Page 32 of The Physician's Barbarian
I nodded in agreement. I could sew just fine, but there were certain things Alora could do that I couldn’t. Like cooking. She had been a much better cook than I was.
“Brother!” someone shouted outside Doskar’s tent. “Inngath calls for you and your tribute!”
Apparently my time alone was up even sooner than I’d expected. With a heavy sigh, I set aside my project and followed Doskar out of his tent. Varr was on the other side, and he gave me a friendly pat on the back as he led the way to where everyone congregated. Unlike the setup of the northern clan, which was like a wheel and spokes centering on the big fire in the middle, the Ilvos clan had a mountain behind them, so their clan sat in a large semi circle with the fire in the middle where everyone ate and socialized. They also raised goats as a main source of food, and supplemented with bird-type creatures I’d never seen before that nested in the mountains.
I paid little mind to my surroundings, following sedately behind Doskar. I knew part of the reason I was so unhappy here was because I was stuck on everything I’d lost in the past few months, but I’d get over it in time. I was adaptable by nature. I’d find my place eventually.
My little pep talk wasn’t actually helping, but what else could I do?
“Dad!”
My head whipped up so fast, I felt a strain in my neck. I paid little mind to it when my eyes locked on my son, who darted past the group of barbarians surrounding a carriage and straight for me. I tripped over my feet in my haste to get to him, snatching him up and falling to my knees as I hugged him close.
“Oh… Oh, Seb. I missed you so much,” I croaked, petting his hair and squeezing him tight.
“I missed you too.” His voice warbled, filled with emotion, and I felt tears burn my eyes at the thought of making my brave boy cry. He almost never cried. Much like me, he preferred to keep his emotions tucked away and take time to himself to sort through his feelings later.
A shadow blocked out the sun, and when I looked up to see why, Rhoddgorr’s big nose was right in front of my face. I let out a watery laugh, petting him with one hand without letting go of my son.
“How did you find me?” I whispered, wrapping myself around Sebastian again. Rhoddgorr stood watch over us, a protective barrier between us and the rest of the clan.
“There was a clan outside Aunt Laurel’s town. I snuck out to talk to them, and they said all tributes were brought to the Northern clan. I was going to find my way there by myself, but Aunt Evie caught me,” he grumbled.
My heart stuttered with fear at what could have happened to him if he’d gotten away with his plan. It was often days of riding between clans. It had taken three and a half days of riding to get from the Northern clan to the Ilvos clan when I was brought here, and we stopped for food and rest along the way. That kind of journey on foot was dangerous enough, but with the weather turning, it was suicidal. He would have frozen to death before getting anywhere near the Northern clan.
“Why, Seb?” I choked on a sob, burying my face in his hair, breathing in his familiar scent. “I told you to stay with Aunt Evie. She would have taken care of you.”
Pushing away from me enough to look at me, my son glared at me accusingly. “You said you’d come back. But I heard about the barbarians. They don’t let tributes go back. If you couldn’t leave, I had to go to you.”
I’d hoped he’d forget about that promise. I’d made it because I was in a hurry and didn’t want him too upset. He had the power to sway me to stay, and I hadn’t wanted Evie to have to go instead.
“I had every intention of asking to go to you at one point,” I assured him. “But I’m expected to choose a bondmate first and?—”
“You mean Godr?”
I nearly swallowed my tongue at the implication. “How do you?—”
It hit me suddenly. If Rhoddgorr was here, that meant someone from the Northern clan had escorted them. And the only person Rhoddgorr even deigned to listen to was…
“Where is he?” I breathed.
Sebastian waved to somewhere beyond Rhoddgorr’s large frame. “Talking to important people. He said he wants you to pick him, but he needs permission from your clan first. He’s been really nervous about it the whole way here.”
“He… spoke to you?” I asked, frowning.
Sebastian wrinkled his nose. “Sort of? The old guy with the beard translated most of it. Godr asked me to teach him our language, but Dad—He’s really bad at it.”
A sound escaped me that was a cross between a laugh and a sob. That didn’t surprise me. What little time I’d spent with Godr, he’d nearly constantly been in motion. Slowing down long enough for me to teach him the little I had had been a task, and Sebastian wasn’t as patient.
“Do you really like a guy?” Sebastian asked as I pulled us to our feet.
Drawing in a breath, I let it out slowly. “I like one guy,” I admitted quietly. “He’s… special.” I eyed my son apprehensively. “Does this bother you?”
He lifted a shoulder, unbothered by the idea. “As long as I get to stay with you, I don’t care who you marry. Are we really going to live in tents, though?”
That I couldn’t answer. I didn’t know what was going on. I’d expected to be forced to meet the clan, not the arrival of my son. And my sister, apparently. When we finally made our way to the group by the carriage, she threw her arms around me and sobbed, drawing more tears from me before I could stop them.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, hugging her just as tightly as I’d hugged Sebastian. That ache in my chest that had appeared the moment I left finally settled, but I was afraid to hope they’d stay.
