Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (8 page)

“I’m sorry if I am bringing you undue burden, and I'm not one to take charity. I promise that as soon as I am able, I will repay you every single…”

“No,” Seth interrupted her. “Don’t worry about money, and you’re not burdening anyone. We want to help and we are already traveling the same direction so it's not as if we are going out of our way.” He said this a bit more vigorously than he intended, and he hoped his words would not hurt the girl.

Instead of being hurt, the young woman seemed to take his words at face value, and turned to smile at him and him alone. Seth stared in wonder as her entire face lit up when she smiled. Gone was the pain and grief; in its place was a look of pure gratitude, pure beauty. For the first time Seth noticed her eyes were a golden honey color, something akin to amber. Her cream skin looked nearly untouched by the sun, smooth and flawless, and as if in defiance of her pale flesh, her hair fell long and loose in a black waterfall from the top of her head. She was a beautiful woman. He realized now that he would do anything to keep that smile on her face.

“Well, I guess if you are willing to make sacrifices to have me along with you, then you should at least know my name,” she smiled, still looking at Seth. “I’m Sara. Sara Gallow.” She brought her hand up to Seth to shake his in greeting.

Seth took her small hand in his own before shaking it gently and introduced himself. He released her hand, almost reluctantly, and let his arm fall back to his side as she turned to greet his brother. Sara shook each of the boys’ hands as they told her their names. Then she glanced down the street in each direction and then back to Seth.

“So…what do we do now?” she asked him.

Seth looked from her to his brother and then to Ashton. Not finding an answer he returned his gaze to Sara.

“Well,” Seth said, “we were about to go pick up some supplies and head out of town.”

“Great!” she replied. It was obvious she wanted to get as far away as possible just as soon as possible.

Seth still unsure of what to do exactly, and not knowing what to say, again looked to his twin for guidance. Garret recognized his dilemma and so he turned, motioning to Ashton, and began walking down the road the short distance to where they had seen the shops and stalls the night before. Garret walked along the stone road with Ashton at his side joking lightly about the look on John’s face when he had unsheathed his sword. Seth and Sara fell in behind the other two, walking silently. Seth stole a few looks out of the corner of his eye at the girl beside him. He could swear that one time when he snatched a glimpse while pretending to look at something else, she too had secretly looked at him. At least he hoped so.

They made the small trek down the road to where the different merchants sat with their wares in shops and stall of all sizes, and as they reached the first few, Garret and Ashton stopped and turned to talk. The four of them stood in a small circle, in the middle of the road, and decided they needed three days’ worth of supplies to reach Paldoon’s Keep, the next town they planned to visit.

Sara

Sara mostly listened to the boys, not really knowing anything about the world outside Stone Haven. She absently reached her hand up to feel the lump on her head John had given her with his steel rod, and then slid her hand around to her forehead to feel the cut where her skin had torn against the door when she fell after being struck. Realizing the boys had stopped talking, previously lost in her painful memories, she looked to each of their faces. Garret looked like a statue, frozen and emotionless, staring back at her. Ashton looked concerned, eyeing her cut as a physician might. Seth, on the other hand, looked angry, and she caught him looking at the ragged cut on her head and then glancing down the road to where they had just come from as if he might go back and try to teach John a lesson. Seeing all their faces focused on her, she blushed slightly and smiled at them, hoping to wash away their concerns. It seemed to work, all their faces smoothed back out and they talked again, nominating Garret and Ashton to go purchase what food they might need for the trip, so Seth could take Sara to get everything else they might require. This would include equipping Sara more appropriately for travel. Seth seemed exceptionally happy about the decision and gave Sara a wolfish grin while asking her to join him. Not only did she do so, she reached out, taking his hand as she walked with him down the road. It was time to see what he was all about.

Garret

Garret watched them go, and thinking to himself, suddenly started laughing. Ashton gave him a puzzled look.

“What are you laughing at?” Ashton asked.

“I spent all night and all morning thinking about going into that brothel to get a girl.” He paused to laugh again, even more loudly then before. “Then, go figure, my brother brings a girl out of the brothel without ever stepping a foot inside the door. Lucky bastard!” Again Garret laughed his throaty laugh and turned to clap Ashton on the back. They walked down the road then, looking shop to shop for the supplies they needed.

Seth

Seth led Sara through the stalls and shops knowing all the while exactly what he was looking for. They didn’t have to walk far before he saw the shop he hoped would be here. He led her to the window where, inside, two wooden figures stood, shaped like people. Then he entered the clothing shop, pulling Sara along with him. Inside they worked their way past all the racks of clothes made in the latest fashions, Seth all the while looking for something particular. He spotted it near the back of the shop, and smiling in triumph, led Sara to the large rack of traveling clothes. Fortunately Seth knew that travel clothes were generally much cheaper than most clothing, as they were made from more available materials and were less decorative. Keeping this in mind, he looked again at Sara’s defeated yet defiantly beautiful face and, gesturing to the rack of clothes, told her to pick whatever she wanted.

Sara

Sara looked at Seth horrified. Never in her life had she owned, let alone purchased new clothing. One item on this rack was probably worth more than all the clothes she had ever owned! She couldn’t even imagine letting Seth spend that much money on her. She wasn’t worth it. She could not imagine such generosity. At least not from a man. A man who likely wanted something from her in return. But something about him was different. At least she hoped he was different. She would have to be cautious and as such shook her head at the boy smiling at her.

“I can’t,” she said quietly to Seth. “It’s too much; I won’t let you spend this much on me.”

Seth

Seth was taken aback. He hadn’t expected this type of reaction from her. He thought she would like to buy new clothes.
Isn’t that what girls did?
Shop and buy clothes and stuff?
Not really knowing how to respond, but knowing she
had
to get something warmer than what she currently wore, he tried to reason with her.

“Sara, you need warm clothes,” Seth stated, trying not to sound forceful. “It’s going to be cold tonight and I don’t want you to get sick.” He waited for a response, sure his words weren’t enough to convince her.

Sara

Sara sighed, she knew he was right, but still didn’t think he needed to spend any money on her. She didn’t want to upset him though. He had been the only one besides her mother to ever protect her, ever. He was kind hearted and she knew he was doing this to keep her safe, still protecting her. At least she hoped so… She had an idea.

“Tell you what,” Sara said, a smile spreading across her face. “Why don’t you pick something you think I will look cute in, after all, it’s your money.”
This was perfect in so many ways. First, it let him get his way; second, oddly enough, even though she had only just met him, she wanted to look cute for him, and third, if he picked the garment out she didn’t have to feel too guilty about the price. And then there was his choice. If he picked something too revealing, it was obvious that his motives were not what he said.

Seth

Seth was filled with confusion and surprise. He didn’t expect her to relent so easily, and he didn’t know the first thing about girls’ clothes. Before he could think about what he was saying, he replied to her offer.

“You would be beautiful in anything.” Seth stopped.
Had he said that out loud?
Seeing the blood rushing to Sara’s cheeks as she blushed, he hung his head sheepishly, blushing even redder than she.

They stood there silently for a moment, gushing at each other like fools, both embarrassed by his words, when Sara was struck with another idea. She quickly rummaged through the rack, dismissing item after item. She worked her way slowly around the rack, all the while Seth watched her, happy she had changed her mind. She stopped directly across from him, on the opposite side of the rack and stood staring at one of the garments and again smiled. She looked up at Seth, the smile still on her face. She looked him over as best she could then returned her gaze to the garment she had chosen, seeming satisfied she nodded to herself and returned her gaze to Seth.

“I think I found some,” she said across the rack. “I’m afraid to look at the tags on them though. Could you look and see how much they are? If this outfit is too much, I will find something cheaper.”

He nodded to her and walked around the rack where she pointed at a set of clothes then turned around quickly to avoid seeing the price. Seth found the tags and read the prices and noted that they totaled two silver. This seemed reasonable to Seth so he snatched the clothes off the rack and carried them across the small shop to where he had seen a woman sitting behind a counter. Sara drifted along behind him, but she stayed far enough away from the counter so as to not hear the price.

Greeting the middle-aged woman behind the counter, Seth held the clothes out to her. Accepting them, she looked at him as a perplexed look played out across her face for an instant before fading.

Shop Owner

The clothes were obviously not meant for him so must be for the woman he came with. She glanced around her store, spotting Sara browsing through another rack of clothes. Recognition dawned on the older woman’s face. She had seen this young girl before, bruised and battered. Always beaten by that no good, drunk, woman-hating John, and always looking more like a homeless girl than anything else. She hefted the travel clothing onto the counter and pretended to notice something that Seth had missed. It was time to do her daily good deed.

Seth

“It’s your lucky day,” she told Seth. “These ones here are on special. Half off they are. They’ve been hanging on that rack for a while, time to be rid of them.” The woman smiled at Seth, happy the poor girl had found someone to take her out of this town and away from that wretch of a man.

Seth took out a silver coin from the small pouch at his waist and handed it over.

“I’m glad you are an honest woman,” he told the lady behind the counter. “I hadn’t noticed the reduced price.”

The lady nodded at him and smiled a cat that ate the canary smile.

“Would you like me to wrap the clothes for you?” she then asked Seth, whose only response was a confused look. “So they don’t get dirty before she can change into them?” the woman clarified.

“Oh…um…I’m not sure, I’ll be right back.” He hurried to where Sara waited for him patiently and repeated the woman’s question.

“Can I get changed now?” Sara asked in response.

“I don’t know,” Seth responded. “We can go ask.” Sara nodded and again took his hand to follow him.

They wove back through the racks of clothes to the counter, but it was Sara not Seth who spoke to the woman this time.

“Miss, could I change into the clothes here, if you don’t mind?” Sara asked timidly.

“You sure can, hun,” the woman replied looking up from the garment she sewed. “Look, in the back corner, there’s a little booth you can change in.”

“Thank you,” Sara replied.

Taking the outfit off the counter, she skipped girlishly across to the booth, leaving Seth to trail behind her. He stood outside as if guarding it from some unseen enemy. Looking around the shop, Seth waited patiently for Sara to emerge.

“Seth? Are you there?” Sara asked. Her sweet voice carried through the door as Seth did his best not to imagine her changing her clothes. It wasn’t working.

“Yes,” he replied, breaking his reverie while thinking the question a bit odd.

“Could you come help me?” Sara said in a tone Seth didn’t understand.

“Um…sure, are you stuck or something?” Seth asked.

“Something like that.” Sara replied sounding a bit embarrassed.

Seth pulled the booth’s door open. Looking inside he saw Sara with her back to him, her arms clutching the shirt over her body to cover herself. He then noticed that she was actually wearing the shirt, her arms through the sleeves, but the back remained open and had a piece of leather strapping dangling from it.

“Can you lace me up please?” Sara asked him, her cheeks flushing.

Seth then realized the leather strap was to pull the two halves of the shirt back together. Quickly, without responding to her question, Seth took up the two ends of the leather cord and wove it back and forth through the provided holes. Feeling the shirt was securely in place, Sara let go of the front of it and pulled her hair over her shoulder to keep it out of Seth’s way. He laced the shirt all the way up to her neck, and then stopped.

“Is it tight enough?” he asked her.

“A little tighter please,” Sara responded.

Starting at the bottom again Seth pulled the cord tighter and tighter, working his way to the top. Reaching her neck again he tied the cord in a bow, so that she would be able to remove it by herself when she needed to. Sara let her hair fall again as Seth stepped back out of the little booth. She turned around and Seth’s jaw hit the floor. He couldn’t believe his eyes. She wore black, skintight leather pants and a shapely woman’s tunic cut dangerously low in the front, also of black leather, that barely contained her breasts. Around her waist and over the shirt a silver belt rested over her hips. The outfit left just enough to the imagination to send Seth daydreaming about taking it off.

“So?” Sara smirked, noting Seth’s expression. “Am I cute?”

“The outfit…no,
you
” he emphasized the word, “look astonishing.”

“I’m glad you like it.” She winked. “I picked it so we would match.”

Seth hadn’t noticed that indeed their clothes did match, and realizing this, he again smiled at Sara while his cheeks burned with blood. Sara, obviously happy he was pleased with her declaration, returned his smile and strode forward, once again taking his hand. They left the store with a wave to the owner and again entered the street full of shops, Seth again leading and looking for something particular.

“What are you looking for?” Sara asked as they made their way winding through the different stalls.

“Something to put on your feet,” he stated honestly.

This time she didn’t seem upset about him wanting to buy her something and took the lead. Sara led Seth around a corner away from the jumble of shops and down a side street. She stopped in front of a small building and pointed to the sign above the door. Seth, seeing this was exactly where he wanted to take her, gave her hand a little squeeze and pulled the door open for her. Following Sara into the shop, she led him straight to a display on one of the walls where she picked up a pair of boots, as if she knew exactly where they would be. A girl who liked shoes. Go figure.

“Been here before?” Seth queried.

“Once or twice,” she replied with a crooked smile. “But I’ve never actually bought anything.”

Seth understood her meaning and took the boots from her. Sara turned her head as he read the small tag hanging from one of the boots. One silver, fifty copper. A bit steep, but they were what she wanted, and she had obviously visited them several times. This time Sara accompanied Seth to the counter. No one sat there but there was a bell, so Seth picked it up and rang it. A moment later a short, white-haired man appeared. He greeted his customers and picked up the boots off the counter. He read the price tag and looked up again. Recognition registered on his face.

“Sara!” The old man cried her name almost hysterically. “Why look at you! You look gorgeous!”

Sara blushed and smiled lowering her face to hide her embarrassment.

“You know,” the old man confided in Seth, “this girl has come in my store every day for three months to look at these boots.” The old man smiled first to Seth then to Sara. “You know young lady, if I could have afforded it, I would have given them to you.” The old man’s face lit up even more then, if it were possible. “You know what I can do though? I will sell you one boot, and you can have the other one for free!”

Sara smiled so brightly at the old man Seth feared he might go blind! Seth gladly reached into his small pouch and drew out yet another silver coin. He handed it to the old man, telling him to keep the change, feeling it was the least he could do in return for the man’s generosity.

Sara plopped herself down on the floor right there at the counter. Peeling off her old ragged shoes she tossed them in a small pail of trash next to the counter, and pulled on her new boots, smiling the whole time. The boots were also made from black leather, polished to a shine. They fit her perfectly from the tips of her toes all the way up her calves. She laced them up tightly then took a couple steps back for Seth to get a good look at her. He couldn’t help but to smile his approval, and returning to his side, Sara again took his hand. She was a bit taller now with the new boots. Noticing her new height, Seth looked at the heel on the boots. They must have made her three inches taller, but it was a wide heel, and so shouldn’t impair her walking. They both thanked the shopkeeper graciously and left, hand in hand, heading once again back to the main market.

“You’re done buying me stuff, right? Sara asked, almost pleadingly.

“Almost,” Seth grinned at her. “I promise, just two more things.”

“What else do I need?” Sara questioned, seemingly embarrassed that she really didn’t know.

“Well,” Seth answered, “we need to find you a pack, and I would feel safer if we found you something for protection.”

“But I have you for protection,” Sara stated in earnest but giggled a little despite herself.

“Yes you do," Seth agreed. "But we got some news last night that makes me a little nervous and I would feel better if you had something to protect yourself with.” This he declared matter-of-factly leaving the subject pretty well closed to discussion.

“Do you know how to use any kind of weapon?” Seth asked her, almost certain she would say ‘no’.

“Well, Grian at the inn showed me one time how to shoot a crossbow,” Sara said with pride, finally not feeling completely oblivious.

“That’s good,” Seth nodded, thinking quietly that it was actually not so good. Crossbows were very easy to wield, but they weren’t cheap. So far they had done very well. Seth had only spent two silver for all of her clothes which left him thirteen for the rest of the trip. He knew he could teach her to use a bow, but he also knew that if she could already shoot a crossbow, then that was the best choice of weapon for her. He would just have to make due.

“Do you know where they might sell a crossbow?” He asked Sara, knowing well if there was a shop with them she would be more likely to find it.

“I do know a place that used to have them. It was where Grian got his, though I don’t know if they still sell them.” Sara began dragging him once again through the tangle of shops and carts leading him to the shop he wanted to visit.

Sure enough, in no time Sara had guided him to one of the biggest shops in the market. It was a large, two-story building built from the same stone as everything else. The only difference here was the door. All the other doors Seth had seen in Stone Haven were of wood. This door was made from iron. Expecting it to be extremely heavy, Seth braced his feet and yanked with all his might against the door so as to not look weak in front of Sara. The door swung open effortlessly with such force that it nearly flung Seth into the wall of the building. Recovering from his shock, Seth looked at the door in wonder, trying to work out how they had built it to swing so freely with all that weight. Walking into the shop, Seth abruptly stopped. He had no choice since there was a wall-to-wall counter not three feet inside the door. Behind it stood a large, burly man who looked familiar. Sara glided through the door as well, and stood quietly beside Seth.

“Hello young friend,” the large man greeted Seth. “It’s good to see you again.”

Seth smiled at the familiar face. The face that had been utterly destroyed the night before and subsequently restored by Ashton.

“Hello,” Seth replied. “It's good to see you’re doing better.”

The large man nodded in understanding and smiled again.

“To what do I owe this visit?” he asked.

“Well, actually, I’m looking for a crossbow for Sara here, so nothing too big or heavy, and preferably not too pricey either.” Seth simply stated the truth to the big man, and in response he grinned from ear to ear.

“I think I can handle that. Let me see what I have.” With that, the large man left the counter and walked to the back of the room behind a large set of shelves filled with daggers and arrows and other small trinkets. A moment later he returned from behind the shelves carrying with him three crossbows. As he approached the counter he grabbed the price tag on each of the weapons and, giving them a swift tug, tore them free. He let the tags fall to the ground not giving them a second look.

He placed the three crossbows on the counter for Seth to choose from. Seth examined them. They all looked very well crafted, and each of them had a decorative stock and engraved bow. All of them looked expensive. Too expensive.

“They all look great to me,” Seth observed honestly. “Which one is the cheapest?” He assumed not a single one of them would be within his budget.

“Well, let’s see.” The big man appeared to think for a moment then smiled. “They are all the same price.” He stated coolly.

“OK.” Seth continued his line of questioning, to the most important question. “How much are they then?”

“That depends,” the man behind the counter stated, amused more than a little by this conversation.

“Depends on what?” Seth couldn’t help but ask, though he now felt the shopkeeper was playing a game with him.

“Well, it would depend on how much my face is worth to me, or my life for that matter,” the man explained with an ever growing smile as he saw the realization registering on Seth’s face.

“You mean that…” Seth couldn’t finish the question.

“That’s right, son. Whichever one you want, it’s yours. Consider it my thanks for last night,” the big man said proudly.

Seth attempted a reply but found himself unable. The man found this very amusing and just watched as Seth fumbled time and again with his words. Unable to create a sentence, Seth gestured for Sara to pick a crossbow, and stepped back allowing her a closer look.

It seemed to be the first time the large man had noticed Sara. He squinted his eyes at her, as if trying to remember where he had seen her. Sara picked the middle crossbow and the large man handed it to her, still trying to place her face. Sara accepted the weapon, and using its strap, slung it over her shoulder, allowing it to rest on her back. Seth, finally regaining his composure, thanked the man whole heartedly, then remembering he would need something else asked the man about a quiver and some bolts for the crossbow. Again the man left the counter, this time walking to the large shelves that divided his shop. He pulled from it a black quiver, and stuffed it full of iron-headed bolts. Returning to the counter, he placed the quiver in front of Sara. The man still searched her features while Seth pulled out his coin purse. The large man gasped as realization knocked him back on his heels. He stood looking across the counter at Sara, perplexed.