“Yes. That Gayla. I wasn’t in Sheridan then. But plenty of good Perpatanian men were, and they told me what you did to her, that you almost even paid for your sins. And of course, when she and her husband returned to Perpatane, she told me.”
“I don’t understand,” I gasped out, trying to breathe despite his clutch at my throat. My heart was a crazed animal in my chest. I prayed Ilsit would return and then felt selfish for the thought as it would put her in harm’s way too. “Please, please let me go,” I implored with what sound I could muster.
“I cannot, witch,” Gerard replied. “I consider your death a calling. You see, my sister died in childbirth not a full four seasons after you destroyed her womb. You condemned her to death, you and the hag you called teacher.”
“No!” I croaked out. “No. I swear it. Please. You have to believe me. I am sorry she died. That night we stopped her from bleeding to death. Her later dying likely came because a midwife wasn’t called?—”
“I will not listen to a pagan woman’s ensorcellments and evils. Now, I say all this so that you knowwhoit is who spills your blood. This is retribution.”
“Gerard!”
“Oh thank gods,” I choked, realizing that what I heard was Ilsit hollering her former husband’s name from some direction I could not see, shouting obscene and vile things at the top of her lungs.
“I’m going to cut your balls off, Gerard!” she yelled. “You bestlet her go.”
Other voices started to join hers, people irritated from being woken.
He swore in my ear and then pushed me to the ground.
I was scrambling to my feet, trying to spin my back away from him as quickly as I could so I was not vulnerable, when I felt Ilsit grip the back of my tunic and pull me upright against her.
We watched Gerard’s back retreat between two wagons in the direction of the military vehicles at the back of the caravan.
“You had better run!” she called after him into the night.
“Do you mind?” said an old man, poking his head out of the tarpaulin covering wagon five hundred and thirteen. “Not sure if you’ve noticed, but it is godsdamn dark out, so most people are trying to sleep. No one wants you caterwauling at the moon out here.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Ilsit screamed at him.
The old man’s eyes went wide, and his mouth fell open. Then he pulled his head back inside his wagon.
“Oh my gods,” I said, massaging my neck and shaking my head. “Oh my gods, he almost got me. Oh,Ilsit. Thank you.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here before some night patrol guard starts chewing our asses out for nocturnal activities,” she answered and grabbed the back of my tunic to force me to begin walking down the rows of wagons.
For all of her hot temper, Ilsit was no fool and did not start interrogating me until we were well away from the scene of my attack.
“Explain,” she demanded, drawing us to a stop when we were closer to the four hundred rows, but far enough away so as not to be overheard by the rest of our party. “And don’t youdaretell me some bloody lie about him giving you the usual hard time. I saw theknifehe had.Robbie. That was a murder.”
Under the nearly full moon, I stared into her apprehensive face. I had always thought she would have been a prettier woman if her features did not hold so much scorn in them. But with the softeningof the moonlight on her, her brows raised slightly, her anger set aside as much as someone like her could put it, I couldn’t help but think she was one of the loveliest women I had ever seen. And seeing her concern for me now, hushed and afraid, made her regular scorn all the more beautiful to me. It was the face she showed the world. It was her shield. And its absence frightened me. I reached out and took her hand. I confessed everything about what had happened that first night in Griston.
As I finished, she squeezed my hand and asked, “Can you repeat what they said about the timeline and Torm and Thane?”
“They said I best die before Skow. And that Starling says Torm and Thane shouldn’t know how my death happened.”
“I think I might understand that part. Your mother and Torm used to swive, correct?”
“Ah, I wouldn’t put it that crudely.”
“And you Thane used to swive?—”
“Also an overstatement.”
“Hmm. Old Torm likely has had a soft spot for you, despite thinking you heathen scum, in memory of your dear mother. And we know Thane has always been in love with you. Rowena and I used to laugh about it. Making absolute doe eyes at you in the old days. Pathetic.”
“So what do you mean?”
“I mean Starling wants you dead, but he doesn’t want to be bothered with Torm’s old allegiance or with Thane. And he doesn’t trust any soldier to do it. He plays on Gerard’s clearly having a grudge against you. And Bertram’s always hated you. At the keep, when we were young? He used to belittle Thane for liking you. Unceasingly. Tried to get Wynne and Kent in on it.”
