Dar The Ogress: Elfborn Monk Book 1 by Marilyn Foxworthy

Author:Marilyn Foxworthy [Foxworthy, Marilyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Azure Mane Publishing
Published: 2023-11-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19 Come Away

Gwen was right. It was a long, hard night. There were still almost twenty-five people too weak to do much more than sleep. Fortunately, Gwen’s teas made from local herbs helped them sleep peacefully. Dar and the girls changed a lot of bedding now that we had some fresh from the laundry. Apart from that, we cleaned.

We encouraged people to drink as much water as they could whenever they were awake. We helped them to the toilets. And when they wanted to, we sat and listened and talked. About their loss and their fear. Occasionally about hope. I didn’t have answers about the names of who died and who lived. If your loved one wasn’t in the hall, they hadn’t survived.

How could I take anything from these people? There was no reward for what I’d done. For Dar’s bravery in running for weeks to find Gwen and bring her back to them with medicine. For my small part in escorting Gwen here and then disposing of three or four bandits. Gwen had killed the rest. Or they had killed each other. We had made a difference, but I hadn’t worked especially hard doing it. And their loss was immense. There was no reward for my small part in it. And besides, there was no spare treasure to be shared.

By daylight, I was exhausted again. But now it was a different kind of exhaustion. It was the weight of grief at the realization of their loss. The village would rebuild. But how?

And what about Kara and Edna? I was thinking of them as twins, even though I had no idea how they were related. What about The Twins? I had agreed to have them as my “reward” for what I’d done. But taking two beautiful treasures from the village seemed like a crime now. They needed to be part of the... breeding pool... to repopulate and strengthen this clan. How could having them bond with me instead of a fine man from their own people be anything but selfish and hideously unjust? And if I refused them, how would I feel that my sacrifice was worth more than my desire and feelings that I might love them already?

None of this was helpful. I was grieving things that hadn’t happened and might not. I was tired. I needed to get my mind to relax and think clearly again. And, this time, a quickie with Dar wasn’t the answer.

I looked up from the bench I was sitting on outside the village hall, watching the sunrise, when I sensed someone near me. I hadn’t heard them approach. I was not myself.

Edna said, “Connor, my... husband, are you... what can I do for you? Let me... do something.”

Edna was truly beautiful. I knew it was her. I’d thought that she might be a little taller and a little slimmer than Kara, but the real distinction was the markings on her skin. Dar’s people had color variations that I’d never seen on humans. As if they were adapted to hiding in the woods.

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