Page 40 of Fragile Oath

And if it kept me from the campfire where Galina sat with her unfathomable expression and her thinly veiled scrutiny, that was just an unfortunate coincidence.

ChapterNineteen

GALINA

The atmospherein the forest had gone from quiet and tense to loud and bustling as soon as we entered the makeshift village.

Rows of cabins, some new and some older, stretched out over a small clearing. Music filled the air as a few of the villagers played instruments by the fire, and laughter rang out along with the rumble of conversation.

The snow didn’t fall as heavily here, and more sunlight streamed through the canopy than had on the road. It was warm in a way that had little to do with the roaring fire.

It took me a while to name what was so different about this place, the concept so foreign to me these past couple of weeks.

Safe.It felt safe.

Or maybe I was just becoming numb.

The woman named Ruby approached, introducing herself with a bow and a flourish that made her wince, before focusing her attention on Gallagher. She sat next to him while he inspected her wound, her green eyes bright as she spoke excitedly about things that had transpired since they last saw each other.

Every now and then, she twirled her bouncy brown curls around her finger while she watched him work. I was content to sit on the outside of the conversation, absorbing the sights and smells around me.

I still didn’t know what to make of the people who had apparently come to our rescue. They weren’t soldiers, obviously. Were they friends? It would seem so, by the way Davin and Gallagher both eased in their presence even when some of their men had stayed behind to take care of…things, but I couldn’t quite feel the same amount of calm.

Couldn’t feel anything, really.

“Here, lass.” The small man from earlier pushed a steaming bowl of soup into my hands with a fresh roll on top.

Nodding in thanks, I perched on the edge of the log, allowing the heat from the small wooden bowl to warm my hands.

“We didna get to properly introduce ourselves earlier. Name’s Cray, and–” he began, but a tall, dark-skinned man cut him off.

“We are the crooks of the cozy copse, the heisters of the hazy holt, the raiders of the –”

Cray reached up to smack the other man on the arm. “Shut it, Sai. We’re just humble t’ieves, milady.”

I blinked. In Socair, thieves were punished with losing a hand, but here, they were friends with royalty. I couldn’t muster the energy to wrap my head around that, so I only nodded again.

“And when yer ready, we’ve made up a few tents just o’er there.” He gestured toward three tents, open to reveal makeshift mattresses made of furs that looked surprisingly cozy.

“Thank you.” I said the words aloud this time, finding that I meant them sincerely. Doing things the Socairan way hadn’t gotten me very far lately, anyway.

Cray smiled widely, revealing several golden teeth before tugging on Sai’s arm and turning to walk away.

I forced myself to take a bite, not wanting to appear rude. The flavors reminded me of home — seasoned beef and vegetables in a thick broth. I took another bite with far less reluctance, my gaze flicking up to catch Davin’s on the other side of the fire.

He quickly looked away, returning to his conversation with the man at his side — the one named Aengus — who I took to be the leader of the whole establishment. The ethereally gorgeous woman joined them, shoving a mug and quill into Davin’s expectant hands. It gave me a chance to finally study her.

Her hair was silvery blonde, a common color in Socair, contrasting with olive-toned skin that was barely a shade lighter than mine. A suspicion formed in my mind. She met my eyes like she knew what I was thinking and was daring me to voice it aloud.

“I would say she’s not as scary as she seems, but that would be a lie.” Gallagher sat next to me holding a similar roughly hewn bowl.

“I gathered that,” I said shortly.

“You don’t have to worry about her, though. She’s family to us.”

I wasn’t sure if he meant that I didn’t have to worry about her murdering me or didn’t have to worry about her with Davin, but I chose to believe the former, even if his knowing look said otherwise.

“I wasn’t,” I lied. “Do you know where she’s from?”

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