by Lee Hayton
Shandra shook it before she could think twice, feeling the hardened calluses of a man who worked for a living. “I’m Shandra Kemp and this is my family farm. How is it you’re supposing to help me?”
“I’m looking for work in exchange for food and board. I can promise you, I’ll make it worth your while.”
After looking him up and down for a moment, Shandra gave a jerk of her head and walked toward the house. “My brothers and I might be able to put you to use in the fields. Is it just you?”
Mal smiled and shook his head. “Well, actually...”
Chapter Two
Mal ran to fetch his clan brothers, hoping that the young woman wouldn’t change her mind before he returned. They’d come to the farm in the middle of the day and found it deserted. On a parcel of land that size, to have no workers seemed hopeful, and he was pleased now they’d waited.
His clan brother Sulli Hargrin—always one to look on the dark side—had suggested the property was derelict, and he could easily have been right. They’d come across many such properties in their travels, the war extended out to suck the land dry of farmers.
“Coo-ee.”
Mal heard the call, a poor attempt at imitating birdsong, and smiled. They’d been on the run for so long that hiding had become second nature. Their skills at camouflage were far superior to their vocal mimicry. “It’s okay. Come on out.”
As Mal stepped back, his clan brothers emerged from the nooks and crannies they’d been hiding inside. For a second, it looked as though the land itself was giving birth to them, fully grown.
He smiled as each of them gave him an inquiring look. “It seems we’ve landed on our feet,” he reassured them. “They’ve got the room and the need.”
“Not if they find out who’s after us,” Chance Rodrink said, stepping forward to clap Mal on the shoulder. “Then they’ll as likely sell our positions to the highest bidder and we’ll end up in chains for eternity.”
Mal smiled, hiding the expression with a tilt of his head. Chance never passed up the opportunity to be dramatic, but it was better not to let him know how entertaining that could be. He was also just as likely to jump straight into a temper, his red-head a warning of the anger lying just beneath.
“How many are there?” Sulli asked. “Can we take them if we need to?” His hand rested lightly on the handle of his sword.
“There’s no need—they’re accepting us as guests so all of you can keep your swords in your pants.”
“I hope that’s the only thing we should keep in our pants,” Baile Zardor quipped. His joke, as per usual, elicited a series of groans rather than laughter. Despite how often the clan brother tried his hand at humor, he wasn’t nearly so skilled at it as he seemed to think.
“What are the terms?”
Mal turned to Io Anfang, always the quietest of the brothers. When he wanted to, his voice could soar into the heavens, singing like an angel, but mostly he didn’t speak at all. As well as the sword they all wore in their belts, Io had a lute slung over his shoulder. He had equal mastery of both.
“The terms aren’t fully negotiated as yet.” Mal’s easy-going nature faltered a little as his lips pressed into a thin line. It had been a long time since they’d had an opportunity as good as this one looked to be.
A woman, living alone with two younger brothers, might need a harem. It wouldn’t do to ignite hope this early in his clan brothers, but still, the spark was lit inside his own chest.
“So long as they have a roof for me to sleep under, I’m easy,” Baile said with a quick grin. “I’m damned sick of staring up at the stars each night.”
“Just try to keep your mouth buttoned until we know we’re welcome,” Sulli said. “The last thing we need is you talking our way out of there.”
“They’re more likely to take one look at your sullen face and run for the hills screaming,” Baile said with an indignant expression. “At least I’m fun to be around.”
“How about everyone holds their own counsel until we get to know these folks better?” Mal slung one arm around Baile’s waist and the other around Sulli’s, drawing them both close.
His clan brothers were his family now that his blood relatives were all gone. He would fight and die for them, no question, but what they most needed now was guidance and reassurance.
The long months on the run, living on scraps and always looking over their shoulders, had worn each one of their nerves thin. To be safe, even for a short while, would be a balm to their collective soul.
“The woman is called Shandra and her brothers are Ricci and Halv. I think if we give our full effort in work, they’ll treat us fairly.”
Baile’s eyes lit up as they always did when he’d thought of a new quip.
Mal hurried to head him off at the pass. “But Sulli’s probably right. We should keep our heads down until we get to know them better. This could be a great opportunity for all of us, so we should treat it as such.”
He gave Baile a clap on the shoulder as he released him, the male equivalent of giving him a pat on the head for being good.
“Now, how about I take you in and introduce you? Hopefully, they can spare us all a bite for supper.”
He led the way, his clan brothers falling into step behind him, single file. The same formation they’d traveled in for the past few months, using each other’s footprints to disguise how many of them there were.
In the light of the supper table, Shandra appeared completely different from the tousled woman who’d first greeted him beside the barn door. As Mal sat back, rubbing his stomach, full to bursting for the first time in months, he studied their new host.
At the time of their first meeting, he’d assumed she was his age, maybe a few years older. Once the mud had been washed off, however, the years had fallen away. She must only be in her early twenties if that. A large gap existed between her and the eldest of her younger brothers, although the two boys appeared to be of a similar age.
Halv was a natural born entertainer. Even now, he was joking with Baile who, despite repeated kicks at his ankle, hadn’t been able to keep his mouth shut. Luckily, it didn’t matter. Unless a ruse was being played upon the clan brothers, they’d stumbled upon a genuinely good-hearted family. In the midst of this region, facing the long stretches of loss from war, it seemed a miraculous thing.
“Would you like some more mead?” Shandra asked him now, smiling. The light caught and reflected off her long, dark hair and her brown eyes were as calm and welcoming as her warm smile.
Although Mal would dearly love another handle of the brew, he held his palm up toward her and shook his head. With the glow from the first pint warming his stomach, he was scared another glass would loosen his tongue.
“I’ll take one,” Baile said, holding out his glass. “I like my mead like I like my woman. Warm and bubbly.”
Ricci frowned while his brother Halv giggled. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Perhaps, you’ve had enough for one night,” Sulli said with a note of warning. “We don’t want to impinge on our host’s hospitality. Not before we’ve even had the chance to work to earn our keep.”
Baile opened his mouth to rebut the caution until Mal cast a stern glance his way and he shut it again. “Fair enough,” he said, wrinkling up his nose. “I don’t want to wear out my welcome too early. There’ll be plenty of time for that tomorrow.”
“Speaking of tomorrow,” Mal said, putting his hands on the table and standing. “Can we help clear up, so you and your brothers can go to bed?”
Halv gave a grunt of disappointment but Shandra smiled and nodded. “Thank you. If you stack the plates in the kitchen bowl to soak, my brothers will clean them tomorrow.”
With all five of them working, the clan brothers made short work of the task. Soon enough, Shandra led them out of the room and showed them upstairs. The house was even bigger than Mal had thought on first impression.
“I’m afraid there’re only the three rooms spar
e. I hope you and your brothers don’t mind sharing.”
“My good lady,” Baile said, swooping forward and grabbing Shandra’s hand to kiss before Mal could stop him. “I can assure you, none of us mind sharing. Not. At. All.”
Mal froze, waiting for the double entendre to register, then his muscles relaxed again as Shandra gave a light laugh. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“Thank you.” Mal also reached for Shandra’s hand, giving it a light squeeze before releasing it. “You’ve been very kind.”
“Wait until tomorrow. We’ll see if you’re still thankful when I work you and your brothers to the bone.”
As Mal settled into bed, Sulli top and tailing him, he stared at the ceiling. His thoughts filled with Shandra’s dark eyes and the curve of her upper lip as she warned of their workload in the morning. The farm was so large, he was sure they could hide out here for months before Wella fathomed out where they were staying.
As sleep claimed him, Mal wondered if he should admit the true situation to their hosts and allow them the honest opportunity to let them stay or turn them away for their own safety. Still thinking, dreams slipped up his body and dragged him down and away.
Chapter Three
Halv ran up to Shandra, hugging her around the waist and jumping up and down so she almost dropped the tray she carried. “He fixed the harvester.”
“Careful.” Shandra took a step away, still balancing the food. “Who did what?”
“Sulli.” Halv let go of his sister and settled for hugging himself instead. “He stared at the engine for an hour or so, just like this.”
Halv pulled a face instantly recognizable as a caricature of Sulli, even though Shandra had only known him for half a day. She laughed, as much at her brother’s joy as at his antics. “And where did all that staring get him?”
“It got him to the point that he knew how it worked. It was incredible. One minute he was a statue, then the next he reached in and fiddled about. When he turned on the machine, it roared.”
Shandra made her way down the path, keeping an eye on her brother as much as the trail in front of her. If he knocked her again, and the food went flying, there’d be nothing for their midday meal.
After the unexpected guest list the night before, only dried foods were left in the cupboards. Until they had the fields out the side harvested that would have to do.
The five men were in the paddock, some planting, Sulli behind the wheel of the harvester just as Halv had said. Shandra set down the tray and covered it with a cloth to keep the insects away. She walked over to watch the machine chug by, hands on her hips and mouth falling open in disbelief.
It had sat in the barn unused for so long, Shandra would have bet good money it would never go again. With the money for repairs non-existent, each passing day had added to the patches of rust while the oil oxidized in the engine.
They’d taken it once to the local mechanic, and the man got it going again for a hefty sum, only to have it break down again the following week.
Shandra didn’t want to question this miracle too closely. She just stood and watched in wonder as the machine did its job.
When she shifted her eyes away, Shandra saw Ricci working shoulder to shoulder with Baile, the two of them chuckling away. As she walked over to alert them about the food on offer, she heard the punch-line to a joke so bawdy it had her blushing.
“Time for a break,” she said, interrupting the fits of laughter. “There’s food out over by the tree.”
She waved to Sulli as he turned the harvester to gather the next row of crops. He nodded and shut off the engine, jumping down from the machine and jogging the two fields between them to see what she needed. By the time he arrived, Shandra had signaled to Io, Chance, and Mal to come over. The five men gathered about her, all hungry from their morning spent hard at work.
They grabbed at the variety of cured meat, cheese, and fresh bread, then sat back, the group silent as they munched in unison through the spread.
“Do you always do the cooking?” Mal asked as they finished up and tidied away the crumbs.
Shandra shook her head. “My brothers and I share all the chores around the farm. You’ll find out tonight since it’s Halv’s turn to cook.” She gave her brother a pointed glance, she hadn’t forgotten even if he had.
The boy ducked his head and sighed. “Can’t I stay out here and work for a bit longer?”
“You can do what you like, so long as everything that needs to be done, gets done.” She turned back to Mal, but he was already walking away, returning to the field to work. The muscles in his back rippled and twisted as he worked the soil, bent to plant, then stood to move to the next spot in the row.
“What are you looking at?”
Shandra jumped as Halv tugged at the side of her shirt, rousing her from a state close to hypnosis. She blushed and turned again to the task of clearing up after the meal. “Come on,” she said to her brother as she pulled everything together. “Last one back to the farmhouse is a rotten egg.”
Even with the tray to balance, Shandra had to slow down to let Halv win.
“How did you all meet?” Shandra asked the group at dinner. “I thought at first you were blood relatives, but that’s not right, is it?”
“We’re clan brothers.” Mal raised a forkful of stew to his mouth, then changed his mind and dropped it back down to his plate again—a wise choice in Shandra’s opinion.
She’d already warned them that of the three, Halv was the worst cook. Given their lack of fresh ingredients, the meal was stodgy and over-salted, clinging to her upper palate. The beans were either crunchy in the center or so soft they dissolved into floury mush as soon as they entered her mouth.
“What does being a clan brother mean?” she asked, placing her fork down on the side of her plate as well.
“We each share a bond,” Io said, his low voice forcing everyone to quieten down to listen. “Our primary skills are as warriors. Maybe not so fierce as Wella’s harem or the army, but we’re well-equipped all the same.”
“Some more than others,” Baile leaped in to say with a saucy grin. “Though, that’s another common area where none of us are lacking.”
“Too much information, Baile,” Mal said, giving the man a black look.
Shandra noted it, uncertain if it meant there was bad blood between them or if the warning was something to do with her or the boys. She loved watching the interplay between the men. If they stayed working for her at the same level as today, the farm would be back on its feet in no time.
Lowering her eyes, Shandra sent a small request up to the gods above. Today was the first time since her father died she’d felt the sense of hope.
“We came together as a group because of our similarities, but also each one has an interest in a different area.” Mal smiled and nodded at Chance. “This fellow here is the true warrior of the lot of us. I don’t believe there’s a man or woman alive who wouldn’t quail if he rushed toward them in a fight.”
“Mal is being generous,” Chance said, his blush of pride matching to his shock of red hair. “I wouldn’t be anything in battle without Io backing me with his sword and Baile planning out the course of action beforehand.”
“A plan you immediately deviate from.” Baile’s grin reignited. “And I can only do that planning beforehand, thanks to the encyclopedic knowledge of Sulli, here.”
“That’s true,” Sulli agreed with a sudden burst of good humor. “I do know absolutely everything, but the only reason it comes together is because Mal understands the tricks to keep us all in line.”
“You all seem so different,” Shandra observed. “Yet, you all work together well.”
“As does your family,” Mal said with a nod to her brothers. “That’s what unites us in reality. We’re all working as one unit when it matters. We can spend half our lives squabbling but when it counts, we each come together.”
“That’s why we’re clan brothers,” Sulli agreed. “All for o
ne and one for all.”
“Will you teach me to be a swordsman?” Halv turned to Io and stared at him as though he was a god. “That’s what I want to be when I grow up. A warrior in the army, fighting dwarves and dragons.”
“What quarrel do you have with dwarves?” Io seemed astonished. “They’re peaceful enough creatures if they’re left alone.”
“They can’t be.” Halv stabbed at a bean with his fork and held it aloft in triumph. “If they were peaceful, then the overlord wouldn’t have declared war on them.”
A look passed among the brothers, obvious enough for Shandra to guess they’d missed the latest entry in Wella’s plan for world domination. “There was a meeting in the town square yesterday,” she explained. “It seems we’re fighting for control over the Davelmiotas, so it’s brought us into conflict with the dwarves occupying the Thurgus Peaks.”
“Well, of course, it has. It’s their bloody home!” Chance looked equal parts furious and disgusted. “I’d have thought you’d be on their side, little man,” he said, turning to Halv.
“What do you mean? I hate dwarves as much as the next man!”
Shandra was struggling to find some oil to pour on troubled waters when a knock at the door saved her. She leaped to her feet and shook her head when Mal offered, being closest. “No, they’ll be looking for me.”
As she walked through into the front hallway, Shandra smoothed down her clothing and tried to force a calm expression onto her face. She thought everything was up to date with the money lenders but had been caught out by miscalculating interest once before.
The door opened on a messenger, however. A boy—barely aged more than Halv by the looks of him. He stank of sour sweat from his travels and gave her a relieved look when she answered, stuffing a piece of paper into her hand.
“Wella Ufsprig is sending these out all over the region today. If you see or hear anything about these men, you’re to report to her at once.”