them from behind.” I started chuckling as I thought about it. “Ava did something to make them move real slow. Then I doused everyone with honey. Dekar followed, with these containers of ants we gathered from a nearby mound. Ava waited a few seconds and then removed the spell. They both hollered at the top of their lungs while jumping into this muddy river we had camped beside.”
I was really laughing now as I recalled the looks on their faces when they came back, covered in tiny, red welts. “Man, that had to be the angriest I’d ever seen Hamath. But he got over it eventually.”
Zadok chuckled at the story, but not as hard as I did. I guess there was something to be said for being there. Plus, I really wasn’t as good a storyteller as others in my unit. Hamath especially. I told a few more tales until he interrupted.
“Was Hamath your best friend?”
“Yeah. We were all close. However certain people gravitated toward others over time. Your aunt and I always stayed close.”
He frowned. “Why didn’t Aunt Ava come back with you? Did she not want to see us?”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t that. She had an opportunity that was hard to pass up. She did want to see you both, but . . .” I started to say something more, but stopped.
“But what?” asked Myra. It was the first time she’d said anything since before dinner. I had wondered if she had even been listening.
“Well, I hate to say it, but your aunt doesn’t have the best memories of Denu Creek. She got picked on by Jareb and a few others growing up. Then one day her powers manifested when she was trying to protect both of us. After that, people were scared of her. She always felt like an outsider.”
Myra grunted. “I know how she feels.”
“Oh?”
“I told you people thought we were cursed, Pa,” said Zadok.
“Plus, we have no money,” added Myra. “And on top of that we look different than everyone else.”
“Your appearance mattered?”
“Yes. Nobody really mentioned our skin color until the curse nonsense came up. But it got bad after that, especially when Ma went to work for Omri.” She snorted, though her voice lacked any mirth. “It’s almost funny, people made fun of us because we looked different, but that’s also why all the men passing through town wanted Ma more than the others. Of course, that only angered the other women at the Soiled Dove since she was taking so much of their business. Always outsiders. Like I said, I understand why Aunt Ava didn’t want to come home. I wouldn’t have either.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, unsure what else I could say and trying to block out Lasha’s time at the Soiled Dove.
Myra’s comment sucked the life out of the conversation. Zadok’s attempt to revitalize it didn’t help.
“Hey Pa, did you ever kill anyone?” he asked, excited.
I grunted. “Hard not to.”
“I bet you killed a lot of people, huh? Tell me some of those stories.”
I forced a smile. “Maybe another time, Son. It’s getting late and you’ve had a long day. Why don’t you get some sleep?”
“Oh c’mon.”
“He’s right, Zadok. Go to bed. We won’t be far behind.”
“Fine.” He shot Myra a look, then climbed farther into the lean-to and lay down. Myra gave him the blanket to sleep with. Within seconds, a faint snore floated out to us.
“That was fast.”
“He was more tired than he let on. But he would have stayed up all night if you hadn’t said something.” Myra shook at a chill. I undid my cloak and held it out to her.
“I’m fine,” she said, trying to dismiss me.
“No, you’re not.”
“What about you?”
“My clothes are warmer than yours. Take it.”
She did, reluctantly wrapping herself in it. I smiled. “You know, you used to wear my cloak all the time when we’d sit on the porch in the evenings. I used to enjoy that time together.”
She cleared her throat. “I’m glad you didn’t answer Zadok’s question about killing. I know he’s been through a lot, but I still think he’s too young to be hearing that stuff.”
I frowned, both because of her refusal to admit the relationship we had in the past and because of where the conversation had turned. I threw a small stick into the fire. “I don’t know if you ever get old enough to hear about it. Definitely not to experience it.”
Myra cocked her head to the side. “The way you were going on