Page 124 of Swordheart
“What about Brindle?”
“I have a certain amount of faith in Brindle’s ability to handle his own affairs.”
“And none in mine?” Halla sighed, finishing up and getting to her feet. She washed her hands in the water in the ditch by the side of the road, which had a thin skin of ice over it. “Well, I suppose I haven’t given you much reason to, have I?”
“That isn’t it,” said Sarkis. He sounded almost angry. He took a step toward her, and then another, and then they were entirely too close and she thought for a moment that he might kiss her again.
She wouldn’t have minded. She could feel the heat radiating off his body in the cold air and see the starlight outlining his face.
Instead he took a deep breath through his nose and turnedaway, shouting for Zale to tell them how much longer they would be on this blasted road.
I must have done something wrong again. Or failed to do something right, anyway.Halla didn’t meet his eyes as he escorted her back to the wagon.
“Someone’sin a mood,” said Zale, later that night, when they had turned in for the evening.
“He is, isn’t he?” Halla sighed. “Because he had to kill all those bandits, do you think?”
Zale, clearly attempting to be tactful, said, “Ah… I don’t think he’s… err… bothered by that sort of thing, much.”
“No,” said Halla. “He’s overfond of bloodshed, and I am overfond of him and—” She put her hand over her mouth, both horrified and relieved that she’d said it out loud.
Oh gods, oh gods, I shouldn’t have said that, but it was right there in my mouth like I’ve beenwantingto say it, oh gods…
“Ah,” said Zale, when the moment became entirely too awkward and someone had to saysomething.“I suspected as much.”
“Don’t say anything,” said Halla. “I mean, not to him. Please.” She knew that Sarkis already had to find her weak and helpless. Pining after him would undoubtedly be the final nail in the coffin of his regard.
“I am a lawyer and a priest,” said Zale. “There is probably someone on earth more bound to confidentiality, but I have yet to meet them.”
“Right. Sorry.” She rubbed her forehead. “I know there’s no chance, you see.”
The wagon creaked as Sarkis shifted overhead.
“He cares for you,” said the priest finally. “Never doubt it.”
Halla tried not to show the bubble of warmth that rose under her breastbone at the words. “I don’t know why,” she said. “He’s a swordsman and I’m a housekeeper.”
“Far more swordsmen have need of housekeepers than housekeepers have need of swordsmen, I expect.”
Halla pushed the bubble back down. “Those swordsmen have to eat and drink and need clean beds to sleep in.” She waved her hands at Zale, feeling her own words cut deep. “I can keep house for an eccentric old man and keep a farm running on the edge of disaster. I can nurse someone dying of fever. It’s just my luck I’d end up with one that doesn’t need any of those things.”
She expected the very sensible priest of the very sensible god to agree with her. Sensibly.
Instead, Zale tilted their head, a small smile on their lips. “Perhaps that’s why you like him. It must be very dreary, being needed all the time.”
“Oh gods,” Halla heard herself say. “Oh gods, you have no idea.”
“I might.” The priest shook their head. “Go to sleep. He’ll calm down in a day or so, or I will lecture him about it.”
CHAPTER 40
Sarkis did indeed calm down after a day when, gloriously, absolutely nothing horrible happened.
The ox was set to grazing. Halla wanted to go to bathe in the stream, out of sight of the wagon, and Sarkis grudgingly allowed that she would probably not be horribly murdered.
“But you must sing,” he said.
“Sing? What?”
