Chapter 17 #2
I struggled to swallow. “I think I need this power, Otho. I have a feeling . . .” It was the first time I mentioned the odd sensations of certainty I often felt since my bonding to Leif out loud. But the moment I did, I was glad, as it made it more real.
He slammed his fist against the window frame, and I jumped. “No one needs magic, Runa.” His voice was low, and I could feel his anguish.
My head dropped, my gaze fixing on the pattern in the wood on the floor.
“You don’t know that, Otho. You said so yourself: you don’t know what’s next for the Seid.
Your war . . . your war is done. But ours .
. . I think it’s just beginning.” I fidgeted with my fingers, unsure how else to convey to him all the things that had happened to lead me to this moment.
Otho turned from the window, shoving the vials in my hands before stomping toward the door. He pulled it open with more force than necessary before pausing to gaze at me. I didn’t need my gift to know that he was hurt I’d waited this long to tell him.
I opened my mouth to apologize. “I know I should have told you sooner. I’m sorry—”
He slammed the door, leaving me to face the aged wood, the three vials clinking in my hands.
I waited all afternoon for Otho to return, taking a much-needed bath to relax my aching muscles. When I climbed out, I eyed my dirty clothes with regret, not seeing any other option than to put them back on.
They felt grimy as I slid the breeches back up my legs, begging them to hang on a while longer.
Pausing by the looking glass, I did my best to brush out my hair with my fingers, planning to ask Ena for help with a braid that night.
Though I still looked tired, and thinner than I had before Adis had taken me from my home, I looked better than I had while living in Malheim.
At least my face had regained its color.
Ena had done her best to use some patching supplies Askel carried to repair my ruined shirt, but the seams were starting to come apart, and it wouldn’t survive more than a day or two more.
With a sigh, I slid on my boots and pulled open the door, only to find Askel standing right outside, a goofy grin on his face.
“Oh, Askel!” I pressed my hand to my chest. “I didn’t know you were waiting.”
His blue eyes appraised me. “I knocked, but when you didn’t answer . . .”
“Otho left,” I stated with a frown.
“I know.” His eyebrows waggled but I shook my head; I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. “Anyway, he asked me to take you to purchase some new clothes, so let’s hurry it up. Ena is waiting outside.”
My mood immediately transformed, my steps excited as we made our way down the hall. Ena was leaning against the wall in the reception area, a smirk on her lips. When her gaze met mine, I shook my head, her expression morphing into one with questions.
“Let’s get this over with.” She held the door open for Askel and me. “I don’t know about you, but these clothes are on their last threads.”
“Mine too,” I agreed. “I hated putting them back on after my bath.”
Askel said nothing. All the men carried packs that held a change of clothes, even though I’d seen Otho dressed in the same outfit most days.
My chest pinched at the anger he’d harbored when he stomped out of the room. But something told me he would come around, like he always did. He merely needed time. The words flew through my mind in Friar’s voice, and I grimaced, wishing I’d asked Otho if she and Collum were okay.
“What’s that face for?” Ena asked. “I thought you and the general made up days ago.”
I shrugged. “He found out about the belladonna. I should have told him sooner.” And I meant that.
“He’ll come around. He always does,” Askel added. “He just . . . doesn’t have a good relationship with magic. He never has.”
“I know. That’s why I didn’t tell him right away.” We came to a stop in front of a small building—a few dresses hung in the smudged glass paned windows. There was no sign indicating it was a clothing shop, or even open, and I paused.
“It isn’t much, but it’s the only one in town, according to Otho,” Askel announced as he herded Ena and me inside.
Again, my mind flashed back to how much Otho seemed to know about this small town, but the moment I took in the interior of the shop, I deduced I would worry about him later.
While the exterior had been unassuming, with the same wooden walls the whole town had, inside was a sea of colors, with different clothing and fabrics hanging on every available surface.
It looked like the shop owner had once tried to be organized, with white signs that poked out from beneath colorful fabrics, but they must’ve given up, as I could no longer read most of the signs, and there didn’t appear to be any specific method used to organize the various items.
“Hello there!” A small woman emerged from behind a pile of clothing. She was short, even shorter than Ena, her back curved over with age. She wore spectacles, which she polished on her apron before replacing them on her face. “What have we here?”
“Two women in need of clothing.” Askel held up the bag I’m sure I’d seen in Otho’s hands at the reception. “And I’m only here to pay.”
My eyes met Ena’s, both of us with the same thought in mind. We didn’t have space for a lot of clothing. Or even a bag.
“Alright.” The woman looked between us. “Who’s first?”
“I’d like two pairs of breeches and two shirts please. You can choose the color,” I said with a smile.
The woman brightened, giving me a once-over. “My, you’re tall for a woman. Are you sure you don’t want a dress? It’s rare we have someone as tall as you, you see, and well, I have this pile—”
“Just the breeches and shirts please. I’ll take men’s sizes if needed.” I planned to throw away what I was wearing, and at least this way I’d have something to change into while I laundered the other pieces.
“Alright. Seems a shame . . .” She tutted as she weaved between the stacks of clothing, the only part of her visible being the gray bun on the top of her head. She reminded me so much of Signa, it was hard not to stare.
“I’ll take the same,” Ena called out. “But I am partial to the color blue.”
There was no response from the shop owner, but we both assumed she’d heard.
Barely any time had passed before she was weaving her way back over, her arms full. “Yer man can wait outside while you try these things on.”
Askel was already at the door, but I bit my lip as I eyed the window.
“Trust me, girl, no one be looking in here. Not if they want to keep their eyeballs.” She smirked. “Whole town is scared of me, ya see? When I run out of room for new products, I’ve been known to go about town, sewing folks into their clothes as a joke.”
My jaw dropped, and my gaze met Ena’s, both of us giggling.
“Stop yer giggling,” the shop owner snapped as she handed me a shirt. “I’m serious. You might just find yourself sewn into a dress if you’re not careful.”
That shut me up, though there was still a smile on my lips. I’d never been threatened by someone so small.
I switched from my threadbare white shirt into the green one she’d pushed in my hands, loving the smoothness against my skin. It fit perfectly, as did the breeches.
My gaze caught on Ena, the shop owner buzzing around her as she tried on her outfit.
The second set fit well too, and I asked the shop owner if I could continue to wear it and toss my old ones in the trash.
She tsked at the sight of the rags on her floor. “Girl, you’re going to have to burn those, I’m afraid.”
She was right.
Ena’s two outfits fit perfectly as well, and she added her clothes to the pile to be burned. The shop owner called Askel back in, and our bill was settled quickly, even as she tried to sell Askel some additional clothes for himself.
Back out on the mountainside, the sun barely visible, I shivered, having left my cloak in the inn.
“I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m starved.” Askel peered at the pub the innkeeper had pointed out. It was the only building, other than the inn, with lights still on, and though I wanted my cloak, I knew I would be fine without it in a pub.
We walked the few paces to the pub in silence, the noise from inside spilling out onto the empty dirt street as we approached.
“It’s the only place in town that serves food. It’s either eat here or find your own dinner,” Askel explained.
Ena’s eyes were wide as she perused the rest of the street. “There’s no market?”
He shook his head. “Not that I know of. Traveling ones surely, but the whole town is less than eighty people.”
“You’ve been here before.” I eyed Askel warily, wondering what he wasn’t telling me.
“Yes,” he admitted with a sad smile, “A long time ago thought—before the war.”
I frowned. Askel was my age, meaning his “a long time ago” wasn’t as far from the current moment as he insinuated.
Unless he visited as a child.
My attention was drawn back to the pub, as when the door opened, it was impossible to speak, and I was pretty sure all eighty residents were currently shoved inside the pub.
There was a long, polished wooden bar on one side, every stool taken, the bartender behind it rushing as he filled glasses of ale from wooden barrels lining the wall.
He was older, but his face was kind, even as I could tell he was struggling to serve every patron in the establishment on his own.
The room additionally held six large tables, every single one full.
I was about to turn around and head back outside when Karl raised his arm, beckoning us over to a table that had looked full from the vantage point of the door.
Upon closer inspection, there were two stools available—one between Karl and Jase, the other between Jas and Nel. There was no sign of Otho.
“Mr. Broody is at the bar,” Karl explained with a gesture, somehow reading my mind. “You can have my seat, Runa. I like standing and eating.”
I shook my head, my gaze returning to the bar. “It’s okay, Karl. I’ll find a seat with Mr. Broody.”
He smirked. “He hates that nickname. Good luck.”