Chapter 8
Aella
Sunlight filtered into the room, pulling me out of a deep sleep.
It came straight through a thin opening in the window curtains to hit me in the face, so I knew it must have been a little after dawn.
I rolled onto my side and cracked my eyes open.
Rynn lay on the bed next to mine with a blanket over her head.
All I could see of her was her wavy, auburn hair spread across the pillow.
Easing off the mattress, I went to the washroom to relieve my full bladder and clean up.
When I returned, my cousin was still asleep, but she’d pushed the blanket from her head.
I noted the dark circles under her eyes, which stood out against her ivory skin.
These past days had been rough on her as well, so while I wasn’t happy about her forcing me into unconsciousness last night, I wouldn’t punish her for it.
She’d had good intentions, and I did feel much better after a long sleep.
Moving as quietly as possible, I left our small cabin and stepped outside into the chill morning air. There was a small wooden porch with steps where I stood, but I didn’t go down them, preferring to take in my surroundings.
They’d placed us at the edge of Doga. Down the dirt road, I could see that many of the Andalagar had already risen and begun their day’s activities. There were hundreds of homes scattered throughout the village, all built with dark red logs.
Unlike ours, most of the others were two stories high.
The layouts varied, with each having a unique configuration.
Some had wide covered porches, others had gardens along the front, and even the windows came in different proportions and shapes.
One place boasted full-front windows. I loved Doga's eclectic feel.
Across the road, a woman stepped out of a cabin with smoke drifting from the stone chimney above. She glanced my way and beckoned. I hadn’t met her before, but that wasn’t a surprise.
Rubbing my arms to ward off the chill, I took the steps down and crossed the road over to her.
The dark-haired Andalagar female with bronze skin appeared to be in her mid-to-late thirties.
She stood at about the same height as me, at five feet, ten inches, and had a sturdy frame with toned muscles.
Something about the way she carried herself told me she’d trained as a warrior and would give her enemies a good fight.
As I reached her, I heard kids inside laughing and shouting. She glanced through the open door and scowled. “Put that plate down. If you break another one over your brother’s head, you’ll be scooping Pegasus shite from the field for a month.”
“Worth it!” one of them yelled back.
“With your hands,” she retorted. Then the Andalagar woman calmly tucked her chin-length hair behind her ears and plastered a smile on her face. “Sorry, it’s a wonder the boys haven’t killed each other yet, but it’s still early.”
“How old are they?” I asked, surprised by their rough play and how she handled it. Shouldn’t she go in there and stop them?
She sighed. “Eight and ten. They’re like their father and can hardly stay still during the day, always restless. I let them beat up on each other because it toughens them up, but I draw the line when they break my things.”
I tried to keep my expression blank, not wanting to offend her, but my siblings and I would never have been allowed to behave that way. “What about when they get hurt?”
“I send them to the healer if it’s bad enough, of course,” she said, amused by my question. “Trust me when I say that our people have thick heads—in every sense. It takes a lot to harm us.”
Remembering my manners, I held out my arm. “I’m Aella, by the way.”
“Tamasine.” She clasped my wrist in the traditional greeting. “I’m the one in charge of cooking your meals while you’re here. In fact, I just finished preparing breakfast. I can bring out a tray for you, or if you’re brave enough, you can sit with us.”
“What are my odds of receiving a head injury?” I asked, lips twitching. Today, I felt stronger and more myself. Even my magic had almost entirely returned.
“I cannot guarantee anything except you’ll love my purrberry biscuits.”
My eyes rounded, and my stomach rumbled. “Were the berries fresh when you baked them?”
She nodded. “I picked them yesterday.”
Purrberry bushes grew to ten feet long and wide, making them rather large. With the limited space in my garden at Ivory Castle, it had never been an option to include them. The juicy red fruits they produced were among my favorites, though, and were difficult to find.
Many gardeners and farmers were hesitant to plant them because of the purring sound they made whenever someone approached.
For races native to Paxia like druids and Andalagar, it was pleasant, but to the fae, it was quite grating.
I was fortunate that the sound didn’t bother me.
Still, I didn’t see why it irritated others so much since the bush was otherwise harmless.
The worst that could happen was that it rubbed its soft, light-blue leaves against them.
“I’ll risk life and limb to eat at your table then,” I said with a smile.
Tamasine laughed. “My boys heard what happened in your garden, so I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble from them. If they do get annoying, just threaten to feed them to your crunchertrap. That should do the trick.”
“You know about that?” I asked, startled. It had only been a handful of days ago.
She nodded. “The story has spread far and wide. No one has ever heard of plants protecting their mistress so vigorously before…on her own soldiers, no less! I’ve been wanting to meet you to see what could have possibly inspired such loyalty from flora.”
“Oh, well, I hadn’t dreamed it would go so far…and there was no controlling them once they got started.” I could feel my cheeks heating. “I just…”
She put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s fine.
We won’t judge you for it here. No one liked your uncle, and they certainly wouldn’t blame you for doing what you needed to survive.
Never feel guilty for protecting yourself—regardless of the means.
And anyway, we all know Zadrya’s plant life does what it wishes.
You couldn’t have forced them into anything. ”
“So many of them died,” I said, chest tightening at the memory. It was only yesterday morning that I’d cleaned up the massacre, and it was still quite fresh.
Tamasine took me gently by the arm and pulled me into her home. “That was their choice. All you can do is build it back even better than before.”
This woman had a tough exterior, but I sensed a heart of gold. “Thank you.”
Her two boys, both with short, dark hair and golden eyes, quieted as we approached the kitchen. The joint cooking and dining area was just beyond their cozy and tidy living room, with thickly cushioned furniture in neutral shades of brown and green.
I settled at a rough wooden table with benches on either side. The boys sat across from me, whispering to each other. Tamasine made the introductions, and then I began filling my plate.
They stared at me intently as I ate while their mother prepared a tray for Rynn. About halfway through, I finally met their gazes. “What is it?”
“Do you really have plants that eat people?” the oldest asked.
I nearly choked on my biscuit.
“Um, well. Plants like that are all over Zadrya,” I replied after washing down my food with water.
“Yeah,” he said slowly. “But no one grows them in their gardens because they’re dangerous, and we stay away from them in the woods. Do they ever try to bite you?”
I shook my head. “None of the deadly ones have hurt me, but I’m half-druid, so we have a special connection with plants and can calm them. The only variety that gives me trouble is my snapper berry bush, but a sturdy pair of gloves and well-placed threats tend to keep it in line.”
The younger boy laughed. “How do you threaten it?”
“Tell it to behave, or you’ll feed it to the bigger plants,” I replied.
Both boys snickered and asked a few more questions before leaving me alone to finish my meal. I’d felt the weight of all my problems when I’d walked into their home, but some of that faded while speaking to the kids.
Their view of the world was far simpler and more innocent.
It made me think of my dream of becoming a mother someday, but even if Darrow changed his mind, I wasn’t sure I wanted to have children with him.
He wouldn’t be able to love them, and I didn’t like that he still kept so many secrets.
It was best not to consider it at all. Perhaps some things weren’t meant to be.
I’d stick with my monthly infertility herbs to be safe and do my best to let that idea go.
A large Andalagar man entered the house, heading straight for us. He had bronze-toned skin like most of the tribe, short, dark hair, and a large build. His animal-skin clothing appeared dusty, splatters of blood covered his vest, and his nose was swollen.
Tamasine gave him a sharp look, devoid of concern or sympathy. “You’re late.”
“Orran challenged me,” he said in a deep voice.
She snorted. “And you couldn’t turn the Prime Chief down, of course.”
“Someone has to fight that oaf.”
I tried to hide my surprise at his words. No one would have dared call my uncle a derogatory name, even behind his back. Was that acceptable here?
“I suppose,” she agreed, lips twitching. “Wash up and change, so you can take over this mess.”
He was only gone about ten minutes before returning with fresh clothes and a clean face.
Tamasine pointed at the sink. “I saved the dishes for you, and be sure to take the boys outside for some exercise. They were fighting again this morning. Oh, and get this tray to Rynn across the street before the food gets cold.”
She’d covered it with a warming cloth, but that would only keep it for a little while.
“Anything else?” he asked, leaning down to kiss her.
His eyes shone with such deep love and affection I’d rarely seen in my life. It hurt to watch. I had to look away, finding a sudden fascination with a deep knot on the wooden table.
“Aella,” Tamasine said a minute later.
I glanced up. “Yes.”
Thankfully, the husband and wife had pulled apart. He was already starting on the dishes and looked comfortable doing it. I was in awe. The men in my life would never consider doing any cleaning aside from their weapons.
“Let’s go to the training field,” the female Andalagar said with a wink. “You look like you could use some exercise and a distraction.”
“Oh, I should probably rest another day after…”
“No.” She wagged a finger at me. “Our enemies don’t care how we’re feeling or if we’re hurting—not that they’d even ask before attacking. I haven’t seen any signs that you’re in bad enough shape not to be able to squeeze in a little training. If it helps, I won’t go too hard on you.”
“I’m in the wrong clothes for that,” I argued. Since my wardrobe was limited, every piece mattered that much more.
She studied me. “We’re close enough in size that I can lend you something of mine.”
Her husband and the boys gave me amused looks as I rose to my feet. “If you insist.”
“I do,” Tamasine said, leading me from the room.