Hyrin, probably like most of Galderia, I thought, appeared to be an open-carry town. My sword was only one of many in the room, a reality which might have been unnerving, but I realized everyone being armed meant most people had the sense to behave.
We had our first round of drinks, as well as some bread and smoked meat, heavily salted. We talked little due to the music, but I scanned the room with an for who might be a merchant—who could be heading to Yedia. I spotted a man and excused myself from the table to go talk to him. He greeted me and told me his name was Merritt, but after sitting with him for a moment he told me he was the town's nob thatcher.
"I'm sorry. What?" I said.
He tugged the coarse hair on his head and it moved out of place a little. "I make hair from critters I catch in my traps."
"Oh, I see. Nice." I slowly scooted the chair back from the table, so I could get up.
He put his hand on my wrist and leaned in, peering up at my hair, looking from one side of my head to the other. "Natural?"
I stood and smiled. "Yes."
"Looks good."
"Thanks," I said. "It was nice meeting you, but I'm actually looking for a merchant who might be going to Yedia."
He leaned back and grinned, tipping his chair a little and showing the gap where his two front upper teeth should have been. "You're in luck."
No. I don't think so, buddy.
He chuckled, which made me feel a little guilty for evidently showing my distaste for him. "No," he said. "Not me. I've never been that far north. Too cold." His eyes look up and to the side like he was picturing something in his head. "Wouldn't want to be near those creatures either."
"Creatures?"
"Nevermind them." He turned to his right and looked back, then swung back around and looked behind him on his left. "There he is." He nodded toward a couple at a table on the elevated section, opposite the side of the room with the stage. "That's the man you want to talk to." He faced me again. "His name's Sal."
"Sal?" I wanted to make sure I heard him right. My contact must've been in the mafia or something, I thought.
"That's right. The woman next to him is his wife, Bibiana."
"Of course it is."
"They’re good people," Merritt said.
"Thanks." I patted the table top a couple times. "You've been a big help."
"Anytime," he said as I stepped away from the table to head toward Sal and Bibiana. "Come see me when you start to lose that head of hair," he said. "Okay?"
I raised my hand to acknowledge him but didn't look back.
Sal raised his mug to me when I approached. "Hello, friend," he said. Bibiana smiled at me. "I haven't seen you in Hyrin before."
"You're a big one, aren't you," Bibiana said. "My name's Bibiana, and this is Sal."
"Hello. I'm Den." I glanced back to Merritt, who was looking over at us and waving. "He said I should talk to you two."
Bibiana leaned to the side to see around me. "Oh, it's Merritt." She waved. "Hi, Merritt!"
I noticed Sal staring at my hair. "That's not one of his, is it?"
"What? No. It's mine. I mean, it's my hair."
"Oh, okay." Sal sounded like he was being polite, which made me wonder for a second how he could possibly think the hair on my head came from some animal trapped from the forest. I probably do need a shower, come to think of it.
"Have a seat," Bibiana said.
I pulled out the chair beside me and sat down. "Merritt told me you two are merchants."
"That's right," Sal said. "What are you looking for? If I don't have it, I can get it."
Bibiana leaned over the table a little. "We bring things into town from all over."
Sal glanced at her, then back to me. "She's right. In fact, tomorrow we're heading up north."
"To Yedia?" I asked.
"Yes. What are you looking to acquire?"
"My friends and I…" I looked back across the room toward Alara, Nithia, and Tara who were still seated and enjoying the music, presumably. "Those three by the musicians. We need to go to Yedia."
Sal and Bibiana looked at each other, then he turned to me. "I see." His tone seemed slightly less friendly.
"We're just looking for someone to show us the way," I said. "That's all."
"Mm hmm." Sal stared at me, then peered past my head to look across the room toward the stage. "And all three of those women are going with you?"
"That's right."
He looked at Bibiana again. She now had a very judgmental expression.
"Which one of them is your wife?" he asked.
My wife? Hadn't thought of it that way. I realized from the way they were looking at each other and how their tone with me had changed that they might be put off if I told them all three were my women. It was an arrangement not generally accepted on Earth, but I hadn't questioned whether it was normal or peculiar in Galderia.
"Alara," I said, hoping to pass their litmus test. "She's the brunette."
"Oh. Alright." Sal sounded friendly again.
"And the other two?" Bibiana asked.
"Her sisters." The three did refer to each other that way, I thought. So, it was basically true.
Bibiana smiled. "Oh, that's nice." She looked at my bicep, which even un-flexed strained the sleeve of my shirt. "They're lucky to have a big strong man like you to look after them." She put her hand on Sal's arm and looked at him as she said, "Women need protection nowadays, to keep them pure until they find a husband."
Sal put his hand atop hers and looked into her eyes. "You're right, dear."
"So…" I hoped that meant they would let us travel with them to Yedia, though I didn't look forward to trying to keep up the ruse I'd fallen into.
"Oh, look." Bibiana's face lit up and she waved at someone behind me. "Here come your wife and her sisters."
Oh, shit.
I stood up abruptly and turned around just as Tara came up to me, bow strapped to her back. She leaned forward to kiss me, but I thrust my arms out, landing my hands on her shoulders. "Hey, Alara's sister. Glad you three came over." With my eyes bulging, I was trying to tell her, Alara, and Nithia to go along with what I was saying, but I feared one of them was a second away from blurting out something to blow our cover.
Tara pushed her head forward and shifted her shoulders, trying to get loose from my hands so she could get her lips on me. I made micro movements, shaking my head as I contorted my mouth and flared my eyes at her.
My blood pressure rose dangerously high as Alara, staff in hand, stepped around me to the table. "Hi. I'm Alara."
Sal stood up. "Yes. Den's wife. Nice to meet you."
I spun around and saw Alara looking confused.
"Yes," I said, putting my arm around her waist. "She's my woman." I glanced at her with my eyes wide open, hoping she'd go along.
She looked at me and her eyes narrowed.
With the side of my head facing Sal, I a darted my pupils to the side and back toward her. I felt my face getting warm.
She exhaled, then looked past me to Sal. "Yes. Den and I have been together ever since I gave in to him begging over and over to be with me." She glanced back at me and smirked.
I chuckled, but only to play along with her.
"Wait a minute." Tara pulled me around by my shoulder. "What are you-"
"Yes." I pushed her closer to Alara, doing so with just enough force to take her off guard, so she couldn't finish talking. "This is one of Alara's two sisters," I said, patting her hip with my hand. "And this is her other sister, Nithia." I nodded to Nithia and felt relieved by the look on her face. She clearly had caught on that this was a situation and I was in a bit of a panic.
"Hello." Nithia flipped her hand upward to flash her palm to Sal and Bibiana.
"Sal and Bibiana are married," I said. "They're merchants and I was just talking to them about maybe going with them tomorrow to Yedia."
"That's right," Bibiana said.
"And she was saying how good it was that you two tr
avel with Alara and me to…" I felt like my next words might be lighting a fuse to a bomb, but I had to get them out to clue the three of them in on the story. "Make sure you two aren't taken advantage of by anyone."
Please don't slap me, Tara.
"She did?" Tara's eyes darted around.
Alara reached back and placed her hand on Tara's shoulder. "Wouldn't want a man to ruin you before you found the right one."
Tara huffed, but Alara squeezed her shoulder. "Hey." She pushed Alara's hand away.
Sal chuckled. "Yes. They're sisters alright. Okay. You four may travel with us to Yedia, but I warn you, it's a long way. Do you have horses?"
"One," I said, relieved the decision had been made.
He looked to his wife. "We can make room in the wagon. Can't we?"
She nodded. "The two of them can squeeze in." She was looking at Tara and Nithia.
"Alara," Sal said. "You'll ride with your husband. Yes?"
She looked at me. "Someone has to keep him in line." She smiled and put her arm around me.
I glanced back to Tara. She was scowling but kept silent.
"Good," Sal said. "It's settled. We'll meet down here in the morning, at first light. Are you staying next door?"
"Uh." I realized we hadn't yet found a room for the night.
Sal looked at the four of us for a second then turned to his wife. "What do you think?" She nodded to him and he waved his hand. "Why not. We have two spare rooms. Our kids are grown."
Bibiana leaned forward. "Moved all the way down to Woltdel." She shook her head as a thinly masked look of disappointment appeared on her face.
Sal patted the back of her hand. "It'll be nice to have company. Won't it?"
She averted her eyes for a moment, possibly holding back a tear, but she nodded, then said, "Yes."
We all sat down with them and for the next hour the two of them told us about their children, how they'd gotten into the merchant business, and Bibiana's collection of wigs Merritt had made for her—eleven different ones. She promised to show us when we got back to their house.
"Oh," she said. "And this one, of course." She chuckled at her absent-mindedness as she pointed to her head.
I pressed my lips firmly together as I recalled how Merritt had said he made the wigs from the hair of critters he trapped.
"That looks really nice," Alara said without sarcasm or a tinge of laughter, showing more strength than I could have managed.
"Den," Tara said, setting me to worry again she might tip off Sal and Bibiana. "If I have another nightmare, you'll come in the room for a little while to make me feel…protected, won't you?"
"I…"
"I understand, dear," Bibiana said. "My boy used to have them too. Sal or I had sit in the room with him until he fell asleep again."
Sal turned to Bibiana. "She's a little old for-"
She bumped him with her arm. "It's okay, Tara. Sometime's we still need someone to check up on us."
Tara nodded as I glared at her with my hand up to shield my eyes from Sal and Bibiana's view.
"Sometimes we do," Tara said. "Need that." She flashed her eyes at me.
I looked at Alara, but she only offered me a shrug.
"I'm looking forward to seeing your wig collection," Nithia said.
"Well." Sal tipped his mug and peered into it. "If we're done here, why don't we head back there now. Sooner we all get to bed the better."
Tara stretched her arms and yawned, though I strongly suspected she was faking it. "I completely agree."
Chapter 24
"You still awake?" I couldn't see Alara's eyes, the way her head was resting on my chest.
"Yes."
"I'll never get tired of doing that with you," I said, as I stroked her dark hair.
"I hope you don't, husband." I knew she was referring to the assumption Sal and Bibiana had about us, but I didn't mind her using the term, whatever the reason.
"Are we going to end up like Sal and Bibiana?"
She slid head back across my chest, so she could look up at me. She looked serious. "I'm not going to start wearing critter wigs."
I laughed, then she did too.
"I'd still feel the same about you," I said, drawing a smiled from her. "Though we might have to do it in a darker room from then on."
She punched me playfully in my stomach.
"Ouch. I was kidding." I stared at her to get her to wonder what I was going to say next. "We can leave the lights on, for all I care."
She seemed satisfied with that, but I couldn't help but tease her again. "There's always a pillowcase over the head."
"Ooh!" She pulled herself up from me, trying to keep from laughing. Then she gave me several under-powered rapid punches in my stomach, just hard enough to annoy me.
I burst out laughing and she continued until I finally had to grab her wrists to stop her. Then she slid back up onto my chest and kissed me. We kept going at that for a minute or so.
Someone knocked at our door.
Alara moved to my side and I sat up to answer. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Tara." She whispered, but the house was quiet, so I could hear her through the door.
I glanced to Alara and she rolled her eyes. I got out of bed and walked to the door. Cracking it open, I said, "What is it?"
Tara leaned her head to get a peek at me. I had nothing on. She flashed her eyebrows up for a split second and grinned.
"What do you want, Tara? It's late and we've got an early start tomorrow."
"I…uh…had a nightmare." She grinned again. "I need you to come to my room to help me get to sleep again."
"You weren't even asleep before. Were you?"
She averted her eyes from mine and shrugged.
"Seriously?" I said. "And what about Nithia? She asleep?"
"Uh…no. She's waiting for you to come back with me." Her eyes looked up and around, avoiding eye contact with me again. "She had a nightmare too."
I shook my head. "Any chance you go back to your room by yourself if I tell you no?"
She stared right at me. "Not a chance." A devious smile curled her lips.
I glanced back to Alara to see if she could offer me any help—maybe tell Tara to go back to sleep or something.
Alara leaned her head to look past me to Tara. "You two can take him. I'm good. Going to get some nice rest now."
Betrayed.
I looked at Tara. Despite Alara throwing me to the vipers, I had to admit Tara had her sexy cranked up to nine. She only wore a pair of dark green panties and the same colored top—a silky half-shirt nighty sort of thing, her long wavy red hair dangling down across the outer curves of her breasts, which were exposed on the sides.
"Let me grab my shorts," I said.
"Okay, but you're only going to take them off again."
I walked over and found my undershorts on the floor and put them on, then went to the door where Tara was still waiting for me.
"You three have fun," Alara said. "But try to keep it down. I want to get some sleep."
Shit. I'm going to be tired in the morning.
Chapter 25
I felt Alara push against my shoulder from behind, making my cheek smush against my pillow.
"Mm? What? Still tired," I said.
"Yeah. I'm sure you are after having all three of us last night. Door." She pushed me again, waking me up more.
"We did that already."
Someone knocked at the door, and I realized I'd heard a knock a few seconds earlier too.
"You're going to make me get it, aren't you?"
Alara didn't answer me. I rolled my head over to glance at her. She appeared to be sleeping, but since she'd been pushing me, I knew she was faking it.
"Fine." I slid off the side of the bed, turning to plant my feet on the floor as I pushed myself up. Walking to the door, I realized I had nothing on. I reached back to the foot of the bed and stole the top cover to wrap around my waist and cover everything below there.
; Alara moaned in protest, but made the best of the remaining cover, drawing it against her more and rolling her body from one side to the other to tuck the blanket underneath her each way.
"Who is it?" I leaned toward the door to listen for the response.
"Nithia."
Holding my blanket in place with one hand, I opened the door with my other. "I don't know how long it's been, but I think sleep for the rest of the night might be a better idea. Not that the last few hours weren't great."
She shook her and pushed her hand against my stomach, backing me up as she came into the room.
I stepped aside to let her past, then I shut the door.
"We did sleep," she said. "It's morning. Well, almost. It's early, but the sun will be up soon."
"Oh. Couldn't we have waited until then?"
"Sorry. I wanted to talk to Alara."
Alara pulled her blanket down, uncovering her face. "What is it?"
Nithia went to the bed and sat down where I'd been sleeping. "I want to join the Order."
"What?" Alara said. "Really?" She sat up and looked at me, then back to Nithia. "Are you sure? Why now?"
Nithia nodded her head. "I know my place is here, with both of you." She glanced at me for a moment, then turned back to Alara. "I can do more."
I walked over to the foot of the bed and sat down, pulling my blanket around as I did to keep the bottom of me covered. "You do a lot already. You've helped everyone so much. You should know that."
"Not as much as I could," she said. "I'm not really a fighter, like either of you or Tara."
"But you don't have to be," Alara said. "You're valuable for who you are. You are caring. You have knowledge of herbs, of healing, and skills of the woods."
She shook her head. "I want to do more. To be more."
Alara looked at me and I shrugged. "You've been wanting this," I said to Alara. "Haven't you?"
"It's true," she said. "I have wanted to restore the sisterhood. It needs to be done…at some point."
Nithia scooted closer to Alara. "Teach me. Let me help you. I already know some of the ways of Carnera. I could learn more and help you find others. Isn't that what you want?"
Swing and Thrust: A Harem Fantasy (Sword and Sorority Book 2) Page 18