to the next town and bide outside. Jewel, you ride with me.”
Chapter Four
They put Jewel in front of Rialt on his horse.
She wondered why they were constantly putting her in front of them like a child. Granted, in comparison to their size she probably did look like a child. They were both very tall, broad men. Still, she had a notion that they were going to act very protective of her and it would only get worse unless she put her foot down. People tended to treat her as if she were incapable because of her blindness and small size.
They were back on the road but not at the quick lope they’d traveled at before. The sharp clop of hooves against hardened soil was loud, but not to the point where it would drown out her words. “Rialt?”
“Eh?” he responded, tone inviting.
“Why do you and Sarvell keep putting me in front like this? I can hang on in back.”
“No sure of his reasons,” he rumbled, “but as for me, I would rather no have your face near my axe.”
Oh. His axe hung at his back? Well, she didn’t want to be near something potentially dangerous like that either. Relieved, she tried teasing him a little. “Afraid I’ll poke an eye out?”
To her delight, he chuckled openly. “Eh, that be an option. I would rather no have herself drop in a fury and skelp me.”
“How did she call you in to help me, anyway?” Jewel hadn’t yet heard his side of the story. “I mean, technically she’s not your clan’s god.”
“When a glowing god with a mad-on appears at a man’s footboard in the dead o’ night, he tends to forget little things like that,” Rialt drawled with enough dry humor that she cracked up laughing. “Mind, it was no until herself left that I thought about it, and by then I was firmly caught. I had said I would go, so away I went.”
“I’m glad,” she responded sincerely. “We’d have been lost without you.”
“My people would be hard-up without you,” he responded so quietly that the words were almost drowned out by hoof beats. “The past three months were a mite…difficult.”
This from a man that thought toying with a castle full of guards was nothing more than a lark.
“Jewel…” hesitation was clear in his voice, weighing at his words. “Why did you leave Ramath to fend for itself six months ago?”
“Huh?” Confused, she shook her head. “Rialt, I’ve only been high priestess three months. Did my predecessor leave you out of the barrier?”
“Three months…” he murmured in something akin to relief. “I see. Eh, for a week or so we were a bit bare.”
“I’d wondered what my predecessor had done to get yanked out of office so quickly.” The reason was obvious now. “Um, does all of Ramath think it’s my fault you were exposed like that?”
“We had no notion a new high priestess had been called in this past year.”
“Great,” she groaned, shoulders slumping. “That means everyone will be mad at me.”
“It will be fine,” he assured her comfortingly. “I will straighten ‘em out quick-like.”
Rialt struck her as a man with a direct approach in matters such as this. She couldn’t help but ask, “With axe in hand?”
“If need be.”
That’s what she was afraid of.
~*~*~*~
They were a stone’s throw from the main road leading into town, largely hidden by the foliage of trees. She and Rialt waited as Sarvell went into town, keeping well away from the road so that no one could notice them.
The merchant’s son was very quick when it came to shopping, for he came back within a half hour with a complete outfit for her. Sarvell had bought a wide riding skirt, billowy blouse and a stylish gypsy vest for her that fit tolerably well. He’d borrowed one of her shoes before going shopping so that he could buy her new boots as well without completely guessing at her size. The boots were a mite large, but two layers of socks fixed that well enough. The real blessing came in the form of the thick, fur-lined cloak he’d
Chapter Four
They put Jewel in front of Rialt on his horse.
She wondered why they were constantly putting her in front of them like a child. Granted, in comparison to their size she probably did look like a child. They were both very tall, broad men. Still, she had a notion that they were going to act very protective of her and it would only get worse unless she put her foot down. People tended to treat her as if she were incapable because of her blindness and small size.
They were back on the road but not at the quick lope they’d traveled at before. The sharp clop of hooves against hardened soil was loud, but not to the point where it would drown out her words. “Rialt?”
“Eh?” he responded, tone inviting.
“Why do you and Sarvell keep putting me in front like this? I can hang on in back.”
“No sure of his reasons,” he rumbled, “but as for me, I would rather no have your face near my axe.”
Oh. His axe hung at his back? Well, she didn’t want to be near something potentially dangerous like that either. Relieved, she tried teasing him a little. “Afraid I’ll poke an eye out?”
To her delight, he chuckled openly. “Eh, that be an option. I would rather no have herself drop in a fury and skelp me.”
“How did she call you in to help me, anyway?” Jewel hadn’t yet heard his side of the story. “I mean, technically she’s not your clan’s god.”
“When a glowing god with a mad-on appears at a man’s footboard in the dead o’ night, he tends to forget little things like that,” Rialt drawled with enough dry humor that she cracked up laughing. “Mind, it was no until herself left that I thought about it, and by then I was firmly caught. I had said I would go, so away I went.”
“I’m glad,” she responded sincerely. “We’d have been lost without you.”
“My people would be hard-up without you,” he responded so quietly that the words were almost drowned out by hoof beats. “The past three months were a mite…difficult.”
This from a man that thought toying with a castle full of guards was nothing more than a lark.
“Jewel…” hesitation was clear in his voice, weighing at his words. “Why did you leave Ramath to fend for itself six months ago?”
“Huh?” Confused, she shook her head. “Rialt, I’ve only been high priestess three months. Did my predecessor leave you out of the barrier?”
“Three months…” he murmured in something akin to relief. “I see. Eh, for a week or so we were a bit bare.”
“I’d wondered what my predecessor had done to get yanked out of office so quickly.” The reason was obvious now. “Um, does all of Ramath think it’s my fault you were exposed like that?”
“We had no notion a new high priestess had been called in this past year.”
“Great,” she groaned, shoulders slumping. “That means everyone will be mad at me.”
“It will be fine,” he assured her comfortingly. “I will straighten ‘em out quick-like.”
Rialt struck her as a man with a direct approach in matters such as this. She couldn’t help but ask, “With axe in hand?”
“If need be.”
That’s what she was afraid of.
~*~*~*~
They were a stone’s throw from the main road leading into town, largely hidden by the foliage of trees. She and Rialt waited as Sarvell went into town, keeping well away from the road so that no one could notice them.
The merchant’s son was very quick when it came to shopping, for he came back within a half hour with a complete outfit for her. Sarvell had bought a wide riding skirt, billowy blouse and a stylish gypsy vest for her that fit tolerably well. He’d borrowed one of her shoes before going shopping so that he could buy her new boots as well without completely guessing at her size. The boots were a mite large, but two layers of socks fixed that well enough. The real blessing came in the form of the thick, fur-lined cloak he’d
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