Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Sweat coated my back, and my thighs cramped due to the fast pace they set, but I neither slowed nor complained. Around us, twigs broke, and brush rustled, signs of the beasts’ presence around us. They remained just outside the circle of weak light cast by the stone that Garron carried. He had explained that they couldn’t use the one I’d arrived with—casters in Adele would have felt the strength of its power as we approached Turre.
The weaker stone Garron had made worked well enough. The few beasts who drew too close due to my presence quickly learned that the spears Edmund and Eadric carried weren’t for show.
We did not stop to eat or drink until we reached a very small sunlit clearing.
“This is one of the pockets of light Henry made,” Garron said as Daemon passed me a water bladder. “We’ve kept it clear by hand so no one would suspect magic.”
I looked from the rotted stumps at the edge of the trees to the packed ground beneath our feet and wondered at the time they’d spent keeping this clear.
“Why maintain this clearing? Isn’t it a clue that someone inhabits this forest?”
“It is, but it’s far enough away from our glade not to call attention to us and far enough from Turre that others are unlikely to discover it.”
“You said it was one of the clearings Henry made. Are there more?”
“There are. We visit them once each fall to clear them.”
“When we travel to Turre, we always take different routes. These clearings provide us with a space to eat and rest briefly before continuing.”
He passed me a biscuit and produced a small crock of the jam I’d previously made with some of their dried berries and sugar. I sat on Garron’s pack and ate while the others stood and consumed theirs. They gave me a moment of false privacy to relieve myself and didn’t comment on my flushed cheeks when I turned my back on them so they could do the same.
Our time resting was as brief as they said it would be, but I didn’t mind when we set out only a short while later. The sooner we arrived, the sooner we could begin finding the help we needed.
While we walked, I kept the lid on my well firmly in place and stretched my senses to search for other casters. If any were nearby, they hid themselves from my presence like I hid from theirs.
The shadows grew darker with the sun’s slow descent, and the number of beasts following us increased.
“Can other casters sense the approach of beasts like I can?” I asked.
“Not many can sense as far afield as you can,” Garron said. “But we’re careful to emerge from the forest in areas that are not populated for just that reason.”
“Which means more walking once we’re out of these trees,” Daemon said morosely.
“Does that mean the Lamb’s shepherd has no stamina?” Darian asked with a grin.
Daemon went to cuff him, but Brandle’s warning glance stopped their antics.
Walking required more care the farther we progressed as larger rocks hid beneath last fall’s leaves. My empty stomach growled loudly well before the trees began to thin and the shadows lightened considerably.
Brandle paused and turned to look behind us.
“We’ll protect her with our lives from here, sir. I vow you will see your daughter again.”
My father moved from the darker shadows, his glowing red gaze sweeping over my companions. When it settled on me, I could feel his profound heartache. Partly due to his inability to accompany me but mostly from the spell I’d cast. His memories would haunt him until the conditions of the spell were met.
“Wait for me near the glade. I will return to you as soon as I am able.”
He nodded once and retreated into the Dark Forest once more.
“How long will your spell hold?” Garron asked.
“Until Eloise is freed,” I said.
Eadric set his chest down and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“Our time here will not be idle, Sparrow.”
I patted his side. “Aren’t we idle now? Pick up your kingly ransom.” He chuckled, and as he picked up his chest of gems, I glanced at Brandle. “Where do we go now?”
It took another hour through the thinning trees to reach a boulder-strewn field and a barely discernible path that Brandle said would lead to Adele. When he glanced back at me, the sight of my skeptical gaze brought a smile to his lips.
“Appearing on a more well-traveled route would have drawn attention.”
“Right now, she’s questioning if you know the difference between a road and a cattle path,” Liam said with a smirk that I couldn’t help but match.
Brandle’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he nodded his agreement.
“It is indeed little more than a cattle path. But rest assured, we’ll find what we need along the way.”
“Good. I’m ready to put this in a wagon. My hands are numb,” Daemon said.
“Do you see any wagons?” Edmund asked.
Daemon groaned and gave me a pleading look.
“Aren’t your legs tired, Lamb?”
“Are you offering to carry me?”
He instantly perked up. “Yes. All the way to Adele.”
I snorted and followed Garron and Brandle along the path. Edmund kept pace beside me. I glanced at the chest he carried and the pack strapped to his back.
“Is it wise for you to carry that in the open? Why not in your pack like the coins Brandle placed in my sling?”
“Coins?” Eadric asked from behind me. “What coins?”
I could feel his humor along with the others and knew he was jesting. They were all aware of the coins I carried.
“My meager possessions do not weigh enough to tug at my shoulder like this. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Each of them immediately offered to carry my bag for me. I waved away their concern.
“I want an explanation for openly displaying one source of wealth while hiding another.”
“We’re unlikely to encounter anyone until we reach our first destination,” Edmund said. “It’s easier to carry them than leave other supplies behind to make room in our packs.”
“And the coin? Why am I carrying that?”
“So you can purchase whatever you wish whenever you wish it, Princess,” Darian said from behind me.
“Shall I purchase that stone? Or perhaps this blade of grass?”
They laughed as I’d intended, and we continued along the rocky path that slowly meandered up the hill. At the top, I had a view of the rocky hills dotted with very little growth that surrounded us. Our current path led to another steeper hill occupied by a small flock of sheep. A very faint curl of smoke rose behind that hill.
“Is that where we’re headed?” I asked.
“It is,” Brandle said. “The farm belongs to Henry’s brother and his wife. It’s very remote, and they don’t receive guests often. So our sudden appearance might startle them.”
“Liam’s appearance might,” Daemon said, “but Sarah is going to fawn over mine. Don’t worry, Lamb. I only have eyes for you.”
Shaking my head at them, I focused on the path and not falling on the slopes. The crest of the final hill gave a perfect view of the tranquil valley below. A small cottage nestled in a meadow not far from the shores of a small lake. Chickens meandered in the muddy yard, and a goose squawked warning at the sight of us, drawing a curious cow from the opening of another small building.
“Hello to the mistress of the cottage,” Brandle called as we descended the path.
A woman cried out from within the cottage, and a man appeared behind the cow, using his shoulder to push it aside.
When the man saw our group, he fell to his knees amidst the chickens and lifted his hands high.
“Thank you! Thank you!” he cried.
The woman ran out of the cottage and stopped at the sight of her husband before her gaze found us. She began weeping in earnest and ran to her husband. Had I not been able to feel their joy and love, I would have worried.
“Brandle, hurry and go to them before she dirties her skirt by joining her husband,” I said.
He jogged the rest of the way and set his chest in the mud to help the man to his feet. The pair embraced Brandle. The woman, presumably the “Sarah” Daemon had mentioned, gripped him hard as the man patted Brandle’s back with solid thumps.
Brandle’s concern wrapped around me, and I knew he was speaking to them when Sarah abruptly quieted, but I couldn’t hear his words.
“They’ve known you long then?” I asked.
“They have,” Edmund said. “Since before we were cursed.”
When Brandle stopped speaking, Sarah nodded and released him. She wiped her face dry and smiled welcomingly at us.
“This is a day I always hoped I would see,” she said. “Welcome. Come inside. We don’t have much, but what we have is yours.”
She led the way into her cozy cottage. Like the one in our glade, it had a private room to the side, a kitchen, and space enough for sitting at their impressive table that held several loaves of bread. Edmund set his chest on the floor near the door, and the others quickly did the same before scrambling to take a seat at one of the two benches at the table. There wasn’t an inch to spare between them.
Edmund caught my skirt between his fingers and tugged me into his lap. I elbowed him and tried to stand, but the arm he wrapped around my waist kept me firmly in place.
Flushing, I glanced at Sarah.
“You’ve arrived on a good day,” she said, not looking at us as she stirred whatever she had in the pot over the fire. “Break those loaves up. There’s butter too, Liam, in the cold storage.”
He got up and went to the shelf behind the ladder.
“Release me,” I whispered to Edmund.
“Not a chance.”
He kissed my neck. My panicked gaze flew to Sarah’s turned back, and I elbowed him again. He lightly bit me, and I struggled to contain the tingle of awareness that swept through me.
“Breathe, Kitten,” Brandle said with a grin.
“How can she when Edmund won’t leave her be?” Sarah said without looking at us. “It’s a wonder she ever agreed to stay with you lot if these are the manners you’ve shown her. Henry taught you better.”
Brandle winked at me. “It was our persistent charm that won her over.”
I snorted.
“You’re obviously not cuddling her right, Edmund,” Daemon said. “Give her over.”
Edmund passed me left, and I had to defend my person from Daemon’s roving hands.
“Daemon, I will send you flying out the door if you don’t behave,” I said.
“My turn,” Darian said. “I know what she likes.”
The dratted man plucked me from his brother’s lap and kissed me soundly. In front of Sarah! And rather than stomping on his foot as I should have, I grabbed his shoulders and let him .
My lapse in judgment was brief, though, and I shot out of his lap. Liam caught me with one arm and steadied the crock of butter he held in his other hand.
“Breathe, Love,” he said with a kiss to the side of my head. “The more you attempt to act as if you’re not with us, the more they’ll try to prove that you are.”
“And when did you become so wise?” Sarah asked.
“The moment our precious Kellen attempted to unman Edmund for his behavior.”
“That would be a defining moment of awakening, to be sure,” the man said, entering the cottage.
Sarah laughed lightly and handed me a bowl of stew.
“It sounds like you’ve proven you’re right for this lot. Now, don’t be afraid to let the kingdom know it.”
I nodded uncertainly and let Liam lead me back to his place where I sat on his lap and allowed Eadric to feed me while Brandle officially introduced me to Andrew and Sarah.
The couple entertained me with stories of the brothers' antics over the years since they had heard them from Henry whenever he came for supplies. The simple meal passed with laughter and my growing understanding of how loved the brothers were by the couple.
“What do you plan to do now that the spell is broken?” Andrew asked as Sarah cleared away the meal.
“Return to the home that was taken from us,” Brandle said.
Andrew nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. I could feel his worry and his sadness, though.
“Will you stay here tonight?” Sarah asked.
All of them looked at me.
“The decision is not mine to make since I know not how far we are from Adele or what accommodations we might find between here and there.”
“We’ll stay,” Liam said, hugging me from behind.
“Then the cottage is yours. Sarah and I will take the loft with the livestock,” Andrew said.
When I would have protested, Liam gave my arm a quiet squeeze.
“Thank you for your kindness,” Brandle said. “We won’t forget it.”
Left alone in their home, I twisted to look at Liam. “Why didn’t you want me to say something? We should take the loft.”
“No, we shouldn’t.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “You should take their bed and choose who you wish to sleep with you tonight.”
I sputtered. “If you think for even a moment that any of you will bed me in this home, you are very mistaken.”
“We only mean to sleep, Kitten,” Brandle said.
“Though we could easily be convinced otherwise,” Darian said.
Edmund cuffed the back of his head lightly, but I could feel his amusement.
“And can I not find sleep in the loft with the livestock?” I asked.
“Doubtful,” Edmund said. “The straw is itchy and not something you’re used to.”
“Come,” Eadric said, plucking me off Liam’s lap. “It’s best to sleep quickly. Andrew will wake us before dawn to load the wagon.”
“We’ll take a wagon to Adele?” I asked, curious.
“We will, but you’ll likely wish to walk. The roads are not smooth, and your buttocks will ache within minutes.” Eadric reached around to knead the aforementioned seat, and I batted his hands away.
“I believe I’ll sleep with Liam and Garron tonight since the rest of you find too much joy in accosting me.”
* * *
A chill wind swept over the lake and tugged at my cloak as I stood in the yard surrounded by my men. They forked hay into the back of the wagon and debated if it was enough to see me comfortably to our destination.
“Please stop making it sound as if I am weak or fragile,” I said. “I am neither.”
“It is our egos that are both, Lamb,” Daemon said. “Grant us this small favor, and allow us our concern for your comfort.”
“Your concern is delaying us,” I said. “I did not wake three hours before dawn to witness this spectacle.”
Eadric chuckled and hugged me from behind.
“Patience, Sparrow. Sarah won’t let us leave without feeding us first.”
“Then I should go inside and help her.”
Eadric held firm when I tried escaping his embrace.
“But then you’ll miss why this wagon took months to make,” Darian said.
He ran inside and returned with one of the gem-filled chests. I watched Andrew push in a section of wood on the side of the wagon and turn it. A panel fell open to the right, exposing that the wagon had a hidden compartment just tall enough to fit the chests or a slim person.
One by one, they wedged the chests into the space.
“A king’s ransom,” Andrew said as he resealed the compartment and winked at me.
Sarah called out that the food was ready, and we returned to the cottage to eat the boiled oats with honey. Eadric giddily took his seat across from me and radiated extra joy in feeding me. When I said I was finished, he ate the rest of my bowl and his own.
Sarah surprised me by pulling each of them down into a motherly embrace and kissing their brows. Seeing them bask in her affection melted my heart, but it also created a sad ache for the childhoods they’d endured because of their curse.
I knew they’d been in the glade with Henry after their parents died, and I knew a caster had cursed them, but I didn’t know anything more about them. Why had their parents died? Why had Henry hidden them away? Was it due to the queen’s need to kill small children as Eadric had said? But if so, why hadn’t Henry married and raised these men as his own to allow them happy childhoods?
Though I had so many questions I wished to ask, I understood Brandle’s fear of sharing too much at once. Hadn’t I felt the same?
Despite my willingness to allow them to tell me their history in their own time, my curiosity grew as I watched them work with Andrew to prepare for our journey. They laughed with ease and patted the older man’s back companionably, completely different from the guarded men I’d first met when entering their glade.
Edmund and Eadric held the torches aloft as Andrew hitched a sturdy ox to the wagon. The rest stacked their packs at the front of the wagon just behind the seat.
“It’s time,” Brandle said.
Garron lifted me into the wagon’s bed and settled in beside me. Sarah waved at us as Brandle took the spot next to Andrew, and Daemon lounged on the other side of me. With the torchbearers leading the way and Darian and Liam trailing behind the wagon, I waved farewell to Sarah.
“They won’t disappoint you, Kellen,” she called. “They are good men of their word.”
I nodded and looked up at Garron.
“Rest,” he said. “It’s a long journey.”
Secured between him and Daemon, I closed my eyes and slept until the sun rose. Once the torches were no longer needed, Edmund and Eadric switched places with Daemon and Garron, using themselves to steady me on the rough road.
Close to midday, we reached another farm. Vines covered the decaying buildings, and waist-high grass moved in the breeze in the central yard.
“The water’s still good here,” Andrew said, directing the ox to the well, which looked like it was the only thing not being overtaken by nature.
“Why was the farm abandoned?” I asked as Edmund helped me down to stretch my legs.
“The family here disappeared,” Andrew said. “The wife was a strong caster. She made the best honey cakes.”
I could feel his profound sadness and anger as he turned away to water the ox. All of their emotions echoed Andrew’s.
“It was the queen then?” I asked.
“It was,” Andrew said.