Pilgrimage by Kim Fielding

Author:Kim Fielding [Fielding, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781627985437
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

SOMEHOW MAKING the shed habitable became Mike’s job, while Goran hit the pavement in search of food and supplies. “I never wanted to be a housewife,” Mike grumbled as he drew water from the pump in the yard into a bucket. “My mother was never a housewife. Even my grandmas worked.” He dipped a bottle into the bucket and watched it fill. The water looked clean enough. He had to hope it didn’t come from the nearby river.

Once he’d filled all the bottles and set them on the table, he snuck into the house in search of cleaning supplies. The house wasn’t much better furnished than the shed, but he did discover a broom with a broken handle and some lace curtains that he could use as dust cloths. Then he swept and scrubbed and dusted until the sun set. After that, there wasn’t much for him to do but sit in the darkness, listening to his stomach grumble and waiting for Goran. He tried some of the water. It tasted okay and didn’t kill him right away.

Goran looked tired when he returned, although he grinned when he lit a candle and saw the condition of the room. “You cleaned!”

“And you found a candle.”

“More than that.” He shoved the base of the candle into a jug, creating a candleholder any Italian restaurant would be proud of. He set the jug on the newly cleaned table, then upended onto the table a fabric sack he’d been carrying. Food tumbled out: bread, cheese, sausage, apples. Enough to tide them over for a few meals at least.

“How’d you score all that?” Mike asked. He pictured Goran skulking through a market, stealthily stuffing food into his sack. Except Goran was a little too big to skulk successfully.

“I got a job.”

Mike blinked. “A job?”

“As a stevedore, loading and unloading boats. Nobody’s supposed to hire me because I don’t belong to the guild, but because I’m so strong I talked someone into it. He’s paying me less than the other men, and he’ll probably expect me to work twice as hard, but I don’t mind. It will keep us fed for a few weeks.”

“That’s great, Gor. But how’d you get the cash for this haul?” As soon as the question was out of his mouth, however, Mike saw the answer: Goran’s scabbard was empty. “Oh no, Gor, not your sword!”

Goran shrugged. “He’s holding it for me. I asked him to loan me a few coins so we could eat tonight and tomorrow. This way he knows I’ll come back. He’ll return it to me in a few days.”

Mike felt very uncomfortable about Goran pawning his sword. Along with his knife, it was the only valuable thing he owned. He slept with it on, for gods’ sake. And the reason it wasn’t hanging from his hip right now was because of Mike. He was why they were stuck in Varesh for three weeks, waiting to apologize to a god and squatting in an empty shed instead of sleeping in the forest.

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