Bonded by Elin Wyn

Author:Elin Wyn [Wyn, Elin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Clock Walk Press
Published: 2017-09-21T05:00:00+00:00

Connor

The next morning dawned bright and clear, but just as cold.

Shadows filled Eris' dark eyes. She had slept fitfully through the night, quieting only when I wrapped my arms around her.

"There's nothing we can do about the bandits." I tucked a loose strand of hair back into the long braid she'd thrown over her shoulder. “The settlement has made their own decision.”

"I know," she sighed. "I don't even know what we could do. But these seem like good people. I hate that this is happening to them."

"You can at least help with the other half of their problem," I commented as I shrugged on my jacket. "Get that other refiner running. If they can make the tithe before the Imperials arrive, maybe they'll have more weight when they ask for protection against another raid."

She thought about it, evaluated like she seemed to do everything, and then nodded. "At least it's something."

Outside of the cabin, everyone moved in a hurried hush. I helped Waldar and a group of men load the refined ore into rows of gray boxes.

Waldar looked apologetic until I pulled him aside when we temporarily ran out of boxes to pack. “You know I’m not going to do anything to risk getting the girl back, don't you?”

He leaned back against the side of the building. I wondered how many of the lines marking his face were from his years of working outside in the elements, doing what he loved, and how many were from the stress and fear of the last month.

“I know, lad. But my girl can be pretty heavy handed. I know that, too. And she doesn't take well to being scared.”

“No one does,” I chuckled bitterly.

“And your wife? You don't think she'll try anything?”

“She's not happy, but she won’t get involved. And, about that…”

Another pair of men arrived with a loader of a fresh stack of boxes for us to fill.

Waldar pushed himself up off the wall and patted my shoulder. “Tell me later. Back to work for us.”

I almost wished there had been more for us to do. We were ready well before the appointed time, and the tension in the street just wound tighter.

You could smell it in the air.

Eris found me in the crowd and tucked her mittened hand into mine. “We should just go back to the cabin.” What sounded like anger in her voice was tinged with sorrow.

“I think we should wait and see what happens. If nothing else, they might need witnesses.”

She snorted. “Do you really think we'd show up well in Imperial court?”

It wasn't long before we heard the high-pitched whine of a shuttle breaking atmosphere.

Everyone’s attention was on the hot white line above us; it was easy to tuck ourselves on the porch of a cabin I’d spotted earlier on the outskirts of the square. Angled just right, we’d have a view, without being too noticeable.

A squat, gray shuttle circled the settlement twice, then came to a halting landing at the edge of the square. It was an ugly thing, built for no more than four, and only if they were friendly.

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