“Maybe it’s because of who you associate with.”
“I didn’t choose Marsdyn,” he said. “You saw him approach me.”
“But you went willing with him. I find it hard to believe you didn’t know what kind of man he was.”
“I knew exactly what kind of man he was. I knew he sent his thugs to push me around and see how I would react. I knew he would want me to join his gang, because I know what kind of man I am. But I didn’t want more trouble, so I went along with him. I didn’t come here looking to join the Riders or any other outlaw gang.”
“You have an answer for everything,” she said.
“No one is forcing me to do anything. I make my own choices. I believe having a reason for what I’m doing is essential, don’t you?”
“Yes, but I don’t think most people have reasons, at least not good reasons.”
“Like I said, I’m not most people. I think you’re beautiful.”
“Mmmm,” she said, trying to deflect the compliment. “You know you don’t have to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Compliment me. I took your gold, remember? Although I am flattered. It’s been a long time since anyone offered gold to be with me.”
“Then they’re foolish,” he said. “I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that you were different. There’s so much more to you than a common wench.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it.”
“Well, I won’t argue, but I’m reserving judgment on you, at least for now.”
“That’s fine,” he said, finishing his drink.
She started to pour him more mead, but he stopped her. He took hold of her hands, and he could feel her trembling slightly.
“I hope you aren’t afraid of me,” he said quietly.
“I can’t help it,” she whispered. “You aren’t what I expected.”
“What did you expect? That I would slap you around or force you to do something you didn’t want to do?”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” she said, looking down. “It’s a risk I have to take to do what I do.”
“You never told me why you do this,” he said, pulling her up from her seat and wrapping his arms around her.
“At first because I didn’t have a choice. Then, it was just to keep my independence.”
“I want you to know that I respect you. I’m going to kiss you and then I’m going to leave, but I don’t want you to leave. I paid for a full night, so no one else can have you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Sure you do,” he said.
“If you think I’m just going to sit around in my room all night, you’re wrong. You can take your gold with you.”
They were standing eye to eye, his arms holding her close to his body, her hands on his arms. For a long moment neither spoke.
“Is it wrong for me to want you all to myself?” he asked.
“You paid me. You can have whatever you want.”
“What I want is for you to want me the way I want you.”
“You aren’t making any sense.”
“Kiss me. Maybe then you’ll understand.”
She kissed him. Lightly at first, the way she did most men who wanted to kiss her. It was detached and passionless, but he was patient. He knew he needed to break through her expectations and the experience of how men in the past had treated her. He slowly began to let his own passion move him forward as he felt his desire for her growing, then he slowly backed away. She was no longer trembling and he could feel the heat between them.
“I’d better go,” he said.
“Where are you going?” she asked, for the first time letting her own desire show.
“I need to disassociate myself from some people, so that you’ll know I’m sincere.”
“You don’t have to do anything for me.”
“Yes, I do,” he said.
He stepped back and looked at her. She stood still, letting him look. She knew some men liked to do that. Then he picked up his belt and strapped it on.
“I hope you understand that I meant what I said tonight. And I really do want to work with Lorik. It’s obvious you have sway with him. I’m not asking you to do anything but trust me.”
“I think you’re a little insane,” she said.
“I am,” he agreed.
“You really want to be a teamster?”
“Yes, I think so,” he said matter-of-factly.
“All right,” she said.
“All right what?” he asked.
“I’ll stay in tonight. I won’t go back to the tavern.”
He was tying the leather thong around his right leg, but he stopped and looked at her.
“Thank you,” he said.
Chapter 6
Stone enjoyed his walk back through town. The night air was cool with a breeze blowing in off the ocean that smelled of salt and grilled meat from the inns along the waterfront. He felt light and happy. He had been pleasantly surprised to find that Lorik was open to the possibility of partnering with him and even more surprised to learn that Vera wasn’t his woman. Stone had been honest with Vera: he hoped to find a place where he could belong, even though he had fled into the Marshlands to escape the troop of soldiers that had been chasing him.
It seemed he was always drawn back to the sea. He wasn’t a farmer and could never be happy working the land. He didn’t have any desire to risk his life upon the open sea, as he’d seen the cruel nature of the ocean since he was a boy—even the most skilled seamen were lost at sea. He had no real vocation and no hope of earning a living as a tradesman, at least not in the traditional sense. He had useful skills, they just weren’t traditional. But he knew he didn’t want to steal from people; profiting from someone else’s loss went against the deeply rooted sense of justice he’d had since his father had died.
He pushed those thoughts away. They weren’t pleasant thoughts, and he didn’t want anything to intrude on his feelings of hope. And he needed to keep his head if he wanted survive when he told Marsdyn he was leaving the Riders. Had he been planning to leave Hassell Point the news would not have been dangerous, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He was going to stay, and if his suspicions were correct, he expected Marsdyn wouldn’t be happy about it.
He knew before he arrived at the old church that something was wrong. His mind shifted from the pleasant daydreams of the future to a state of high alertness. He checked his knives to be sure they were settled on his hips where he wanted them. Then he walked boldly into the compound. The churchmen had built a low wall around their property, which was on one end of the horseshoe-shaped main street. There were torches lit in sconces all along the large building. Outlaws were saddling their horses and checking their weapons.
They paid him very little attention as he passed. He wasn’t well known, but most of the men had seen him with Marsdyn the night before. He had stayed with the outlaws after their fight in the street with the pirates. They drank until almost dawn while the women in the old church served wine, mead, and saka, tended their wounds, and took care of their more basic, physical needs. There were rooms, but many of the outlaws did their business in the large common room. Stone was surprised, but he had mixed with outlaws before. They rarely abided by society’s rules and preferred to flaunt their freedom, almost daring someone to call them on their outrageous behavior.
He had fallen asleep on one of the many wooden benches with only a thin cushion under him and no blanket or cloak. He woke up around midday feeling tired and sick. He had found fresh water in a well behind the converted church building and had washed as much of the blood and road grime off of him as he could. Then he’d gone in search of information. He visited the small market, where craftsmen from the Marshlands came to hawk their wares. He didn’t need their goods, but he wanted gossip and information. He had learned Marsdyn’s true nature, although he’d seen enough to know that the man was savage. He also learned as much as he could about Lorik. The teamster was well liked and trusted by the people in Hassell Point, so he had gone to find Lorik in the Boggy Peat.
Now he needed to find Marsdyn and learn what was going on. It didn’t take him long. The gang leader had been looking for him.
“Ah, there you are,” said Marsdyn. “I have some good news.”
“What is that?” Stone asked.
“It seems that King Oveer and his fellow kings are off to wage war in Yelsia, and we are going raiding.”
“Raiding?” Stone said, “Where?”
“We’ll take a ship south, to the coast of Osla. I know a few places where we can have some fun.”
“You’re going to attack villages?”
“That’s right,” Marsdyn said. “I’m going to pillage and burn, until I’ve filled our small ship with treasure.”
“What for?”
“What do you mean?” Marsdyn asked. His good nature was beginning to fade.
“I mean, what is the point? Don’t you have everything you want here in Hassell Point?”
“No, of course I don’t. I have plans that are much larger than this mud hole. Don’t get comfortable, Stone, this is just the beginning. With the kings and nobles away, justice will be the edge of our swords, or knives, in your case. Have you ever been on a raid? You aren’t afraid of sailing are you?”
“No,” Stone said. “But I’m not going. I have plans here.”
“What kind of plans?” Marsdyn said growing suddenly suspicious.
“I’m going to partner with Lorik.”
Marsdyn stared at Stone, dumbfounded for a moment, and then burst out laughing.
“Oh, that’s rich,” he finally managed to say. “You really had me going for a moment.”
“I’m not jesting. I appreciate your hospitality, but I won’t be going.”
“You really want to be a mud walker?” Marsdyn said, angrily. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am,” Stone said. “I just came to get my horse.”
Marsdyn’s eyes narrowed, and Stone tensed. He hadn’t expected the outlaws to be leaving the city, and he wasn’t sure if that made his defection better or worse.
“We’ll see,” said the outlaw leader. “I plan to sail just before dawn. When I get back we’ll settle our accounts.”
“There is nothing to settle,” Stone said. He held out his hand revealing a gold coin. “For your trouble.”
Marsdyn looked at the young fighter. He wasn’t smiling anymore, and his voice held a veiled threat.
“I don’t want your gold,” Marsdyn said. “Although I’m curious who you killed to get it.”
“I didn’t kill anyone,” Stone said. “I don’t want trouble.”
Mert appeared silently behind Stone, as if the very mention of trouble had summoned him magically. Mert was a killer, and Stone knew that neither Mert nor Marsdyn would lose any sleep over his death. Still, he knew that even among the outlaws, he was an intimidating figure. They could all still clearly remember his dance of death among the pirates, and it was highly likely that only Mert was unafraid of what might happen if Marsdyn pushed the young fighter to violence.
“Trouble has a way of finding us all,” said Marsdyn. “It’s too bad you won’t join us. I liked you, Stone. You always said what was on you mind.”
“I still do,” he replied.
“Yes, I suppose you do,” said Marsdyn, “but for how long?”
Stone didn’t reply to the threat. He simply stepped away from Marsdyn at an angle, so that he didn’t run into Mert. He felt a burning sensation running up and down his back, as if fiery ants had been set loose on his skin. His neck tingled, and the temptation to turn around was almost more than he could stand. Every muscle was tense as he moved slowly away, expecting to feel the agony of cold steel plunging into his flesh. After several steps he turned and walked quickly away. Most of the outlaws were watching him now, but he moved deliberately, even though he felt exposed. He went into the outlaws’ stable and hefted his saddle. He didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary in the compound, but he didn’t want to leave his horse and tack where the outlaws could steal or destroy it.
He spread a blanket on the horse’s back and then set his saddle on top of it. He cinched the girth straps and settled the bridle over the horse’s head and slipped the bit into its mouth. Then he stepped up in the stirrup and swung his free leg over the saddle. The horse seemed to sense his nervousness and sidestepped anxiously.
“There, there, girl,” he said softly, patting the horse’s neck. “Let’s go, nice and easy.”
He nudged the horse forward and the familiar feeling of being on horseback helped him relax. The horse felt strong and steady underneath him, and he let that strength rise up into him. The church’s main doors had been large, but the outlaws had made them taller so that a man could ride out of the converted stable without ducking his head. Stone was grateful that he could stay upright in the saddle. He rode outside and made his way immediately to the street. The other outlaws were once again busy readying their gear, but Stone noticed Marsdyn watching him from the back of Marsdyn’s large, black charger. The horse was pawing the ground, but Marsdyn was as still as a statue, his eyes never leaving Stone.
Once he was in the street, he nudged the horse into a canter and rode away. It felt good to leave the Riders behind. Stone didn’t want to raid villages or pillage innocent families. The truth was that he wanted to stop the Riders from doing it as well, but he knew better than to challenge the entire gang. He had to ride away and hope that he could settle into a new life in Hassell Point. If he was lucky, the sea might swallow Marsdyn and his gang. It was possible, he thought to himself; Marsdyn had even mentioned moving on from Hassell Point. Perhaps he would sail away and never return.