LITMIR.BIZ

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the door.

      It wouldn’t open.

      * * * *

      Crouched in a corner, in the darkness, I sat with my arms wrapped around my knees, longing for someone to come and fearing someone would come. The night was cold, and even in my cloak, I’d begun to shiver when a familiar voice sounded out back. “Put down the tray and unbolt the door. I’ll take it in myself.”

      Raven.

      Relief flooded through me. I didn’t know him any more than I knew Caine, but he had talked to me more, and last night, he’d made me a private bed up on the wagon.

      The door opened, and moonlight filtered in. Raven stood there with an armload of firewood. I never saw who was with him because he turned his head and said, “Go home. I can manage from here.”

      Striding in, he glanced at me once before walking to the hearth and arranging the logs. A flint appeared in his hand, and he used it to build a fire. I was even more grateful for the light than the heat.

      Once the flames had taken, he went back to the door and returned with a wooden tray. A savory scent wafted upward as he knelt in front of me. The tray contained a bowl, a spoon, and a tin cup.

      “Vegetable stew with gravy,” he said. “Go ahead and eat. I know you’re hungry.”

      I was famished, but Lady Giselle had always impressed the importance not showing any rush when eating. It was the height of poor manners.

      “Thank you,” I whispered, reaching slowly and picking up the bowl, taking a small bite of potato. Then I took a sip of water from the cup.

      He watched me.

      “I’m sorry,” he said.

      His unexpected apology made me brave. “What does Caine want with me?”

      “I don’t know. I’ve asked him, but he won’t tell me. He’s speaking to our grandfather now.”

      I’d heard the word “grandfather” from one or both of them before. “Is Caine your brother?”

      Raven nodded. “So is Logan. He’s the eldest. I’m the youngest.”

      Absorbing this news, I took another small bite and swallowed it. “Caine called me his property.”

      “I know he did. I heard him.” He studied my face. “But you don’t need to worry. He won’t sell you, and he won’t hurt you. I promise.”

      “Why did he bring me here?”

      Raven hesitated. “I told you I don’t know…but Caine is a man who believes in fate and in prophecies.”

      “And you don’t?”

      “I believe in choices.” He stood up. “And I don’t like this. I don’t like you being locked in here, and I don’t like you losing control over your own decisions.”

      His words washed over me. I’d never heard anyone talk like this before. I’d never thought about having choices.

      He crouched again. “My people all used to be travelers. We traveled the kingdoms as we pleased, never settling anywhere, but that life grew hard for some of us, and my grandfather founded this place. The location makes it safe, and some of us, like Logan and Caine, prefer to grow food and live here year round.” Tilting his head, he added, “But some of us don’t.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “I have a troupe who travels with me from village to town, putting on shows to earn money, living as we please. We come back here in autumn so I can help with some of the raiding parties. Then we leave for a few months and come here again for the hard part of winter.”

      I wanted to ask more about the term “raiding parties” but had a feeling he was trying to convey something more important.

      “My troupe leaves in the morning,” he said.

      For some reason, this news brought a fresh wave of fear. He was the only one who really talked to me. And he was leaving in the morning?

      Standing up again, he walked to the door.

      “But for now, I’m going to head back to the common house and see how Grandfather is faring with Caine.” He paused. “I’m not going to lock the door.”

      Setting down the bowl, I stood as well. Firelight reflected off the side of his face.

      “The way I see it,” he went on, “you have three options. While everyone is distracted, you could slip out of here tonight. No one guards the mouth of the chute. On foot, in the dark, you could press close to the near wall of the chute and make your way down with no one up above on watch seeing you.”

      My breaths quickened in fear at the thought of trying to flee this place and make it back to de Marco lands, to my lady, on my own.

      “Or,” he said. “You can stay here and take your chances and find out what Caine wants.”

      “Or?” I whispered.

      “Or…you could come on the road with me.” He amended quickly. “I mean with us, with my troupe. You’d belong to yourself, but you could travel with us.”

      A wild rush of hope rose up. “Could you take me home, to the de Marco manor?”

      “No. Only small raiding groups of men ever go north into those estate lands. I won’t risk any of my people. We’re heading east. If you want to go back, you’re on your own.”

      Despair replaced hope. His refusal had been swift and final.

      But another thought occurred. “I couldn’t go with you if I wished to. Caine would never allow it.”

      “He would if I asked him. He owes me…or thinks he does. I’ve never asked him for anything, but I’d ask him for this, and he wouldn’t refuse.”

      I was moved that Raven would use up a favor to help me, but I also feared the prospect of joining a troupe of strangers traveling east, farther from my home.

      He watched me a few moments longer.

      “Choices are all that matter in this life,” he said. “And we have to be free to make our own. You think on this, and I’ll be back before dawn. If you’re gone, I’ll know you chose to run. If you’re here, you can tell me what you’ve decided.” He walked out. “I won’t lock the door.”

      But he closed it.

      I was alone again.

      The fire crackled in the hearth, and I looked at the door. Slowly, I walked over and reached down for the latch.

      It opened.

      Peering outside, I saw only the moon and the tree line, not a soul in sight. Stepping out, I looked around. From back here, behind the settlement, there was a good chance I could reach the chute without being seen, and Raven would not have misled me. If he said I could press against the near wall in the darkness and make my way down without being spotted from above, I believed him.

      But then what?

      I’d be alone, in a forest, with little idea how to get home besides to head west until I found the main road and then to head north…alone and under the open sky.

      Perhaps I could go with Raven, at least to gain my freedom in some semblance of safety and try to find a way to send my lady a message? But I would be exposed to one new sight after the next, traveling in the company of strangers.

      Or…I could wait here. Raven had promised Caine wouldn’t harm me. What if I simply bided my time? Could I find a way to send my lady a message from here? If she learned what had happened to me, she would bribe men to find me. Or perhaps I could learn the name of the nearest village or town. I could send a message with the location and then escape this place?

      But what if I could not find a way to send a message from this place?

      Raven

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