“No,” Otho replied, as something akin to a smile formed on his lips.
It took me a moment to make the connection, my eyes flickering between the two men, but as I did a smile came to my lips too.
The man was the same height as Otho, with the same black hair. But where Otho was broad-shouldered from what was likely an abundance of training for military service, the man approaching us was thinner, and more lithe. They both had prominent jaw lines though, and the same silver-gray eyes.
I made the connection instantly.
“You’re the second child.”
“Third,” Otho said hastily before reaching out to embrace his brother.
I felt a shock go through me at the idea his parents had parted with not one but two children, but then I realized his parents could have done something similar to what mine did. What I had once thought was my parents’ ingenious original idea, I now knew wasn’t all that special. A parent’s love was unique, but also universal, and each family had their own idea for overcoming, or facing, the one-child rule. And I was starting to think that deception hadn’t been the best idea as I watched his brother whisper something into his ear, followed by Otho whispering back. Then, they turned to me.
“Cal, this is Runa.”
“Nice to meet you.” He performed the Ralheim greeting, which I was starting to think was used in many more towns than just Ralheim.
“We will stay with Cal until we figure out our next move.”
I raised an eyebrow., “What about the army? Isn’t there a battle?”
“Askel and Karl are both trained to take charge in my absence. It’s how I am able to spend so much time at the barracks training new recruits.”
That made sense, and now that I thought about it, war definitely required more than just a single person issuing orders.
Otho motioned for me to follow, turning so that the arrowwas once again facing me. I had almost forgotten it was there. I sucked in a breath through my teeth.
“Please tell me you have a healer in Salheim.”
The two men looked at each other, sharing silent information that I wasn’t privy to. “I can get it out on my own,” Otho said at last. “Cal has the supplies I need to ensure it doesn’t become infected.
I wanted to say something more, to inquire further about what information I had missed in their shared look, but I snapped my mouth shut when I realized the eyes that watched from doorways and wooden roofs. Though there were no visible physical differences between the residents of Salheim and those I saw at home in Ralheim, the way they dressed made me stand out. Even though my dress was now torn and dirty, it was still obviously not a shade of green, something that appeared to be mandatory here.
I tried not to stare as we passed homes, shops, and other small businesses, but it was difficult when everyone we passed blatantly stared at me. And I wasn’t the one with an arrow protruding from their shoulder! A small piece of information that I decided I would explore in more depth later.
We ducked into a wooden home, and I was only slightly disappointed that it wasn’t one of the ones built high up in trees. But once I saw the interior, I was mesmerized regardless.
The homes in the village of Bru were empty and run down, with dirt floors that explained the permanent sheet of dust covering even the most commonly used surfaces. In this home, the entire interior was wood, with beautiful floors that were smooth to the touch, and walls decked out with floral art of all mediums. Some were dioramas, others flowers pressed to parchment, and some looked as if they had been created with paint.
While my home in Ralheim had been more accommodating than the homes in Bru, it was nothing like this. The entire home was a work of art.
I was so busy evaluating the art pieces I didn’t notice thatCal was pushing open another door off to the side of the sitting room. “I apologize, Runa, but this is a small home. With my wife and I sharing the other bedroom, you will have to bunk with Otho.”
I said nothing as I peered into the room he motioned to. It was small with a single bed covered in patchwork quilts. “It’s no matter, if you have an extra blanket I would be honored to sleep on these beautiful floors.” Honestly, they had to be softer than the stone of Viscount Adis’s house.
“No, no, I’ll take the floor,” Otho amended.
I shook my head. “Not a chance. You’re the one with an arrow through the shoulder. Speaking of which”—I turned back to Cal—“can you bring those supplies you spoke of?”
He raised an eyebrow but turned to a cabinet hanging from the wall. “She’s a bossy one. I like it.”
He pulled out a roll of cloth and a jar of clear liquid, probably a wound cleaning potion. I expected him to disappear into the bedroom with Otho, but instead, he handed the items to me. “I have to return to work—I only left the harvesting because I heard whispers that this one”—he inclined his head to Otho—“was spotted in the trees. You can help him with the arrow, yes?”
The way he said it made me feel like there was something I was supposed to know, but because I didn’t, I simply took the items and nodded my head.
“Excellent,” he replied before heading for the door. “I’ll be back for dinner, and Alaine will cook something.”
The door snicked shut behind him.
