Chapter 4

KNOT

“Tell me about your husband.What was he like?” I asked. My heart ached, knowing that I would disappoint Natalee when I returned to my cabin soon. I shouldn’t have asked her to meet me here today, but I couldn’t say I was sorry for it either. With her enchanting beauty, her soft-spoken manner, and those adorable blushes she kept displaying, I thought her to be the real treasure of this mining town.

“Well, his family lived near mine, but they did not get along. You see, our fathers used to conduct business with one another, but they had a huge falling out. Logan was kind to me though, despite the bad blood between our families. I met him during my home city’s Dragon Day celebrations one year, when we were both ten years old. We used to sneak off to meet each other as children, always careful to make sure our parents didn’t discover us, but as we grew older, our relationship changed.” She grasped a tall blade of grass, pulled it from the ground, and twirled it in her hand. “He was a good man and I miss him, but I thank the gods for the time we had together, however brief it was.”

Her words stunned me. For several moments, I could only stare at her and wonder how she could sit there and thank the gods, despite having lost her childhood sweetheart and husband. I felt as if the wind had been knocked from my chest. I gulped and took a series of slow breaths.

“Knot? Are you unwell?” Concern was written all over Natalee’s face. She gave me a brief but encouraging smile. “Well, go on. It’s your turn. Tell me about your wife.”

The world seemed to spin around me. I felt dizzy, despite that I was sitting down. My palms suddenly hurt, and I glanced down to find I’d clenched my hands into tight fists. I relaxed my hands and reached for a long blade of grass, plucked it from the ground, and twirled it between my fingers, mimicking Natalee’s actions. I should’ve expected her to ask about my late wife directly after I’d inquired about her late husband, and I rebuked myself for not being better prepared.

Two years. Two years after her passing, I should be able to speak about Emalise without becoming so anxious. A few more deep breaths and finally I trusted I could speak in a level tone. The last thing I wanted was to make Natalee feel bad for asking a question that was only natural.

To my astonishment, staring into Natalee’s eyes helped ease my discomfort considerably.

“My wife, Emalise, was a quiet and terribly shy human female,” I began. “The first few times I met her, she stuttered so badly that I didn’t understand her. But she intrigued me. I knew she wasn’t dull and saw the intelligence glimmering in her eyes, and it wasn’t long before I set out to court her. We had three years of marriage together before she passed away during childbirth, the babe too.” Strangely, my chest didn’t ache as hard as it usually did when I thought of Emalise. The only time I’d spoken of her since arriving in Faircross was the time I’d gotten drunk at the tavern. That was different.

“And you came here right away after that happened?” Sympathy shone in Natalee’s eyes, and she reached as if to touch my shoulder, then retracted her hand and sat awkwardly across from me, as if she wished to comfort me but didn’t know if it was appropriate. We had just met, after all.

“Yes. I stayed only long enough for the funeral, then I packed a bag and headed for the nearest port. When I heard a ship was about to leave for Black Dragon Island, I booked passage and eventually ended up here in Faircross. I saw ads for the claims available in Faircross while I was staying in Orsleann,” I said, referring to the capital city and main port of the wild island. “Well, I saw ads for claims in many different places, but I picked Faircross for its isolation and small population.”

“Then you struck it rich very soon after arriving, is that correct?” Natalee looked alarmed for a second and her eyes briefly darted away from me, before she returned her gaze to mine and offered a sheepish grin. “Apologies if I seem to be prying. It’s just that Mrs. Foxthorne mentioned your name the other day. Before we met in the mercantile. I was only curious if the rumors about you were true.”

I smiled at her in hopes of relieving her tension, and it seemed to work, because her shoulders relaxed, and she eventually stopped twirling the blade of grass madly between her fingers. “It’s true that I struck it rich only a week after arriving at my claim. Then I had the cabin built on my claim and I’ve been hiding out there, only coming to town when I need supplies. But…” I paused for a moment. “I wasn’t terribly short on supplies this time. I came because I was… lonely.”

“Perhaps that’s a good sign, Knot. Perhaps the gods are moving you in a new direction. Surely, you aren’t meant to hide out on a mountain for the rest of your life, all by yourself. I’m not saying you should move into town and become the priest, not if you don’t feel moved to do so, but you shouldn’t be alone.” She blinked back a sheen of moisture that had formed in her eyes. “I stayed in the shack on our claim for about two weeks after Logan died. It was terrible, being alone. Frightening, too. Every strange noise I heard in the night terrified me. When the Foxthornes offered to take me in and allow me to live with them in Faircross, I was overjoyed.”

I frowned when I recalled the scornful look Mrs. Foxthorne had given me in the mercantile, along with her little judgmental speech. “Do the Foxthornes treat you kindly enough, Natalee?”

When she hesitated to answer, my heart sank.

“Natalee?”

She started blinking quickly again, and after gulping hard, she said, “Of course they treat me kindly enough. No one else in town offered to take me in. Despite Mrs. Foxthorne’s occasional grumpiness, they are good people, I assure you.”

I didn’t believe her, but I didn’t want to call her out as a liar so soon in our acquaintanceship. Instead, I eyed the sky. There was no sign of Dhomyss, but I noticed dark clouds forming overhead. “It appears it’s going to rain soon. May I walk you home?”

She smiled faintly and nodded. “I’d like that.”