When are you going to have your own little Matthias?
I just hum a tune and ignore it as I walk along, trying to convince myself that I have all I need.
I step into the butcher’s shop and Aldren frowns when he sees me lugging a pot of beeswax, a pot of animal fat, and my basket of candles. After a long day of work, he looks like a serial killer in his blood-splattered apron.
“You need a husband to lug all those pots around,” he says, rubbing his thick gray beard.
“I’d rather have a mule.”
He laughs. “You and most wives.”
He hands over the animal fat and I hand him the money.
“I have a great mule guy when you’re ready.”
I glance at all of the dead animals hanging in the shop and wince. “Will he be alive?”
He laughs again, a deep booming sound that makes me smile. “Alive will cost extra. And won’t be as tasty.”
“Thanks, Aldren,” I say as I head out with the supplies.
I meet my traveling group at the edge of town. One of the farmers always lets me place my pots and supplies in his wagon in exchange for babysitting services. His four-year-old daughter is so cute, I feel like I get the better of the deal.
Isolde and Lyris catch up with us as we’re about to leave. Isolde sits in the wagon and I walk with Lyris, chatting about the books we’re reading. There’s not much selection in the village welive in and we’ve read some of the better books at least ten times each.
I feel my heavy purse of coins, hidden in my coat, slapping against my thigh as I walk. I enjoy the feeling. It feels like success. I take pride in being self-sufficient. My parents died when I was still a youth and I had to struggle, scrape, and fight to survive. I’m proud to get where I am.
I don’t have much, but it’s all I need. A tiny house on a small plot of land. A business that keeps me warm and fed. A good book and an indoor fireplace. What more could I ask for?
A family… A child…
I roll my eyes, pushing that irritating inner voice away.
We head over the hills as a group—about forty of us—traveling back to the village. It’s safer to travel in numbers. Bandits mostly, although they’ve been appearing less and less. There are wild animals to watch out for too.
Although these days, the kingdom is safer than ever. The good weather and abundant harvest have kept everyone well-fed.
So, that’s why it’s such a shock when the men leading the way yell at us to hunker down.
Lyris turns white as she freezes in fear.
“Come with me,” I say, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the wagon.
Isolde stands up, trying to see what the problem is.
“What’s happening up there?” she hollers.
“Wolves!” a man shouts back.
The word slices through the air and everything stops.
For a heartbeat, no one moves. No one breathes.
I feel my stomach drop.
Wolves?
In this area? During the day?
