Winter Queen(13)

At first, the blissful lack of lye and the coolness of the water had been a balm. But the scrubbing burned her already blistered skin. By the end, she had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out. Finally, the women helped her out of the water. Someone brought a blanket and wrapped it around her.

“Rone,” Narium called.

He reappeared, shirtless. His body was muscled from a lifetime of working the land and lean after a long winter. His arms and parts of his chest were a painful, swollen red. She was sorry for the pain he’d taken on for helping her.

Without hesitation, Rone scooped her back into his arms. She couldn’t help but blush at the feel of his bare skin next to hers.

“Take her to the women’s house,” Narium said.

Ilyenna rested her head against the soft hair on his chest, her heart fluttering in her ribs. “You’re alive,” she said softly.

Rone grunted.

“We didn’t know if you were dead.”

“Perhaps I should be.” His voice was as hard as stone.

Before she could ask what he meant, he shifted her in his arms. She gasped softly, her question forgotten. He glanced apologetically at her. Someone opened the door to a one-room house. Rone helped her lie on her stomach and brushed back her hair. “What happened to the Shyle, Ilyenna?”

She sighed heavily and looked away. “We were still trying to find beds and clothing for all the Argons. Lanna and I went to Volna Plesti’s for wool skeins. On our way home, Otrok rushed past, shouting for us to hide.” She paused and wiped a trickle of moisture from the bridge of her nose. “Lanna died. For a time, I thought I had, too. But then I saw . . .”

How could Ilyenna explain dying and having fairies bring her back to life? If she told Rone she was marked, would he look at her with repulsion as her brother had? She braced herself. “You should stay away from me, Rone. I think I’ve been marked.”

His brow furrowed. “That’s just superstition, Ilyenna. The dead don’t do that.”

Narium pushed her way between them. “You best get back to work, Rone. If Darrien finds you shirking, he’ll have you strapped next. And with you, he’ll not care about scars.”

Rone tugged on his undershirt and began working the laces. “He’ll have me there whether I shirk or not.” Soon, he hurried out the door.

Narium peeled back the blanket, leaving only Ilyenna’s buttocks covered. The older woman laid some cool, wet rags over Ilyenna’s back. Almost immediately, the burning subsided, leaving only the rawness. She sighed in relief. “What’s that?”

“Witch hazel,” Narium replied. “We keep plenty of it on hand. Tyrans like their straps.” She combed through Ilyenna’s tangled hair with a wooden comb and began weaving it into a braid. “What of your father and brother?” she asked.

“They were alive when last I saw them,” Ilyenna answered.

Nodding, Narium tied a leather strap around the end of Ilyenna’s braid. “Seneth didn’t live past the first day. I’m glad for him, at least.” Narium’s voice broke as she said it.

Ilyenna squeezed the woman’s hand. “He was a good clan chief.”

Narium nodded. “Yes. And Undon took him away from me. If he has his way, he’ll take Rone, too.” She must have seen Ilyenna’s surprise. “You want to know why Rone hasn’t died trying to avenge his father, or save the rest of us for that matter?” Narium chuckled bitterly. “Darrien has promised that if Rone or the two men with him so much as touch a weapon, they’ll kill us all.”

Ilyenna was too shocked to respond.

Narium was silent for a time. “Otec is still alive,” she said finally. “The spring feast is in a month. If we can just make it until then, the Council will listen to your father.”

Ilyenna understood. If her father and brother still lived, so would the Shyle. They wouldn’t abandon her to the Tyrans. The Council of Clan Chiefs would declare that the Tyrans had broken clan law and come against them.

Narium rubbed some of the cloudy water into the angry rash on her hands.

“I’m sorry the lye hurt you,” Ilyenna said.

Narium waved the apology away. “I have to leave you now. If I don’t finish my work, I’ll be punished. And every time they punish me, I’m afraid Rone will interfere. Darrien is expecting him to.” Standing, she smoothed her damp skirt. “Rest now. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”





7. Apples



Slipping behind a tree, Ilyenna held her breath. She pressed herself against the icy bark.

“Ilyenna,” Bratton growled. Footsteps started back toward her, crunching through the cold snow. “You might as well come out. We already saw you.”

Letting out her breath in a cloud of vapor, she put on her mother’s best clan-mistress glare, crossed her arms, and stepped out. “I want to come too.”

Rone looked at her with something close to apology in his eyes.

Bratton pointed the tip of his bow at her. “You’re too little. You’ll slow us down. And you make too much noise.”

“Only because you won’t teach me,” she shouted. Then she dropped her head, trying her best to appear humble. They had to take her. They just had to. She couldn’t spend another day stuck at the house while Mother coughed up blood. “Please.”

“Come on, Bratton. She could come,” Rone said.

Ilyenna glanced up at Rone. He studied her with green eyes framed with lashes like a bird’s wings. His mass of wavy golden hair was tied back.

Bratton gave him an exasperated look. “She’ll scare away anything we find.”

Ilyenna narrowed her gaze at Bratton. “You never catch anything anyway.”

Bratton lunged at her, but she slipped out of his grasp. He was bigger and older. She knew he’d wrestle her to the ground and hold her face in the snow until she agreed to go home.

Rone grabbed his shoulder. “Come on, Bratton. Let her be.”

She could see Bratton itch to take her down. He jerked out of Rone’s grip and took a step toward her. “Go. Home.” As he whipped around; his bow smacked her ribs.

She winced and then tried to still her features so neither of them would know he’d hurt her.

“If I catch you behind us again, I’ll throttle you good,” he called over his shoulder. “Come on, Rone.”

Rone studied her, indecision on his face. “Can you make it back all right?”

His kindness seemed to make her side throb harder. She dropped her gaze so he wouldn’t see her tears.

Rone pointed back the way they’d come. “Just follow our tracks. Cross the river where we crossed it. Can you do that?”

She nodded quickly.

“Rone!” Bratton called impatiently.

He studied her. “Hurry back. We won’t be long.”

Ilyenna watched him run after Bratton until she couldn’t see them anymore. She turned around, her eyes wide. The trees were huge and ancient, so big it would take ten of her lying head to toe to circle them. It wasn’t long after midday, but the canopy blocking out the light made it seem later.

She’d never felt so alone.

Ilyenna felt a hand on her arm and struggled to free herself from the dream. She forced her eyes open to see the shadowy outline of a man standing beside the bed. With a gasp, she clutched the pillow to her chest.

“It’s all right, Ilyenna. It’s just me—Rone. You were dreaming.”

She let out her breath in relief. Still, she didn’t feel much better, naked as she was. The witch hazel had dried. Her back burned and itched so badly she wondered why her hair hadn’t caught fire. “I dream a lot.”

He closed his eyes as if her words pained him. “Me too.” He studied her. “Do you want to go back to sleep?”

“No,” she said softly.

He looked away. “I’m sorry, but I have to know,” he paused, his eyes reflecting the moonlight. “Did—did Darrien hurt you?”

She couldn’t meet his gaze. “Not beyond what you already know.”

He ran his hands through his wavy hair. “Mother’s not back yet. The other women are with her. If you’d like, I could put on some fresh rags.” He didn’t say anything more, but she knew enough to figure Narium and the others were being punished—punished for helping her.

Normally, she’d never allow a man to see her bare back, but the thought of the cooling witch hazel squashed any protests. “Please.”

Rone removed the old rags and replaced them with deliciously damp ones. His hands were sure and strong, and he was careful to keep his calluses away from her bruised and weeping skin. He helped her drink water and some tasteless broth. “I’m going to take care of you, Ilyenna.”

She wondered why he said it. Of course he would take care of her. He was a clan chief now—it was his duty. But she was too tired to ask. He began humming a lullaby, one her mother had sung to her as a child. “Two in the rockers, One in the field.” Before long, Ilyenna was sound asleep.

At dawn, she awoke to feel fresh rags on her back. Narium was asleep on the floor, dark circles lining her eyes. How many times had she woken in the night to replace the dressings? Glancing around the small home, Ilyenna saw numerous other women sleeping on blankets on the floor. She was the only one in the bed. Their kindness left her feeling a little less forlorn. But she desperately needed to visit the forest.