1. Kaila

“Your boss told me to come find you,” my younger brother, Brunnen, said. “He said he wants to speak with you.”

My sigh slipped out of me. I couldn’t hold it back. Straightening from where I was weeding the village’s vegetable garden, I turned to face Brunnen. I’d raised him since our parents died ten years ago when he was three and I was twelve, and there wasn’t anyone I loved more than him.

I only kept this job because it came with a tiny house and my boss, Jabon, allowed Brunnen to stay there with me.

Sunlight highlighted Brunnen’s black hair much like my own, and the sorrow in his green eyes we also shared hit me like a knife in the chest. He yanked on his shirt, and I pinched my eyes closed to shut out the sight of how the worn fabric outlined his thin frame. I worked incredibly hard, and I was allowed to take home the vegetables that had begun to spoil, but there was just never quite enough to sustain us both.

I was never enough.

“Did he say why he wants to talk with me?” I really didn’t need to ask. He’d told me I must give him my answer by the end of today. Answer? He’d made a demand, and I told him I needed time to think about it. Because others were near enough to hear if I called out for help, he’d reluctantly agreed to my request.

Few would’ve rushed to my aid. We all needed our jobs, and Jabon could do what he pleased. Only Brunnen would’ve come over and socked Jabon. The last thing I wanted was for my young brother to attack my boss. He’d fire me, and we’d be homeless.

Slanting a quick look around, Brunnen lowered his voice. “We need to run, Kaila. I told you I’ve been saving. We can go to another village. I hear there’s one on the other side of the forest run by women. If we ask the leader of that village nicely, she might let me live there with you. They’ll take you in for sure. You’re smart and plants sprout up just to stand in your light.”

I stroked his cheek. “You’re sweet to say that.” A blush bloomed on his face, and he huffed, but I knew he still craved affection as much as me. “How much money do you have?” I was more curious than excited. A few pennies would not be enough to begin a new life.

I was beginning to resign myself to the fact that I’d have to tell Jabon yes.

Brunnen tugged some coins from his pocket and held them out to me. So few. The color deepened in his face, telling me he was incredibly proud of what he’d collected.

“Where did you get them?” A thread of fear shot through me. Brunnen was sweet and innocent. It would be easy for someone to take advantage of him.

Stiffening his spine, he stood tall, towering over me, but I was tiny for a village woman. “I earned them. The smithy allows me to watch, and a few times, he’s let me load wood into the burner or brace a particularly long piece of metal. He said if I’m diligent and fast, he might take me on as an apprentice soon.”

“That would be wonderful.” The apprenticeship would come with room and board.

He’d have no place with me if I agreed to Jabon’s demands.

“Is this enough for us to run?” Hope clung to his words and in his eyes. I hated to crush his dream, but we’d need a lot more than that to outfit us for a long journey through the forest.

“Maybe.” I nibbled on my lower lip. “I have a bit saved myself.” Perhaps we could run. The Monster Mate Hunt would be held tonight, and in the furor, we might be able to slip from the fortress and race in the opposite direction. We’d find a place to hide until morning. After the orcs had claimed their brides, something they did annually in exchange for providing us protection from the shaydes, Brunnen and I could make our way through the woods to the village he’d mentioned.

I’d heard women had left other villages, tired of being told what to do and given no freedom. They’d built a new home and ran things themselves, only taking husbands if they pleased.

No one made demands of them they weren’t willing to fill. What would that be like?

“Kaila!”

Brunnen and I both jolted when Jabon bellowed my name.

I swallowed hard and tucked strands of my long hair behind my ear. They’d worked their way out of my braid. I was sweaty, sunburned, and dirt covered my clothing and face.

And yet, my boss would still want me.

“I’ll go to him,” I said softly. “I’ll find a way to make him wait a little bit longer. That’ll give us more time.”

“I’m coming with you.” My brother’s lower lip trembled, but his eyes took on the flinty slant I remembered from our strong father who’d died trying to protect our mother, succumbing along with her. Brunnen might be slight and small for his age, but he was as fierce as me.

If he confronted my boss, he’d be in grave danger.

I gave Brunnen a pleasant smile, though I had to work hard to maintain it. “There’s no need to come with me. Why don’t you go home? Heat the soup I made for us last night. I’ll be there soon, and we can eat it together.” My belly rumbled at the thought of finally putting something in it other than water and a few raw vegetables.

Brunnen studied my face for a long while before jerking out a nod. “I don’t like him. Not one bit.”

It was funny how children could see right through a person to the evil festering inside.

I nudged his side. “Go. I won’t be long.”

After staring at me for a heartbeat, he turned and stomped down the row of beans and onto the main path winding through the big garden area. When he reached Jabon waiting, he paused, but after sending me a sad look, he continued past my boss and through the open gate beyond. Our small home was on the right, the last in a row of buildings offered to those who’d worked here the longest. I’d been employed in the fields for ten years.

I gathered my basket holding my water jug and the wrapper that had held the vegetables I’d eaten for lunch and walked toward Jabon. No one stood near him, unfortunately, so I wasn’t sure I could use the pressure of others overhearing to get him to change his mind. He’d already given me an ultimatum, and I doubted I could stretch it much farther.

“It’s time, Kaila,” he said when I reached him, latching onto my upper arm. He pivoted and marched toward the central building where some ate their lunch, dragging me behind him. Everyone was either still working in the field or they’d left for the day. We rotated shifts to ensure someone was working in the gardens from before the sun rose until well past sunset. I’d worked the middle shift today.

Inside his office, he shut the door and pressed me against it, caging me with his palms on either side of my head.

I scooted beneath his arm and around his desk to put space between us. The open window behind could provide a route of escape, though there was no permanent way to avoid him forever, not if I wanted to hold on to this job.

“You agree?” he asked in a deadly voice.

“I need more time to decide.”

He sighed. “There’s no decision to make. You’ll warm my bed, or you’ll find another job.”

“It’s not fair. I’ll tell the mayor.”

“My brother?” He released a low laugh. “Do you truly think he’ll protect you from me?”

“I pay taxes like everyone else.” I stiffened my spine. “I’m entitled to have protection as much as the next person.”

“You don’t need protection from me.”

Yes, I did. “Give me two more days, and I promise I’ll . . .” I pinched my eyes closed, but I didn’t keep them that way before snapping them open. No need to give him time to leap. “Then I’ll come to your bed.”

He grumbled but surely, he wanted me willing?

“Alright.” He watched me, so I gave him a smile. “Two days, but no longer than that.” His slick smile rose. “I’ll be sure to change my sheets that day.”

When he left, I wanted to collapse in his chair, but there was no way I’d remain in his territory. I scooted out the door, and spying him walking out into the field to speak with a different worker, I rushed to the right. I hurried home and shut the door, leaning against it while trying not to shriek.

“The soup’s almost ready,” Brunnen said, waving to the small table. He’d picked some wildflowers and propped the stems in a mug. “Sit. You worked hard today in the sun.”

“You’re the best person in the world.” It was all I could do not to blubber. Tension spiraled inside me, but it was too late to think of any other way out of this but one.

“So are you, Kaila.” He came over and hugged me, something he hadn’t done for months, not since he turned thirteen. I’ve grown up too much for that, he’d said. You understand.

I did, but I missed being close to him. When he was little, he’d snuggle on my lap, falling asleep in my arms.

We sat and ate, and after, I leaned back in my chair, giving him a steady look. “I . . .” I hated to tear him from the only home he’d known, but we had no choice. My brother wouldn’t survive here without me. And I couldn’t bear the thought of lying beneath Jabon while he rutted.

“You’re right,” I said. “We need to run.”

Brunnen nodded, his eyes widening.

“Let’s combine our coins and go buy provisions.” Rising, I took my bowl to the counter. Normally, I’d wash it in the central area. We had no running water in our home. After, I’d return it to the cupboard and tidy the small kitchen. We’d sit in the adjacent area, talking about general things or telling each other stories. Sometimes, we played a game we’d made up with sticks and smooth pebbles.

Not tonight.

“We’ll pack our things,” I said, turning to lean against the counter. “Tonight, we’ll leave the village forever.”