A Single Spark Page 4

  Brynmor held his own mead and his eyes traversed the common room, flashing boyish smiles to the wenches serving food, eliciting winks and laughter from them in return. I rolled my eyes at him and commented, “Be careful, Bryn. If you flirt too much, you might end up married and not even know it. We don’t know their customs.” I chuckled a little, giving him a smile before taking a sip.

  Brynmor barked a laugh and shook his head, his light brown hair falling over his eyes. “I admit, Lady Carys, that you have a good point, but they are so irresistibly pretty.” He bemoaned, eying another that walked by, adding in a low, teasing tone. “And they look like they could potentially wrestle me to the ground. That is an admirable quality all on its own.” His neck craned to watch the tall server head into the kitchen before looking to me and wiggled his eyebrows.

  I laughed aloud and was about to retort when Rhian came sweeping through the door. She was beaming and it was all she could to avoid skipping over to our table, sitting next to Brynmor with no shortage of smiles. She was followed by Madox, our other guard, who conversely looked ready to throttle someone. Rhian linked her arm into Bryn’s, glancing between him and I without her usual suspicious look and she beamed at Bryn. “I got a marriage proposal today!” She gushed, looking back to me with a slightly haughty look. She considered it a personal victory to have more suitors than I, assuming I desired to have more than her and we were in some competition.

  Brynmor gave me a quick apologetic look, knowing well that Rhian felt the need to compete, which neither of us understood in the slightest. He just shrugged at her. “You getting marriage proposals is old news, Rhi. Everyone knows you are beautiful, and to these people, you are like an exquisite jewel, exotic and elegant.” He said, teasing her gently though I know he meant every word. She blushed and giggled softly, leaning against Brynmor affectionately.

  Madox grunted and I turned to give him a look. He met my gaze and said lowly. “The guy was intoxicated and didn’t want to take no for an answer. Good thing I can be persuasive, unlike my little charge.” He gave Rhian a pointed look. Rhian shifted a little, her good mood fading into a frown. “It isn’t like I would have accepted it…” She mumbled defensively as though we actually considered that to be a possibility. “I just wanted to let him down gently.”

  Madox rolled his eyes and muttered. “Any more gently and we would have been at your wedding within the hour.” His eyes flicked back to mine, and he gave me a shrug, the frustration of having to deal with this entire situation evident by the tightness in that movement.

  Rhian’s frown deepened and she angrily shook her head. “No, we wouldn’t have been, I just didn’t see the harm in letting him think I disliked him. I only wanted to spare his feelings.” She sat up straight again, shooting a glare towards Madox, though she wore a faintly guilty look and I knew she had likely encouraged the man’s feelings at one point or another.

  I gave Madox a nearly imperceptible nod and murmured to him, “We will discuss it later.” I was rapidly coming to the realization that it was time to have a chat with Rhian soon about safety and men. Rhian had always been so timid and shy, I thought this conversation would never be needed, but it would seem her growth into womanhood was beginning and she would need boundaries. I felt more like a mother at that moment than a sister, though regardless of my actual relation to her, the duty would fall to me to teach her of the world.

  Madox seemed satisfied with putting off the discussion and looked to the blond serving woman who approached the table with a beaming toothy smile. “Canna get you two anathin’?” She said in her thick accent, looking from Madox to Rhian. Madox merely waved his hand, giving Brynmor a pointed look as he spoke to the waitress. “Nothing for me, thanks. I don’t drink while I’m on duty.”

  Brynmor just smirked and answered the accusation with a loud sip, giving Madox a taunting grin. Rhian didn’t seem to notice anything amiss between the men, her thoughts obviously returning to her latest proposal and Bryn’s compliments as her wistful glow returned. “I would like a cider, please,” Rhian ordered with a smile.

  The server laughed lightly and nodded, her blond curls bobbing. “Of course, m’lady!” She flashed a grin at Brynmor and headed off towards the kitchens. I set my eyes on Brynmor as he swirled his remaining ale around in his cup, the man grinning at Madox now answering. “It’s just one ale, Madox. Don’t get your bloomers in a bunch,” he teased, to which Madox’s jaw tightened considerably before he looked at me. “If you have no further need of me, Lady Carys, I would like to retire to my room. The night is growing late and I must be up early. We leave at dawn.”

  The thought of being on the road again with all of its hazards and difficulties made me groan inwardly, but my discontent remained veiled as I nodded to him. “No, we are alright for tonight. I plan to retire shortly myself. Goodnight, Madox. See you in the morning.” He nodded and rose, sparing a quick glance to Rhian and Brynmor, the latter bringing a slight grimace to his face before he bowed and departed.

  Rhian barely seemed to notice Madox leaving, her eyes still fixed on Brynmor, though she spared a glance to me only long enough to acknowledge me before turning her blue eyes back to Bryn with a shy smile. “So what were you two talking about?” She asks, trying to sound casual. Brynmor looked a little awkward as he hesitated in answering, not wanting to admit he had been ogling all the women. “I was just commenting on how nice this town is.” He answered vaguely but flashed her a charming smile, but she looked doubtful.

  She turned to look at me as though I would answer her truthfully, and I hesitated, wondering just how truthful I should be. To tell her that he was gawking at several other women would hurt her feelings, but to lie was only going to encourage the feelings that were developing for the guard. Neither of them would ever be able to act on whatever feelings might be there, so I saw little point in protecting the idea of it. “He was admiring the women, Rhi. He thinks they are pretty.” I said honestly, earning myself an irked look from Bryn. You can’t have it all, Bryn. I wanted to tell him, knowing well that he enjoyed having Rhian’s interest even if she was off-limits.

  The sting Rhian felt was etched into her face though she tried to mask it by looking over towards the large roasting pit in the center of the room. Had she really thought a guard, ten years her senior and below her station would seek her hand? And if he did, would he ever be given the blessing? Those answers would always be ‘no’.

  I watched her silently trying to understand the depth of her feelings, finding myself wondering if this was a crush as I had suspected, or if it ran much deeper? Not that it mattered, in the long run; I wanted to shake her and explain that we would never get to marry someone of our own choosing. Father would choose and the men he selected would be noblemen from a good families. We will have no say in the matter. A knot of dread formed in the pit of my stomach at that thought.

  The server returned with Rhian’s cider, smiling widely at my sister as she set it before her as I pulled a couple of coppers from my coin purse to pay. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a young Vjorgynfar watching our table with open curiosity. His eyes were on me, though he looked to Rhian and Brynmor briefly before resuming his study of me. Perhaps it was my black hair and dark skin, a stark contrast in the sea of white and blond, but he made no move to approach, even after I caught him looking.

  “Looks like someone is captivated by you, Carys.” Brynmor’s teasing brought my attentions back to him and I gave him a mild glare. Rhian turned, craning her neck to see who Brynmor was referring to, but he caught her shoulder to pull her back around. “Well, don’t make it so obvious, Rhi.” He muttered to her. “Subtlety. It’s a concept you should learn.” She scowled at him in return, but took his advice, trying to peer over her shoulder.

  Her nose wrinkled a little once she caught sight of him, but I knew it wasn’t because she thought him unattractive, but more the envy of failing to capture an attractive male’s attention and losing to her sister, of all people. I glanced
back to the man with an inward sigh, trying to decide whether or not I should acknowledge his watchful gaze or not.

  I wasn’t interested in meeting anyone at this moment, already tired and growing more so in the knowledge that it was another long trek before we would stop at a place with hot food and real beds. My deliberations about being polite and speaking to the man vanished quickly when he rose from his seat, taking only a moment to smile and nod to me as he left the tavern. It was odd, but was quickly forgotten when I looked back to my sister in her sullen mood.

  I let out a faint sigh and finished the small amount of ale left in my cup. “I am going to retire for the night.” I announced, rising to my feet adding, “Bryn, don’t get drunk, and make sure Rhian gets back to her room soon. We are leaving early in the morning,” I reminded him, though I knew already that Rhian would bat her eyelashes and give him that innocently hopeful smile and convince him to let her stay up late.

  He really is wrapped around her little finger, I sighed, only able to hope that he wasn’t so foolish as to give in so much that he would compromise her safety. Brynmor just grinned at me and lifted his shoulder in a nonchalant shrug which annoyed me greatly, but rather than get into an argument, I left for my room to get my last good sleep in a soft bed.

  CHAPTER 5

  To say the morning dawned would be a dramatic overstatement. We woke to a heavy rain, the dark clouds settling in and giving us no illusions of dissipating before nightfall, and the general mood of our entourage was grim. The wagon drivers were downright surly as we made our way west, cloaked as best they could be against the downpour though I think that was asking too much of the cloaks.

  Rhian, Iolyn, and I huddled together beneath the canvas of the wagon in silence, warm blankets wrapped around our shoulders to ward off the chill of the gloomy day. Nobody was in the mood for conversation, and we were left listening to the pelting of the raindrops against the oiled fabric above us.

  The rain continued through the night making our camp no better than a mud hole whose only saving grace was the grass that kept the muck from pulling us all in to its filthy depths. The cold rain lasted through the sleepless night, finally tapering off in the morning and we all breathed a sigh of relief thinking that perhaps our fortunes were turning for the better. The clouds still hung low and refused to disperse, and many wary eyes remained fixed on them as we broke camp and traveled, hoping they would dissipate without another downpour.

  We were not so lucky. Three more days were spent under the heavy cloud blanket with its chilling drizzle as our wagon train made its way through the grasslands of Vjorgyn. The mutterings of us suffering the curse of the gods wove their way through our company, and while I knew it was merely a matter of poor weather, I couldn’t argue the notion of being cursed. On the fourth day, the clouds finally broke and we were treated to the golden warmth of the sun once again, though I was certain we were so thoroughly drenched, not even the hot desert sun of Yehket would be sufficient to dry us out.

  We were soaked, frozen, grumpy, and exhausted. Nobody could say a word to another without them snapping their response. Finally, everyone seemed to give up in their attempts to make any sort of conversation and I was grateful for the silence, even if it was dour. I wasn’t entirely certain we would survive any more poor weather without some form of mutiny and prayed fervently for sunshine and warmth for the remainder of our long journey.

  It was mid- afternoon when the peaks of the Scarlet Ridge appeared off in the distance, the large mountain range that separates the Eastern kingdoms from the Western realms. I rose from my seat out of wonder, nearly standing straight up when I saw them though a timely bump in the road nearly sent me reeling and reminded me of the importance of sitting while the wagon was in motion. Rhian giggled behind me and I was sure she would have loved to see me tumble from the wagon and land in the mud. I shot her a mild glare before studying the mountains ahead.

  The Scarlet Ridge. By far, they were the largest known mountains on the continent, named for the crimson flowers that covered their slopes amidst the rocky crags. I heard a tale from a traveler long ago of that moment at dawn (or dusk) when the golden light of the sun hits the mountains, they appear ablaze in color. The simple flowers suddenly adopt the appearance of flame and its effect was the illusion of the entire mountain rage becoming a raging inferno. I cannot describe the longing that filled me, wanting to see this beauty with my own two eyes. And now the Scarlet Ridge lay ahead, and it took all my willpower not to order the drivers to go faster and set our course straight for them.

  We were still too far to see the wonder of the Scarlet Ridge that day, but the day after as the sun set, the golden rays of dusk touched the mountains. Just as the traveler had claimed, the Scarlet Ridge glowed red for a minute before the entire range seemed to catch fire. My breath caught in my throat, the magnificence of it was far greater than I had ever imagined.

  It was a massive wall of flame, shimmering and shifting as the air surrounding it ebbed and flowed. I could only stare in awe, and somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I heard Iolyn commenting behind me. “Well, isn’t that something?” He sounded almost casual about the sight before him, though I knew his appreciation for such things was nearly the same as my own.

  He kept talking, changing the subject, but I was more focused on the sight before me and could barely focus on anything he was saying. I realized only after the fiery illusion had faded that my brother had been telling me we were nearing the border into the next realm and of the rumors of its people. My relief was apparent, feeling like every kingdom we put behind us was a milestone, bringing us all the closer to our unknown destination.

  Our company set forth the next morning, our road now veering northward to parallel the Scarlet Ridge. The sea of grass that swirled with every breath of wind slowly gave way to the rocky hills as we drew ever closer to the pass that would take us through the mountains. Father came alongside my wagon as we finally crossed out of Vjorgyn and entered Gan’bataar, smiling slightly to me though he said nothing and returned his eyes to the road ahead. He looked determined to push on, perhaps wishing our caravan could speed up, though he wasn’t so foolish as to think moving this many people, horses, and wagons could move any faster than we already were.

  I sat in the front of the wagon with the driver as we crossed the border, a map unfolded in my lap as I spent the morning’s travels studying it closely. Little was known of the people that inhabited this place, stories speaking of their tribal society being barbaric and war-like, though other tales had claimed they were a society that valued honor and strength above all else, intolerant of cruelty. But one thing that was agreed upon in all the tales was their extreme caution when it came to outsiders. I hoped they would be hospitable enough to permit us to resupply here, but as our wagons creaked and groaned over the bumpy road, I was less certain this would be the case.

  It was quiet while we traveled, the air smelling of earth and rain, and I found the landscape prettier than I had expected. It felt isolated somehow, hardly any signs of life but for the rare wisp of smoke rising in the distance, and as I gazed across this lonely panorama it was peaceful, quiet except for the whistling of the wind. The hills were built from craggy rocks and spindly trees grew as they desired, reaching into the blue sky like skeletal fingers. Sparse green tufts of grass grew amidst the rocks, pushing their way through the solid rocky ground as though defying the rock’s unyielding nature. If the grass itself was any indication of the hardiness of its people, I sorely hoped they did not believe us to be enemies. It did, however, explain how they had managed to thrive here despite the unforgiving landscape.

  We held our collective breath as we approached the supposed capital of the region, though that term would have to be applied loosely. Very loosely, in fact. It was little more than a collection of stone huts with thatched roofs, built around a central common area where fires blazed and food cooked. There was no apparent market area, which I found surprising, but it seemed that trad
e was conducted less formally than we had expected. As I looked around, no two people seemed to be doing the same thing, everyone conducting their own task and fulfilling it for the good of all. A true community, I marveled.

  Everyone stopped to stare as we halted some distance away, Father motioning to Madox to come along as he nudged his horse into a walk. They rode ahead to speak with their leaders, leaving the rest of us hoping and praying we would find some small measure of acceptance here, allowing us to rest for a day or two and resupply. There was no Inn here for travelers, at least, not that I could tell, so I was doubtful.

  Not one of us said a single word as we watched with bated breath for some indication of the final verdict, all eyes fixed on the small gathering of men. Deliberations went on for what felt like an eternity and finally Father and Madox returned, though the expressions on their faces permitted little in the way of guessing the results.

  “They will help provide us with enough supplies to take us through these lands and the next, which are sparsely populated.” Father announced as he returned. “We must provide something of value to them in exchange, so for the next few days, we shall make camp further up the road at the lake while we work out the details. We are not to leave the camp unless we are coming to town to join our hosts for evening meal and revelries.”