Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Aurina had finally adjusted to the gait of the hargon beast, but she couldn’t adjust to the desolate feeling beating inside her. Fears and doubts crowded in her head. She was lost out here, in the middle of uncharted space.
Alone.
Except she wasn’t.
Kavon was a big, warm presence behind her. She stared at his strong arms as they held the reins in front of her. His thick wrists were banded by gold topped with a gray fur. He was a stranger—a big, dangerous one—but he seemed to soothe part of her, and kept her from dropping into full-blown panic.
Ahead, she saw the green, rolling farmland appear, along with neat, gray stone walls, cordoning off different fields. Some were lush with grown crops of green and brown. Others looked newly plowed. Everywhere, people worked—both men and women. No one looked browbeaten or downtrodden.
As they got closer, she could even hear some people singing. She breathed deep. The air was so fresh.
“This is all your land?”
“Yes,” Kavon answered.
“What do you grow?”
“A variety of things. Mostly foodstuffs, and some crops for making fabrics. I have a woman who is head of my farming.”
One thing Aurina couldn’t picture was Kavon standing in a field holding a hoe. A farmer, he was not. “A woman is in charge?”
“Yes. Men are warriors. Women are keepers of skills and knowledge.”
Surprise flickered through her. She’d made the assumption Markaria was male-dominated in all ways. “So, you don’t keep women barefoot and pregnant.”
His brow creased in confusion. “Why would I prevent a woman from wearing shoes?”
“Never mind?—”
“Everyone, man or woman, is expected to contribute to the clan. Yes, women work. And in return, everyone receives what they need to survive.”
“So, these people…they are all claimed by you?” The thought of these people being slaves didn’t sit well with her.
“No. Many have been with Clan Mal Dor since my father’s time.
The rest have petitioned me for protection.
Everyone must belong to a clan, or you will be claimed or have to fight to prove your strength.
You are the first person I have claimed…
in a long time. I already have many people in my clan.
” He fingered her hair. “I usually do not try to add more.”
“So, your father gave you the land?”
“No.”
The word was harsh, unyielding. “I didn’t mean to pry. I’m sorry?—”
“He was murdered.”
Silence fell. She felt Kavon’s big body, stiff and tense behind her. Aurina swiveled her head and looked up. His face was blank and as rugged as always, but she sensed the deep pain beneath his warrior mask.
“I’m so sorry, Kavon.”
“Drog was the man responsible. One day, I will have my revenge.”
She felt her chest go tight. Drog was sounding like an all-round bastard. “He killed your father.”
“Yes. And because of him, we lost our livelihood. No one wanted to deal with the family of a dishonored warrior. My mother secluded herself in shame. Then my sweet sister, Shawna…”
Aurina’s breath caught.
He looked like his face was carved from stone. “Shawna sickened and I wasn’t able to secure medicine for her. It was not long after Shawna’s death that my mother died in her sleep.”
God. “How horrible.” She pressed a hand to his arm. “I lost my mother. She was all I had.”
A muscle ticked in Kavon’s jaw. “I am sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks. I was an adult, but it still hurt. She raised me, always put me first.”
“An admirable trait. It doesn’t matter how old a child is, the loss of a parent still...” His voice trailed off as his gaze shifted to the horizon. “Drog will pay. I have dreamed of killing him for many, many years…but I have a plan for a much more satisfying revenge.”
His dark tone made her shiver. “What do you mean?”
“I have been working for years to complete my plan. Become the best warrior I can, gain favor with our king, build Clan Mal Dor to be bigger, more profitable, and stronger than Clan Mal Sull. I will make Mal Dor the king’s favorite clan and bring all of Drog’s unsavory practices to light. He is a shame to the warrior code.”
She’d heard the old Earth saying that revenge was a dish best served cold. It sounded like Kavon’s was icy. She couldn’t begin to comprehend the control and discipline required.
“And finding this sword, Durendal, that’s a part of your plan?”
Kavon nodded, his gaze staring ahead. “It would be a great honor, and secure the king’s favor for eternity.”
Okay, then. No pressure.
He brought the hargon beast to a stop on the rise of a hill. To one side, beyond the farmland, she saw the sprawling mass of gray rock that was his estate. To the other side, they had a perfect view of the Darken Wilds and its vicious peaks.
“You can get a good view of my mine entrances from here.” He pointed.
She sat forward eagerly. Damn, he must have good eyesight. She could barely make out the entrances high on the mountainside.
Scanning the landscape, she saw the fascinating bands of rock that made up the mountain in shades of gray and deep red.
“The red rock must be the one holding your metal ore. What about the gems? What type of rock hosts them?”
He raised a brow. “No woman has ever asked me about rock before.”
She felt heat in her cheeks. “I like geology. I told you, I collect gems. I often find interesting things when I’m scouting.”
He stared down at her. “I will introduce you to the head of my mines.”
“Thank you. I’d like to meet him.”
“Her.”
She smiled. “Her.”
“And you will share any knowledge that might be useful.”
It wasn’t a question. Aurina felt a sting under her ribs. Kavon was a driven man, and she got the impression he’d use whatever he had at his disposal to further his clan and beat Drog…including her.
He told her a bit more about his land and his clan. She heard the deep pride buried in his words. There was one thing she didn’t doubt—Kavon was dedicated to protecting and providing for his people.
They continued on, and he stopped to speak with some of his workers in the fields. Very quickly, he sorted out some problem at the mills. Soon, he turned the beast back toward the estate. Aurina noted with some surprise that the sun was setting already.
Time had flown while they toured Kavon’s lands, and she suspected the day was a little shorter here. He pulled Tarm to a stop outside his house. He slid off the beast in a practiced move, and before she could dismount, he gripped her waist and lifted her down.
They stood there, close together.
“Thank you for showing me your land,” she said. “And distracting me.”
He just looked at her and didn’t say anything.
She shot him a wry smile. “I knew you were taking my mind off things.”
His golden eyes flashed. “I am a warlord. I don’t have time to coddle anyone. Come. The evening meal will be ready.”
He led her into the house, calling out hellos to people. She endured the speculative and curious looks. She got it. She’d seen the people today. Everyone was tall and lean, with dark hair, and everyone had that gorgeous, dark-bronze tint to their skin. She looked completely different.
She heard the hubbub of conversation, punctuated by booming laughter. Kavon strode into a great hall, with a high, soaring roof and long tables lined up in rows. He led her to a smaller, carved table that sat, elevated above the rest, at the front of the hall.
Conversation quieted, many heads turning in their direction.
Kavon waved his free hand at his people. “Eat.”
The conversation ratcheted up a notch, and most people went back to their meals.
“Sit.” He waved at the leather chair beside his.
Aurina crossed her arms. “Barbarian.”
He sank into his chair and eyed her. Then he sighed. “Sit, please.”
She smiled and sat. Instantly, two women and a man appeared, setting plates and cups down before them.
Aurina stared at her plate in horror. It was a meat of some description…and it looked awfully raw. “Ah, Kavon, what is this?”
“Fagar meat. A delicacy.” He forked some of his own into his mouth.
She picked up her fork, made of a lustrous silver metal that reflected with a rainbow sheen.
She made a mental note to ask him about it later.
It would be excellent to trade. Right now, she was preoccupied with the meat.
She lifted it. It flopped a little, and wasn’t cooked at all. “Why isn’t it cooked?”
“It tastes better raw.”
Her stomach turned over. She liked meat perfectly fine…when it was cooked. She lived on a ship most of the time and either ate well-cooked food, food printer offerings, or cloned rations when she had to. She did not eat raw meat of unknown origins.
Kavon shoved another plate closer. This was filled with a pile of something that looked like rice and topped with delicious-smelling vegetables.
She suddenly realized she was starving, and stabbed at the vegetables.
After one tentative bite, amazing flavors exploded in her mouth, and she groaned. She scooped up some more.
He, in the process of pulling her plate of uncooked meat closer to him stilled, watching her lips as she ate. “Woman, you make a noise like that again and I’ll have you finish the rest of your meal in my lap.”
Desire flared to life and made her breath catch. “I wouldn’t let you.”
He leaned closer. “No one allows a warlord anything. I do as I see fit. I am a fair and protective leader, Aurina, but I am also a warrior, and I have my limits.” His voice lowered. “I am being understanding with you, as a stranger who is unaware of our customs. But do not push me too far.”
“Or what?” Oh, Aurina, just keep your mouth shut, girl.
He moved closer still. He picked up something else, this time a piece of juicy fruit a color between orange and strawberry red. He rubbed it across her lips and she licked it, tasting the sweet flavor.
“Or I will take you back to my rooms, strip you naked, and rub the mata fruit all over your sweet skin. Then I will take my time licking it off. But it will be for my pleasure, not yours. I would see you writhe with need as punishment for your disobedience.”