“Hush.”Cai stroked hishair, then hauled him into a ferocious embrace.“Didn’t we agreeshe was crazy—her and Addy too?Forget them.”
They were folding down together in theshelter of the nearest dune when the hare dashed by them.It was abig one.It scudded past their hiding place, close enough to kicksand into their eyes.For a moment it sat poised at the dune crest,gilded eyes glowing.
Fen sat up, unhitching the knife fromhis belt.“That’s a beauty.Shall I get it for us?”
Cai had seen him fell a smaller beastfrom twice the distance.He grabbed his arm and bore it down.“No.No, love—not this one.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Caius!BrotherCaius!”
Fen yawned and sat up.Quickly Cai puta hand on the top of his head and pushed him down again.He didn’twant that fox-bright hair appearing among the ripening ears ofwheat, giving their game away.
“It’s Hengist.He mightwant something.”
“He always wants something.And if I leave him alone for long enough, he finds it all byhimself.”Cai picked out the ripest apple from the four they’dbrought out for their midday meal.It was hard to choose.Theorchard had given with such abundance that they’d had stock tosell, after drying all they needed for their own winter needs.Theapples weren’t big, but they had blushed a sunrise pink no one atFara had ever seen before, and they tasted of summer distilled.Caioffered the best of them to Fen, who snarled playfully and snatchedan enormous bite.He held it between his teeth, eyes shining aninvitation.Cai chuckled and groaned—after a moment gave in andtried to seize the morsel back.Their mouths met.Juice ran sweetlydown Cai’s throat.Brother Hengist’s running footsteps faded offinto the distance.
They didn’t have much time.Thevillagers’ wheat lands too had ripened with such unexpected vigourthat the Fara brethren had broken off their own labours to come andhelp fetch it in.Today was the equinox, daylight and darkness inbalance, the time for second harvest, and after this only the thirdone, the Samhain-tide slaughter of beasts.Then Cai’sworld—monastery, village, the handful of men and women who gave itits pulse and its life—would crouch down for winter, provided for,safe.Fen and Cai had been working in the fields below the villagesince dawn.Soon they would have to get up, join the others, formup into the scything line and cut their refuge down with their ownhands.
“Caius!BrotherCai!”
God, Hengist was coming back.That wastoo bad.Cai had lost the fight over the apple and was flat on hisback.Fen was pinning him down, growling softly, sharp incisorsskimming his jugular.Every brush, every barely restrained bite,was jolting Cai closer to the brink.He couldn’t speak.If heopened his mouth, he would give them away with a howl.He buriedhis face in Fen’s cassock, clutched at his backside, at the tautsurging muscle thrusting down on him again and again.The homespunfabric was in the way.If they came like this, they would leavemarks.And Cai wanted to feel him—needed, had to have, that long,hot shaft pounding up against his, even if Hengist had found themand was standing looking on.He tore the cloth out of the way.Fen,unleashed, gave a cry and an unrestrained shove, driving againsthim with all his strength.Cai arched his back, ecstasy squeezinghis eyes shut.He convulsed.Behind his eyelids the sun turnedcrimson.
Brother Hengist’s footsteps fadedagain.Cai could hardly distinguish them from the slowing thump ofFen’s heart.His head was on Fen’s shoulder.Fen was runningunsteady fingers through Cai’s hair, the bites transformed tokisses to his brow and lips, just as devastating.More—the wolfbecame gentle, all wildness spent.
“Stop,” Cai whispered.“Stop.We have to go back to work.”
“Did I hear Hengistagain?”
“Yes.He’sgone.”
“Was it just the rushing inmy ears, or…did he sound a little desperate?”
Cai had thought so too.But his ownblood had been rushing, and he hadn’t cared.He didn’t care now.Hepushed up onto one elbow, suddenly resentful.“What of it?Why isit my problem?Why do they always come calling for me?”
Fen smiled.It was a particularlybeautiful, lazy smile, and it left Cai in no doubt of his thoughts.He snapped off the head of one scarlet poppy and tucked it behindCai’s ear, so that neither of them could take him seriously.“Is itbecause they love you and trust you?Poor lamb.”
“Well—isn’t it enough that Idoctor them, work for them all day long?Do I have to...”There itwas again, that word Addy and Danan had spoken, the word he heardechoing round his own head all day long and on Theo’s lips in hisdreams.“Why should I lead them too?All right, men need leaderswhen there’s someone around who wants to lead them straight tohell, but Aelfric’s locked up.He can’t do anyone any moreharm.”
“Locked up?”Fen’s derisivesnort sent a quiver through Cai, a glitter of unlikely new arousal.“Oh, yes.Because you’re such a hard-arse, aren’t you—holding himcaptive in his own rooms, with meals brought to him daily, and hisclerics for company any time he wants them.”
“What would you do withhim?”
“He’s a serpent.I wouldcrush him underfoot, then chuck him off the cliff.”Fen ruffledCai’s hair, knocking the poppy aside.“It would cost us lesstoo.”
“Oh, I don’t begrudge hiskeep.He’s out of the way.I should be too.”
“What do youmean?”
“It’s the equinox.Everything is in balance—summer with winter, night with day.Ithink men find their balance too, if they’re not being dragged offto one side or the other.I give it all up.”Cai bestowed one last,lingering kiss on the corner of Fen’s mouth, then helped him up.“Come on, before we get scythed.”Together they made their way outof the waist-high forest of gold and onto the track.“I’m not goingto lead.There’s no point to it, and leading means I have to picka—”
“Caius!BrotherCai!”
Fen broke into laughter.Cai groanedand raised a hand in surrender to poor Hengist as he trotted oncemore across the wheatfield.“Third time lucky, Brother.Here Iam.”
“Oh, Caius.”Thelate-autumn heat had been almost too much for the bulky cook.“I’mglad I found you.I didn’t want to frighten any of the others, andyet…” He looked shyly at Fen.“May I speak to youalone?”
Cai was surprised.The brethren ofFara treated their raider as one of their own now, their fears ofhim forgotten.“There’s nothing you can say to me that Fen can’thear, surely, unless…” Cai paused.Hengist suffered badly frompiles and was mortified by them.“Unless it’s a medical matter.Doyou need some more celandine oil?”
