The rabbits and potatoes both appeared done. The squirrel was done twice over. I gave each of the kids a rabbit while I took the blackened rodent. Zadok dove into his. He pulled away quickly, grimacing at the sizzling meat, then went right back in. Juices dripped from his chin.
“Slow down,” said Myra. “No one’s going to take it from you.”
That gave him pause, and he slowed his attack considerably.
Myra tried to be more subdued in her approach, but even she burned herself a couple times with impatience.
I nibbled at my squirrel, intent on letting the thing cool first. It was dry and overdone, but at least well-seasoned. I followed it with a few of the warm potatoes, giving Zadok and Myra the rest just as they finished their rabbits, sucking the last bit of meat off the bones. They went at the potatoes with more restraint.
Barely.
Both wore a satisfied look when finished.
With a full belly, Zadok was talking again, though this time he asked questions about my life in the army. I did my best to focus on stories about lighter times in camp rather than the hell on the battlefield.
“. . I figured out what Hamath had planned pretty quickly. Especially when I realized Ira was involved. Neither could ever bluff me. Dekar is Ira’s brother. He was different. The man could remain completely stone-faced while telling the most outrageous lie. Anyway, once I realized they were up to something, I brought your aunt in to figure out a way to get them first. We decided to feel Dekar out to see if he knew anything. We figured he’d likely go along with anything that might make one of Ira’s plans fall apart. The three of us got to work.”
I paused for a moment to make sure I hadn’t lost my audience. Zadok seemed genuinely interested, leaning forward with elbows on knees. Myra didn’t look as interested as her brother, but she also didn’t appear annoyed by my story. That was good enough for me.
“We first rigged the watch schedule, then stuffed our bedrolls, getting Ava to put a glamour over mine so it looked real. Right when the rest of my unit was coming to make their move we pounced on them from behind.” I started chuckling as I thought about it. “Ava did something to make them move real slow. Then I doused everyone with honey. Dekar followed, with these containers of ants we gathered from a nearby mound. Ava waited a few seconds and then removed the spell. They both hollered at the top of their lungs while jumping into this muddy river we had camped beside.”
I was really laughing now as I recalled the looks on their faces when they came back, covered in tiny, red welts. “Man, that had to be the angriest I’d ever seen Hamath. But he got over it eventually.”
Zadok chuckled at the story, but not as hard as I did. I guess there was something to be said for being there. Plus, I really wasn’t as good a storyteller as others in my unit. Hamath especially. I told a few more tales until he interrupted.
“Was Hamath your best friend?”
“Yeah. We were all close. However certain people gravitated toward others over time. Your aunt and I always stayed close.”
He frowned. “Why didn’t Aunt Ava come back with you? Did she not want to see us?”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t that. She had an opportunity that was hard to pass up. She did want to see you both, but. .” I started to say something more, but stopped.
“But what?” asked Myra. It was the first time she’d said anything since before dinner. I had wondered if she had even been listening.
“Well, I hate to say it, but your aunt doesn’t have the best memories of Denu Creek. She got picked on by Jareb and a few others growing up. Then one day her powers manifested when she was trying to protect both of us. After that, people were scared of her. She always felt like an outsider.”
Myra grunted. “I know how she feels.”
“Oh?”
“I told you people thought we were cursed, Pa,” said Zadok.
“Plus, we have no money,” added Myra. “And on top of that we look different than everyone else.”
“Your appearance mattered?”
“Yes. Nobody really mentioned our skin color until the curse nonsense came up. But it got bad after that, especially when Ma went to work for Omri.” She snorted, though her voice lacked any mirth. “It’s almost funny, people made fun of us because we looked different, but that’s also why all the men passing through town wanted Ma more than the others. Of course, that only angered the other women at the Soiled Dove since she was taking so much of their business. Always outsiders. Like I said, I understand why Aunt Ava didn’t want to come home. I wouldn’t have either.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, unsure what else I could say and trying to block out Lasha’s time at the Soiled Dove.
Myra’s comment sucked the life out of the conversation. Zadok’s attempt to revitalize it didn’t help.
“Hey Pa, did you ever kill anyone?” he asked, excited.
I grunted. “Hard not to.”
“I bet you killed a lot of people, huh? Tell me some of those stories.”
I forced a smile. “Maybe another time, Son. It’s getting late and you’ve had a long day. Why don’t you get some sleep?”
“Oh c’mon.”
“He’s right, Zadok. Go to bed. We won’t be far behind.”
“Fine.” He shot Myra a look, then climbed farther into the lean-to and lay down. Myra gave him the blanket to sleep with. Within seconds, a faint snore floated out to us.
“That was fast.”
“He was more tired than he let on. But he would have stayed up all night if you hadn’t said something.” Myra shook at a chill. I undid my cloak and held it out to her.
“I’m fine,” she said, trying to dismiss me.
“No, you’re not.”
“What about you?”
“My clothes are warmer than yours. Take it.”
She did, reluctantly wrapping herself in it. I smiled. “You know, you used to wear my cloak all the time when we’d sit on the porch in the evenings. I used to enjoy that time together.”
She cleared her throat. “I’m glad you didn’t answer Zadok’s question about killing. I know he’s been through a lot, but I still think he’s too young to be hearing that stuff.”
I frowned, both because of her refusal to admit the relationship we had in the past and because of where the conversation had turned. I threw a small stick into the fire. “I don’t know if you ever get old enough to hear about it. Definitely not to experience it.”
Myra cocked her head to the side. “The way you were going on before, made me think you enjoyed being in the army.”
“I enjoyed the friendships I made, especially those that lasted long enough to see me out of service, but not much else. Don’t get me wrong, I was good at what I did. Real good, actually. But that doesn’t mean I enjoyed all the killing. Soldiers used to joke that men like me only survived for as long as I did by being good at killing or being good at hiding.” I shrugged. “Hiding never suited me, I guess.”
“But you do miss those you served with?”
“Sure. They became like a family to me.”
“More important to you than your real family I’d wager.”
I frowned. “What makes you say that?”
She looked away. “Because it took you ten years to come back.”
“I had no choice. If I had deserted to come home, they would have just sent someone to hunt me down and fetch me back. If I had refused, they would have killed me to set an example to others wanting to desert. They likely would have taken the farm away too in order to make the point stronger.”
She snorted. “Well, we lost that anyway. Zadok said he told you everything that happened while you were gone.”
I nodded. “I’m sorry. I know that means little to you now, but that’s all I can say.”
Silence stretched.
“When you got back from trapping, did you think someone took us?”
“At first. But after I examined the evidence, a more likely scenario was that you ran off.”