“He does tend to grumble a lot,” I admitted.
She laughed. “He does. But I have bread and cheese here.” She set something wrapped in muslin aside. “Salted fish. I’ll save that for myself later.” She then unwrapped a thick round of pale bread and soft, white cheese. “Here you are.”
I didn’t hesitate, falling into the meal heartily. “Thank you so much,” I said between chews.
“You’re welcome. I have some salve as well that may help with those scratches.”
Her baby squirmed and mewled. “Quiet now, Saralyn. This is my daughter,” she said to me, pulling wide the sling so I could peek at the sleepy-eyed little girl with long lashes and hazel eyes. Her skin was much fairer than the beast fae, but her hair was dark, two nubs of horns showing on her head.
“She is lovely,” I admitted.
“She is a handful,” laughed Tessa. “Here, this paste will help you heal quickly and numb any pain.”
I let her dab the paste of salve onto my cheek and neck, while I continued to eat. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. The bread was crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. The cheese was salty and creamy.
“Delicious,” I muttered as I shoved the last bite of cheese into my mouth.
“We keep some mountain goats for the cheese. But we can’t harvest our grain this far north. It simply doesn’t grow well here. We trade with southerners for it.” She put the salve away and wiped her hands, her baby now sleeping soundly against her chest. “We are able to grow some delicious vegetables here though. I’ll ask Shearah to make you a hearty soup. She runs the hearth guild.”
“That would be lovely. Thank you.” I wiped my mouth on the rag that the bread had been wrapped in. “You have guilds here?”
“Oh, yes. We have one for each area of need in our community. Each clan member learns what they are most skilledin and what brings them the most joy. Then they join their guild of choice.”
This surprised me. “Everyone decides on their own? Your clan leader doesn’t appoint them?”
“Lord Redvyr?” She laughed. “No, he wouldn’t want anything to do with that. How would he know what guides another’s heart?”
I could hardly fathom what she was telling me.
“We have a ceremony of celebration, of course,” she added, noting my confusion, “when someone reaches an expert status in their guild.”
In Morodon, my father would often speak to the heads of the masonry guilds and such to make decisions on what new temple or bridge or palatial villa to build next. We had guilds for artisans and merchants for villagers to be appointed to in order to learn a trade. But it wasalwaysmy father who would assign guild appointments. The good appointments often depended on the family’s loyalty and tribute to the crown.
“It’s unusual to hear that your clan have a choice in the matter. That’s not how it’s done where I’m from.”
She smiled sympathetically. “I don’t come from a village that supports one another either if that makes you feel any better.” She rubbed a hand along her daughter’s back over the sling. “I’ve found that we live in harmony for the most part here in Vanglosa.”
“For the most part?” I asked.
“Beast fae are emotional fae, so there is the occasional disruption.”
“Like a foreign fae invading their camp?”
She laughed. “Well, when I did, it certainly stirred things up for a while.” She pressed a kiss to her babe’s head. “But they came around eventually.”
Handing the salve back to her, I said, “I can help Shearah. I learned to cook a few things when I worked at a tavern in the Borderlands.”
It was far more than was ever taught to me at home in Morodon. It wasn’t proper for a princess to cook. Or learn anything of good use.
She stared at me curiously. “You lived in the Borderlands? That’s so far from the skald fae.”
I nodded. “Yes.” But I didn’t add more, wanting to keep my reasons secret for a little longer. I had a feeling I’d need to confess more than I wanted to in order for this council to allow me to stay, but I wasn’t ready to divulge that yet. “And how did you come here?”
“That’s a rather wild story, actually.” She pulled a leather canteen from her basket and handed it to me. “My father was a tavern-keeper for our clan of wood fae. We used to live in the Myrkovir Forest, but our lord led us farther northwest when the war between the wraith fae and the moon fae threatened us.”
“Your lord led you away from your home during the war?” That seemed risky, and also cowardly.
“Our lord wanted to avoid the fighting altogether,” she sighed. “Eventually, he abandoned us, and our clan dwindled. Some of the stronger ones left on their own to either return to Myrkovir or find some other place that was safer to live. You see, we lived in Northgall territory, close to the Borderlands. Then my father became ill, and I knew if he died, my sister and I would be completely alone. So I went into the woods at night, sure I could find the herbs to cure him, to break the fever. I’ve always been good with herbs and healing. But that night, I met Bezaliel in the woods.”
