‘And the man who killed your mother?’
‘I don’t even know his name,’ I said.Cillian studied me.‘What is it?’
‘The soldiers around here aren’t trustworthy.I know they saved your life when they were children, but they are not simply soldiers.They are captains of an army.I don’t think you should seek them out or draw their attention.’
‘Have you heard something about them?’
‘No, but I’ve had to deal with soldiers like them in the past.’
‘Your wife?’
‘Yes.’Cillian rubbed his shoulder, grief flashing across his features.
‘But they may know something.Like where their old captain is.’
‘Caris.’Cillian’s face paled.‘You wouldn’t do anything dangerous, like go after him?’
Hellfire.I’m going to have to lie to him.‘Of course not.’
CHAPTER 4
That night, Atlas and Torgrin’s faces filled my dreams, horrible memories haunting me.I woke feeling as if I hadn’t slept at all.When I headed down the stairs, Cillian wasn’t waiting with my morning mug of coffee, and I soon found out why when I reached the forge.A line of young men stood outside the shop, all the way down the street.
I elbowed my way through the crowd to Cillian, who was at the counter frantically writing up orders.I greeted him, and he immediately came around the counter and pulled me aside.
‘They’re here because of the tournament!I’ve already secured a month’s worth of work in half an hour.’Sweat beaded on his brow, and his cheeks were flushed.‘How would you like to work full time with me for one month for half the profits?We will split everything straight down the middle.’
I wiped his brow with my sleeve.
His eyes widened.
‘I suppose I could make the swords.’What was another month’s delay when I’d already been waiting ten years?I couldn’t refuse this big-hearted man anything.
He let out a loud whoop and gave my shoulders a squeeze.I couldn’t help smiling at the goof.
We took twenty more orders and then had to turn the rest away.Even with both of us working full time, completing everything before the tournament would be challenging.There were items Cillian already had that we could rework, but most would need to be made from scratch.
What had I gotten myself into?With both forges firing constantly, I was drenched from head to toe in sweat the moment I entered the workshop.Cillian was relentless with his hammer, churning out armour and helmets so fast he was a blur.He allocated all the orders for swords to me, and I quickly set to work.Soon, the forge was unbearable.I did my best to keep up with Cillian, but he didn’t suffer from the heat as much as I did.
‘You wear too many clothes,’ he declared.This was not a helpful observation, as working naked wasn’t a safe option for blacksmiths.
The next day, the pretty laundry girl came to the back of the blacksmith’s cottage while we had our morning coffee and fed the horses.She waited while Cillian went inside to retrieve his laundry.
When he came back, he ordered me to add my clothes.I grumbled at him, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
The amount of clothing I owned was pitiful, and I had been washing them in the stream on my free days.It wasn’t the best way to clean clothing, but I didn’t think asking Millie to wash my sad, worn-out workwear was worth the coins.
When I returned, Cillian was giving her instructions on how to alter one of his shirts.He gave her a few extra coins for her trouble, and she took my tiny pile without saying anything to me.
‘Thanks, Millie,’ Cillian said with a big, infectious smile.
I snorted at her reaction.The poor girl almost floated her way down the street.
‘What?’he asked me, pretending to be oblivious to his effect on the poor girl.
‘You have all the fillies eating out of your hand,’ I said, throwing his words from the day we met back at him.
‘Clearly notall,’ he muttered as he walked away.
