Two hours later, the wagon train had shown up, been loaded, and we were once again on our way with the Lord’s manor sealed behind us. Unlike our earlier march where everyone moved as a group, part of the group went ahead as a screening force to protect the convoy. Aoife utilized what little wagon space remained to provide short breaks on rotation to those assigned screening duties.

  I saw Cailleach twice before we stopped to make camp. Both times she spent a few minutes resting on a cart and conferring with Aoife before returning forward. By the way gazes lingered on them, I could tell the militia members took no small amount of heart from the presence of both Harvesters.

  Camp itself conformed to my expectations. As the skies darkened, the forward element found a reasonable clearing that the convoy pulled into and then formed a circle. Picket sentries were sent out and rotated most of the way through evening mealtime so everyone had the opportunity for a hot meal.

  Several times I caught Aoife staring in my direction like she had something to say, but she’d look away almost immediately. Jenna spent most of the time getting here talking with Fiachra and that didn’t change once we hit camp. I couldn’t quite follow along what little I overheard, but it was plain that they were well into the deep end when it came to talking shop so I wasn’t terribly concerned. If anything, I was happy Jenna had found someone she could talk with like that. Eggheads don’t do well when isolated from others of their kind.

  Belly full of food, everyone around me busy, and I knew I couldn’t add much to the security posture already present. As it was, I saw little reason not to turn in early. I found a cart that had enough open space in the back, spread out my woobie, and tugged the canvas covering down to conceal where I’d be sleeping.

  I was somewhere between sleep and awake, mostly the former, when the cart shifted ever so slightly. Without an accompanying sound to go with the movement, I was instantly awake and slowly sliding my pistol out. With the campfires out, it was dark enough I couldn’t see much of anything.

  “Sam?”

  I recognized the whispered voice and holstered my weapon. “Cailleach?”

  “Oh good, I was worried you were asleep already. Do you mind? If I join you, that is.”

  Is that embarrassment I hear? “Uhm, sure. Should be enough space in here for both of us, if barely. Something wrong?”

  “I—” The word hung in the air for several uncomfortable seconds. I shifted over what little I could, thinking maybe she was trying to figure out where she’d fit. “I normally sleep next to Aine. I don’t sleep well on my own.”

  I gave her a bit to crawl under the canvas. “You’re not the only soldier I’ve known with that problem. Is it getting to sleep or staying that way that’s the problem?”

  “Both. I, ah, I have dreams.”

  I sighed inwardly. “And not the pleasant variety, I take it?”

  Close as we now were, I heard the pause in her breathing. “Not even a little.”

  “Anything you want to talk about? Sometimes it helps. Not always, but sometimes.” I adjusted how I was laying so I was more on my side facing her. Despite the depth of shadow, I realized I could barely see her eyes, almost like spotting the eyes of something in the forest at night, but a bluish purple instead of yellow or orange.

  She blinked several times before the hitch in her breathing evened out. “I’m not sure what there is to say, really. The cruelest starts with the two of us, before. Before the House, before the slavers. We’re home again and mother is cooking something on the hearth, telling us father will be home soon. I normally can control my dreams, but not this one.”

  Silence stretched over several heartbeats. I deeply suspected I knew where this went. “But he won’t, will he?”

  “No. I couldn’t have known at the time, but he was almost certainly dead by then. We lived on the border. There was no warning. The moment she tells us he’ll be home is usually I realize I’m dreaming, when I realize what’s coming next. When I first started having this one, I tried fighting it with everything I had, but nothing changed. The slavers always kicked in the door no matter what I tried.”

  “And now?” I asked quietly.

  “Now, I try to enjoy the few minutes of who I used to be while I still have them. Aine doesn’t smile like that anymore, and mother can’t smile at all. On my worst days, those few minutes of joy are worth the rest that follows.”

  I did my best to stifle the growing ache in my chest from the quiet heartbreak in her whispered words. “What did your father do for a living?”

  I got the impression she smiled. “He was a forester, primarily. Before we were forced to move, he served as a scout in service to our Lord.”

  “Forced?”

  Another long pause. “Our people are sensitive to superstition. Some more than others, I suppose. Syr children are born with hair the color of the autumn forest, golden yellows to reds to all shades of brown. Aoibheann shows her blessing primarily in the color of our hair, so you could not know this, but my sister and I were born with hair black as the burnt forest. An ill omen, they said. Looking back, I guess they were right.”

  “Still,” I muttered. “That’s kind of fucked up. It’s not like you or your parents chose that.”

  “No,” Cailleach said quietly. “But such is the way of things. People fear the unknown and anything they do not understand, especially if they see a threat to their survival in it. I don’t blame most of those who turned their backs on us. Not anymore. Just a select few, but I have little reason to suspect many of those yet live. Not after the Fall.”

  She sighed. “Do you mind if I come closer?”

  “Only if you don’t mind the smell. Today got pretty warm. I could use a good shower.”

  Cailleach shuffled close enough, I could see her face fairly well, at least in terms of the outline and bigger details. Even if her voice had suggested otherwise, I got the impression she was pensive, if not actually hesitant to be this close to me.

  “I’ve certainly lived a blessed life compared to you,” I admitted. “Where I come from, stories like that were rare, almost unheard of, probably for over a century, century and a half. But I did have a friend I made when I was in school. I think I met Cal in fifth or sixth grade— ah, when I was ten or so. We were on the same Little League team, children’s sports. We kinda stuck together after that. Joined the Army at the same time. Went to the same place for boot camp, er, initial training. Got assigned to different units. My first deployment, we replaced his unit on the line. There’s a brief transition period where the old unit slowly hands stuff off to the new. I caught some weird stomach bug the day after we got in. Food came out the other side about as fast as I could eat it. Past a certain point, I wondered if I was shitting things I hadn’t eaten yet, it was that bad.”

  Inches away from me, Cailleach nodded. “Likely a food or water-borne toxin by the sound of it.”

  “That’s what they said. So, there I was, trying not to shit myself while I’m getting ready to go on patrol when Cal ducks into my tent. Says he got the okay to take my slot on the mission, just this one time. Said I needed to stop being a pansy and get better.”

  Cailleach’s visible ear drooped. “How did it happen?”

  “IED. Shit, think your black powder charges, but much bigger. They were crossing a bridge when it went off. Their vehicle went into the river. Nobody got out. He’s been dead for a few years now, but when I think of him, we’re still just kids out having fun playing catch.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Cailleach rubbed my shoulder. “The burden may be heavy, but without it we would not cherish the innocent times that came before nearly so much, nor seek to preserve the innocence of those around us the same way.”

  I didn’t expect her to lean forward and press herself against me, so the sudden embrace and her breath against my neck left me at a loss. It wasn’t until she turned over and scooted up against me much like Aine had that I finally found my words. “That’s a beautiful way of putting it.”

  We spent a few moments trying to find a comfortable way to lie, and for me, a reasonably safe place to put my hand. Given how she positioned herself, I didn’t have much choice but to breathe in the earthy scent her hair carried. It vaguely reminded me of Rowan.

  “Samuel?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  “For?”

  “For this. For what you did at the Green. For what you’ve done for Aine. I know I’m skilled at hiding how I feel most of the time, so I no doubt come off rather cold, but I am happy I met you. You’re the first human I can say that about, the first I’ve been this close to without there being a blade between us.” Though her voice was far quieter, I still heard her add, “The first who soothed this tattered heart of mine. Thank you.”

  When she grabbed my hand and cradled it against her chest, I was reminded how vulnerable even the strongest people could be just under the surface.

  I woke on my back to the sound of uneven breathing in my ear. Sometime in the night, Cailleach had rolled over, slung one leg over me, and nuzzled into my chest.

  By the dark blue of what little sky I could see from where I lay, I knew sunrise wasn’t terribly far off. Turning my gaze down to the top of her head, I wondered what was playing out in there. Unfortunately, when she shifted her leg, it ended up right over my bladder. More reaction than anything, I put my hand on her knee to move it. She went stock still.

  Within the space of a breath, she craned her head back to look me in the eye. I got the impression she was figuring out where she was for a brief instant.

  “Good morning?” I offered.

  She blinked and her pupils relaxed, as did most of her body. “I suppose it might be.”

  “Sleep well, then?”

  “Better than expected, actually. Aine was right.”

  I tilted my head. “About?”

  Her eyebrows rose ever so slightly as a slow smile formed. “A lot of things, but specifically on this, you make for an acceptable sleeping partner. Warm, but not too warm. You don’t tend to move about much or make noise. You’re comfortably firm, not bony, where it matters. You also don’t sleep too deeply after a march.”

  Squinting, I asked, “So I’m a good body pillow?”

  Her pale grey eyes narrowed as her smile grew. “You could take it that way.”

  “Well, right now about the only time I’m going to be taking is my full bladder to the edge of the clearing,” I muttered.

  “Everyone will be up soon, Sam,” she said while scooting away. “When you get back, I’ll show you how to work the enchantment on that scabbard. Concealment is survival in our line of work.”

  I nodded and crawled out of our makeshift tent. I got most of the way to the nearest tree before I heard footsteps come up short behind me.

  “Try not to go anywhere alone,” Aoife told me as she came up to my left.

  “Meant to ask what sort of security posture you guys were working with. Wildlife that hostile out here?”

  “It’s relatively safe where we are, but less so closer to the rim.”

  When I stepped up to the tree, Aoife moved farther to my left, presumably to clear the far side, before turning her back mostly toward me.

  “Better to practice when you don’t need it than fuck up when you do,” I commented after a few seconds.

  “Exactly. We’ll be breaking camp once breakfast is over. Probably closer to two hours from now. I know some of our troop aren’t used to low light travel.”

  “Not a bad idea.”

  “Didn’t expect to see you up this early. Just the sentries up at this hour.”

  “Well, you can hear why I’m up. Cailleach wants to show me something with my sword, but we should be done before food’s ready.”

  I caught the twitch in Aoife’s ears but didn’t realize she’d taken that an entirely different way until she looked over her shoulder at me with a raised eyebrow and knowing eyes while I was buttoning up.

  “This close to changing of the watch? That’s rather bold,” she said with a quiet chuckle and started off. “Keep in mind, she’s got a long way to walk today.”

  My jaw dropped and I quick stepped to catch up to her. “That’s entirely not what I meant.”

  Aoife clapped my shoulder as I came up beside her. “Oh, I know. The look on your face? Worth it.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Hazing the new people was a long-standing military tradition, after all. “Fair, but in all seriousness, I wouldn’t put anyone in danger out here like that.”

  The Harvester nodded. “That’s one reason I like you, Samuel. You take this seriously and don’t need every last thing spelled out for you. While I’m thinking of it, make sure you don’t make a habit of watering trees like that once you’re on your way from the Green. Some predators can track you for miles if you carelessly leave sign like that. Six inches deep, minimum, if you can help it. Sometimes groundwater doesn’t allow for that.”

  I slowed as we approached the wagons and the cooks lighting their fires. “Duly noted. That’s not much different than how we did things where I come from.”

  She flashed me a smile before breaking off toward the far side of camp. “Just make sure you ask if there’s any question to be had. You know what they say about assuming?”

  I returned her comment with a grin and grateful nod.

  While I was gone, Cailleach had scooted to the edge of the cart and was sitting with her legs dangling off the tail end. My woobie sat a few feet from her, neatly rolled and tied. The rest of my gear was stacked nearby, leaving just enough space for me to sit next to her.

  I saw the knowing grin on her face when she patted the empty space next to her. “Don’t worry, Sam, Aine is the one that bites.”

  I shot her some side-eye before lifting myself onto the cart. “Not really helping, dear.”

  She leaned back behind us, grinning the entire time, and came back up with the sword in her hand. “I can’t let Aoife have all the fun, now can I?” Her movements slowed for a moment as her eyes focused on my face. She placed the sword in my lap and added, “You do realize why we give you such a hard time, right?”

  I shrugged. “As in the Harvesters? Where I come from, giving the new guy a hard time is tradition.”

  “Well,” her grin widened, “That’s certainly most of it. The rest? Well, discipline amongst our ranks is certainly lax compared to the House, but the circumstances explain most of that. There are remarkably few productive ways to work off long term stress for us, since we’re constantly needed somewhere. For some of us, that shows up as inappropriate humor or somewhat less than professional bearing.”

  “In Aine’s case, a lot less than professional bearing,” I said with a nod. “I’ve spent months stuck out in the middle of godforsaken nowhere. People tend to get a little fidgety after enough time has passed.”

  Despite how dimly lit camp still was, Cailleach’s eyes twinkled. “Add a new arrival to that, a woman, in your example.”

  “Yeah, Rowan warned me about what she called ill-considered actions.”

  Relief softened her gaze. “She’s always been remarkably perceptive and quick to identify potential problems before they occur. It’s good she was the head of our order before taking the title. I’m sorry, some issues are difficult to approach in a way that doesn’t sound accusatory or unreasonable.”

  “For what it’s worth, I’m trying to avoid causing discipline problems when it comes to that,” I offered.

  “Honestly, it’s not your discipline I worry about. It’s ours. There aren’t many men any of us would consider safe or wise choices to bond with. None of them are unattached. That can breed a particular sort of corrosive loneliness in either sex. That’s why I stood by and said nothing when Aine suggested testing you.”

  I tilted my head. “How so?”

  “On one hand, we both wondered what sort of man you are, in every sense of the question. On the other, I wanted to see how Aine would handle figuring that out on her own.”

  Too many ways to interpret that. “So she doesn’t get cold sleeping alone?”

  Cailleach sighed and looked away. “There are some nights I wonder if she’s an animated corpse considering how cold her feet get. Her approach was entirely truthful; it simply gave you an opportunity you declined to take advantage of. An opportunity, I should note, neither of us expected a human male to pass up on. I’m sorry if this sounds cold, but the House taught us to take very little at face value and verify everything before accepting as truth.”

  Too many thoughts competed for limited brain space.

  Cailleach offered me a warm smile. “For what it’s worth, neither of us treated it as a game and I get the impression my sister is quite fond of you, as am I. Winning over any member of the House, much less either of us, is not an easy accomplishment. Such a thing is only accomplished by deeds, not words.”

  Finally, one of those thoughts escaped. “And if I’d failed that test?”

  As Cailleach slowly blinked, the warmth in her smile vanished. “Then we’d not be having this conversation. Depending on the particulars, the end result would have been either better or much worse than whatever you’re imagining.”

  “That’s a hell of way to point out I could’ve been left in a shallow ditch, Cailleach.”

  She chuckled. “Shallow? That close to the rim? No, too many predators for that. I didn’t bury the garrison troops that ambushed us precisely because I wanted the predators to find them.”

  I can thank a long history of arguing with Jenna for being the only reason I didn’t completely lock up at that rejoinder. Odd people tend to say odd things at the oddest time, after all, and it did make a certain sort of sense from a certain perspective.

  “Well then,” I muttered and glanced down at the sword. “Was last night another test then?”

  “No, the time for testing is long past. I would not have interceded between you and Lady Badb for her blessing if I had not been sure of your character. That She chose to grant you the boon underscored your trustworthiness. I certainly wouldn’t mind continuing last night’s arrangement if you’re not opposed, though I can understand reluctance on your part, given recent conversation. At any rate, let me show you how that enchantment works before the entire camp is up and about. The fewer ears to hear, the happier our Lady will be.”