Page 9 of The Barbarian's Claim
Iwas growing used to the presence of the little tribute in my tent. He was a decent companion. Quiet, eager to help with chores, and surprisingly strong. I tested him a few times after he’d easily moved my travel pack out of the way that first morning he was with me. The pack was heavy—I hadn’t yet gone through it—and still he moved it without blinking. He was still too thin, but I assumed that was due to his life before he came here. He ate plenty when I offered it to him. I gave him portions as big as my own, and he finished them all without hesitation. He’d put on weight eventually. I chose not to worry about it and learned to enjoy to way the quiet no longer felt so heavy with him around.
It was the quiet that drew me out of my tent and towards the celebrations. It didn’t feel the same with him gone, and it irritated me. I only planned to check on him, to see that he was well. Uttin was right; if he’d volunteered to be here, he was looking for a match. That couldn’t be me. I wasn’t bondmate material. But when I arrived and found him frowning andclose to tears, my irritation swelled. Uttin was supposed to be watching him, but he didn’t even notice the tribute’s discomfort. I was already headed in his direction to bring him back to my tent when Bolgul grabbed him. He was a friend of Orn’s and was angry that the tribute was being introduced after causing his friend such troubles. He was lucky that he had others to protect him after grabbing Matthew the way he did. I would have followed him to put him in his place if I didn’t have Matthew to worry about.
The following morning, while preparing for the day’s chores, I found myself hesitating. Now that I knew there were others in the clan who didn’t like the tribute’s presence here, I was reluctant to leave him behind. Usually, I went for a hunt in the morning and left him alone. I could not do that anymore. I didn’t trust the clan to watch out for him.
He woke with me as he always did, following me to the trench to relieve himself before washing his face in the river. I noticed that his clothes were threadbare, and his face was dirty. We would deal with the clothes first. The bathing he could do later. In the evenings, some tributes washed with warm water by the river. I worried about my tribute bathing as the rest of the clan did. He was too thin to keep himself warm. After he ate a full meal, I took him to the clothes makers, who gave him things in his size that were better for the weather. He followed every direction given to him without argument, making me question again what Orn’s problem was. Many would be happy with the tribute’s easy obedience.
After he was better dressed, I took him to get new boots. I’d noticed earlier that his were worn and would not survive the season, especially if I took him with me on hunts, as I planned. When the leather maker had him sit to get his measurement, it was the first time the tribute looked concerned. He chewed his lip, fidgeting on the stool, and didn’t respond when spoken to.
Morak looked at me with a frown. “Does he not speak our language yet?”
I didn’t reply. I didn’t know the answer. He went to Finn’s lessons, but because he never spoke, and I never bothered to practice with him, I was unsure how much he understood.
“Take off your boots,” I demanded in the common tongue.
The tribute jumped and looked up at me, the concern growing on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a choked sound escaped him, and he ducked his head in shame. I’d seen him do that before. Like it was hard for him to use his voice. The only time he ever used it was when the clan was under attack and he had no other choice.
Frowning, I kneeled beside him, grabbing his chin to force him to look at me. His wide gray eyes were tear-filled, and his cheeks burned. He was not being obstinate or petulant. Something bothered him, but he had not the words to explain himself.
With Morak close by, I was not going to force him. Instead, I pointed at his boots and explained. “They won’t last when I take you on a hunt. You need better.”
His brows snapped together, his expression becoming more confused than concerned. I’d never brought him with me before. I still wouldn’t if I felt like it was safe to leave him behind. The forest was dangerous. I’d lost track of the number of times I’d been hurt while traveling alone. I would need to train the tribute on what to look out for to keep himself safe while with me. He couldn’t cling to me the entire time.
My explanation got him moving, though he still looked uncomfortable. I would get him to explain later when others weren’t watching him so closely. He took off his boots, and Morak found him new ones that fit him better. While he was measuring, I heard him mumble about the boots being too small as well as worn almost through. I had questions for my tributeabout that. About a great many things, actually, which was strange for me. I didn’t usually care. But something about this tribute made me want to ask questions.
Once he was properly clothed, I brought him back to my tent so I could gather my weapons. It made people uncomfortable if I carried too many in the village. I carried more when I was hunting. Turning toward the tribute, I beckoned him closer.
“Can you use weapons?”
He shook his head quickly. That didn't surprise me. To start him off, I grabbed a dagger, tied it to his waist, and found a small bow about the size they used to train children. I’d forgotten how I ended up with it, but it would be a good training tool for him.
Unlike my brothers, I didn’t travel with a stallion in the forest. I left him with Godr unless I was traveling longer distances. Instead, I led the tribute to the forest on foot and stopped at the tree line.
“It is dangerous in the forest. You will stay close unless I tell you otherwise. Understand?”
MATTHEW
When Einar had mentioned earlier about me going hunting with him, I thought it was an ‘in case of emergency’ situation. I didn’t think we’d leave right away. I wasn’t against it, though I’d never hunted a day in my life. I trusted him to keep me safe. He raised his eyebrows expectantly, and I nodded to show I understood him. Seemingly satisfied with that, he grunted and headed into the trees, leaving me to trail behind him. I took in the sights and sounds of the forest, eternally grateful that he’d gotten me warmer clothes before bringing me along. The thick branches ofthe trees blocked out a lot of the sunlight, making it cooler in the forest than it was in the camp.
I’d wanted to ask how I was meant to pay for everything he was getting for me. New clothes were one thing, since I didn’t come with any extra. Boots were expensive in my town. I couldn’t imagine someone just giving them away. But I had no money to pay for them, and I wasn’t skilled at anything to do work in trade. No one asked me to pay, but I just assumed eventually they’d expect something in return. I worried a little about what they’d ask for.
We walked for a while, far enough that the sounds and smells from the clan disappeared, and the forest got quiet. It wasn’t quite winter yet, though it was already a lot colder than I was used to, but the deeper we got into the forest, the colder it got, until I had to wrap my arms around myself to stay warm, despite my thicker clothing.
We finally stopped just outside a small clearing, far away from the clan and anyone else. Einar pointed to a spot at the base of a tree, and I moved to sit before he asked me to. I knew with my lack of knowledge, I’d be in the way. It was better to not bother him.
He squatted beside me, his back against the tree as he scanned the clearing and the forest behind us. Following his example, I looked around slowly for any signs that it was more than just us. I saw none, but I stayed vigilant. Maybe he was waiting for something to come to us instead of the other way around.
Sure enough, after enough time had passed that the creatures got used to our presence, animals started coming out of hiding. Some I recognized, others not so much. Einar ignored the bigger ones, even though I’d seen the other hunters bring back similar ones while I was still under Orn’s protection. He seemed more interested in the smaller game, and when a large waddling birdcrept into the clearing, he silently drew an arrow and aimed carefully. I watched him closely, taking in his movements, and when he let go of his next breath, he let the arrow loose. It flew true, killing the animal instantly, while others scattered and ran. Einar paid them no mind, pushing to his feet and heading for his kill. I followed him out of curiosity and watched as he removed the arrow and twisted the bird’s neck before he bundled the kill in a cloth tied with a rope.
He noticed my questioning look and explained, “The blood draws more dangerous creatures. It is better to mask it until we are back.”
Oh. I glanced around warily. I hadn’t thought about more dangerous creatures. I should have, he’d warned me, but I was so focused on the creatures he was hunting that I forgot there were more.
Einar shook his head. “They will not come so soon. Come. We will go back now. This is enough.”
I’d seen Einar cook his own food before. He always brought me meals from whoever cooked for the clan, but he ate separately from everyone else. I didn’t know why, but I figured he just preferred different meats or something. Or maybe he wasn’t interested in eating when they did. It was hard to imagine him being fussy about those things, though. He didn’t strike me as the fussy type.
We headed back to the village together, and I kept an eye on our surroundings to make sure we weren’t being followed by some creature that wanted to steal Einar’s lunch. After we returned, I sat beside the fire in front of his tent while he butchered his kill. Unlike when Orn hung out around the fires, no one came to sit with Einar to chat. I was happy about that. The day prior had been overwhelming, and I liked just sitting with him without worrying about people trying to talk to me.
