Soon though, he turns away and we follow a trail through the woods. While I’m glad not to be walking, being carried is also uncomfortable.
“We are almost there,” he says, no doubt because I’m fidgeting even though I’m trying not to.
“Sorry, I’m not used to this.”
He lets out a bark of a laugh. “None of us are.”
Around us the trees thin, and tall grasses appear. While many are red, some of them are black. “That’s what Vari was talking about?”
I point without thinking and Hrad flinches, his grip on my legs tightening. I gasp, but he doesn’t let go. Instead, he drops to one knee as if he is done. Shit. Is he going to leave me here? I think I can find my way back to the river, but I’m not sure.
“I’m sorry about the pointing.” I study my fingers as though I can make them behave.
“Your people do not make a spark. To you, it is harmless.”
“That is true.” But I need to be more careful. “So now we gather grass?”
He touches a black stem and gives it a name, or at least that’s what I think he does. Then he pulls out a knife and cuts it at ground level. He splits the outer layer, revealing the fibrous inside. “You can make socks with this?”
I run my fingers over the fibers. They aren’t that smooth, but they haven’t been soaked either. “I’ll give it a shot…a go.”
I’m not sure how much to gather, but I help him find the blackest stalks and he cuts them. For a while we work together in silence, our pile growing bigger until he pauses for a rest.
“So what do you want to ask me, Bridget?” He hands me the water skin that hangs from his hip.
Even though I didn’t walk here, I take a sip because I am trying to be friendly, and it is warm enough that I am thirsty. “I want to get to know you. I cannot make a decision that will affect the rest of my life without information.”
He walks toward a clump of dark grass. “You are not Honey, so I am at odds even though I want a mate.”
“Well, you can ask me stuff.” I’m sure he has already asked Edilk and Sunif plenty.
“That is fair.” He cuts another stalk and tosses it on the pile. “Ask your questions.”
“I don’t have many. Vari said you are the best raid planner…would you say that is true?”
He smiles. “Yes. We all have our own strengths. It’s why we have held together as a tribe.”
“What’s his strength?”
“Patience. He will sit and mend nets or untangle ropes all day, lost in the work when others become frustrated.”
“So who will make the best mate?”
He turns to study me. “If a Honey woman were to ask, I would tell them me, but you are not seeking my thoughts on why I will make a good mate. You are asking as if I am mated and can advise on my warrior brothers.” He turns the knife over in his hand and I’m aware of the way the light catches on the sharp metal blade. “You are smart.”
“Thank you.” I don’t feel smart right now. I feel as though I’m one wrong question away from being stabbed.
“If I were mated and offering my thoughts on the unmated…” he rubs his chin and strokes his beard. “Vari, because he is calm. He has shown the kind of mate he could be with that attachment. That it is over means he is making himself available.”
“And who will be the worst mate?”
“Orik. Too young and too quick to anger. He is like a spark…beautiful and dangerous.”
“I haven’t seen that side of him.”
“Be glad.” He cuts a few more stalks and tosses them on the pile. “What do your people seek in a mate?”
“That depends on the woman. Mia wanted to be chosen, to be valued.”
