[Shadowed Path 01] - A Woman Worth Ten Coppers

by Morgan Howell

  Cara waited only a moment before beckoning Yim to the open window. It overlooked a walled garden, so neglected and overgrown that much of the shrubbery was the size of small trees. A vine that grew on the side of the inn obscured much of the view. “Take off your sandals,” said Cara. “We must climb down the vine. Come on, I’ll show you how.” Cara stepped onto the window ledge, grabbed a thick stem nearby, and lowered one foot until her toes felt a hold. Then she quickly descended to the garden below and signaled Yim to follow before disappearing into the shrubbery.

  Though Yim climbed down with less assurance, she soon joined Cara beneath the cascading boughs of a large bush. She felt as if they were inside a tent. “Is this your secret place?”

  “Oh, it’s better than this,” replied Cara. “Follow me.”

  Cara crept through the garden, hidden by its overgrown foliage, until she reached a hole in the ground. There she pulled the end of a thick rope secured to the trunk of a huge boxwood and lowered it down the opening. She slid down the rope and called from the darkness, “Hurry, Yim. It’s na far down.”

  Yim joined Cara in a brick-lined tunnel. When her eyes became accustomed to the dim light, she could see that the tunnel had collapsed close to the inn. In the other direction, wavering light reflected off the walls, suggesting that the tunnel opened on water. “You’ll be able to see fine soon,” said Cara. “Then, we’ll go down to the river. The lower bank is really overgrown, and the sides are so steep nabody comes down there.”

  “So why are we?”

  “You’ll see. Just keep out of sight.”

  When they emerged from the tunnel, Cara led Yim upstream along the bank through a tangle of small trees, undergrowth, and reeds. The way was difficult, and they struggled for a hundred paces before Cara stopped. She parted the dense reeds and pointed to a tiny island a short distance from the shore. “There it is—my secret place.” Cara’s island was a collection of large boulders and smaller rocks softened by vegetation and a few trees. It was only twenty paces long.

  “We have to swim there?” asked Yim.

  “The current’s na bad. We’ll go upstream a bit and swim to the far side of the island. There’s nabody on the Luvein shore to see us.” Cara led Yim thirty more paces along the bank to where willows overhung the river and screened them from view. “This is the place,” Cara said. “The water’s deep here.” She shed her clothes, stepped into the river, and was already swimming before she reached the dangling leaves. Without waiting to see if Yim followed, she headed toward the island.

  Yim hesitated before undressing. When she finally entered the water, she found that it was cold, despite the warm, sunny weather. The current fought her as she struggled to reach the island and threatened to sweep her beyond it. By the time Yim staggered onto the island’s far shore, she was exhausted and shivering. Cara was already sunning herself on a large, flat rock. “Is it na wonderful?” she said.

  Yim had to catch her breath before replying. “This seems like a lot of effort just to lie on a rock.”

  “Do you see any bodyguards looking over our shoulders? Zounds, that gets so dreary, and it’s been like that for years. Privacy may na seem important, but try living without it.”

  “I am,” said Yim.

  “Then you should understand.”

  Yim stretched out on a flat boulder and felt its warmth against her chilled skin. “It’s very peaceful here,” she said after the coldness left her. “Thanks for bringing me.”

  “When it’s sunny, I can spend an entire day here while my brother thinks I’m moping in my room, that is, if he thinks of me at all. Yes, it’s a nice place. The only thing missing is someone to talk to, and you’ve fixed that. It’s been lonely at the inn with only Brother, his troops, and a pack of strangers, most of whom are na very friendly. Well, you—for sure—know all about that. Na that I miss Bremven. It used to be nice, but now! By Karm, I wish you were na going there. You will na like it. People have turned horrid since they built that temple to the Devourer. I guess they were probably horrid before the temple was built but, now—zounds, you can na imagine how nasty they’ve become! They do na even bother to hide it. I really did need a bodyguard in Bremven, as tiresome as that was. Can you na talk Honus out of going?”

  “I’m his slave, Cara. He doesn’t listen to me.”

  “Do na pay attention to that slave nonsense. I really do believe a man can na own a woman; I was na just teasing Honus. It’s more the other way around. A lot of slave girls rule their masters, and that’s na secret.”

  “It’s not that way with Honus and me. It can never be that way.”

  “Well, I think you’re wrong. I know you’re wrong. Honus would’ve never threatened Yuv if he did na have feelings for you. Maybe you can na read his expressions because of his tattoos, but I can. I see the way he looks at you. Believe me, Yim, he’s yours.”

  “No, he’s not. You don’t understand.”

  “Well, I guess so,” said Cara. She waited for Yim to explain. When Yim didn’t, Cara said, “I did na mean to pry. I’m sorry. Sometimes I talk too much.”

  “It’s all right.”

  The women fell silent and lay back to gaze into the cloudless sky. The river flowed slowly, making tranquil sounds as it moved around the rocks. The sun dried and warmed their bare bodies and a breeze caressed their skin. The cares of the world grew distant, and for a while, they were both at peace.

  Cara stirred first, as if waking from a dream. She stretched and walked toward the downstream end of the island. Peering around a large boulder, she spied Honus and Cronin talking on the bridge. The tranquillity left her face. “I know why they’re holding counsel.”

  “Who?” said Yim sleepily.

  “My brother and Honus,” said Cara. “They’re talking war. Brother will na admit it, but it’s coming. I can see it in his face. I hear things, too. Lord Bahl will soon invade Averen. By Karm, I wish I were a soldier! Then, you either win or it’s over quick. It’s na like staying home, never knowing when they’ll smash in the door and…and…I’ve heard tales of what Bahl’s men do to women, too many to doubt their truth.”

  Yim sat up, disturbed by her friend’s sudden change of mood. “Cara, you don’t know what the future holds.”

  “I can see which way the wind blows, even if the goddess does na whisper in my ear. Things look grim, all right. Do your visions tell you differently?”

  “I don’t know the future,” said Yim. “My own least of all.”

  “I’ve never had a man who truly loved me,” said Cara, “and because of this war, it’s likely I never will. And you have Honus, or could have, if you wanted him. I do na understand you.”

  “It’s because I’m not free.”

  “So, you’re a slave. That’s only a problem if you let it be.”

  “It has nothing to do with being a slave. It’s something else.”

  “Your visions?” asked Cara. “Does it have something to do with them?”

  Yim didn’t immediately reply. Instead, she stared intently into Cara’s eyes. Unable to break free from that gaze, Cara’s hairs rose as Yim probed her. Still locking eyes with Cara, Yim asked, “Will you swear never to repeat this, especially to Honus?”

  “I swear,” said Cara, arching her thumb across her chest in the Sign of the Balance.

  Yim released Cara from her power. “That felt strange!” said Cara, looking at Yim with awe. “What did you just do to me?”

  “Nothing, really,” said Yim, “just a trick I learned.”

  “Zounds! Some trick! Bremven’s full of Seers and Bearers, but none of them knows that one. Why did you do it?”

  “I had to know I could trust you.”

  “Oh, you can! You could tell, could you na?”

  Yim nodded. “Cara, I’ve been dying to talk to someone. This is tearing me apart!”

  “Tell me,” said Cara eagerly. “I was right, was I na? This has something to do with visions.”

  “Yes. I’m not free because
of them.”

  “Oh, zounds! You mean Karm really does tell you what to do?”

  “If only it were that simple. The messages I get seldom make sense.”

  “Then how can you say you’re na free? I mean, if the goddess just babbles nonsense, how can you know what she wants?”

  “Because of my first vision. I had it when I was a little girl. The goddess appeared to me and said I should tell the village Wise Woman that I was the Chosen.”

  “The Chosen? Zounds, that sounds grand.”

  “I’m not special,” said Yim, repeating the Wise Woman’s favorite phrase, “my task is.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “I’m to undo a great evil.”

  Cara gave Yim a look that combined disbelief with a hint of amusement. “So you’re an undoer of evil? You do na look the part, but I guess I do na know any evil-undoers, just evildoers. I know lots of those. Bremven’s thick with them. So, what are you supposed to do?”

  “Bear a child.”

  “My mother did that. Twice! How’s having a baby supposed to undo anything?”

  “I don’t know,” said Yim “The Wise Woman said my visions would guide me. So far, they’ve been little help. Everything’s gone wrong. I was on the road only half a moon when my guide was killed and I was enslaved.”

  “Why go on the road at all? You need na stretch your legs to have a baby, only spread them.”

  Yim reddened. “Don’t make fun of me! There’s a lot more to this than getting pregnant. Not any man will do—only one—and I don’t know who he is.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Cara. “I did na mean to tease. It’s just that…well…all this seems more than a little far-fetched.”

  “I know,” said Yim with a sigh. “Sometimes, it seems that way to me. There are days when I fear I’ve been misled, that I believe I’m the Chosen only because it’s been drummed into my head.”

  “It does sound crazy.”

  “Yes,” replied Yim. “At times I’m convinced I’m just that—crazy. Then, something happens that seems to show my visions aren’t mere delusions.”

  “Like what?”

  “A vision that made no sense suddenly has meaning. Months ago, I thought the goddess said, ‘Follow the steps of Theodus.’ I had no idea what that meant. Now I know he was Honus’s Bearer.”

  “But Theodus is dead!” said Cara with alarm.

  “Yes,” said Yim. “And perhaps my journey will also end similarly.”

  “Surely, it does na mean that!”

  “I don’t know what to believe. Mostly, I feel lost. Yet sometimes I think I see Karm’s hand in events. Like when you chose blue clothes for me.”

  “Come on, Yim, I did that to tease Honus.”

  “But you also said it would help me. Can’t you see how you might have been acting for the goddess?”

  Cara got a dubious look on her face. “Well…maybe. I do na know. If I was, it was na because Karm told me to. But what do your visions say about Honus? Maybe it’s his baby you’re supposed to have.”

  Yim shook her head.

  “How can you be sure?”

  “I’m not sure about anything,” said Yim, “but I think I’ll know who it is when I’m supposed to.”

  Cara shrugged. “Well, even if he’s na the one, he cares for you. I’m convinced of that. If you do na want to have a child, well, that’s easy enough to prevent. So why can na you…you know…”

  “The goddess said that when I lie with the man I must be a virgin.”

  “You’re a virgin? I’ve never heard of a slave who was a virgin! I mean…na offense…I just assumed that…that…”

  “It’s unlikely, isn’t it?” said Yim.

  “Well, I guess if you can chat with Karm, then anything’s possible.”

  “It’s our secret,” said Yim. “No one else must know. I let Honus think that I’d been raped.”

  “But did na the men who caught you…”

  “That’s where I see the hand of the goddess most clearly, for it seems miraculous that I’ve remained untouched. Certainly, the men who captured me had no respect for maidenhood, but they got too drunk to rape me. Nor was I violated in the slave pen—the merchant wasn’t able and his guard wasn’t interested.”

  “And Honus?”

  “On our first night together, I threatened to kill myself if he forced me to lie with him.”

  “Would you have really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Zounds!”

  “Honus swore he would never use force on me, so I’ve remained untouched.”

  “I do na think I could do that,” said Cara. “I mean, zounds, you sleep beside him every night!”

  “I did have one moment of weakness,” said Yim, blushing. “It was after a vision so terrible I felt I couldn’t go on. I thought if I were no longer a maiden, I’d be released from my fate. Honus started touching me, and I didn’t resist. Yet, just when I thought Honus would tup me, he stopped himself.”

  “Zounds! Well that’s a sign, if I ever heard one! I mean, give a man half a chance and…well, you know. For him to just stop…that had to feel strange. Did it?”

  “At the time, I was too numb to know how I felt.”

  “But, later on, did you regret he stopped? It’s na unpleasant, you know.” Cara smiled slyly. “I mean, that’s what I’ve heard. I do na want to sound cynical, but tupping Honus would seem to solve a lot of your problems.”

  “What are you saying? I’m with Honus only because he bought me. Even if I ignored the goddess, that’s no reason to let him tup me!”

  “Custom says it is,” said Cara. “The fact that Honus has na pressed that point shows he cares about your feelings.”

  “I threatened to kill myself, Cara! He knew I meant it, too. He didn’t forbear out of kindness.”

  “Maybe na at first, but later on…I think that was different. I believe he’s in love with you,” replied Cara.

  “He lusts for me, that’s all. And I don’t lust for him, much less love him.”

  “Look…All this stuff about undoing evil and visions and the goddess is way over my head. But I do know a thing or two about men, and I’ve known Honus for years. He is kind. He’s principled, too. I think it’s more than lust. You could do a lot worse. Think about it, and you might change your mind. Take time to decide what you want.”

  “What difference does it make what I want?” said Yim. “My life has always been in others’ hands. The Wise Woman said it’s Karm’s will.”

  “You have a will also,” said Cara. “What do you desire?”

  “I don’t know. It seems pointless to even think about it.”

  “Maybe you should. When all this is over, Karm may grant you whatever you wish.”

  A faint look of hope came to Yim’s face. “Perhaps.”

  “Think about Honus, too. Of all the possible masters, you ended up with him. Perhaps that was the goddess’s doing. There could be a point to this.”

  Yim’s hopeful look departed. “I’m sure there’s a purpose for everything that’s happened, just as there was a purpose for what happened to Theodus and Cynetha. Yet, who benefited from their fates? Certainly not them. I’d be foolish to believe the goddess cares about my happiness. She’s concerned with greater things.”

  “Then why obey her?” said Cara. “You need only climb into Honus’s bed to thwart Karm. Honus will do the rest.”

  “Thwart Karm? I couldn’t do that!”

  “You said yourself that you thought about it.”

  “I was in shock. It was only a passing weakness. I love Karm.”

  “Love Karm? After what she’s done to you?” retorted Cara. “Sure, I’d probably obey her, too. If she tapped me on the shoulder, I’d most likely jump out of my robe and kiss her feet. But I do na think I’d love her for it.”

  “She’s all I have,” said Yim. “All I’ve ever had.”

  “You have a man who loves you.”

  “It doesn’t matter, even if it were tr
ue.” Yim threw a stick into the river and watched it swirl as it was swept away. “I’m like that stick, Cara. Can it thwart the current? I’m the Chosen.”

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  COUNT YAUN woke without regrets, though his head throbbed. He had been overly merry at his father’s funeral, where his false lamentation had given way to giggles once the drink took hold. Most of the guests had been too wise to comment. Yaun took care to remember those who had. He was still abed when Nug timorously entered the room and pulled the curtains. Afternoon light flooded the chamber. Squinting, Yaun scowled at the elderly servant. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Sire, there’s a troop on the road.”

  “A troop? What manner of troop?”

  “Men in black robes and soldiers, too. Some on horse and some afoot.”

  “Shit! Father just buried, and Gorm already here!”

  “Who, sire?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Yes, sire.”

  “A troop! Shit! He said nothing about a troop.”

  Nug stood silent, unsure of what to do. Yaun rose and pushed him roughly. “Don’t stand there! I need clothes. Clothes befitting a count.”

  “I’ll check your father’s wardrobe, sire.”

  “Check my brother’s, too. Now, hurry!”

  Yaun nervously paced the room, pausing occasionally to peer out the window. In the distance, a large column of mounted and marching men slowly advanced up the road. The black robes of the Devourer’s priests contrasted with the dull shine of the soldiers’ armor. Yaun tried to count the armed men, but they were too numerous. “Shit!” he said again.

  Nug and two other servants returned with armloads of clothes, which they hurriedly laid out on the bed. Yaun inspected them and frowned at their simplicity. He selected the most expensive-looking garments, ignoring their clashing styles and colors, and ordered his servants to dress him. When they were done, he said to Nug, “I’m going to the great hall. Bring me meat and wine there.”

  “And when the visitors arrive, sire?”

  “Admit the priest called the Most Holy Gorm. Bid the others wait outside.”