“Did she now?”
“She reminds me of you.”
“I’m fond of her already.” Yavi laid her head on his shoulder, and her tears trickled onto his skin. “I cannot stand this life.”
“Iwilltake you away from here, Yavi. I promise.”
“Weneed to go, Von.Us. You and me.”
“You know I can’t. I am indentured until I am freed.”
“That man will never free you.”
“Aye, he never will,” Von sighed. “But you aremylife-servant. By law, I can free you whenever I wish.”
“You fool yourself if you believe Tarn will ever allow that. He sees you as his property. In his eyes, what belongs to you belongs to him.” She wept bitterly. “I hate him, Von. I hate him so much. That bastard cut you to the bone. It will leave horrid scars.”
A wave of dread overwhelmed his pain.
His mind flashed with a memory of a trip he had taken to Arthal with Tarn. They had gone to visit the Seer. She was stunning in all her terrible beauty with cheekbones as sharp as glass. The translucent wings on her back shimmered with the gold dust that coated her skin. She’d worn a crown of white blossoms and thorns upon her head. Her long locks were the color of the ocean and tangled with braided knots and strips of silk. A black ring circled her golden irises that seemed to glow. Her voice was as eerie as the howl of the wind when she spoke her divination.
Von had stood in silence, reproaching and disbelieving the pixie. He didn’t want to believe her.
After they were finished, Tarn left the Seer’s cave. Von moved to follow, but she grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear:“Only whence she burns will she be free.Her screams will carry in darkness and in ice to haunt thee.They’ll cut through thy ears as the scars on thy back.Breaking and mending that which thee lacks.”
He had not saved Yavi from the divination.
Von looked at her, and his vision blurred. The Seer foretold their future years before they had met. She had warned him of what was to come. Tarn’s divination was proving true, and that could only mean so would his.
No, hewon’tlet it happen.
What was the purpose of a divination if not to be a warning? All he must do was keep Yavi from fire.
Von gathered a bit of strength to bring an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He pressed his face into her bosom so she wouldn’t see how much the Seer’s words frightened him. He had to hold on to the hope that he could save her from the foretelling.
“As miserable as this life is, I thank the God of Urn I lived. You are my only comfort in this world, Yavi.”
Her lips took his, tender and soft. The pain was manageable now. He didn’t know if it was the drink or the affection of this woman that he didn’t deserve.
“I love you,” Von said as he kissed away her tears. “More than I could ever tell you.”
“How much?”
“This much.” He pulled her close and found her mouth again, deepening the kiss.
“I will need some of that rum if I have to watch this,” a faint voice garbled.
Yavi flung herself away, and they stared at Geon in dismay. Von had forgotten about the lad.
Geon blinked drowsily. “Am I alive?”
“Yes, uh, here.” Yavi helped him drink from the bottle. She exchanged a worried glance with Von.
A faint, impish smile surfaced on Geon’s face. “Naughty.”
“Geon!” Yavi smacked his shoulder then apologized profusely at his wince. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
He chuckled. “You’re my friend, Yavi. You know I won’t.”
