Chapter 21
Stepping into Salheim was like stepping into another world.
Whereas Ralheim was mostly built of stone and plaster, everything in Salheim was wood.
And though we had just left the small village on the plains, this settlement was something larger, even though less buildings were visible to the naked eye.
It didn’t take me long to search out the homes built into large tree trunks and the hanging ladders that likely led to lodgings even more obscure above.
Despite the primitive look, there was something .
. . peaceful about the town built in harmony with nature.
Where I imagined forests like these had been razed to build Ralheim, it was clear that here, the inhabitants had done everything they could to build around the trees. To live in harmony with nature.
A man dressed in deep green trousers and a long-sleeved shirt stalked toward us. I couldn’t decipher the expression on his face, but it was similar to a scowl.
“Should we be scared?” I whispered, leaning in closer to Otho, unsure what the plan was.
“No,” Otho replied, as something akin to a smile formed on his lips.
It took me a moment to make the connection, my eyes flickering between the two men, but as I did a smile came to my lips too.
The man was the same height as Otho, with the same black hair. But where Otho was broad-shouldered from what was likely an abundance of training for military service, the man approaching us was thinner, and more lithe. They both had prominent jaw lines though, and the same silver-gray eyes.
I made the connection instantly.
“You’re the second child.”
“Third,” Otho said hastily before reaching out to embrace his brother.
I felt a shock go through me at the idea his parents had parted with not one but two children, but then I realized his parents could have done something similar to what mine did.
What I had once thought was my parents’ ingenious original idea, I now knew wasn’t all that special.
A parent’s love was unique, but also universal, and each family had their own idea for overcoming, or facing, the one-child rule.
And I was starting to think that deception hadn’t been the best idea as I watched his brother whisper something into his ear, followed by Otho whispering back. Then, they turned to me.
“Cal, this is Runa.”
“Nice to meet you.” He performed the Ralheim greeting, which I was starting to think was used in many more towns than just Ralheim.
“We will stay with Cal until we figure out our next move.”
I raised an eyebrow., “What about the army? Isn’t there a battle?”
“Askel and Karl are both trained to take charge in my absence. It’s how I am able to spend so much time at the barracks training new recruits.”
That made sense, and now that I thought about it, war definitely required more than just a single person issuing orders.
Otho motioned for me to follow, turning so that the arrow was once again facing me. I had almost forgotten it was there. I sucked in a breath through my teeth.
“Please tell me you have a healer in Salheim.”
The two men looked at each other, sharing silent information that I wasn’t privy to. “I can get it out on my own,” Otho said at last. “Cal has the supplies I need to ensure it doesn’t become infected.
I wanted to say something more, to inquire further about what information I had missed in their shared look, but I snapped my mouth shut when I realized the eyes that watched from doorways and wooden roofs.
Though there were no visible physical differences between the residents of Salheim and those I saw at home in Ralheim, the way they dressed made me stand out.
Even though my dress was now torn and dirty, it was still obviously not a shade of green, something that appeared to be mandatory here.
I tried not to stare as we passed homes, shops, and other small businesses, but it was difficult when everyone we passed blatantly stared at me. And I wasn’t the one with an arrow protruding from their shoulder! A small piece of information that I decided I would explore in more depth later.
We ducked into a wooden home, and I was only slightly disappointed that it wasn’t one of the ones built high up in trees. But once I saw the interior, I was mesmerized regardless.
The homes in the village of Bru were empty and run down, with dirt floors that explained the permanent sheet of dust covering even the most commonly used surfaces.
In this home, the entire interior was wood, with beautiful floors that were smooth to the touch, and walls decked out with floral art of all mediums. Some were dioramas, others flowers pressed to parchment, and some looked as if they had been created with paint.
While my home in Ralheim had been more accommodating than the homes in Bru, it was nothing like this. The entire home was a work of art.
I was so busy evaluating the art pieces I didn’t notice that Cal was pushing open another door off to the side of the sitting room. “I apologize, Runa, but this is a small home. With my wife and I sharing the other bedroom, you will have to bunk with Otho.”
I said nothing as I peered into the room he motioned to. It was small with a single bed covered in patchwork quilts. “It’s no matter, if you have an extra blanket I would be honored to sleep on these beautiful floors.” Honestly, they had to be softer than the stone of Viscount Adis’s house.
“No, no, I’ll take the floor,” Otho amended.
I shook my head. “Not a chance. You’re the one with an arrow through the shoulder. Speaking of which”—I turned back to Cal—“can you bring those supplies you spoke of?”
He raised an eyebrow but turned to a cabinet hanging from the wall. “She’s a bossy one. I like it.”
He pulled out a roll of cloth and a jar of clear liquid, probably a wound cleaning potion.
I expected him to disappear into the bedroom with Otho, but instead, he handed the items to me.
“I have to return to work—I only left the harvesting because I heard whispers that this one”—he inclined his head to Otho—“was spotted in the trees. You can help him with the arrow, yes?”
The way he said it made me feel like there was something I was supposed to know, but because I didn’t, I simply took the items and nodded my head.
“Excellent,” he replied before heading for the door. “I’ll be back for dinner, and Alaine will cook something.”
The door snicked shut behind him.
Resolve sinking into my veins, I turned back to Otho only to almost drop the supplies from my hands. I don’t know how he had done it, but was already reaching over his shoulder and trying to wiggle the arrow free.
“Stop that!” I shouted, placing my hands on his. “You need to pull the arrow out carefully. What you are doing right now will only cause more damage.”
Otho chuckled. “You sound just like Friar.”
At the name of his girlfriend, my blood ran cold. But I snapped myself out of it—I was just helping him in the way she would. I reached up for the arrow before realizing I was too short to have enough leverage in this situation. “Lie down,” I commanded, purposefully avoiding his previous comment.
He did as he was told, and the moment he was flat on his stomach, I didn’t give him any warning before I placed one hand on his shoulder, the other on the arrow, and yanked it out.
Now he did yell—an expletive at that. “Next time, warn me.”
I smirked, proud of myself. “No way. If I warn you, then you’ll tense and make it harder on yourself.”
He turned to look at me over his shoulder, apprehension clouding his features. “Are you a healer?”
I smiled and shook my head, “No, just had a brother who found himself in trouble more times than not.” I instantly regretted my words.
That was the first time I had spoken about Milo other than to mention he existed to Leif since I left home.
And though I now realized Otho had secrets of his own, I still couldn’t trust that he was on my side.
Especially not when I had been betrayed by someone called a general while in Bru.
“It’s okay.” His warm hand covered mine where it still rested on his shoulder. “I won’t say anything, I promise.”
I nodded, whatever I had been moving to do was now lost in the embarrassment of mentioning Milo.
Otho remembered though, and he sat up, pulling his shirt over his head before lying back down so I could properly dress the wound.
It was just for a second, but even just a glimpse of his muscled chest had me blushing, which I knew was wrong since he had Friar. I didn’t know why I always found my eyes drawn to him—it wasn’t something I had experienced when I pined over Roger back in Ralheim.
Probably because Otho is far more attractive than Roger. I forced the thought from my mind. Thinking like that wouldn’t lead to anything good.
My mind functioning once more, I, again, didn’t warn him as I poured the cleaning potion Cal had shoved into my arms on his wounds.
This time, he didn’t flinch. While the wound was deep, it wasn’t bleeding nearly as much as I assumed it would be.
I sniffed the potion, noticing the subtle hints of mint and tree bark, two ingredients that prevented infection.
While I personally would have added magnolias to lessen the burn, I hadn’t seen any since the day I left my home in Ralheim.
I leaned closer to the wound, watching as the potion bubbled.
Once the wound was clean, I dabbed at it with a piece of cloth before wrapping it. It was difficult, since I had to wrap the cloth under his arm and around his front, but the wound wasn’t too large, so I only did a few layers before stopping.
His gaze followed my every motion, and I couldn’t help but notice the large number of scars he had crossing his body in various places—even as I tried to keep my focus on wrapping his wound.
The most startling was perhaps the X etched across his back, and I couldn’t resist brushing my finger over the raised skin.
“I got into a lot of trouble too.” His voice was quiet.
I swallowed, thoughts of Milo overtaking my mind once more.
I don’t know why it had been so much easier to forget him when I was enslaved by Viscount Adis, but something about the last few days wouldn’t let my thoughts of him rest. I hoped he was okay.
I hoped Collum was okay too, and that they both were staying out of trouble.
My gaze caught on Otho’s tattoos, which swirled in delicate patterns down his back.
I traced one between loops, wondering what they meant.
His skin flickered under my hand. “Tell me about him,” he whispered as I completed the last loop and tucked the end of the bandage.
My throat felt tight, and though I felt an urge to tell him everything, my mind stopped me and I glanced toward the door, searching for any way to change the subject.
“Hey.” He moved into a sitting position so quick I almost fell off of where I perched on the edge of the bed.
For so recently having an arrow in his shoulder, he was still quite mobile.
He tried to force my gaze to his, but I kept my eyes downcast, scared he would somehow read about Milo in my pupils.
“I already know his name. I already know you were masquerading as him. If I wanted to turn you in, I would have already.”
I still said nothing, though everything he said made sense. Plus, this aligned with what he had said in the forest. But still, something prevented me from speaking—a gut feeling I couldn’t place.
He sighed. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I promise you I am not on Adis’s side.”
I fidgeted with my hands in my lap, even as his grip remained on my chin. It took everything in my power to keep my gaze downcast. “Whose side are you on then?”
He shrugged, finally releasing his hold on me. Once his hand was gone from my chin, I felt my shoulders relaxing, though my face did experience a slight chill from the absence of his contact. “My own.”
I don’t know if it was my empathetic gift, but something told me he was being honest, so with a deep breath, I began. “Milo and I were twins, born on the same moons.”
His chin shot up, and I could hear him gritting his teeth.
But before he could comment, I continued.
“My parents couldn’t bear to put one of us to death, as is the tradition of the Seid.
So, they raised us to share a life, my brother and I.
We would take turns dressing as him, walking as he did, and attending school. ”
Otho shook his head.
“What?” I asked, distracted from my story, even though I was about to bring it to an end anyway.
“It just sounds like a lot of work. They could have just lied about your brother’s birthday or parents and brought you to Adis.”
“I think you are missing the part where they didn’t want to part with either of us,” I corrected him. “While your parents might have been okay sending their children to Adis, I don’t think my parents could handle it.”
He shook his head a second time a hiss coming from between his lips. “You know Adis doesn’t collect the children until they are around ten years old, right?”
The color drained from my face. “Huh?”
His lips twisted. “You were in Adis’s house. Did you see any children running around? Nursemaids teaching them basic manners?”
I thought for a moment, already knowing he was right. “No.”
“Exactly. Your parents would have gotten to keep you until you were about ten or maybe twelve. Then, at that moment, they could lie and say either you or Milo was older.”
My mind was spiraling, wondering why my parents hadn’t just followed the rules . . . “So they were more scared of the coven than Adis.”
“That’s what I think.” Otho moved from the bed, reaching to pull his shirt over his head. I couldn’t resist getting one last look at his muscular back, though I knew I would need to chastise myself for it later. He was taken. “I think your parents were deeper in the coven than they let on.”
“Leif says in the Eastwoods coven, the Seid don’t have any concerns about twins. Not like they do in the Westwoods coven.”
All the good nature that had previously occupied his features evaporated instantly, and he was once again the gruff army general I had been introduced to that first day I had been taken by Adis. “I don’t think you should trust Leif.”
I bit my lip, not sure what to say. I didn’t trust Leif, not really. But he was also the only human whom I felt I could connect with since my cousin had turned out to be someone I didn’t recognize. “Why not?”
He stalked toward the door, not even glancing over his shoulder as he said, “I just have a bad feeling about him.”
And just like that, he ducked out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving me sitting on the bed, staring at my hands, and wondering how I had messed up the conversation so badly.