Chapter 17
Six days after meeting Treya—and fighting the red-eyed men—the group reached Four Roads, a town of thirty-thousand people in the middle of the free lands, halfway between Tyrsall and Telfort.
They'd met Jak's caravan along the way, which was heading back east carrying wheat from the beginning of the harvest season. The caravan had been accompanied by dozens of farmers hauling their own, hoping for better prices in Dalewood or Tyrsall than they could get in Four Roads. As Corec had expected, Jak hadn't been happy with him. He'd been even less happy when Corec had explained that he wasn't sure how long it would be before he returned.
If Corec missed a few more runs, would Jak even
let
him continue working the caravan? Four Roads was home, of a sort, and Jak's caravan was the best option for getting back there regularly. If Corec lost that run, he'd either have to leave Four Roads or work his way up through another trading house, perhaps one operating out of Larso.
That would be a problem for another day.
Bringing everyone to a halt, he said, "The boarding house I stay at won't have enough rooms for everyone. We'll need to find an inn."
"I'll be at the Three Orders chapter house," Treya said. "Are you still planning to leave tomorrow?"
"Yes, if I can do everything I need to do today. I know where the chapter house is. We can meet you there tomorrow morning, or if something changes our plans, I'll stop by and leave a message for you tonight. If you need to reach us, I'll try to find rooms at the Eagle's Roost. If we're not there, check the other inns nearby."
She nodded at him expressionlessly. While she was friendly with the others, she never spoke to Corec unless she had to. Her rune hadn't appeared yet, but as the itching continued, she'd made it clear that she resented him for what was happening, so he gave her the space she wanted. He still hoped to find a solution to their problem, and in the meantime, he'd asked Bobo to handle most of their interactions with other people, in case that would keep it from happening again.
Treya exchanged a quick smile with Katrin before turning her new horse to the north. For the first couple days after she'd joined them, they'd had to rig up a way for her to ride the pack mule, after they'd distributed the supplies among the other mounts. On the third day, they'd come across a farmer willing to part with a horse. Cricket was a bay gelding, even older than Rose, and had spent more time pulling a plow than being ridden, but with help from Shavala, the horse was slowly getting used to life on the road.
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Treya finished grooming Cricket in the chapter house's stable, trying not to scratch at her forehead while she worked—and trying to ignore what her traveling companions had told her.
In a different situation, she would have been glad to meet the group. Katrin was already becoming a friend, and Bobo, as pompous as he sometimes was, was still fun to talk to. It always took him by surprise when Treya knew more about a topic than he did. Shavala was harder to read since she didn't speak much, but she'd been helpful with Cricket.
Corec was the problem. Looking at him through a concubine's eyes, he was a catch—the third son of a baron, young, and somewhat attractive. Ignoring the fact that he didn't have enough money to hire a concubine, if he'd come in for a Presentation ceremony, most of the girls in the lineup would have been hoping to be picked.
But if he was responsible for placing some sort of spell on her against her will, she didn't think she could forgive him. And he believed he
was
the person responsible, though he claimed to not know how it was happening. Katrin was resigned to the situation, and Shavala didn't seem to care one way or another, but Treya didn't think she could be so accepting.
She could tolerate him long enough to find out what was going on, though. She was supposed to be journeying, and Four Roads had been the only destination she'd had in mind. Once she was done there, any direction was as good as another, so she'd accompany them to see if there was any way to undo the binding spell. Her own magic couldn't help, but perhaps her friends back in Tyrsall would have a solution.
When Treya entered the front hall of the chapter house, a young girl came over and glanced at her clothing with an uncertain look.
"Can I help you...Sister?"
"Sister Treya, and yes, I'd like to speak to Mother Yewen if she's available."
"I'll go ask," the girl said, and scampered off.
"Treya?" a young woman asked as she passed through the hall. "Is that you?"
Treya looked at her closely—the plain face, the brown hair pulled back in a tight braid, the curves that were a little too generous. "Nallee?"
"Yes!"
The two girls hugged tightly. Treya hadn't seen her friend in six years, though they'd sent letters back and forth in the beginning.
"Why are you dressed like that?" Nallee asked. "Where are your shoes?"
"Don't you remember Shana?"
"No, but I know who she is. You're a mystic? I always thought you'd be a concubine."
"I'm a mystic," Treya confirmed. "I graduated, so they set me loose. What about you?"
"Oh, gee, so I have to call you
Sister
Treya now?" Nallee said with a grin.
"No, don't be silly."
"That's the bad thing about the Order of Concubines. I won't be a Sister until I'm chosen, or if I give up on the Presentation ceremonies and become a teacher instead."
Treya wasn't sure how to respond. Nallee was a couple years older than her, probably twenty now, which was later than most concubines were chosen.
"Oh, don't give me that look," Nallee said. "I get it enough from the other girls."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"Besides, I've been talking to a nice young man. Patrig; he works at the smithy down the street. He's finished his apprenticeship, and he's been saving up enough money to open his own place in the village he was born, a little south of here. There isn't any blacksmith there yet, and he's going to take me with him when he goes. I'll help him keep his books. He can't afford to pay very much for me, but nobody else is interested. I've just always wanted to be a concubine."
It was a problem endemic to the Three Orders. All the girls were taught from a young age how glamorous it was to be a concubine, and most considered the Order of Scholars to be a step down. Not all the girls made good concubine candidates, though, and it was sometimes hard to give up the dream. Privately, Treya thought the early lessons should place more emphasis on the mystics and the Sisters who belonged to no order at all—midwives and herbalists and others.
"I'm happy for you and your blacksmith," Treya said with a smile. "Is he married?"
"No, but there's a girl back home he's been talking to." Then Nallee grinned and added, "I think I'll probably be with him first, so
she'll
