I turned from the lone female without speaking and reentered the area of churned up snow which had been produced by the other females in their return to the camp. Rounding the bush showed that they had nearly reached the now erected tents, therefore did I give attention to my footing till I had done the same. Ceralt and Telion saw to the unburdening and tying of the lanthay, a thing which was nearly done, and as I approached, the males bent curious gazes upon me.
“Your time among the other wenches was not of considerable duration,” said Ceralt as I neared him, his hand astroke upon the lanthay he tended. “There could not have been much gained in such a brief interlude.”
“Indeed,” agreed Telion from where he stood among packs, perhaps three paces away. “She was to have learned from the other wenches, not merely nodded to them in passing. She will require further time among them to learn.”
Telion’s eyes were upon me as he spoke, his face as clear of expression as his gaze was not. He continued to seek difficulty for me, perhaps in revenge for that which I had done earlier, yet his methods were unpalatable. Had he wished to face me with weapons, he should have done so.
“And yet I have learned a thing,” said I to Telion before Ceralt might speak. “For one who observes, there is ever a new thing to be learned.”
“This I do not believe,” scoffed Telion with a look of derision. “There is naught which might have been learned.”
“Perhaps we should ask what this thing might be,” said Ceralt as I stiffened with insult at Telion’s words. To say that a warrior spoke other than the truth was to say that a challenge has been offered.
“It can be naught save the imagination of a female,” said Telion, folding his arms. “Yet am I willing to be shown.”
Ceralt seemed puzzled by Telion, yet his light-eyed-gaze came to me with a smile. “You may show us that which you have learned, satya,” said he, attempting to lighten my anger. He saw full well how I stood in the snow, a pace from him, my body filled with the desire to wipe insult from me. Telion stood as he had, arms afold upon his chest, doubt writ large upon his face, and I could not have refrained from acting had the safety of my very soul been in question. Rapidly, I bent to the snow at my feet and grasped two handfuls of the stuff, patted them together in the shape of a sphere as I had seen the village females do, then hurled the sphere toward Telion’s head. The village females had thrown as all village females do, poorly and with little skill, yet I, as a warrior and war leader, had great skill in the throwing of rocks; which is no more than a child’s game. Telion attempted to evade the throw by moving to his left; yet I had anticipated such a movement and had allowed for it. The sphere of snow struck full in the male’s face as he cried out in anger and dismay, his cry mingled with that of Ceralt, who jumped quickly to my side to prevent the grasping of further snow. I had fully expected Ceralt to be filled with great anger, perhaps so great as to beat me, yet the male laughed in full amusement as he kept me from further snow, his arms about me to hold me still. Telion brushed the snow from him with loud curses as Ceralt and I watched, and when his eyes were once again able to see, he sent to me a look so black that Ceralt laughed the harder to see it.
“You see she spoke the truth, brother,” he called to Telion, amusement rolling about his words. “There seems to be no need to punish her for lying.”
“Ceralt, you must allow me to give her a hiding for this,” Telion growled, his flesh reddened where the sphere of snow had touched. He stood to his full height, indignation all about him, traces of snow clinging here and there to his furs and hair. Telion had long been eager to use his leather upon me, and now, at last, his wish was to be fulfilled. I stood in Ceralt’s grasp and awaited his utterance of approval, knowing how well he thought of the punishment, yet his decision, when voiced, brought greater surprise to me than to the other male.
“I shall not allow it, Telion,” said he, his voice soft as he looked upon the male called warrior. “Her punishment is mine to mete out, and I do not feel that she has earned punishment. Was she not ordered to show that which she had learned?”
“Certainly,” protested Telion, “yet—” His words broke off in great frustration, as though he were unable to support the stand he had taken, and I looked up at the male who held me so close to him. His eyes came down to meet mine, a familiar softness therein, and the cold of the fey seemed to recede behind the warmth his gaze sent. Why had he not allowed Telion his will? I wondered, but could not bring the words forth to question him. Did he merely wish to do the thing himself? This did not seem to be the case, yet I knew not what to make of his strange decision.
“In future I shall first ask for a description from you,” said Ceralt, again amused. “Your eye and arm are far too good for the safety of those around you, therefore are you forbidden to throw snow in such a manner again. Do you understand?”
I nodded mutely, understanding his words rather than what lay behind them, and his smile increased.
“Good,” said he, his arms briefly tightening about me. “Now take yourself into the tent and prepare our mid-fey meal. Cold increases a man’s appetite, and I look forward to something other than our usual cold mid-fey meal.”
He urged me from him then and toward the tent, he himself returning to the lanthay he had been seeing to. I walked from him slowly, barely seeing Telion as I passed him, barely aware of the curious look the male warrior sent to me. Why had Ceralt not allowed Telion to beat me? Why had he not beaten me himself? The doings of males are strange to a warrior’s thinking, yet Ceralt continued to do that which was stranger than any of the others. Why did he look upon me as he did—and how would he look upon me when Mida had freed me from his capture?
Entering the tent was something of a distraction from the turmoil of my thoughts. Though I had expected to see Lialt within, perhaps engaged in the activity termed “reading,” the tent held naught save that which it always held, a heat rising from the coals which had been set aglow. I removed my leg coverings and body furs beside the tent entrance, yet the heat to be found within the tent made my leather coverings unnecessary as well. I hesitated as I looked about the tent, yet there was no reason to retain coverings which had become unnecessary. It was possible that the males would dislike my having divested myself of garments without having been ordered to do so, yet the matter seemed of small consequence. There was little they might do which had not already been done, and who knew how much longer I would be burdened with their presence? Perhaps Mida would act that very fey to free me, and I need then no longer concern myself with them. Having made the decision, I quickly removed all save the breech about my middle, then saw to warming the meat which had already been previously cooked.
The three males entered a short time later, each eager to partake of their sustenance. Lialt chuckled as Ceralt told him of Telion’s mishap with a sphere of snow, and Telion, though still annoyed at the incident, was also coaxed into a chuckle. The males looked upon me as I stood beside the metal holder of glowing coals, a metal rod in my hand, yet none spoke of my lack of covering. Perhaps the sight of Jalav pleased them, and they thought themselves more fully served having her so. Each showed familiar heat when looking upon me, yet this, too, was unmentioned.
With the males seated and served their meat, Ceralt, predictably, knelt me beside him. I was served from his board as always, and with all of the meat consumed, was also taken in his arms. It was then that I was reminded of that which I had been bidden to say to him, words not easily spoken by a warrior. His arms held me to the warmth of his bare chest, his eyes looked deeply into mine, and the weakness which was the curse of his nearness settled again upon me, to thin my voice to a whisper and put tremors within my body. I forced the required words from my throat, tripping upon them, then raised my lips to my captor, trembling as I awaited the touch of his own lips. How helpless a warrior feels so, held in the arms of a male, awaiting the touch of his lips which will further drain her strength. Ceralt looked upon me as he held me so, a fierceness in the light eyes of him, a greater strength than ever in his arms.