She was surprised to find that she meant it, and that the anger that had so often surrounded her dealings with her father seemed unexpectedly, curiously absent. Yes, he was selfish, and heedless, and infuriating — but he did care for her, in his way. He’d tried to protect her from Joarr. He’d tried to change the law. He’d agreed to help women, and help her.
“I think getting some distance from him lately really helped, you know?” she said, settling back into Joarr’s arms. “And having more friends, and more support, away from him. I mean, I don’t feel even theslightesturge to poison him anymore.”
She felt Joarr chuckle again behind her, his mouth still kissing at her neck. “This is good,” he murmured. “Though if thisbetrotheddares to come back again, we yet poisonhim, ach?”
“Oh, most definitely,” Gwyn said, with a bubble of laughter. “With somethingverynasty. One of your webcap mushrooms, maybe.”
Joarr laughed too, though it sounded rather viciously satisfied this time — and Gwyn twisted around to look at him again. “By the way,” she said, “did youknowRoy was tracking you? And hunting you? Even back in Dunburg?”
Joarr’s eyes shifted, but he nodded, and exhaled a slow sigh. “Ach, I knew,” he said. “I may have… taunted him in this, more than was wise. And I ought to have spoken of this to you also, I ken. But I no trusted you at first, and I no wished to stoke your fear after. And I no wished you to wonder why I was in Dunburg, for this was —”
He stopped there, running a hand through his hair, and he seemed strangely flustered, with an actualflushcreeping up his cheeks. But before Gwyn could prod further, there was the telltale sound of movement, across the room — and then the bedroom door eased open, and Stella’s mussed-looking head poked out.
“Is it safe now, Gwyn?” she asked. “You sent them all packing?”
Gwyn flashed Stella a rueful smile, and waved her out toward them. “Yes, thank the goddess — and thanks to Joarr, too,” she replied, with another glance back at his still-flushed cheeks. “How are you two faring? Hopefully you weren’t too bored in there all this time?”
Stella took a tentative step out the door, a blanket clutched around her shoulders, a fresh set of large teeth-marks visible on her neck. “No, not at all,” she said, as her shining eyes darted up to where Silfast’s fully bared form was now looming close behind her. “We’ve been… catching up, haven’t we, Silfast?”
Silfast was looking darkly pleased, and he gave an affirmative-sounding grunt as he swatted Stella on the arse. “Ach, and we have only just begun,” he said smugly. “You yet havemuchchastening to bear, my sweet.”
Stella shivered, her eyes dropping to the sight at Silfast’s blatantly exposed groin, which was now obviouslytwitching— and behind Gwyn, Joarr loudly coughed, and then nudged her sideways on the chair, so he could stand to his feet. “You hunger?” he said, toward Stella and Silfast. “Like mushrooms?”
Silfast’s eyes had sharpened, watching as Joarr strode over to the stove, and flipped the remaining meat and mushrooms in his pan. “Ach,” Silfast grunted, and then he stalked toward the table, and dropped his huge body into a chair across from Gwyn. “Mushrooms are good.”
Stella had followed him over, sinking into the chair beside him, and then flashed Gwyn a warm, conspiratorial smile. “He can scent them from a half-league away,” she added. “Once, he nearly got himself shot, trying to pick some of those ruffled yellow ones. The ones that grow on trees?”
“Sulphur shelf,” Gwyn said, over the irrepressible swell of mirth in her chest. “Joarr loves those, too.”
Neither Joarr nor Silfast deigned to reply to this, though Silfast’s wary eyes were still fixed to Joarr at the stove. And when Joarr finally turned and plunked a steaming plate of meat and mushrooms in front of him, Silfast blinked, and took a long, careful sniff — and then immediately began eating, with thoroughly betraying relish.
“This is really good, Joarr,” Stella said, once Joarr had handed her a plate, too, and she’d taken a cautious bite. “Thank you. For this, and for — for everything.”
Joarr shrugged and waved it away, his eyes narrowing back down at where Silfast had already polished off half his meal — and in a quick flick of movement, Joarr grabbed for the pan again, and dumped its remaining contents onto Silfast’s plate. An action that Silfast returned with a wary-looking nod, before immediately tucking in again.
“Do you know, Seer,” Silfast said finally, hesitating long enough to frown over at Joarr, “if any of the men shall return here tonight?”
Joarr had dropped down to sit on the last empty chair around the table, and shook his head. “No tonight, I ken,” he said, with astonishing certainty. “And the men have now freed Hannah also. She is yet with Fulnir, and they run back to the mountain now.”
Wait,Hannah. A belated flare of guilt shot through Gwyn’s belly — good goddess, she’d forgotten all about Hannah — but Joarr’s hand had already snapped out toward her arm, stroking smooth and reassuring against it. “Hannah is safe, thanks to your wise demands, woman,” he said. “And also” — he betrayed a grimace, his gaze again flicking to Silfast — “your wise counsel, Captain.”
Captain. Silfast shrugged and resumed eating, not looking up — but the tension in his shoulders seemed to relax, some of the wariness slipping from his face. And in that instant, it almost felt as though something had… shifted, in the room. Something… changed. And across the table, Stella clearly felt it too, her eyes darting back and forth between Silfast and Joarr, a soft smile curving at her lips.
“This house,” Silfast said abruptly, his eyes still fixed to his plate, “speaks to me. It tastes of meaning. Of… the goddess’ blessing. Ach?”
Gwyn blinked, and glanced toward Joarr — who was now leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed, his mouth pursed. “You ken?” he said. “I ken Ivar oft came here. Other Bautul, also.”
Wait,otherBautul had come here too? But yes, good goddess, way back at the start, Joarr had said the house reeked of Bautul, hadn’t he? And now the images of Great-Aunt Agnes and Ivarandmultiple Bautul were swarming Gwyn’s brain with alarming vividness, and she was almost grateful when Silfast loudly rapped at the tabletop, nearly startling her out of her chair.
“Ach, this fits,” Silfast replied, his head bending down low, sniffing at the table. “Ivar is wise Bautul, who oft tastes the goddess’ blessing. And this” — he rapped at the table again, a look of undeniable satisfaction flashing through his eyes — “is surely one of the goddess’ altars, ach?”
What? Gwyn felt herself sputtering, staring between Silfast and Joarr — surely her kitchen table wasnotyet another ubiquitous Bautul altar — but Joarr seemed to be giving this claim actual consideration, his head tilted, his brow furrowing, his claws tapping against his arm.
“Ach, mayhap,” Joarr said finally. “I ken I… I tasted the goddess’ blessing, when I claimed my mate here.”
Oh. He… had? And he was actually…believingSilfast on this? As if Silfast perhaps…didknow this goddess, after all?
“Ach, this fits also,” Silfast said, settling back in his chair. “Your mate then brought us great blessing, just as the goddess proclaimed. And thus” — his flinty gaze slid toward Gwyn — “you must not sell this house, woman. You must keep it safe, and all of Bautul shall support this. Ach?”
