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He pressed closer. “Are they coming to see us?”
“Nay,” I told him solemnly. “They’ve all gathered because they’ve never seen a slug before.”
He looked up at me suspiciously and I grinned.
Then the first of my warriors reached us and slammed a hand against my shoulder hard enough to knock a smaller male sideways.
Another caught me from the opposite side, laughing as he gripped my forearm. Questions came from everywhere at once—had my mission been successful, who were the humans, was that a bairn?—while someone relieved me of the pack over my shoulder and another male reached for the bundle in my other hand.
“Give me that,” the warrior ordered.
“I can carry it—”
“Aye, we can see that,” he snorted, taking it anyway.
Gods, I’d missed these fools.
I was still laughing when the crowd shifted and Jean appeared through it. The elderly human female had to push two warriors aside to reach us, and neither dared object. She glanced at me once, apparently decided I hadn’t become more interesting in the moon’s cycle that I’d been gone, then fixed her attention on Cataline.
“Och, sweetheart,” Jean said, hurrying toward her. “When did ye have that baby?”
Cataline’s arms tightened automatically around Edan and she looked warily at the demanding old woman.
“Three days ago.”
Jean’s glare snapped toward me. I knew that look.
“Now, Jean—”
“Three days?” she interrupted.
“Aye, but—”
“You made a woman who gave birth three days ago walk up a mountain?” Jean demanded.
“‘Twas no’ a mountain!” I don’t know why I was arguing. It wouldn’t matter anyhow.
She struck me on the shin with her cane.
“Ow!” I hopped sideways. “‘Twas a hill.”
She struck me again.
To my delight, Cataline laughed. ‘Twas not much more than a startled little burst of sound, but after the strain of the last several days, I would’ve happily let Jean beat me bloody if it made her do it again.
Another human female slipped through the gathering crowd then, and unlike Jean, Rowena did look at me first. Her blue eyes narrowed as she took in the baggage, Ewan clinging to my leg, Cataline and the bairn.
“You have been busy,” Rowena observed with a wry grin. “Vrogul is going to be delirious.”
“Why?” I asked.
The shriek answered me before she could.
“Maardok!” Issa screamed from across the crowd.
My sister came barreling toward us, shoving her way past two warriors before throwing her arms around me. She squeezed hard then immediately released me when she saw the treasure Cataline held.
“Oh,” Issa breathed, her eyes widening. “Oh!”
