At first we did not speak much, but it was a comfortable silence. Every now and then, he’d point out something like wild roses growing beside the road or a rabbit hopping across our path. So long as I did not look up, I was all right.
Then suddenly, he asked, “Where are your parents?”
“Dead. My lady took me in as her ward.”
He didn’t press me, but his question made me wonder about him. He had two brothers and a grandfather.
“Where are your parents?” I asked.
“They’re dead too. My mother died when I was thirteen.” He paused. “One summer, she lost her appetite, and my father couldn’t get her to eat. She grew so tired and weak she could barely stand. We couldn’t seem to heal or help her. She died before autumn.”
From his voice, I could tell this memory was painful. I’d never known my father, and I barely remembered my mother. But for a boy to lose his mother at the age of thirteen must have been tragic. My lady possessed some knowledge and skill in the healing arts, and I had seen the ailment that Raven described before—with one of the manor servants. My lady had called it consumption.
“I’m so sorry.”
“We lost my father four years ago in a raid gone wrong,” he went on. “I wasn’t there, but some of our men attacked a large caravan…too large, and they couldn’t contain all the guards. We lost three men that night.”
How awful. But this was different. Why did these people insist on conducting raids at all? They seemed to have most of what they needed. Still, I didn’t press the point. I was more interested in hearing of his family. His life to date had been so different from mine.
“Is your grandfather the leader of the settlement?” I asked, for although I was uncertain, it had seemed so during my short stay.
“Yes.” The word was clipped, as if the question was awkward. “Our word for leader is tórnya. My father was intended to succeed him, but now it’s down to Logan or Caine.”
“Not you?”
“I don’t want it. That’s why Caine thinks he owes me. I asked Grandfather to take me out of the running and give more consideration to Caine. But the truth is that I don’t choose to be trapped at the settlement year-round.” His hands gripped the reins tighter. “Caine would make a better tórnya than Logan. He knows how to listen. But Grandfather wants someone who’s married, with a family of his own. So far, Caine’s shown no interest in marriage.”
“And Logan is married?”
“Yes, to Brida. I think you saw her? She wears her hair in a thick braid?”
I did remember her. She was the first one to see me last night.
“Logan and Brida have two sons,” Raven said. “So unless Caine marries and starts a family, I think Logan will be Grandfather’s choice.”
“And you don’t like the idea of Logan in charge of the settlement?”
“No, I do not.”
“Why?”
He never answered me. Glancing at his face, I could see he wished to end this line of discussion, so, I pointed ahead. “Look, another rabbit.”
Beside me, his body relaxed. “A big one too. I wish I had my bow handy. He’d make a fine stew for supper.”
We fell back into comfortable silence, and the wagon rolled on.
* * * *
We stopped for the night well before dusk had set in. Raven had clearly made this journey before, because he appeared to know where he was going and pulled off the road into a clearing large enough for all six wagons.
“There’s a stream down below for fresh water,” he said.
I followed him off the bench as everyone around us scrambled off wagons and set to work. The men began unharnessing horses and fetching water in buckets. Several of the women built a fire, and Jade carried over a metal tripod with a hook in the center. As she arranged this over a fire, an older woman hung a pot on the hook, and a young woman poured in half a bucket of water.
I stood to one side at a loss. Then I took off my cloak, hoping to help. “Is there anything I can do?”
Jade stood and put her hands on her hips. “I don’t know. Is there anything you can do?”
As I felt my face turning pink, the young woman laughed. She wasn’t much older than me.
“Oh, leave off, Jade.” But she took in the sight of me with some trepidation. “You don’t look strong enough to haul a bucket, and you’ll ruin that gown if it drags in the mud.”
“My gown?”
Embarrassed, I noticed they all wore dark wool dresses in shades of brown, purple, or burgundy. I was still in my ice blue muslin. The color was so light it showed every mark or stain.
“I’m Jemma,” the young woman said. “And this is Lizbeth.” She motioned to the older woman.
Jemma was not so lovely as Jade, with a wiry build and pointed chin, but she was pretty and blessed with silky black hair. Lizbeth looked to be perhaps sixty with ample breasts and hips. She moved quickly for someone of her age.
“I’m Kara,” I answered.
“Well, you must know how to do something, Kara,” Jemma said, laughing again. “Or Raven wouldn’t have you living in his wagon. That’s a first for him.”
Lizbeth laughed too, but Jade didn’t. I had no idea what Jemma meant and was beginning to grow uncomfortable.
Then Jade’s eyes softened as she looked beyond me, and I saw the boy coming toward us, carrying a load of twigs and branches. “Sorry it took me so long, Mama,” he said. “I had trouble finding anything dry.”
“It’s all right, Sean,” Jade answered. “We’ve got a fire going with wood I brought.”
This news surprised me. He was her son? Who was her husband? Even with my lack of knowledge of the world, I’d sensed there was something between her and Raven.
“Here, Kara,” Jemma said. “Come and help me chop these vegetables.”
Looking down, I saw she was on the ground with a knife, a cutting board, and a pile of potatoes, carrots, and onions. Grateful for something to do, I hurried to join her.
“Is there an extra knife?” I asked.
“Yes, right beside that sack.”
The middle-aged woman I’d seen earlier came to join us, introducing herself as Teresa. The two small girls appeared to be hers. Then two other young women, about Jemma’s age, arrived. They offered their names, Emlee and Deidra, but I was beginning to feel overwhelmed and barely heard them, trying to focus on my work.
The large pot was boiling by now. We added potatoes, onions, and carrots. Jade dropped in bits of some type of dried meat.
“All right,” Lizbeth said. “We should go see if the men need help with the horses. Jade, you watch the stew.”
Before I knew what was happening, everyone walked away from the campfire—except for Jade and myself.
She stirred the pot and studied me. “You’re something to see. I’ll give Raven credit for that. He knows an attraction for the show when he sees one.”
I had no response, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Just be careful around him,” she went on. “He doesn’t mean any harm, but his head is more swelled than most men, and he’s got a wandering eye. Any girl back in the settlement would have him in a heartbeat. For all Logan’s strength