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The man let loose a hearty laugh, and chuckles from his men trickled towards us. “You are no longer in Thimmaria, boy, and King Graeme could no sooner claim my land than he could retain his temper. You try my patience. I will not give you another warning.”
“We seek to escape the tyranny and madness of King Graeme, and the witch who has infiltrated Thimmaria. Who are you that can claim this land as your own?”
The man studied Einri silently, then just as slowly, cast his eyes over the remainder of our company. I tried to will my body not to twitch, only half successful at the effort. Einri was taking a big gamble, and I could only hope it played out in our favor.
After what seemed like hours, but was probably only a minute or two, the man turned his gaze back to Einri. “You are the leader of this contingency?”
Einri nodded, sharply.
The man gazed at him a moment longer, then motioned him forward. “I will speak with you privately.” He gave a signal to his archers to lower their bows. “No harm will come to your people while we talk, unless they provoke it.”
Einri began walking toward the man, and I surged forward to join him, squeezing Brex’s hand to let her know to stay. No way was I going to miss out on this. The man’s gaze flicked to me a moment, then he turned back to the trees, seemingly fine with me joining. I caught up with Einri and flicked a gaze backward, relieved to see Brex join Will.
“So, the witch has finally made it to Thimmaria, has she?” The man said suddenly, startling both Einri and I.
“How do you…” I started, then trailed off as I thought better of finishing that sentence.
Einri glanced at me, and I thought I saw a flash of subdued amusement before he turned to the man. “My name is Einri, and my people are the people of the Greenwood. Most of us have long sought refuge in the forests from both Brural and Thimmaria and have recently escaped mass murder. We mean you and your men no harm, we merely wish to cross the mountains into safety, as there is nowhere else for us to turn.”
The man rubbed his grey beard thoughtfully for a moment, processing the information. “People of the Greenwood, you say?”
Einri nodded sharply, and I held my breath a moment before letting it out sharply.
“I am Arrow of Loxley, and until recent events was a ward of the King.” I interjected. The man turned his pale blue eyes towards me, and I was surprised at their sharpness. “These are good people, who, through no fault of their own, have been forced through heinous situations. They have no intention of causing harm or trouble.”
A small smile softened his features. “It is not the intentions of your people that worries me, my Lady, but the armies that invariably will follow you. My people have been fortunate to avoid war until now, and I have no wish to bring it to their doorstep.”
“Your people, sir?” Einri asked pointedly, and the man straightened in response.
“Yes, my people. I am King Stakar of Eylend.”
“Of whom?” I spluttered.
“We the Eylendians live peacefully in the Icelands and wish to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.”
“And we have no intention of interrupting that,” Einri rushed to add, clearly recovering faster than me. I’d heard of people living beyond the mountain but had mostly chalked them up to being fanciful rumors, never mind a whole kingdom living there.
What did this mean for the Greenwood?
“He’s right we have no intention of putting your way of life at risk. We didn’t know there was a kingdom here and I assure you kind sir, we don’t intend to bring trouble to your doorstep.” Stakar’s eyebrows rose at my words, and I knew he was either surprised or impressed. “Thank you for pointing us in the right direction. Allow us to rest for the night and we’ll be on our way in the morning.”
“You may rest here tonight.” Stakar inclined his head at me before nodding at Einri.
With a wave of his hand, he signaled for the surrounding men to retreat. The knot in my chest eased at his words and I was thankful I’d been able to buy us some time but judging by the clenching of his jaw, Einri wasn’t at all thankful.
“Arrow…” he growled but I cut him off with a slash of my hand.
“Unless gratitude is going to come out of your mouth don’t bother.” I raised my chin in order to look him in the eye.
If he thought for one moment, I’d just let him blow me over he had another thing coming. If it weren’t for me, he’d still be tied to that wagon, with his people killed before his eyes. This world was tough, I understood that, but he had to learn to bend or be able to see me as an equal. There was not an inbetween.
His eyes flashed and his lips pulled away revealing his teeth. I didn’t dare blink, or it would be a sign of weakness.
I was not prey.
“Come with me.” He snarled, grabbing my wrist and hauling me after him.
I rolled my eyes and waved Brex and Will’s concern away and allowed Einri to lead me away. He was probably going to yell at me and while the verbal sparring was always entertaining there had been a shift in the dynamic between us.
