dressed and meet me
outside. Our host would have a word with us.”
Sebastian’s stomach rumbled. “How long have
I been out?”
“ Only a handful of hours, but they’ve
food and drink for us, so hurry.” His father slipped outside, his
shadow cast against the tent wall as he waited there.
A groan slipping loose, Sebastian crawled
from the bed. He saw that he had been bathed, the blood that had
crusted about his wounds was gone, the stain of his injuries wiped
clean. His stomach urging him on, he dressed as quick as he was
able and adjusted his sword belt so it didn’t rest upon his wound.
Once he had his boots on, he left the tent, feeling the stiffness
of the circumstances that had led him here. He wondered briefly
about the witch whose hospitality he had to thank for his healing,
but that thought fluttered from his head after but a moment. Food
was all he could think of.
His father waved him on, and they’d walked
only a short way before the witch met them.
“ Good evening, Sebastian. How do you
feel?” she asked.
He felt strangely uncomfortable that she
knew his name. “I am well, thanks to you and yours. My deepest
gratitude for all you’ve done.” He nodded shallow, and she smiled
in reply.
“ This is Elizabeth Bourne,” his father
said, taking the moment to introduce them formally. “She was a
friend of your mother from long ago, before you were even
conceived.”
Sebastian looked from Darius to
Elizabeth, having never met anyone who knew his mother, aside from
his father, he felt uncertainty well up. “You were friends ?”
Elizabeth smiled, the charm of it chasing
away the shadows. “We were…until she was murdered by Deborah Altus
and her crones; such a cruel and traitorous end.” Her smile dimmed.
She waved them on and began to walk toward the edge of the
camp.
Sebastian felt a lump form in his throat,
sickness settling in his stomach at her words. Darius moved off
after her and Sebastian trailed behind, catching up a moment later
when Elizabeth slowed.
“ Alise and I were both upon the
Council, but we were friends long before that.” She glanced at
Sebastian. “I see her in you: your eyes, the slope of your nose.
Your chin, however, is all Darius.” She laughed gently, casting a
smile at his father. Much to his surprise, his father smiled
back.
“ But I’ve no doubt my words pour salt
in painful memories, so I will put them away for now so we might
speak of other things; no less dark, but perhaps more appropriate
to the present. Come.”
She drifted around a tree and strode toward
the shadows of a group gathered in a clearing ahead. Sounds of
merriment floated in the night, a number of voices raised in song,
the blissful melody no less for the roughened throats that called
it to be. There was a contentment to be heard in the voices
Sebastian hadn’t expected. As they neared the large campfire and
the shadows resolved to people, there was much more he hadn’t
expected.
In a half-circle about the fire, men and
women stood hanging on one another, the group swaying in time to
the song they sung. With a passing thought, he realized many of the
women were pregnant, round stomachs pressed against their tunics,
but it was their voices that stole his attention. Amazed that such
a pure sound could come from such hardened people, it took him a
moment to realize what it was they were singing for. His gaze
drifted down to the circle and noticed a huge swath of naked flesh.
He let the image sink in as he questioned what he saw.
There before him, on carpets of fur, were
dozens of women crawling about on their hands and knees, giggling
with wide eyes and bright smiles. Sebastian shifted uncomfortably,
too surprised by the unexpected view to be aroused. In the center
of the women were two young men, just as naked, but clearly with
none of Sebastian’s restraint. The women pawed at them, hands
floating like butterflies across their bodies, sparing no part of
them the lightness of their
outside. Our host would have a word with us.”
Sebastian’s stomach rumbled. “How long have
I been out?”
“ Only a handful of hours, but they’ve
food and drink for us, so hurry.” His father slipped outside, his
shadow cast against the tent wall as he waited there.
A groan slipping loose, Sebastian crawled
from the bed. He saw that he had been bathed, the blood that had
crusted about his wounds was gone, the stain of his injuries wiped
clean. His stomach urging him on, he dressed as quick as he was
able and adjusted his sword belt so it didn’t rest upon his wound.
Once he had his boots on, he left the tent, feeling the stiffness
of the circumstances that had led him here. He wondered briefly
about the witch whose hospitality he had to thank for his healing,
but that thought fluttered from his head after but a moment. Food
was all he could think of.
His father waved him on, and they’d walked
only a short way before the witch met them.
“ Good evening, Sebastian. How do you
feel?” she asked.
He felt strangely uncomfortable that she
knew his name. “I am well, thanks to you and yours. My deepest
gratitude for all you’ve done.” He nodded shallow, and she smiled
in reply.
“ This is Elizabeth Bourne,” his father
said, taking the moment to introduce them formally. “She was a
friend of your mother from long ago, before you were even
conceived.”
Sebastian looked from Darius to
Elizabeth, having never met anyone who knew his mother, aside from
his father, he felt uncertainty well up. “You were friends ?”
Elizabeth smiled, the charm of it chasing
away the shadows. “We were…until she was murdered by Deborah Altus
and her crones; such a cruel and traitorous end.” Her smile dimmed.
She waved them on and began to walk toward the edge of the
camp.
Sebastian felt a lump form in his throat,
sickness settling in his stomach at her words. Darius moved off
after her and Sebastian trailed behind, catching up a moment later
when Elizabeth slowed.
“ Alise and I were both upon the
Council, but we were friends long before that.” She glanced at
Sebastian. “I see her in you: your eyes, the slope of your nose.
Your chin, however, is all Darius.” She laughed gently, casting a
smile at his father. Much to his surprise, his father smiled
back.
“ But I’ve no doubt my words pour salt
in painful memories, so I will put them away for now so we might
speak of other things; no less dark, but perhaps more appropriate
to the present. Come.”
She drifted around a tree and strode toward
the shadows of a group gathered in a clearing ahead. Sounds of
merriment floated in the night, a number of voices raised in song,
the blissful melody no less for the roughened throats that called
it to be. There was a contentment to be heard in the voices
Sebastian hadn’t expected. As they neared the large campfire and
the shadows resolved to people, there was much more he hadn’t
expected.
In a half-circle about the fire, men and
women stood hanging on one another, the group swaying in time to
the song they sung. With a passing thought, he realized many of the
women were pregnant, round stomachs pressed against their tunics,
but it was their voices that stole his attention. Amazed that such
a pure sound could come from such hardened people, it took him a
moment to realize what it was they were singing for. His gaze
drifted down to the circle and noticed a huge swath of naked flesh.
He let the image sink in as he questioned what he saw.
There before him, on carpets of fur, were
dozens of women crawling about on their hands and knees, giggling
with wide eyes and bright smiles. Sebastian shifted uncomfortably,
too surprised by the unexpected view to be aroused. In the center
of the women were two young men, just as naked, but clearly with
none of Sebastian’s restraint. The women pawed at them, hands
floating like butterflies across their bodies, sparing no part of
them the lightness of their
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