took the kerchief to dry her eyes.
‘I could still take you,’ he said. ‘I walked all the way from here to Shepherd’s Dale. If I can do that, I can get you to Cutter’s Hollow.’
‘Truly?’ Leesha asked, sniffing. ‘That’s not just one of your Jak Scaletongue stories, like being able to charm corelings with your fiddle?’
‘Truly,’ Rojer said.
‘Why would you do that for me?’ Leesha asked.
Rojer smiled, taking her hand in his crippled one. ‘We’re survivors, aren’t we?’ he asked. ‘Someone once told me that survivors have to look out for one another.’
Leesha sobbed, and hugged him.
Am I going mad? Rojer asked himself as they left the gates of Angiers behind. Leesha had purchased a horse for the trip, but Rojer had no riding experience and Leesha little more. He sat behind her as she guided the beast at a pace barely faster than they could walk.
Even then, the horse jarred his stiff legs painfully, but Rojer did not complain. If he said anything before they were out of sight of the city, Leesha would make them turn back.
Which is what you should do anyway, he thought. You’re a Jongleur, not a Messenger.
But Leesha needed him, and he knew from the first time he saw her that he could never refuse her anything. He knew she saw him as a child, but that would change when he brought her home. She would see there was more to him; that he could take care of himself, and her as well.
And what was there for him in Angiers, anyway? Jaycob was gone, and the guild likely thought he was dead, as well, which was probably for the best. ‘If you go to the guard, it’s you they’ll hang,’ Jasin had said, but Rojer was smart enough to know that if Goldentone ever learned he was alive, he would never get the chance to tell tales.
He looked at the road ahead, though, and his gut clenched. Like Cricket Run, Farmer’s Stump was just a day away on horseback, but Cutter’s Hollow was much further, perhaps four nights even with the horse. Rojer had never spent more than two nights outside, and that just the once. Arrick’s death flashed in his mind. Could he handle losing Leesha, too?
‘Are you all right?’ Leesha asked.
‘What?’ Rojer replied.
‘Your hands are shaking,’ Leesha said.
He looked at his hands on her waist, and saw that she was right. ‘It’s nothing,’ he managed. ‘I just felt a chill out of nowhere.’
‘I hate that,’ Leesha said, but Rojer barely heard. He stared at his hands, trying to will them to stillness.
You’re an actor! he scolded himself. Act brave!
He thought of Marko Rover, the brave explorer in his stories. Rojer had described the man and mummed his adventures so many times, every trait and mannerism was second nature to him. His back straightened, and his hands ceased to shake.
‘Let me know when you get tired,’ he said, ‘and I’ll take over the reins.’
‘I thought you’ve never ridden before,’ Leesha said.
‘You learn things by doing them,’ Rojer said, quoting the line Marko Rover used whenever he encountered something new.
Marko Rover was never afraid to do things he’d never done before.
With Rojer at the reins, they made better time, but even so, they barely made it to Farmer’s Stump before dusk. They stabled the horse and made their way to the inn.
‘You a Jongleur?’ the innkeep asked, taking in Rojer’s motley.
‘Rojer Halfgrip,’ Rojer said, ‘out of Angiers and points west.’
‘Never heard of you,’ the innkeep grunted, ‘but the room’s free if you put on a show.’
Rojer looked to Leesha, and when she shrugged and nodded, he smiled, pulling out his bag of marvels.
Farmer’s Stump was a small cluster of buildings and houses, all connected by warded boardwalks. Unlike any other village Rojer had ever been to, the Stumpers went outside at night, walking freely – if hastily – from building to building.
The freedom meant a full taproom, which pleased Rojer well. He performed for the first time in months, but it felt natural, and he soon had the entire room clapping and laughing at tales of Jak Scaletongue and the Painted Man.
When he returned to his seat, Leesha’s face was a little flushed with wine. ‘You were wonderful,’ she said. ‘I knew you would be.’
Rojer beamed, and was about to say something when a pair of men came over, bearing a handful of pitchers. They handed one to Rojer, and another to Leesha.
‘Just a thanks for the show,’ the lead man said. ‘I know it ent much …’
‘It’s wonderful, thank you,’ Rojer said. ‘Please, join us.’ He gestured to the empty seats at their table. The two men sat.
‘What brings you through the Stump?’ the first man asked. He was short, with a thick black beard. His companion was taller, burlier, and mute.
‘We’re heading to Cutter’s Hollow,’ Rojer said. ‘Leesha is an Herb Gatherer, going to help them fight the flux.’
‘Hollow’s a long way,’ the man with the black beard said. ‘How’ll you last the nights?’
‘Don’t fear for us,’ Rojer said. ‘We have a Messenger’s circle.’
‘Portable circle?’ the man asked in surprise. ‘That must’a cost a pretty pile.’
Rojer nodded. ‘More than you know,’ he said.
‘Well, we won’t keep you from yer beds,’ the man said, he and his companion rising from the table. ‘You’ll want an early start.’ They moved away, going to join a third man at another table as Rojer and Leesha finished their drinks and headed to their room.
