Chapter 7
Seven
SIMON
I t was actually kind of relaxing after I got the hang of it. I wasn’t anywhere remotely close to making anything usable, but I watched her occasionally to see what she was doing and eventually learned how to make something resembling a bowl. When Maman checked on me, her smile was amused, but tinged with pride.
“Good. That is more than most can do the first time. Most just make a mess.”
That made me feel pretty good about myself. I didn't have many skills. My mother was a whore, same as me, and my father was one of her clients. She never knew which one. I wasn’t in any kind of situation where I’d go to school or learn a trade. The only trade I had was the lifestyle I was raised in. After she died, I managed to work my way into a nicer brothel, but that was about it. I couldn’t even read, which frustrated me sometimes. Being told I could do something well that wasn’t sex felt good.
Still, I didn't want to get comfortable here, so I couldn’t help but sass back at her. “It’s not that hard. Why are you making me do this? So the barbarian can get a break from me? Is he that weak?”
She chuckled, unbothered by my outburst. “Feigrind is capable of handling a great many things. It is being alone that hurts him. Not that I expect you to fix that. You were given to him because he is patient, not because he is interested in males.”
“Would it be a problem if he did?” I growled. Most towns made it illegal to have such relations, which was why so many came to me seeking comfort. Years of being alone took their toll.
Maman scoffed. “Gender is unimportant. There are some in the clan who have no gender at all. Only the important things, like happiness and trust, matter in a bonding. Something my son craves deeply.”
“So why isn’t he bonded, then?” I demanded. I was not jealous. I didn’t care who Feigrind ended up with. I wasn’t staying here.
“Because none who he takes under his protection choose him in the end.”
That surprised me. I knew he said he had multiple tributes. I figured either he was trying to gather a harem or he was sending them away when he got bored with them. Wasn’t that what the rumors said? That women were cast aside when they weren’t useful anymore?
“What do you mean by that? Why would they get a choice?”
When she looked up from her work, the amused grin was gone, and her face was surprisingly serious. She looked a lot like her son when she was like that.
“Because that is the way things work here. Tributes have a place of honor. They are treated as such. They get a choice of who they bond with.”
“But not a choice about staying,” I snapped back.
She sighed and shook her head slowly. “Not at first, no. Given the way the world portrays us, are you really surprised? They need time to learn that things are good here. Most choose to stay once they realize this. But if they learn our ways, meet our people, and still wish to leave, no one will stop them. If the towns allowed us to visit and trade freely, tributes would not be needed. They could mingle as most men do. They cannot, thanks to the treaty. Without tributes, we risk dying out entirely. It was your people who forced their hand and made it this way.”
FEIGRIND
I was reluctant to leave the tribute with Maman. He had run twice already, and I didn’t trust him. But arguing with her would have only created trouble for me. I stayed close enough to keep my eye on them without interrupting their conversation.
It was amusing to see the male’s confusion when Maman forced him to the task of clay making. She did this to all tributes in my care. She said it was a test of their character. A person needed both a strong and delicate touch to work the clay properly. They were not good enough for her son if they could not manipulate it well. Only one of the tributes ever managed to make anything. But she chose Tyarr. It still smarted a little.
What did he offer that I couldn’t?
“You look down, brother,” Uttin said as he approached me. He frowned and looked around. “Where is your tribute?”
“With Maman. She sent me away so they could talk.”
He snorted. “Good. Not even the most stubborn tributes can argue with her. Perhaps she can get his head on straight.”
If she did, it would only speed up his leaving. I knew this to be a good thing because we were incompatible, but I found myself reluctant to let him go. To lose another tribute to someone else.
My melancholy mood did not escape Uttin’s notice. He patted my shoulder supportively. “Do not worry, brother. You only need to protect him for so long. He will find a male who suits him eventually, and you will be free to find someone new.”
I didn’t answer outside of a grunt. I wasn’t going to explain that it made me unhappy to think about. He wouldn’t understand. He had no interest in settling down. It would take an arrangement by his mother or someone extraordinary to force his hand.
“Come. Let’s train. It will help you work off some energy.”
Pushing to my feet, I followed him a little farther away. Still close enough that I could keep an eye on the troublemaker, but far enough away not to disturb others. We set our weapons aside, since we had no wish to hurt each other, and got to work.
He was right. It did help a little, at least in clearing my mind. I focused only on Uttin’s movements so that I could counter them most effectively. My muscles relaxed with each round we took against each other. Uttin was quick, but I was patient and waited until an opportunity presented itself. We were pretty evenly matched when it came to hand-to-hand combat, but I managed to get the upper hand during the last round, pinning him with his arm behind his back and my weight holding him down.
He grunted and tried to twist free, but he was stuck and eventually forced to give up. I rolled off him and helped him to his feet, grinning at his sour look.
“I hate that move. You always win with that move.”
Laughing, I clapped him on the shoulder. “Then don’t let me use that move against you.”
He growled, trying to get me in a headlock in retribution for my tease, but Maman’s voice called out to us, and we separated to look at her. She was standing on the edge of where we were training, her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. The tribute stood next to her, his eyes locked on me. Or more specifically, my body. He’d given me the same look that morning when we washed. It had stunned me to find myself reacting to it, and I had to get into the water to cool myself down.
This tribute was dangerous.
Uttin noticed the look as well and chuckled, elbowing me. “Careful with that one. He looks like he wants to eat you.”
I shot him a frown. “I am not interested in males.”
He flashed me a bored look. “Tell that to your cock.”
Surprised, I looked down, and he barked out a laugh. There was nothing to see. He was just being an ass. It was my turn to get him into a headlock. I was a lot less kind about it when I ran my knuckles roughly over his hair.
“Boys!” Maman scolded. “When will you stop acting like children?”
Uttin shoved me away, and we separated again, both of us grinning. Uttin and I were not blood brothers like Rath and Godr, but we were born within weeks of each other. Our fathers were both warriors and friends. We were raised together.
“Apologies, Maman,” Uttin said with a charming grin. “You look radiant as usual.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Go do your duties, Uttin, or I will tell your mother I heard you wishing you could settle down.”
His face fell, and he put his hands up in surrender. “As Maman wishes. Please do not tell her that.”
He darted off like a shadowstalker was chasing him, disappearing through the nearest line of tents. I heard the tribute snicker, and I turned to look at him, but he sobered quickly and masked his smile before I could see it. I wanted to question his response, but Maman interrupted my thought before I could.
“Simon is hungry. Take him for lunch.”
His mouth fell open. He might not have understood what she said, but he heard her give me his name. Something he seemed determined not to give me. He shot an incredulous look at Maman, screeching in the town tongue.
Maman lifted a shoulder, a smug look on her face. “It slipped out.”
I wished I could follow along with their conversation. Whatever she said, it made him crack a smile before he forced it away again. What little I saw transformed his beauty into something almost magical. I wished I could have seen more of it.
Simon scurried away. Not out of sight, just far enough away to allow him to hide his expression and avoid me and Maman. I allowed it because I didn’t think he’d run again. Not after what happened last time.
Maman turned back to me and raised an eyebrow. “You’re staring, son of mine. Are you perhaps more interested in this tribute than you let on?”
I frowned. “I am not interested in?—”
She waved away my argument. “Yes, yes. You’ve said this. And maybe not all males. But your face says more than you are willing to admit. Perhaps this male is different.”