Page 31 of The Unencumbered Warrior
They settled comfortably in each other’s arms and Ingrid was soon asleep, not so Raff. He worried the chilled breeze had something to do with the witch who had granted his wish. Was she letting him know she was not pleased with his marriage? Did she intend to do harm to Ingrid? He would see her dead before she did that. The only problem was that he wasn’t sure how to kill a witch, so she stayed dead.
Ingrid was dressedand already busy fixing the morning meal while Raff was adjusting his plaid.
“I’m pleased you don’t mind a quick morning coupling,” he said with a teasing smile.
She blushed. She couldn’t help it. “Like I left you a choice.”
He went to her, stepping behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pressing his cheek to hers. “I wanted you as much as you wanted me.”
He kissed her cheek as a knock sounded at the door, and it flew open before anyone bid the person to enter.
Edith rushed in. “Do you—” She froze seeing Raff hugging Ingrid.
“We handfasted last night,” Ingrid was quick to explain.
“Well, it’s about time,” Edith said with a huge smile. “I am so happy for you both. The others must be told.” She turned and hurried off before Ingrid could stop her.
“We best go see to this or we won’t get the morning meal to ourselves with people dropping by to see if the news is true, or a tale Edith spreads,” Raff said with a chuckle and finished dressing.
The morning was overcast and the crisp air a bit windy, sending the canopy of bare tree branches tapping at the thatched rooftops and swirling debris across the harvested fields.
Raff and Ingrid walked hand in hand toward the center of the village where most of the people could be found. A cheer rang out as they approached, Edith having spread the word fast.
Agnes clapped her hands. “About time!”
Raff grinned, slipping an arm around Ingrid’s shoulders. “We wed yesterday, in her cottage. A proper handfasting, witnessed by the hearth’s fire.”
Ingrid’s cheeks flushed as more cheers followed. An elderly woman wiped her eyes and muttered something about good signs for the winter. Children danced around them. Even the goats seemed more agreeable.
“We’ll do it again at the festival,” Raff added. “So, all can bear witness. There’ll be ale and song to enjoy.”
“And not a man among us left sober,” Latham called out.
Laughter echoed and everyone took their turn congratulating the couple.
But then the mood shifted when a sudden pounding of hooves broke through the celebration. Laird Chafton’s warriors approached, and all cheerfulness faded. They rode in, six of them, dressed for battle, their eyes sweeping over the gathered villagers like they expected resistance.
The largest warrior dismounted, dark eyes scanning the crowd.
“By order of Laird Chafton,” he barked, “the search for the witch continues. As he warned, someone better speak up. Look for a witch’s mark on her, a sign upon her body, something unnatural, something rarely seen.”
A hush fell so deep not even the birds dared sing.
“If such a person lives among you,” he went on, “you are commanded to speak. The next time we come, it will be to collect the witch. Anyone hiding her will be judged the same—by fire.”
No one spoke. No one pointed. But Raff felt it, the invisible ripple of glances not cast, the careful stillness. His hand tightened around Ingrid’s.
He could feel the blood drain from her fingers. She tried to tuck her left hand deeper beneath her cloak, as she always had.
She had lived on guard with her difference all her life—the joined ring finger and pinky, the strange birthmark of bone and skin—but never had it been called what it now threatened to become.
A mark of death.
The warriors turned and rode out, leaving silence in their wake. The joy of the morning curdled in the air.
Raff watched the villagers begin to disperse, slow and silent. No one had said a word. Not yet. But he saw the worry forming in their eyes. And he knew, if things turned darker, silence wouldn’t last forever.
Edith and Agnes even looked Ingrid’s way with concern, realizing what he had. Fear would turn one of the villagers into a trader.
