A click of her tongue. “Need to build up that arm strength, Gildy,” she says before she nods toward a circle of tents. “Right up here.”
She leads me to one of them, and we carefully set the barrel down. As soon as it’s on the ground, her face splits with a smug smile, while mine pulls into a grimace as I shake out my sore hands and arms.
She ducks inside the tent and comes out with a pile of furs, throwing them over the barrel haphazardly. “There.”
I look down at the sloppy covering with an arched brow. “It’s not exactly hidden.”
Her leather jerkin moves with the shrug of her shoulders. “Eh, good enough. Here.” She reaches into the tent again, pulling out an iron goblet. Kneeling in the snow, she slips her hand beneath the furs at the bottom of the barrel, and with a twist of her arm, I hear liquid pour out.
Standing up, she takes a hearty drink, draining half the cup before she hands it to me.
I stare at the red liquid, eyes wide. “Is that…”
“Wine. Made from the vineyards in Fourth Kingdom.”
I’ve snatched the cup from her hand before she even finished explaining, downing it all in a few gluttonous gulps. It’s sweet yet spiced, thick, rich, yet refreshing. Maybe this is the withdrawals talking, but I think it might be the best wine I’ve ever tasted.
An appreciative groan leaves my lips as I swipe my sleeve against my lips. “Great Divine, that’s delicious.”
She smirks. “I know.”
I try not to pout when she takes the cup back and chucks it into her tent. I missed wine so, so much.
“Alright, I’ll take you to your saddles now. But this wine barrel thing? Never happened,” she tells me sternly, pointing at my face. “I’m not joking.”
“I never joke about wine,” I reply.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Maybe it’s because my tongue is now coated in alcohol, but I feel much calmer now with this strange woman. “So...you’re a soldier.”
“What gave me away?” she says dryly.
“Has King Ravinger always allowed women to serve in his army?”
Her head snaps over as she pins me with a glare, eyes flashing in the dark, lip curled back. “Allowed? Like he’s doing us women a favor?”
“No, I just—”
“He’s lucky to have women in his army,” she interrupts. “Allthe kingdoms in Orea would be smart to utilize their women, but they don’t. Which is why Fourth will always be superior.”
Going off the impassioned vehemence of her voice, I’d say she’s had this argument with people before.
“Sorry,” I say quickly, hoping to assuage her. “I was just surprised. I’ve never heard of women in other kingdoms being accepted to serve as soldiers.”
She gives a terse nod as we sidestep a row of buckets on the ground. “Like I said, Fourth’s army is superior.”
I slip my hands into my coat pockets. “Do the men... Are they cruel to you and the other women serving?”
“You mean you want to know if they fuck with us.”
“Yes.”
She shrugs. “There’s always a few pricks who like to think that they’re better than us,” she tells me. “But it’s not what you think. No soldier in this entire army would abuse one of the women.”
“Really?” I ask dubiously.
“Of course,” she says with unrivaled confidence. “For one, the commander would rip their heads clear off their necks if they did anything so disgraceful. But secondly, this army is a clan. We might have caught some shit in training, but everyone here has earned their place, whether they have a cock or a cunt. Being in Fourth’s army under the commander is an honor none of us take lightly.”
