Chapter 14

Blade was sitting in the hall when we returned to the temple, and I handed her a tunic and pair of leggings I’d got. She looked at it, surprised, before giving me an awkward hug and disappearing back to our room to get changed. I glanced at Tuimar, but I didn’t think she was ready to accept her clothes yet, so I just put them aside.

“Oh, there you are.”

Sanda came out from the kitchen, carrying a pot. She seemed to have spent the morning cleaning, and where there had been dust and spiderwebs, there were now clean surfaces. She’d even moved back the tables and benches so they stood in rows, ready to host dinners, and she’d arranged fresh flowers on the tables.

“Please, have a seat. Lunch is ready.”

She gestured for us, and moments later, Blade walked back into the hall. I smiled. Even if I’d chosen sizes for Tuimar, they still seemed to fit her. She sat down next to us as Sanda came back with another pot and then joined us.

“You’ve really made it nice here,” Blade said.

Sanda smiled.

“This is what it used to look like. But after…what happened, we lost trust, and the temple became nothing more than a building.”

She smiled.

“I’m happy we can once more call it the House of Amara.”

She looked around, as if searching for something else to clean, and her eyes landed on us.

“Let me wash your clothes after lunch. Then you’ll have everything ready for when you leave.”

We didn’t object, and it meant Tuimar had to dress in the new clothes sooner than I’d thought. Maybe that’s why she relented so easily and picked out a few items at random and got changed. Even though I knew there wasn’t any conscious thought behind her choice, the green tunic and brown leggings still suited her well and looked good with her blonde hair. Just as I’d thought, though, the clothes were too big for me, but I didn’t mind. I just rolled up the sleeves and cinched the loose tunic with a belt.

Later that afternoon, we made our way to the farms. Sanda had told us about a farmer who was willing to sell us a horse.

“How long will we stay here?” Tuimar asked as we headed out of the gate.

Blade glanced at me.

“A few days more...”

I shook my head.

“I’m fine. We can leave tomorrow."

“What’s our next stop?” Tuimar asked.

Blade chuckled.

“Wherever the road will take us.”

She seemed more relaxed after the Ghars were safe, and I was happy for that. We would leave this a better place than we’d found it, and we would always have somewhere to stay whenever we passed this way. Part of me wanted to stay and help rebuild it, but maybe Ias and Bear were right, and this was part of travelling. We could come back here one day and see what had changed, things that would have passed unnoticed if we’d stayed. I longed to see what they would do and how much better it would be next time we saw it. I really hoped that people would start coming to the temple to spend time together and that Sanda wouldn’t need to be alone all the time.

As we came closer to the farm, the woman who had tried to hinder us yesterday walked over to us, and she pulled us into a hug.

“Thank you…”

She let us go, watching us for a moment with a smile on her face before gesturing for us, and we followed her behind the house. There was a small brown horse tied to the fence, and it pricked its ears and turned as we came closer, and the woman smiled.

“She likes you,” she said to Tuimar.

The girl looked away, but I saw her tail wag, and I smiled.

“She’s yours if you want her,” the woman said. “She’s sure-footed, so she’ll handle the mountains well.”

She stroked the animal.

“We named her after her favourite food, Carrot.”

She chuckled. It seemed like a sturdy horse with a thick, rugged coat that could withstand the cold of the mountains. It would be a great animal for where we were going. Blade paid, and I took the reins, and after the woman had pulled us into another hug that took my breath away, she let us go.

We left early the next day, and along the streets were villagers who had come to say goodbye. I heard them call out well-wishes, and they followed us as we made our way to the gate. For a moment, I wondered if we should have stayed, but I knew that Ias and Bear were right, and this would be a place we could come back to whenever we passed this way.

As we halted by the gate, Sanda pulled us into a hug.

“Take care…”

She let us go, and I saw tears glistening in her eyes as we waved goodbye, and we were on the road once more.

We kept travelling all day, I leading Carrot while Tuimar foraged in the forest as she always did. The rolling fields soon gave way to a pine forest, dotted with the bright yellow and orange leaves of Suina trees growing between them. Even though it was still warm, I could feel we’d made a good choice to buy the clothes, and they kept me warm even when the occasional gust of wind blew. I glanced at the others walking ahead of me. I wondered where the road would lead us next. Maybe travelling wasn’t as bad after all. We’d already helped some people, and we had a couple of places where we were welcome back whenever we passed by. Maybe it hadn’t been such a bad choice to become a Wandering Priestess.

As evening came, we found a rest where we could spend the night. I helped unload Carrot, and Tuimar let her drink before tying her up for the night. The horse didn’t seem to mind carrying our luggage, and I hoped she would be happy to travel with us too.

We set out early the next morning, and we hadn’t walked far when we saw a junction further ahead. As we came closer, I could see a wooden signpost with strange markings and a fish carved on it, pointing down a smaller road disappearing between the trees.

“Where’s that going?” Tuimar asked.

I peered down the path, and I could see a small clearing enclosed by a barrier of crossed stakes, but the road seemed to continue past it.

“It looks like a Vargs’ rest,” Blade said. “I’ve heard some of them built a village in this area, but I’ve never been there. I guess this road leads there.”

“A village?” I asked.

I’d heard about Varg villages, but I’d never seen one with my own eyes.

“Yes…”

She stepped over to the post, tracing the strange markings with her finger.

“It’s called …Tosgar.”

I frowned. Those were their letters? They looked so different. More like scratches on wood than the beautiful, flowy letters I’d spent my childhood learning. Tuimar frowned.

“Who cares?"

She turned to continue walking when she called out.

“Someone’s coming.”

A small horse cart appeared down the main road, coming in our direction. As it came closer, I saw a young farmer, and he waved at us when he saw us.

“May Amara guide you.”

He halted his cart next to us. He wore a simple grey tunic and a wide-brimmed straw hat decorated with feathers. His blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, flopping in the air as he moved his head.

“What an unexpected company…”

He shook his head, peering at us with amusement.

“Where are you heading? If you’re going to Togan, I can give you a lift.”

I glanced at Blade.

“Is that the Varg village?” she asked.

He nodded. I knew it wasn’t on our way, and we were supposed to head to Lordscamp, a day’s walk down the main road.

“I’ve never been there,” she said.

She turned to us.

“We won’t lose too much time going there. It would be good to see what kind of village it is.”

Tuimar frowned.

“They are nice,” the farmer said. “Just don’t eat that foul thing they make.”

I glanced at Tuimar. She avoided my gaze, but at least her ears didn’t droop, so I assumed she wouldn’t mind. Blade gestured for us, and I tied Carrot to the cart and climbed on board.

“Welcome aboard. I’m Hannas.”

I smiled.

“I'm White Star.”

He gestured for us to take a seat, and I made myself as comfortable as I could on the sacks of flour loaded on the cart.

“What are those foul things you mentioned?” I asked as we set out.

He chuckled.

“The Vargs make Tah’. It’s a fish sauce. If it tastes even half as bad as it smells, I wouldn’t try it even if I got paid. But the Vargs love it, so I buy some and sell it in Waymeet for good money.”

He shook his head in disbelief.

“There is good money to be made, I tell you, and I believe there would be a market even in Rivehold. I’ve heard some people there have developed a strange taste for it too. But alas, I’m but a simple farmer, and it’s a long way to the city."

He chuckled, and I heard Blade asking him about the news from this area. I leaned back against the sacks of flour, letting my feet dangle on the side of the cart. We were going slower than if we had been walking, but I didn’t mind. It was a nice change to see my surroundings shift before my eyes without any effort on my part.

“Be careful when we are there, priestess. Don't trust them,” Tuimar murmured.

She shuffled closer, peering at me with her wolf eyes. I frowned.

“Why?”

“They are worse than humans..."

I sighed.

“Tuimar…”

She looked away, but I took her hand in mine, and to my surprise, she didn’t object. I didn’t think she would answer what she meant if I asked her, so I only sat there, holding her hand as we continued.

As the dusk fell, I could hear water somewhere ahead, and soon after, a small village appeared at the end of the road. It lay next to a rushing stream and looked like nothing I had ever seen before, with a series of low, long houses protected by the same kind of barrier of crossed stakes we’d seen at the rest. It ran around the village unbroken, with no clear gate, but as we came closer, two Vargs walked over and cleared the road to make a way for our cart.

Maybe they’d never seen a company like ours, because they stared at us as we rode into the village. Or… I glanced at Tuimar. A deep frown had settled on her face, and her ears drooped. It was her they were staring at... I shivered, seeing the scorn on the Vargs’ faces as we passed. Hannas didn’t seem to notice, because he halted his cart by a row of houses and said,

“Don’t worry, they are friendly. Just don’t eat their stinky stuff, and you will be fine.”

He chuckled and climbed down to greet a group of Vargs walking over, and I could see another enormous Varg standing by the side. His fur was almost white, and his arms were decorated with wavy gold bracelets. Just like the others, he wore a short leather skirt, but instead of a bare chest, he had a blue scarf draped around his torso.

“Blade!” he called as he saw us.

“Batu?”

He rushed over and pulled her into a hug.

“What are you doing here?” he asked as he let go.

“I could ask you the same. Didn’t your clan stay in the mountains?”

He chuckled.

“We did, until we had enough of the snow. We left two years ago and came to Lordscamp.”

He gestured out over the village.

“But then my scouts found fish here. It’s the right kind that lives in these streams. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make proper Tah’...”

He patted his belly, glancing at us.

“You’ve got yourself some cute pups, Blade. Are you looking for a place to settle down?”

Tuimar frowned.

“I'm not a pup, k'hulgar…”

She glared at him, and his smile faded.

“A busdan with a bite… That’s new…"

I glanced around. The other Vargs had noticed us by now, and they fell silent as they heard their conversation. I could see one of them pointing at Tuimar, whispering something to another Varg. Batu frowned, seemingly debating with himself how to respond.

“The world has changed…" he murmured.

She shook his head and straightened himself before saying loud enough for everyone to hear,

“Welcome, friends. May you find food and shelter in the House of Amara.”

He turned to the girl.

“What’s your name?”

She glared at him.

“Tuimar.”

“Tuimar… You’ve chosen a strong name. May it give you the strength you are seeking..."

He turned and left without another word, and the spell seemed to be broken. I could see Vargs walking over to unload Hannas’ cart, and Blade gestured for us to take care of Carrot. I shivered. What had that exchange been about? I didn’t have time to think about it, though, because Tuimar began unloading Carrot and I walked over to help her. She didn’t look at me as we worked, but I could see her ears drooping. I wanted to reach out, but I didn’t think she would be happy for it now, so we worked in silence until we were done and Tuimar took her to water and gave her a bucket of grain. Blade walked over to us.

“Let’s get inside… Come.”

I picked up my bag and glanced at Tuimar. She was patting Carrot, but she took her bag and followed. Blade led us to one of those low houses, and I could feel the Vargs’ gaze on us as we passed. Even the children stopped running and fell silent, watching Tuimar with their yellow eyes. I knew she’d drawn attention to herself in other towns as well, but if those glances had been ones of curiosity, these were stares full of judgement. Why? It wasn’t her fault she looked different. Her tail bobbed angrily in the air as we continued walking, scowling at the Vargs until we finally arrived at the house, and Blade stepped inside.

It was a large room with straw mats scattered across the floor, and the walls were lined with weapons and strange golden discs bearing their writings. A young Varg woman stood by the curtain at the end, and she turned when she saw us.

“Father offers you to stay here.”

She gestured for us, and we followed Blade through the curtain and came out into a long passageway with doors lining each side. She walked over to one of them and opened it.

“This will be your room.”

She left without another word, and I glanced at the others. Tuimar frowned, but she stepped after Blade, and I followed.