man with such a transparent face, whose nature appeared so slow and witless as to be incapable
of any deviousness, of plotting any harm? Poor Jack, good-natured Jack, doomed by his mental
fog to spend the rest of his life herding pigs across the plains of Arcness. Hah!
Timozel had pulled his bench before the fire and was staring into the flames as he sipped
his broth, his blue eyes dark. He had propped his axe and sword by the door as a gesture of
goodwill towards the Renkin family, but Faraday noticed his short knife was still thrust into his
boot within easy reach. Timozel‘s white woollen shirt and grey leather jerkin and trousers were
dusty and stained with dirt, and his face was streaked where he had tried to wash at the stream
the previous night. He acknowledged Faraday‘s presence with a small nod, but his eyes remained
grave and his face unsmiling.
―Timozel,‖ Faraday said quietly, ―the Goodwife has left soap and towels by the water
barrels in the shed behind the house. Draw yourself some water and wash. You will feel so much
better.‖
Timozel drained his mug with a long draught and nodded again. He stood and handed the
mug to the Goodwife who was hovering around her guests. Not only was her home being graced
with the noble presence of such a fine Lady, but a handsome and awesome Axe-Wielder as well.
What a tale she would have for her good friends when she went visiting! She beamed at Timozel
and thrust one of her husband‘s clean and mended shirts at him.
Timozel treated the woman to a courtly bow. ―Madam Goodwife, your hospitality
over-reaches any I have experienced before. I am humbled.‖
The Goodwife blushed with pleasure to the roots of her hair and sketched a small curtsey,
although with her big boots and belly it was hardly the most elegant of gestures. She turned back
to Faraday as Timozel left the house. ―M‘Lady,‖ she said a trifle breathlessly, ―you are so lucky
to have such a courtly warrior to protect you!‖
Faraday inclined her head gracefully, agreeing completely, then shook her long wet hair
out before the fire to dry it.
Yr slipped noiselessly into the shed and stood quietly for several moments, arms folded,
watching as Timozel, his back to her, sluiced water over his head and neck, and scrubbed away
at the accumulated dirt and sweat. He was still perhaps too thin, but time and maturity would
flesh out his rangy frame, and even now his body was handsomely muscled. Yr‘s eyes glowed
brightly with desire as they traced a slow path down Timozel‘s naked body, noting the way his
pale skin contrasted so wonderfully with the patches of his darker body hair. She had been
attracted to him from the moment she saw him; that he had pledged himself to Faraday as her
Champion had made him completely irresistible. It was time for this youthful Axe-Wielder to
learn some new skills.
Yr scraped her foot across the earthen floor and Timozel looked over his shoulder at the
noise, expecting to see Jack or the Goodman, or perhaps even the Goodwife herself. He raised an
eyebrow at Yr and turned around slowly, a washer and the sudsy soap in his hands.
Yr narrowed her eyes at him, momentarily caught off balance. This was not the reaction
she had expected from the man. He was yet young, and should have been discomforted by her
frank observation of his nakedness. The trip through the Chamber of the Star Gate had changed
him, Yr decided. She stepped forward and took the washer and soap gently from his hands,
tossing them back into the bucket of water behind him, then bent her mouth to his chest, running
her tongue slowly over his skin, savouring the mingled tastes of sweat and soap. Her hands
trickled lightly, teasingly, down his wet body, feeling his desire begin to grow against the touch
of her body.
Yr laughed softly, pleased.
Suddenly Timozel seized her and roughly thrust her back against the crude stone wall of
the shed. His body pressed hers tightly against the stone while his hands groped with her skirts,
bunching them about her hips.
―Is this what you were after, Yr? Have I understood you correctly?‖ he said hoarsely, and
proceeded to give her precisely what she had wanted from him ever since she had paraded her
nakedness before his eyes in the tomb of the Icarii Enchanter-Talon. After a few long grasping,
gasping, frantic minutes it was done, and Timozel let Yr go as suddenly as he had seized her,
turning back to complete his wash. Yr, for once lost for words, still burning with his touch, sank
slowly to the floor and wondered if she had finally met her equal in matters of the flesh. The
youth had the vigour of a man.
Faraday looked up as they re-entered the house, and frowned. Something was different
about them. Timozel looked more relaxed, walking into the dimly lit house with a slight
swagger. He sat down, the Goodman‘s long heavy shirt hanging loosely over his leather trousers,
now with most of the dirt brushed from them. Yr, her normal exuberance a little more repressed
than usual, sat down behind her and, playing the part of lady‘s maid to perfection, began to comb
out and then plait Faraday‘s thick hair into a crown around her head. Jack had only needed one look at the pair to know precisely what had happened. The only uncertainty in his mind was
which one of them looked the more satisfied.
Because Jack was trapped in his role as idiot pig herder, Faraday and Timozel took the
lead in asking the Goodpeople if they could purchase some clothes, food and blankets for their
journey north to one of the towns of Rhaetia. Faraday unfastened the gold and pearl necklet and
handed it to the dumbstruck Goodman, anxiously inquiring if it would be enough to repay them
for the food and clothes.
The Goodman and his wife, the woman so stunned by the offer of the necklet that she put
the baby she was feeding down to sleep but forgot to tuck her breast decently out of sight, gaped
at the generous Lady. For the necklet, they stammered, she could have a dozen blankets, food for
a week, and their trusty mule and his packs to carry it all for them. They were abjectly apologetic
that they had no gentle palfrey for the Lady, nor a high-stepping charger for the courageous
warrior, but the mule was sound, had a sweet disposition and would carry their packs patiently,
and perhaps the Lady herself. The Goodman and Goodwife paused to gaze in wonder at each
other. Not only would the necklet pay for all the goods and the mule they would give the Lady
and her companions, but there would be enough left over to buy a team of oxen and some new
furniture. The bargain was made, and everyone shook hands with great goodwill and genuine
relief on the part of Faraday and Timozel. If they had to journey north through the deepening
autumn, then at least they would have the means to survive.
Having eaten again (the Goodwife insisted they eat to seal the bargain, and no-one truly
objected), Timozel took charge and insisted they bed down early. They still needed to recoup
some of the strength they had lost over the past several days, and he wanted them to get an early
start in the morning. Faraday and Yr once again snuggled down into the Goodpeople‘s marital
bed, Jack and Timozel wrapped themselves in blankets before the fire, and the Goodpeople
Renkin themselves sat up for hours, quietly resolving exactly how they were going to spend the
money the necklet would earn them.
26
“BELLE MY WIFE!”
From the Ancient Barrows Axis led his Axe-Wielders hard and fast towards Arcen. There
the Axe-Wielders reprovisioned and Axis explained to Earl Burdel‘s family, waiting for the
Ladies Merlion and Faraday, what had happened to them. It was not an easy task, and Axis had
left the Burdel townhouse feeling embarrassed and inadequate. He kept the Axe-Wielders in
Arcen a day and two nights, during which he composed detailed reports of the incident at the
Ancient Barrows to Jayme, Earl Isend and Borneheld to supplement the hurried messages he had
sent from the Barrows. Axis, still grieving, dreaded explaining to Borneheld in person.
It was a relief to finally leave the city and ride north towards the narrow passes in the
Bracken Ranges. From there it would be a straight run north-east to Smyrton. The first night out
of Arcen, Axis halted his command a league south of the first of the passes. They had covered
good ground that day and he did not want to negotiate the passes during the night hours.
Since leaving the Ancient Barrows Axis had taken no risks. He insisted that the