When Ayla woke up, Rhobart was already gathering their belongings. The horses had their saddles on, and breakfast was made. Even tea. Ayla got up, gathered her furs before going to the pool to wash her face and hands. “Let’s eat. We leave in half an hour,” Rhobart informed her went she returned to the campfire. Ayla nodded and sat on a rock, and Rhobart gave her a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. She looked at the Tree Spirit. The nightingales were quiet. “Tell me you didn’t!” Rhobart took a bite of his eggs. “I don’t have a death wish. Daya loves her birds so much she would annihilate anyone that dares to harm them.” “Then where did you get the eggs and bacon from?” Rhobart shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep last night. Too many thoughts were running through my head, so I took a walk outside and ended up at the hot springs and played cards with some men. Came back with food. And wine.” Ayla started eating. “Poor King Rhobart. He is so poor he has to play cards to put food on the tabl
Rhobart groaned in annoyance, and Ayla blushed. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately around him. It was snowing outside, and Ayla pulled the hood of her new cloak over her head before getting on top of Spirit, and Rhobart and her resumed their journey to the Hammer Clan. The morning passed without any incident, and around noon they were back on the main road. When they passed next to a forest, Rhobart suddenly said, “I just remembered a shortcut to the Hammer Clan. By late afternoon tomorrow, we will be reunited with the others.” “You do know shortcuts are often dangerous,” Ayla commented. “Not as dangerous as your tea.” Ayla glared at him, and he cleared his throat. “See those mountains?” he asked while pointing at the horizon. “There is a path between them. Normally it is not dangerous, but sometimes goblins will try to attack travelers who are foolish enough to get close to their cave.” Goblins were small humanoid creatures with green, leathery skin that offered some protec
The goblins tried to attack Rhobart with their weapons, but Kerra—who had been dragging one of the dead harpies after her—jumped in the middle of them and started biting and clawing any goblin that didn’t move fast enough. Ayla jumped down from Spirit, took out her dagger, and rushed to help Kerra kill the goblins. “Leave him alone! Get away from here!” she yelled as she cut the arm of a goblin. The creatures swung their clubs and branches at Ayla and Kerra, even hit Ayla’s right hand, but stood no chance of winning. In a few minutes, four of them lay dead next to Rhobart while the remaining three—who were badly injured—ran away. Ayla kneeled next to Rhobart. Her hand throbbed with pain, but she ignored it as she was very concerned for Rhobart. “Please don’t be dead! I am going to be so mad if you die!” To her relief, he was still breathing. She rushed to Spirit and took out one of her tunics and cut it into strips. Her mother and grandmother had taught her many things about medic
“Get on top of me,” Rhobart said. “Excuse me?” “It will get even colder, and we will have to share body heat. I would gladly shelter you with my body, but my arm hurts like a motherfucker, and I don’t want to bleed all over you with what is left of my blood.” Ayla snorted. “I see you are better. And to think I was worried about you.” “It’s because of the tea you forced me to drink,” he said and put his left arm under her waist and dragged her to him until she was half on top of him. “I don’t think it is wise for me to sleep in this position. What if I accidentally hit you in my sleep?” When she had bad dreams, she often thrashed in her sleep. “I have seen you sleep many nights. You barely move.” “Not if I have nightmares.” Rhobart was silent for a moment. “You never told me what they were about.” “Things. Yours?” “Also things. Thank you for taking care of me.” “Always,” Ayla said, and she felt Rhobart’s arm tighten around her. Ayla put her left palm on his bare chest, put
Rhobart had a soulmate. A person who was the perfect half of his soul. A person who understood him better than anyone else. Not everyone was lucky enough to find love. Some married for the wrong reasons. Very few people were blessed with soulmates. Even fewer found their other half, for there was no other way of knowing than by touching a person. “Where is she now?” Ayla asked. Her voice trembled. Rhobart looked away for a few moments, then looked back at her. Sadness was written all over his face. “I lost her because of the war.” Her heart broke for him. To find the only person who made you whole, only to lose her. No wonder he pushed everyone away. The pain he must have felt when he lost her. “I am sorry,” she whispered. “Don’t!” Rhobart snarled. “I don’t want your pity.” Anger flashed in his eyes. “I don’t pity you, not even a bit. Losing her must have been devastating.” Rhobart nodded and resumed moving his hand up and down her arm. “I hated your father for starting the war
Intimate? “What things?” Ayla asked. “Give me time. But I want you to know that this is real. I want you, T’xoria, like I never wanted anything else in my entire life.” Ayla bit her lip. “Not even your soulmate?” Rhobart inhaled deeply. “I don’t want to talk about that.” “If you are still mourning her death, I understand.” “She is not dead.” Ayla blinked. “When you said you lost because of the war, I assumed... If she is not dead, then where is she?” He closed his eyes. “Please, Ayla! Don’t ruin this.” His voice cracked. “I am sorry, Rhobart! I will stop asking about her.” Ayla bit her lower lip. “But I am curious about something else.” He opened his eyes. “Sometimes, your curiosity scares me.” He sighed. “What is it this time?” She bit her lip and blushed. “Earlier, while you were on top of me, I felt something hard in your trousers—” He laughed. Hard. “So Daya was right. You are curious about my—” Rhobart started saying, but Ayla put her hand against his mouth, silencing
The servants took Ayla to a bathhouse close to the Clan Hall. The entrance was spacious, with sofas and coffee tables close to the walls, leaving the center free. Colorful mosaics decorated the walls and floors. The bathhouse appeared to be empty, but one of the servants rang a bell that was on a table, and moments later, two women and a man appeared from behind a curtain. “This is Lady Ayla, a special guest of Chief Ulfr. He asks that you prepare her for the alxa-lotx ceremony,” a servant said. “It will be our pleasure to get Lady Ayla ready!” the man said. He sounded very feminine. “Follow us!” The servants left. The two women and the man took Ayla to a room with enormous bathtubs. Tables with baskets full of petals and flowers and bottles with all sorts of oils or lotions were next to the bathtubs. “Lady Ayla, we will have to remove all your clothes to wash you properly.” “Just Ayla,” she let them know what she wanted to be called. The women smiled and helped Ayla undress wh
The people in the Church of Fire turned their attention to the couple. “Hammer Clan,” the old Mage started speaking. “Today, we celebrate with Seff and Kassidy! Today two halves of the same soul will become one!” Milton opened the box and took out a piece of red ribbon and a bone knife. A red ruby was on its hilt. “Seff, Kassidy, you come before Inoss to be united as n’alxaes for all eternity,” the old Fire Mage said to the couple, and they nodded. “Seff, do you promise to love and care for Kassidy all your life? To put her needs above yours? To protect her and your future children? To be the best husband and father?” “I do!” “Kassidy, do you promise to love and respect Seff all your life? To be a good wife and mother? To nurture your home?” “I do!” “Put your left hands in the air,” the old Fire Mage instructed them. The couple raised their left hands, palms up. “Two halves of the same soul, and fate brought them together!” the old Mage said as he took the bone-carved knife in