The Crow God's Girl (17 page)

Kate kept her head down as she pushed back her chair and followed him and Lady Beatra to his study.

She explained what she wanted and needed as sparsely as possible. Lord Terrick looked dour as usual, Lady Beatra concerned.

“Ke– Kaate,” she said. “I understand that you feel hurt and angered, but this is not wise. Even with an armed escort, Aeritan is not safe. I think your parents would prefer that you stay with us until, until you can make the right choice.”

“If I go to Red Gold Bridge, there’s a good chance I can ask them myself what they prefer. The gordath opened before. It can be opened again.”

“At Council, Lord Tharp reported on the state of the gordath,” Lord Terrick said. “It’s shut right and tight, girl. There are guardians on both sides now, and they know the dangers of letting it open up.”

“They will open it for me.” She hoped.

“And what if they don’t?”

She hadn’t thought that far ahead because it had to open for her. “Then I’ll go to Brythern and try the gordath there. And if that one is closed, I’ll stay in Brythern and become a doctor.”

That had been the original plan, after all. So long ago, in the war camp, Talios had promised her that when the war was over he would see to it that she got training in Brythern as a physician. Whatever happened to Talios? Did he know she had come back? Could she find him and be his apprentice again?

“Stupid girl. It’s a foolhardy plan and I won’t allow it.” Lord Terrick swelled with fury. “You will stay here if I have to lock you up in your room.”

Kate squeezed her hands together, anger blasting away her fear and uncertainty. Just who did he think he was?

“Next thing you are going to order me to marry Mitain,” she snapped. “I’m going, Lord Terrick, with or without your help.”

She turned on her heel and left, her heart hammering with righteous anger.
I hate them. I hate this place. I hate Aeritan. I cannot wait to get home.

So that was that. No escort, no money. She would be riding to Red Gold Bridge on her own.

After a long sullen winter in Kenery, the day
came when the ice cracked on the river, groaning so loudly it could be heard indoors. The snowmelt poured down from the mountains to the north and west, and the Aeritan river flooded its banks, sending a surge of tree trunks and other debris toward the sea, several hundred miles south. It was another few weeks before it would be safe to cross the river, and in the meantime the riverboat was winched out of dry dock and lowered out on rollers toward the landing.

At last the day came. There were remnants of ice on the roiling water, but the river had subsided. The wind was biting, but the sun had warmth to it for the first time all season, except when it fled behind the clouds. The sky was a thin, pale blue.

Spring thaw meant mud, and Kenery was no different than Terrick in that respect. Colar waited on the long wharf, trying to keep mud off his boots. One by one the horses were loaded, then the gifts for his family, and their trunks. His lady wife hardly traveled light, he thought sourly. Most of the luggage was hers. The rest belonged to her mother and father, for they too, were making the journey. He could imagine what his mother would think when she met his new family. Another one of Kate’s sayings came to him: like oil and a lighted match. He grinned, suddenly cheerful. He would see Kate in little more than a week. She would understand. She had to.

He had long nights to think about it and his plan was sound. When Kenery, Salt, and Terrick made him Lord of Favor, Janye could go back to her father and mother. Kate would come and live with him in Favor. It wasn’t the House most central to what was happening in Aeritan, but they could be at peace there.

The women came aboard carrying his wife’s and his mother-in-law’s small belongings, a casket of jewelry, some fine shawls. Wren brushed past him without looking at him, and he winced inwardly. At least she would not be coming on this journey to Terrick. A wife Kate would have to accept, but a mistress would be harder to explain. It would be a relief to leave her behind.

Wren had come to him the night before, teasing him a little and saying it was his farewell gift, but she seemed distracted and her usual ardor had dampened. He wished he had a gift for her but he could think of nothing that wouldn’t seem like, well, payment. So he held her tight and tried to say what he could.

“I’ll never forget you,” he told her, kissing her sweet-smelling hair. She twisted around to look up at him. There was a bit of a moon and so he could almost see her in the faint light. She looked serious.

“If anything happens, can I rely on you?” she said.

He tried to smile. “Of course.” He hid his feeling of niggling unease. She can’t be with child, he told himself. We only did it a few times. And anyway, she’s done this before, she knows how to keep from getting pregnant. In Kate’s world, there would have been condoms or the pill or the other things that girls used. Here all of that was the province of the grass god’s daughter, and sometimes it ended badly, so it was the grass god’s doing.

She regarded him for a moment longer, then nodded. “My thanks, Lord Favor.”

And it occurred to him then that in a few months time, that’s what he would be. Lord Favor.

It was time for the family to board. He went up the gangplank and took up a spot at the bow, allowing his wife and her quarreling family to follow him at their leisure, squabbling all the way to the cabins below decks. When the last trunk was secured, the lines were cast off and the dockmen pushed the ship away from the wharf with long poles. The spidery oars poked through the oarlocks, and the ship was propelled across the current, the sails unfolded to let them tack across the river. It was a laborious process, the oarsmen bending over the oars, the muscles straining under their shirts. The coxswain banged out a steady beat.

This river needs a bridge, Colar thought. He was reminded of the great bridges crossing over to New York City, the Brooklyn Bridge and the George Washington Bridge, that were great soaring masterpieces of engineering. In his mind’s eye he could see a series of suspension bridges flung across the Aeritan River, linking all the lands so that commerce didn’t just have to take place by boat. A curious thought came over Colar. Maybe a quiet life with Kate wasn’t all he could aspire to. He was going to be Lord Favor. He could make things happen.

What if he could build those bridges?

“Kett! Kett!” Yare and Eri came running to find her in the stables. She was grooming Hotshot, whose winter coat was ragged and coming off in clumps. Kate was covered in horsehair and sweat.

“You’ll never guess! Ossen’s brothers have come!”

Kate
pushed back her bangs and looked at them. The children were practically bouncing with excitement.

“Four of them!” Eri shivered. “One has a great scar right down the side of his face.”

“I’m going to tell lord father to give them guesting,” Yare said.

“Yare, I really don’t think he’ll do that.”

“Ossen saved my life, that means his family and our House are bound together forever.”

Ah, Terrick honor. Did they know the crow they were so beholden to was really a girl? And if so, would their honor still be involved or would Ossen be driven from the House for deception?

“Well,” she said, “I suppose.” She patted Hotshot and tossed the currycomb into the bucket.

“Father has sent word for them to come to the House, so he must be ready to give them guesting.”

Really? Now that was unusual. Maybe Yare was right. She untied Hotshot and led him out of the barn toward the pasture. She had to admit, she was curious to meet Ossen’s brothers.

She hadn’t been much in Ossen’s company, not wanting to give away her secret by accident, and also not interested in giving her enemies fodder for more attacks against her. By the time spring came and the roads opened, Ossen had become embedded into the fabric of the House as their resident crow. She worked hard at whatever work she was put to and remained as weirdly cheerful as ever. She spoke to the kids whenever she saw them but didn’t seek out anyone’s company, although the householders and smallholders all had stories to tell of her impertinent questions and strange outbursts. She has more of a place here than I do, Kate thought with a burst of jealousy. And the crow didn’t care one bit. She longed for the open road, and now, with her brothers here, there was no longer a reason for her to stay.

Or me either, Kate thought. Her breath caught. She didn’t need an escort or to ride off by herself. She could go with the crows.

“Let’s go check out these brothers,” she said, and went back to the house with the children.

Kate lined up with the rest of the household
as the crow brothers paid their respects to Lord Terrick, along with Ossen. Balafray, the eldest, was the scarred brother. A livid line cut from his temple to his jaw, skewing his mouth. The next eldest was Grigar, and then there were the two younger brothers, Arlef and Ivar.

And now, Kate thought, Ossen’s secret would be out. The family resemblance was striking, but she looked almost delicate next to her brothers, although still androgynous.

“Greetings, Lord Terrick,” handsome Grigar said. He was the least crow like. His chestnut hair was trimmed instead of the wild untamed ’fros that his brothers sported. He had no accent either, compared to his sister who spoke with a hard-to-understand lilt and a drawl. “Our family gives thanks for your generous guesting to our little one here.” He put a hand on Ossen's shoulder. Ossen made a face and went to shrug off her brother’s hand.

“His service to Terrick warranted it,” Lord Terrick said. His voice was curt. Kate had heard through the householder grapevine that he was pissed that Lady Beatra had given Ossen more than traveler’s aid.

The brothers shared a secret smile. On Balafray it looked terrible.

“His service,” Grigar repeated. “Yes, his service.”

“We can give you rest for the night, if you wish,” Lord Terrick continued, as if it hurt to say the words.

Not even travelers' aid, then. Grigar kept the smile on his face. “Your generosity is famed, Lord Terrick, but we came only to collect Ossen. We’re on our way.”

So soon! Kate gave Ossen an involuntary look. The crow girl looked back at her and gave a wide excited grin. I’m off! Her expression clearly said. Then she scowled up at Grigar and tried once more to shake off his possessive hand. Kate took a few steps back, hoping to make it to her room unnoticed.

“That will be well,” Lord Terrick said. “Get yourselves a meal from the kitchens before you go.” At that invitation Torvan scowled. Grigar responded with the same easy smile and gestured his brothers and Ossen to follow the old man to the kitchens. Lord Terrick turned away and the householders went back to their duties. Eri and Yare gave each other conspiring looks and darted off to the kitchen to get a closer look at the alluring strangers. Aevin looked as if he wanted to go too, but he followed his father with only one backward glance. When the coast was clear, Kate ran up the stairs two at a time.

She had so little time. It was fortunate that she had already packed most of her things. Kate took out an extra cloak and a blanket from her old chest, and rolled them up, tying them with an old belt. She could tie the bedroll behind the saddle. She rolled her journal pages into a scroll, swept up the quill and the ink, capping it roughly, and shoved it all deep into the pack to protect them from the weather.

“Leaving?”

She whirled around. Mitain stood in the open doorway. Kate was so startled that she couldn’t speak at first.

They had so little to do with one another in all the weeks he stayed. He was polite, well-mannered, handsome, cultured. If he had been embarrassed by her rejection he gave no sign. He talked Aeritan politics with Lord Terrick and Lady Beatra, hounds and horses with Aevin, and was friendly and engaging with the children. He had to be leaving soon, since spring had come, but hadn’t seemed eager to get back to Saraval. Maybe Thani had successfully caught him after all, Kate thought snidely.

“So, are you?” he prompted at her continued silence.

“Sorry, what?” she stammered.

“You. Leaving. With the crow girl and her brothers, I mean. It seems rash to me, but–” He shrugged.

She cocked her head and looked at him. “How did you know about Ossen?”

“About the girl? Oh, as soon as I saw her. You knew as well?”

She nodded. “You didn’t tell anyone, did you?”

“It wasn’t my secret to tell. I thought that she was in enough dire straits to be traveling by herself–crows never do. Always in a flock, they are. I thought it best to let her be.”

Plenty of men in Aeritan would not have let her be, especially if they thought she was vulnerable. Her estimation of him rose.

“What are you doing here, Mr. Mitain?”

“Ah.” He didn’t come in any further, and she was grateful for that. He was certainly good-looking; if that’s all that mattered, the Terricks had picked out a good one for her, she thought with wryness. “I thought I would press my suit without an audience, but I can see I’m too late.”