And did so with joy.
“Soon, Elena, we will be back at my home, and you will be safe.”
I snort. “If your men deem us worthy.”
He pulls me up his body, to his chest, cradling me. “Oh, they will, for as strong as my men are, there is no chance they can turn away from the possibilities you bring.”
16
ELENA
Eating fresh fruit for breakfast is something only aristocrats and nobility would do back in Penticar, but on Melgrim, I enjoy it daily. Sometimes, I crave the dried strips of cured meat and chunks of hard bread I’d grown so used to, as silly as that sounds.
There are times I feel twists of guilt when I think of my mother and how worried she must be for me. She wasn’t exactly a font of warmth, but she did love me.
I wish I could tell her I’m no longer a bastard servant. I’m the chieftain of a bunch of pretentious noblewomen who all depend on me.
And a warlord is seeking to claim me as his own. He’s tall, powerful…blue…and only has eyes for me.
I approach Nori, careful not to be too quiet because she often gets so lost in what she’s doing, she startles easily.
“How are things going?”
Without looking up at me, she says, “I’ve planned for each of the women to try out various duties to see where their strengths lie. Already, I’m thinking Arwin has a green thumb, and—”
“Oh, I trust you’re doing great with all that. I mean, how are we doing in general? Is there anything I should be worried about?”
Nori frowns. “Actually, there are.”
My heart sinks. “Tell me.”
“For one, the cold ‘ribbons’, as the men call them, don’t feel natural. I’ve read hundreds of books and I’ve never heard of such a phenomenon before.”
I shrug. “It’s not like many people have traveled to Melgrim.”
She nods. “I suppose. Some of the men are coming around, it seems.”
I lift a brow. “I’ve seen that you have an admirer.”
Nori blushes. “Dogan is just concerned that because I’m not a hunter like Fiona, I’m in danger.”
“Sure, because protecting the weak is totally their thing.”
Ignoring my needling, she says, “How is Grixis?”
“Pleased with our progress. Hopefully, he’ll take us inland to his people soon.”
“There’s something else I wanted to ask you.”
“I’m all ears.”
“When you went to their village, did you see anything odd?”
“Aside from the inhabitants’ bluish skin? I guess it was a normal village. They lived in huts of mud and straw, supported by wood. Much like farmers and peasants. I did see a few tents covered in hides.”
Her lips twitch to the side. “Hmmm…”
“What is it?”