Chapter Seven #2
"So you make clothes?" Dipak asked, back of his neck prickling at the way Pitambar looked at Euclid. Not crudely or anything, but definitely with longing, an almost desperate sort of hunger poorly hidden. There was an interest there, maybe an affection, that Euclid clearly did not return.
Pitambar nodded, reluctantly shifting his attention to Dipak. "Yes, I was a seamster in Kashara for many years. I do much of the sewing for the forest, though of course, many people know how to sew the basics for themselves."
"It's an essential skill when you often spend days alone in the woods tracking game."
"What kind of hunter takes days to hunt one animal?"
Dipak might have gotten annoyed by the question once, when he was very young, but he'd learned over the years that people simply did not understand just how arduous hunting could really be.
"Many hunters. Most of the game people need in the day to day—rabbits, deer, and such—take anywhere from minutes to hours to catch.
Deer can take a whole day if they're good at evading notice, which some are, but that's rare.
Larger game, like dire wolves, great serpents, shadow stags, can take many days as they are hard to track, good at hiding, and incredibly fast. I do not hunt with horse or hound, so I must chase everything down on foot alone, which can be hard when you're tracking something strong, clever, and quick.
I once tracked a ghost boar for an entire month. "
"Why?" Pitambar asked in bewilderment. "Those aren't edible."
"Not edible to you, perhaps, but believe me, there are creatures willing to pay a great deal for every single part of a ghost boar, from the meat for eating, the bones for alchemy, the leather for all sorts of things.
Not long after I left the army, before I became a royal courier, I was hired to kill one.
Made me significant money, ten times what a month of work would normally earn me. "
"I see."
"Looks like the other musicians are setting up," Euclid said. "I think they're looking for you and your flute."
"Ah, thank you. I'll speak to you later, Euclid?"
"I can always be found somewhere." When he'd finally gone, Euclid sighed softly.
"Doesn't know how to take no for an answer?"
Euclid looked at him ruefully. "That obvious, am I?"
"Only about the fact he's clearly been pressing you for some time. Normally I wouldn't be able to tell what you're thinking. How long has he been bothering you?"
"Months. I've tried as many gentle no's as I can muster, and I am afraid, based on previous experience with others, that a firm, direct no would end disastrously.
I don't think he would react that way, but I also do not want to find out I'm wrong the hard way.
He would be a good match for many, and I'm ever hopeful he'll meet someone at a solstice, finally notice those he's always passed over before, but he is quite enamored of the idea of me, the mysterious trader who rules the woods. "
"I'm sorry, that sounds exhausting. I'm used to something…
I don't know if similar is the right word, but I was the king's lover, and everyone knew it, and many wanted to know what the king liked so much.
Many did not like being refused, even though it's amazing to me they thought it all right to solicit the lover of the most powerful man in the kingdom. "
Euclid smiled sincerely this time, warm and soft, relief in his eyes.
Normally he was not so expressive, and Dipak wondered at it.
Was he simply that tired? That trusting?
Perhaps both. Whatever stupid mistakes Dipak had made, near as he could tell, he was the only one in the forest who knew Euclid's secret, and having someone who knew must be a comfort of a sort.
"I wouldn't mind a partner, of course, but for my people, it's quite an undertaking.
We seldom mate with each other, for reasons not discussable here, but finding people with what we call match potential is difficult.
They're quite rare, and all the more difficult when we've settled into our territory and must essentially wait for something rare to simply appear. "
Dipak's heart started racing for no good reason at all. "Never had any luck, when just about every sort of creature wanders through your forest?"
"A few times, over many, many years, but none were inclined to stay forever. Come, the music is starting. Would you like to dance?"
"I'd love to."
Euclid stood and offered a hand, and Dipak took it, feeling like a kid all over again as he was pulled to his feet and over to the space cleared for dancing, a lack of grass showing a history of repeated use.
He hadn't danced since weeks before everything had gone so wrong.
It had been a ball, and Lochan had been in a bad mood, but he'd finally allowed Dipak to coax him into a single dance and had been a bit happier by the end.
A few weeks later…
Dipak certainly hadn't even thought about dancing since then, and even if he had, he wouldn't have been in the mood for something so joyful.
Right now, though, with the warmth of the fires and the sun to drive back the cold, the cheerful music, the beautiful forest all around them, dancing with Euclid was the greatest idea he'd had in longer than he cared to think about.
Certainly dancing with a dragon was infinitely better than hunting one.
When they finally stopped, Dipak was panting, sweat on his brow, and he was incredibly thirsty. But he would have kept going until he dropped if Euclid had not let go of his hand and accepted an offer to dance from someone else.
Feeling slightly bereft, Dipak got a quick drink and then accepted offers to dance of his own, until he simply did not have the energy anymore.
He retreated with food and drink to the same spot he'd sat before, content to sit and watch everyone else while he rested and got his breath back.
Hunting had nothing on dancing for more than an hour straight.
He'd sleep clear through the night and part of tomorrow if he let himself.
Sadly, there was always work to do, and this one day of relaxation was all he could permit until winter set in.
Minali came over and sat next to him, handing over a fresh cup of wine with a smile. "So what makes you so special?"
"Pardon?"
"Since you arrived, all Euclid talks about is you, and he rarely dances much at these functions, let alone asks someone to dance. Normally he just accepts two or three offers, enough to be polite, before fading off from it. He's more the sit and watch type, like an attentive parent."
Dipak shrugged. "We killed mercenaries together. I travel the woods a lot hunting, where I think most of you stay relatively close to your homes. This was my life as a child—living in the woods, trading and bartering instead of purchasing."
"I grew up poor in the woods trading for everything, but you don't see him asking me to dance," she said with a smirk. "Still, those are all significant points of commonality. Perhaps that's all it is. You're going to break Pitambar's silly little heart."
"We met earlier when he came to make awkward conversation with Euclid. It was…"
"Bordering on pathetic, yes. Poor thing, he needs to realize he likes the idea of Euclid more than the reality. Enough of that, though. I hear you brought jewelry to trade, and I want first look at any gems."
Dipak laughed. "As you wish, milady." He fetched his bags, and of course, once people noticed what they were doing, the trading began in earnest. Following that there was more food and singing, until the afternoon grew late enough that people had to leave.
Normally, solstice festivals lasted until the alcohol ran out or everyone passed out, whichever came first.
He packed his things slowly, pleased with the goods he'd managed, especially the sugar, flour, and other baking goods that a woman had traded him for a simple gold pendant necklace.
That would make winter a great deal more pleasant.
Minali had traded him cocoa, spices, and more for a diamond ring.
All of that would be delivered by Euclid later.
Normally he'd never trade sight unseen, but life in the forest relied on sight unseen and a level of trust that he'd encountered nowhere else.
After he'd packed, he lingered, helping to clean up, reluctant to leave, and even more reluctant to leave Euclid alone with Pitambar, who was also hanging back.
"How far do you live from here? Where in the woods?
" Despite all his wandering, Dipak had never come across anyone else's home, so they either lived farther afield than his hunting ever took him, or there were various protections in place to hide the homes from general view. Probably both.
"A few hours north, past the great waterfall, just shy of the cave systems," Pitambar replied.
"So you won't make it home now. Are you sleeping here, then?"
Pitambar nodded. "Yes, I always do."
"I see. Guess it's you and me, then." He turned away without waiting for a reply and continued cleaning up, piling dirty dishes into a large tub stowed beneath the table and hauling it and then a second tub to a nearby brook.
Euclid appeared while he was still working on the second tub of dishes. "You are not required to help, hunter."
"I wasn't going to just wander off and leave you with the work."
"The work is my responsibility, part of caring for my people."
"Well, I'm happy to help. Though you'll probably give me something in trade anyway, because you're stubborn like that." He had to keep biting off the 'dragon' he always added now, since he couldn't risk Pitambar overhearing somehow. Gods, he would never forgive himself if he did that to Euclid.
Euclid's eyes sparkled. He'd changed from his ornate clothes to simple brown breeches, boots, and a faded green shirt embroidered all over with yellow and orange flowers.
"Come, we'll put these in my storeroom. Let me get your things as well.
" He stepped behind a slender tree and was gone, but returned barely a moment later from behind a tall shrub.
"That will never stop being confounding." He hefted one of the tubs, as Euclid placed his things on top of the other one before lifting it and balancing it on his hip. When Euclid held out a hand, Dipak took it and braced himself before they were moving.
He felt less dizzy when it was over than he had the first time, but was distracted from commenting as he took in their surroundings.
A storeroom, as promised, what looked like an enormous cave, so large that there were wooden stairs and ladders to reach what seemed to be an uncountable number of shelves.
More like a warehouse, really. "This is amazing. "
"Took me about a year to clear out the cave.
There was a great deal of rubble and detritus.
Then, of course, it took time to obtain all the supplies and hire dwarves to do the building.
It has proven infinitely useful, though.
As investments of time go, this one has paid for itself at least a thousand times over. "
"I believe it." He followed Euclid to where dishes were stored and helped to put them away. "So are you taking me home now?"
"If you wish, but…" Euclid hesitated, so unlike him, before finally finishing, "I thought perhaps you could stay the night here in my home. If you would like to. I can show you the rest of it."
"Your home?" Dipak repeated softly. "Why would you show me that?"
"I trust you, hunter."
"We both know I don't deserve that."
"I don't know any such thing, and you don't get to decide who trusts you. Now, would you like to see my home?"
Dipak drew in a deep breath, called himself a fool, and let it out slowly. "I would love to see your home."
"Come this way, then."