Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
HENRY
The sound of metal on metal, the grunts of the men fighting, it was all foreign to me.
I had no way to follow what was happening, even with Garrun’s help.
He did his best, explaining the way the blind warrior, Yngvar, was moving, while I tried to match what he was saying to the sounds I was hearing.
The twist of Yngvar’s body just before a swish through the air like he’d moved out of the way of a slice instead of blocking, the clang and grunt as the barbarians smashed against each other, not just with swords but with bodies as well.
It sounded violent and not at all what I expected for someone with limitations like mine.
Garrun sounded awed as he told me Yngvar was a solid wall against his opponent and wouldn’t be moved unless he wished to.
And when another swish through the air was followed by something heavy landing on the ground, he huffed out a small breath of surprise.
“It is over. Yngvar caused Dras to fall. He cannot continue with a sword to his throat.”
Startled, I gripped his arm a little tighter. “His opponent was Dras? How? Did he at least go easy–”
Yngvar must not have understood the common tongue because Garrun translated for me.
A rough voice barked out a laugh, filled with smug pride as he answered my question in the barbarian language.
“No one who challenges me goes easy on me. If they tried it, I would cause them great pain for the insult.”
Dras spoke up next, his words a little winded but there was a smile in his voice. “I would never,” he agreed. “I asked to spar with Yngvar because I admire his fighting style. He’s better than I am.”
The more they spoke, the more stunned I became.
Garrun said this man had no eyes at all.
He wouldn’t be able to see even a little.
And yet he trained with other barbarians who could see him just fine?
And won? How? I could barely move around on my own in a house with four walls to guide me.
How could he train like any other barbarian warrior?
Garrun’s voice was warm as he said, “I think you surprised him, Yngvar. Is there somewhere he can sit? He looks like he needs it.”
For once I didn’t argue with the coddling.
I allowed Garrun to move me to a log nearby, head shaking as I tried to wrap my head around it all.
I was so confused, I couldn’t even think to speak in the barbarian language.
I was forced to rely on Garrun to translate my stunned stammering for me.
“I don’t… I don’t understand. I’ve been blind my whole life.
I’d never be confident enough to pick up a sword.
How do you… I can’t even hear footsteps in the sand out here! How do you do it?”
I felt something bump against my feet, and then against the log. When Yngvar sat beside me, he grunted with the effort, letting out a long breath when he was fully seated.
“I have been fighting since I was old enough to hold a stick and play pretend with my brothers. It is a part of who I am. Losing my sight did not take this from me. It only changed how I faced my opponent. Have you ever fought before?”
“N-No, but–”
“But nothing. I’m sure there are things that you do with confidence. Just because fighting isn’t one of them doesn’t make you incapable.”
I kept shaking my head. “The only thing I’m confident about doing is playing music. I can’t move confidently around a space. I can’t even get to a trench on my own.”
“And how often have you practiced this?” Yngvar asked smoothly. “I saw the town houses before the battle that took my sight. I know of the small homes with unchanging walls. How often did you leave your home to practice movement? How often did you let yourself get lost and find your way again?”
I choked on my words, unsure how to answer that.
I’d never done that. Never let myself get lost on purpose just to find my way again.
Even when I made attempts to go to the town square on my own, Alice always led me back home.
I didn’t think I could find my way back on my own.
And no one would have volunteered to help me.
“You have been in a cage, boy. Of course now that you are free, you are struggling. You have to learn, just like I did. That will take time. But you are not incapable. You just need training and guts. The first I can help with. The second will need to come from you.”
GARRUN
Henry looked like his world had gotten turned on its head.
His breathing was quick, his head still shaking slightly like he couldn’t quite understand the words Yngvar was speaking.
I didn’t think it was translation, Henry knew enough of our tongue to follow along.
I thought it had more to do with him realizing for the first time that feeling of freedom he’d mentioned the first time he played his music in the forest came from more than just escaping a town that didn’t accept him.
Turning to Yngvar, I asked, “Can I help? He is my veyrak. If I can, I wish to help him.”
Yngvar nodded, leaning his hands on the staff he used to find his way. I watched him do it, bumping it against things in front of him so he could move unhindered. Like Ekkar did for Henry by scratching at the log.
“You can speak with your clan leader. He will not learn if he doesn’t try on his own, but you can help by putting markers out for him to reorient himself.
” He tipped his head with unerring accuracy to the tents across from his own.
“They put them on their tents so I could tell who I was near and which direction I was going. It helps if they keep their tents the same when we move, too. If they don’t, they walk me through the layout again so I can learn. ”
Dras, who still stood nearby, considered the markers on the tents. “I thought they were decorations,” he murmured. “They aren’t difficult to distinguish?”
“No,” Yngvar said. “Each is unique. You mentioned an ulvor has been guiding him. This is useful, but he will need to learn to walk on his own as well. He won’t gain the confidence he needs to thrive if he’s reliant on others. Even an ulvor.”
I grimaced. Somehow I got the feeling that letting Henry get lost would be almost as difficult for Ekkar as it would be for me.
“I’ll speak to the clan,” I told him. “I’m sure they would–”
Henry spoke up, a look on his face that said he wasn’t happy with the plan. “No. They shouldn’t have to change for me. I’m enough of a burden as it is. Demanding for people to make decorations or not change where their tents are is too much. I’ll figure it out on my own.”
Yngvar tsked, shaking his head. “Townsfolk are all the same. They think only of themselves.”
Henry sat straighter, outrage on his face, but Yngvar continued before he could argue.
“You were raised wrong, boy. Your family thought only of themselves if they treated you like a burden. Clans are different. We take care of each other. It is not a burden to them to create markers just like it is not a burden on me to train you. Just like it is not a burden on you to play your music to soothe your bondmate.”
Blinking rapidly, I looked up at Dras. I hadn’t told Yngvar about Henry playing for me. And from the frown on Dras’s face, neither had he.
“How do you know about that?” Henry asked.
His hand reached and I took it, squatting beside him to place it on my face so he could see me.
His fingers drifted over my frown and the pull of my brows before adding, “Garrun didn’t tell you,” with certainty in his voice that made me think he knew my face well enough to read me perfectly.
I adored that and leaned into his touch when he cupped my cheek.
Huffing a laugh, Yngvar explained, “I heard you. I went to explore the forest and heard the music. My clan leader explained who you were and your clan leader explained why you played. Idrull describes you as a gift, and I could understand why after hearing what you do for your bondmate. How long did it take you to learn to play like that?”
“Years,” Henry croaked. His hand squeezed mine every time Yngvar called me his bondmate. I saw the fear on his face, the hope as he learned what was possible. “It won’t take me years to learn to move on my own again, will it?”
“No,” Yngvar replied, reaching to pat Henry’s shoulder.
Again it stunned me just how smoothly he did so, like he could feel how close Henry was to touch him without fumbling or missing entirely.
He would be a good trainer for Henry. “It will take as long as it will take, and I will journey with you until you no longer fear taking a step forward. My clan wishes to settle here. I’m not ready to settle just yet. ”
My eyebrows flew up. “You will join us when we move from here?”
Yngvar nodded. “I’d already been discussing it with my clan leader. It seems fate has decided my direction for me.” He squeezed Henry’s shoulder, then pushed to his feet. “Come on, boy. No time like the present. Time to take your first steps. We’ll find our way to my clan leader together.”
Henry seemed uncertain as he stood, his hand clinging to mine, but he released me when Yngvar took his arm, guiding him toward the direction of his clan leader’s tent.
“Bren’s tent is always to the right. You will know where tents are once the clans are no longer all together.
It is too crowded here. Even I have gotten lost amongst all the tents. It will get easier…”
His voice trailed off as he led Henry away, and I could only watch, battling the urge to go to Henry’s side and continue to guide him like I had since the day we met. But that wasn’t what he wanted. And if I wanted him to choose me as his bondmate, I had to make him happy.
Dras moved to stand beside me, watching the pair walk away. “He’s in good hands,” he commented. “You saw his training. You can trust him with Henry. In the meantime, we should speak to the clan. If we want to give Henry the best chance we can, we need to make adjustments.”
I grunted, forcing myself to walk past the pair as they turned for Clan Urthazrak’s clan leader’s tent, continuing onto my own clan leader’s tent. The things Yngvar shared with us, we could handle. And hopefully it was enough for Henry to stay.