Raithe stopped talking and gritted his teeth, feeling his throat tighten. He squeezed his left hand, the one Didan had stabbed.
“We tell stories here, too, but most aren’t so pleasant. The heroes are usually lost in the forest and either eaten or sucked away into the spirit world forever. We tell them to keep children out of the forest, but it makes winter nights bleak. I think I would have liked your sister’s stories better.” Persephone brushed back her hair and looked out at the fading light. “Malcolm says the two of you are leaving in the morning.”
“Yeah,” Raithe replied. “At least I’m going. Can’t speak for Malcolm.”
“Why are you leaving?”
Raithe looked to the north again. “I don’t think it’s safe having the God Killer here, well, in any village, really. Best if I find a little out-of-the-way place of my own.”
“But I was hoping you’d—”
“Yeah, I remember what you were hoping, but I’m not keenig material.”
“You’re a great warrior, and you have tremendous courage.”
“No. I’m just a stubborn Dureyan, which I guess is another way of saying stupid. You don’t want a stupid keenig.”
“I don’t think you’re stupid. You’re brave, kind, and decent.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know you fought for me at the cascade and against the wolves. You stood up against Konniger and faced the gods when no one else dared.”
“Whose point are you trying to prove?” He smiled.
She smiled back and was prettier for it, younger looking.
“Listen,” he said. “I sort of made a promise to myself. I come from a family of warriors. All my father and brothers ever did was fight, one battle after another. It’s all they knew, so that’s what they did, kill and burn. They were good at it, good at destroying things, but they died fighting. None of them ever accomplished anything…well, positive…or lasting. They never built something or made a difference. I want my life to amount to more than years of bloodshed.”
“But being keenig is—”
“Is just more killing. Don’t you see? You want me to be like my father. You want me to lead people into battle, to kill and destroy. I want something else.”
“What do you mean by else?”
“Better.”
“Better?” Persephone chuckled. “What could be better than being the leader of our entire race?”
“To live somewhere safe and raise a family. To teach my sons to do the same. That would be good and lasting.” Raithe allowed himself to look directly into her eyes. He always did this with men; anything less was disrespectful, even cowardly. But with a woman, the same action felt indecent somehow. Maybe because he enjoyed it. He couldn’t hold his gaze and still say what he planned, so he looked back out at the hills.
“I was thinking…hoping…you might consider coming with me.”
“With you?”
He kept looking over the wall. “I don’t see how you can stay. Your chieftain is siding with Hegner, and he’ll have to administer justice. If you stay, he’ll punish you. What do they do to killers here?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. He wanted to get it all out. “Whatever it is, be hard to do if you’re not around. Besides, you’re like I am: You don’t have a family, not anymore. You don’t even have a home to call your own.” He let his eyes return from their exile and look back into hers. “I’ve enjoyed your company, and it sounds like you’ve done a lot of traveling and know your way around. It’d be nice having you along. I’m thinking we can find someplace where we could both start over.”
Her brows were up and her mouth open even before she spoke. “Are you asking me to run away with you?”
Her tone sounded just short of laughter.
Raithe’s heart sank, and he sucked a breath in through his teeth. “I’ll take that as a no.”
Persephone’s eyes weren’t so bright now, and Raithe shifted his focus to the grass at their feet. He felt a burning desire to be anywhere else than where he was. His face was hot, and he felt a prickly heat where leather covered skin. He took a couple of steps away.
“Wait.” She stopped him with a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. I’m flattered. I am, but…don’t you think I’m a little old for you?”
“Obviously not or I wouldn’t have asked.” He didn’t like the sound of his voice. It came out with a bite. That wasn’t the way he wanted to leave things, but—
I should get away before I say something to make this worse.
Instead, he blurted out, “Is it because of Nyphron?”
Persephone looked puzzled. “Nyphron? Why are you bringing him up?”
“He’s interested in you, right?”
“Interested in me? A Rhune?” She looked at him, amazed.
“When he saw you at the gate, he lost concentration. Nearly got him killed. I guess I could see how you might—”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”
“There are lots of stories where gods become infatuated with mortal women.”
Looking over her shoulder, she smirked. “They’re not gods, remember? Besides, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. If anyone is likely to catch one of their eyes, it will be Moya.” She put a worried hand to her brow and sighed. “Now that I think about it, I ought to talk to her about staying away from them.”
Raithe drew away again.
“Raithe.” She stepped forward, her face pained. “My husband was killed less than a month ago. We were married for twenty years. I loved him. I still love him. Can you understand?”
In his head, he told her she wasn’t helping. He wanted to explain that loyalty and devotion were virtues he rarely found, and he wanted to be as fortunate as Reglan had been. In his head, he also apologized for intruding on her grief and for presuming someone like him had a chance with someone like her. He was Dureyan, after all. He imagined telling her all these things, but when he finally opened his mouth, all he said was, “Okay.”
The word hung there, heavy and sad. Perhaps she didn’t want that to be the last word between them because she spoke again. “You’re wrong about me not having a family. Padera is like a mother to me, the way she has been to everyone since her children died. Brin is like my daughter or at least a niece because I consider Sarah my sister. Moya is like a troublesome but irresistible cousin, and Gifford…” She reached up and wiped her eyes. “You see? I do have a family, and they’re in trouble, serious trouble. I can’t leave. I’ll be able to convince Konniger of my innocence. I’ve known him for years.”
She performed a more thorough wiping of her face, then stepped forward and hugged him tightly. “I want to thank you for all you’ve done for me and everyone here. You saved my life more than once. I wish you would stay. You don’t have to be the keenig if you don’t want. You can still help. You’ve already helped so much just by being here. And maybe…maybe you could build a happy life in Dahl Rhen. What do you say?”
She released him and stepped back, hands clasped before her.