Page 26 of The Warlord’s Princess (Warlords of Tempest #3)
RAMSEY
There is nothing I mislike more than sitting idly all day and night, but that is what Orvell has me do, and Grixis has made it clear that if I refuse, it will be at my peril.
Which was an interesting word to use for simple mis-compliance, yet I do not want to add to his worries, especially when I have such dire news to share with him.
Sometimes, I misbelieve what I saw out in the woods, not because I think less of Asha, but because the whole situation was too fantastical, and I wonder if it could be a fever dream.
Never have we considered communicating with an animal of Tempest, least of all a terragulf, and for the smallest of us to be able to stop a deadly attack is something Grixis and others are keen to learn about, though I am tired of talking and wish to return to my hut.
But Orvell insists I stay one more day.
The door swings open, and Nori comes into the cleric’s hut, an enormous basket in her arms.
“I overheard you grumbling about being bored,” she says, placing the basket by the side of the bed.
“And?”
“I figured it was time for you to pick up a new skill.”
“I am a hunter!” I snarl.
“Yes, and you will be again, but for now, you’re a spinner.”
My brow pinches in confusion. “Spinner.”
She grabs fluffy cloud-looking puffs from the basket. “You’re going to make thread for Asha.”
I cannot say no to that.
After teaching me what I must do, she sits by my side, working on threads of her own.
“How is Asha doing?” I ask, trying not to sound too interested. A lie.
How was I to know that being apart from her would suffocate me, causing unknown sadness to grow, tainting every part of me?
But Asha needs this distance.
“She is settled in the longhouse for now, but the men are falling all over themselves to make her a proper hut.”
My stomach twists because I know what a prize she is, but she was not meant for them. She is not even meant for me.
“You need to spin that tighter,” Nori says.
I glare at her, then proceed to spin the thread tighter.
“Was Asha able to grind the shells into more dyes?”
“She washed the shells and is now drying them in the sun. It’ll probably be a week before she can.”
I nod.
“Is there anything else you’d like to know about her?”
“Is she happy?” I blurt, without thinking.
She pauses her spinning and tilts her head to the side. “Why do you care?”
Her tone is more curious than harsh, yet I mislike what it implies.
“She saved me.”
“Is that all?”
Annoyed, I go back to the puffs, spinning them into threads to later be used by Asha.
“I understand most of the men,” Nori says. “But you…I don’t think I’ll ever figure you out, and that’s driving me nuts.”
“What is there to figure out?”
“Asha has proven to everyone that she’s strong. Even the men that mislike us the most respect her.” She sets down her puff and stares at me. “Happiness is tangible for you. Yours for the taking. Yet, you look away.”
“As you do with Dogan?” I say with an arched brow.
“It’s not like?—”
Dogan enters the hut with a plate of steaming food. I set the thread and wool aside, expecting to eat, but he hands the plate to Nori.
I stare at her, knowing my point has been made.
“Is it time to eat already?” she says as she takes the plate from him and ignoring my words.
“You would forget altogether if I did not feed you myself,” Dogan says, trying to draw her attention to him.
Sensing Dogan’s tension, I stretch, sighing. “I will continue my spinning later. Now, I seek rest.”
After they leave, I continue spinning, because it makes me feel closer to Asha.
It is impossible to stop thinking about her, and the more I do, the more haunted I feel.
There was never happiness for me on Tempest, only duty, and I only know that because Asha is the one thing that has ever brought me joy.
Which is why I must do everything I can to see that she is saved and returned to Penticar, where she belongs.
Grixis finally enters the hut, carrying with him a bowl of soup.
“Here,” he offers it to me.
“How is the village?” I ask.
He sits in the chair Nori was occupying. “Excitable. Some still do not believe that Asha was able to communicate with a terragulf. But Elena made a joke, saying if she could get through to you, she could get through to anyone.”
I chuckle. “She is not wrong.”
“My Elena is ever making me laugh.”
Dread creeps in my gut because I hate what I must tell him. Since there is no telling how he will react to such devastation, I decide it would be best to request he call a council.
“We must talk,” I tell him.
“Speak your mind.”
“Not just us, the council. Both. It is of the utmost importance.”
His forehead furrows. “Do you care to discuss anything with me first?”
I shake my head.
He frowns. “I will call for one in a few days, after you have fully recovered.”
Sensing his frustration, I change the topic. “Any word from Brock or Haelden?”
“No, but I do not expect to see them again for at least another cycle of the moon.”
“Hopefully, they will see no signs of the Veriskans.”
“Thankfully, they have not been close to the village, which means they are unaware of the women we harbor.”
“Good.”
I finish my soup quickly, grumpy there is not more, but knowing not to complain.
“There is talk about animal domestication come mud season,” Grixis says, which sounds more like a riddle than a truth.
“Animal domestication?”
“Apparently, in Penticar, they keep animals in all forms, including birds.”
“Whatever for?”
“Many reasons. They even ride them into battle.”
My eyes snap to his. “Sweet Tempest—they must have said that in jest.”
He shakes his head. “I do not believe they did, and come mud season, the Penticari will be trying to tame some of the beasts of the land, with Asha leading the effort.”
I blink back at him, hating the harsh truth I must deliver.
But there is little point in dwelling on it now.
Grixis gets up, grabbing my empty bowl. “Rest well. Soon, we will meet to discuss your worries, though I wish you would share them with me now.”
“One last thing,” I say before he exits.
“Yes?”
“Asha should be included in the meeting.”
“But council is for?—”
“We will discuss nothing she cannot hear, save what I have to tell.”
“As you say.”