body like a rope because of the way she had twisted. He didn’t let go.
“I hoped it would not be force,” he said quietly.
“Then you were a fool.”
“Yes.” He let her hair sift out of his fingers. “Obviously.”
He rose and turned away from her, his embarrassment so painful that even she could feel it. She refused to pity him. What had he thought? Did he think she would forget the cage just because he had brought her to his tent?
“May I go back to the cage now?” she asked.
“No. You will sleep on my furs tonight.”
“You said — ”
“You will sleep unmolested.”
“What’s the point?”
Vio smiled. “I may be a fool when dealing with women, but I am wise when dealing with men. The others will know that you spent the night in my tent. They will think what they think, and respect me more for it. And,” he expelled a breath, “they will leave you alone, even when I am not there to watch over you.”
“Until you deliver me to the Bone Whistler and he kills me.”
“One thing I have learned,” said Vio , “is to eat whenever there is food, for there might be no more food to come; and to sleep wherever there is a bed, for there might be sleepless days ahead. So sleep now, pretty Corn Maiden. You never know what tomorrow will bring. Sleep as best you can.”
Dindi
Dindi awakened in a strange bed. Slices of moonlight as pale as halved pears poured in through the smoke hole in the roof of a cozy one-room hut. She sat up straight into the arms of Kavio before she scampered back into the corner of the bed against the weaving on the wall.
“Dindi, don’t worry, you’re fine,” he said. “You passed out at the banquet.” He frowned. “Did you, um, sample the beer?”
“No!” She blushed. “Of course not.” Her blush deepened when she realized the hut and the bed must be his. “Ah, how did I get here?”
Kavio coughed delicately. “I caught you when you fainted. When we couldn’t revive you, I took you here to rest.”
“Oh, mercy.” She stared at him in horror. She could only imagine what he must think of her. “How long . . .?”
“Just a few minutes,” he said quickly. “Don’t worry. Zavaedi Brena has been here the whole time.”
He gestured behind him. Standing in the doorway, in a spot Dindi hadn’t even noticed , stood Brena with her arms crossed and her brows arched.
“I’ll walk you back to the Tor of the Initiates,” Brena said.
“Thank you, Zavaedi Brena,” Kavio replied before Dindi could speak. “Don’t worry about your slave. I’ve arranged for the guards to escort him to your quarters and secure him there.”
“Have you?” Brena asked dourly. “I’m still trying to think of the words to express how I feel about your gift.”
“I’m sure it will come to you in time. Could you give us a moment of privacy?”
Brena’s stare grew even more pointed, but she ducked out of the doorway and let the mesh straw door fall back into place.
“Well,” said Kavio.
“Well,” Dindi agreed uncomfortably. She had so many things she wanted to say to him, and no way to say them.
“Initiation went well,” he said.
“Thanks to your help, as we heard.”
“Er.” He shifted in discomfort. “You’re a maiden now.”
“Yes.”
“Not…” he cut himself off, but she surmised his real question.
“Not a Tavaedi,” she finished. “No.”
Disappointment painted a clear pattern on his face before he whitewashed his expression back to polite neutrality. Like Gwenika, a somebody like Kavio could not really keep company with a nobody like her, Dindi realized with a sharp pang.
“I should go,” she said, standing.
“Of course,” he said, standing also. “Perhaps we’ll see each other again.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Zavaedi Kavio.” Dindi smoothed her wrinkled dress to avoid looking at him. “I doubt we will.”
Hadi
The young men sharing the First Lodge were too rowdy and drunk from the banquet to sleep that night.
“I hoped it would not be force,” he said quietly.
“Then you were a fool.”
“Yes.” He let her hair sift out of his fingers. “Obviously.”
He rose and turned away from her, his embarrassment so painful that even she could feel it. She refused to pity him. What had he thought? Did he think she would forget the cage just because he had brought her to his tent?
“May I go back to the cage now?” she asked.
“No. You will sleep on my furs tonight.”
“You said — ”
“You will sleep unmolested.”
“What’s the point?”
Vio smiled. “I may be a fool when dealing with women, but I am wise when dealing with men. The others will know that you spent the night in my tent. They will think what they think, and respect me more for it. And,” he expelled a breath, “they will leave you alone, even when I am not there to watch over you.”
“Until you deliver me to the Bone Whistler and he kills me.”
“One thing I have learned,” said Vio , “is to eat whenever there is food, for there might be no more food to come; and to sleep wherever there is a bed, for there might be sleepless days ahead. So sleep now, pretty Corn Maiden. You never know what tomorrow will bring. Sleep as best you can.”
Dindi
Dindi awakened in a strange bed. Slices of moonlight as pale as halved pears poured in through the smoke hole in the roof of a cozy one-room hut. She sat up straight into the arms of Kavio before she scampered back into the corner of the bed against the weaving on the wall.
“Dindi, don’t worry, you’re fine,” he said. “You passed out at the banquet.” He frowned. “Did you, um, sample the beer?”
“No!” She blushed. “Of course not.” Her blush deepened when she realized the hut and the bed must be his. “Ah, how did I get here?”
Kavio coughed delicately. “I caught you when you fainted. When we couldn’t revive you, I took you here to rest.”
“Oh, mercy.” She stared at him in horror. She could only imagine what he must think of her. “How long . . .?”
“Just a few minutes,” he said quickly. “Don’t worry. Zavaedi Brena has been here the whole time.”
He gestured behind him. Standing in the doorway, in a spot Dindi hadn’t even noticed , stood Brena with her arms crossed and her brows arched.
“I’ll walk you back to the Tor of the Initiates,” Brena said.
“Thank you, Zavaedi Brena,” Kavio replied before Dindi could speak. “Don’t worry about your slave. I’ve arranged for the guards to escort him to your quarters and secure him there.”
“Have you?” Brena asked dourly. “I’m still trying to think of the words to express how I feel about your gift.”
“I’m sure it will come to you in time. Could you give us a moment of privacy?”
Brena’s stare grew even more pointed, but she ducked out of the doorway and let the mesh straw door fall back into place.
“Well,” said Kavio.
“Well,” Dindi agreed uncomfortably. She had so many things she wanted to say to him, and no way to say them.
“Initiation went well,” he said.
“Thanks to your help, as we heard.”
“Er.” He shifted in discomfort. “You’re a maiden now.”
“Yes.”
“Not…” he cut himself off, but she surmised his real question.
“Not a Tavaedi,” she finished. “No.”
Disappointment painted a clear pattern on his face before he whitewashed his expression back to polite neutrality. Like Gwenika, a somebody like Kavio could not really keep company with a nobody like her, Dindi realized with a sharp pang.
“I should go,” she said, standing.
“Of course,” he said, standing also. “Perhaps we’ll see each other again.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Zavaedi Kavio.” Dindi smoothed her wrinkled dress to avoid looking at him. “I doubt we will.”
Hadi
The young men sharing the First Lodge were too rowdy and drunk from the banquet to sleep that night.
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