Page 39 of The Demon of the Wood

“Where is Kaemon?” she asked.

Melina tried to smile, but only managed a sob instead. Fear lit Aife’s eyes, so she shook her head. “He’s well. He will come by. But Hunters attacked him in the forest, and he won’t let me be seen with him, and I am here to ask if I can rent a room to stay.”

Aife took Melina’s face in her hands, examining her like a mother would, assessing damage. “Both of you are well, though?”

Melina nodded and Aife heaved a sigh as Jorah came up next to her, concerned.

“Of course you can stay here. It must be difficult for you to be separated from Kaemon, though.” A statement and a question. Melina only nodded. It felt as if half her soul was being ripped from her body.

“Kaemon has money to pay you for the first few months. I will work hard though and start paying you as soon as I can and—”

Aife shushed her. “No. I won’t hear of it. Neither of you will pay me. You can stay as a friend.”

Melina shook her head, but Aife put her hands on her hips, and Jorah gave her a stern, fatherly look.

She crossed her arms. “Very well then, but you have to put me to work and let me do something in return for the kindness.”

Aife and Jorah exchanged a smile.

“We can arrange that,” Aife replied.

Aife took her by the arm and led her up the stairs. The door opened, and Kaemon entered. His eyes landed on her, longing as evident there as she felt in her chest. Then he turned to Jorah, who fretted around Kaemon angrily, telling him to stay as well since they had attacked him. Aife urged her along, and she turned to the orc as she did.

“Aife, will Kaemon stay?”

Aife gave her a sad smile. “I do not think so, dear. He is too afraid of others being harmed because of him. It shocked me when I learned he let you stay with him. I suppose he finally felt safe again, and this will set him back.”

Aife led her to the third floor, all the way to the end. A set of stairs with a doorway at the top that she opened to a wide, open attic. It was bigger even than the cabin was, with a window at the end, providing a view of the town. A bed in the middle, a desk with a chair, a dresser, and a fireplace.

“Is it to your liking?” Aife asked.

“It’s perfect,” Melina said, even though she knew the absence of Kaemon would render it foreign to her.

“I will leave you to get settled. Come down for food when you’re ready,” Aife said.

She set about taking her few items out, placing clothes in the dresser’s top drawer and her fabric and sewing supplies in the one below it. The book of fables and small wooden carving of a bear came next. She held them tenderly, tracing a finger over the notches and curves of the miniature.

When he’d placed it in the bag, giving these items to her, she’d almost broken down right there. She had expected him to be generous with necessities, even if it still ruffled her that she couldn’t return the favor. But frivolities like this held too much intimacy. It heralded back to all the moments spent by the fire, the little flashes of companionship that were gone now. She took the items, placing them lovingly on the top of the dresser so she could see them often.

Kaemon didn’t linger. He gave her a brief goodbye, clearly fighting some emotion, then set off, leaving her with Aife and Jorah. His absence hit like a blow. Fears of never seeing him again, or being hurt, or even of him finding someone else, assailed her moments after his departure.

“Please give me something to do,” she begged Aife that evening.

Aife handed her an apron and rag and told her to help serve. She did, clumsily at first, laughing awkwardly at the male attention she received, then getting the hang of it as the night wore on. The patrons were all kind, the men and males flirtatious but respectful, and by the end, she had a stack of coins in her apron from tips. She handed them to Aife. Aife shook her head, folding Melina’s hand around them.

“You can keep all the tips you get while serving. Buy yourself whatever you please.”

Melina protested, but Aife shook her head, handing her a plate of hot food to eat. Melina knew it was a losing battle, so she only sat down and ate, Aife joining her shortly.

“Your health has improved since I first saw you,” Aife said.

Melina nodded. “I feel like a new woman. I’m making myself a dress, and it’s two sizes bigger than my old one.”

Aife grinned. “So, you're good at sewing, are you?”

Melina nodded. “I’ve been told so. I enjoy it at least.”

“Show me the dress when you complete it. I may have some work for you then.”

---