(Swords with Souls)
Medieval Fantasy Fiction
By Dan Watt
(Author of BARD series)
(Author of the Plagueborn series)
– Adult content –
A Gathering of Mourners
She nuzzles her bare bottom closer to Crimthann’s groin. Sometime in the night he had wrapped her in his cloak while they lay on hers. She couldn’t recall if they had made love or just held each other under the moonlight. It was dawn and they were lying on branches of cedar leaves he had cut off for them. She feels him caress her left breast then slide his hand down her side to her hips before he carefully gets up.
“I’m awake,” she says and sits up. In the orange light she can make out other lying figures near the shore.
“Then I’ll make us some gruel and mint tea,” he says in a soft voice.
She watches him go to his horse’s saddlebags and pull out a brass pot and burlap sack with oats inside. This man is always prepared. She stands up naked and shivers. Before she cowards out, she steps into the surprising warm stream that leads to the pond where Stain was burned. She lays her back against the bank so that only her face and breasts are visible above the refreshing water. Still tired, she closes her eyes and remembers surviving alone.
After the Romani were attacked, she had fled into the woods. For days she lived on small fish caught in streams, frogs but not toads, and berries and edible plants. She wandered aimlessly until she came upon a path. Following the path north she soon smelt food. Damian had explained to her the importance of hiding her most precious possessions. First, she scanned the nearby forest for the presence of anyone else. Next, she found an easy to find landmark, an ancient willow tree growing beside a wide stream. Her eyes darted everywhere as she dug a hole into the soil near the base of the willow. Once her treasure was buried, she tossed the extra dirt around and pulled a rock out of the stream. She placed it over the spot and torqued it into the ground so it looked natural. Scanning her surroundings once again she stepped back and memorized where her treasure was now buried.
As she started traveling again the smell of meat cooking from somewhere nearby made her mouth water. Between two poplar trees she noticed a lone sentry with a shawm. When the sentry saw her, he was about to blow a warning into the musical instrument. She smiled seductively at him. With a grin he lowered the shawm. Swaying her hips she continued on past him, making sure she smiled as she did. A little further on she saw a circle of soldiers cooking deer and rabbit on spits. The food made her drool and her stomach growl. All the men’s gazes turned towards her as she came closer.
A powerful looking soldier with intense blue eyes stood up. In a gruff and commanding voice, he told her, ‘Go back with the followers. This is no place for women.’
Desperately, she tried to think of something that would let her stay. Glancing around she noticed all the men looked haggard. Most had arms or legs wrapped in cloth with visible spots of blood. During her time with the Romani, Alifair had taught her a number of salves, tinctures, and the proper way to wrap a wound. Alifair had also explained deadly herbs and how to use them but she hoped that would never be necessary. ‘I have healing skills,’ she said, desperate for some food.
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