out, you know.” He shakes his head. “Why would Lief turn down the farm for this?”
I stare at him. “What? What are you talking about?”
“The farm, we all… Wait. You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what? Tell me,” I insist when he shakes his head.
He swallows, unable to meet my eye. “Ulrik told Lief we’d help; half the town was ready to pitch in to save the farm. We’d buy it, then he could pay us back.” He looks at me with pity. “Your father was respected, loved even. We wouldn’t have let anything bad happen to one of our own, but Lief refused us, said you didn’t need charity and that he’d found work, and a new home for you all. Then you were gone, and no one knew where to.”
“I—” I can feel my mouth is hanging open as I turn alternately hot and cold. “He wouldn’t… He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t take us from our home to come here.”
“We thought you’d all chosen it. A fresh start, away from bad memories.”
“I didn’t know any of this.” The buzzing returns and I have to shake my head to clear it. We had a choice and Lief chose this? “I didn’t know at all. I thought… I thought no one cared.”
“You thought Lirys – or I – didn’t care?” The hurt in his tone is plain and it shames me. “What about Master Pendie? What about the Dapplewoods? Ulrik? How could you think that?”
I shake my head, unable to speak. Why would Lief do that? Why drag us halfway across the country to live in Almwyk when we could have stayed at the farm? He loved the farm, he took the loss harder than even Mama, so why choose to leave it? What about “family first”? If we’d stayed there, Mama would be… He would be…
“Errin, I know how much you loved Lief. We all did.” Kirin’s words break into my thoughts and I look at him. He opens his mouth to speak again, but then stops abruptly, looking over my shoulder.
Two soldiers are jogging to us. Both stop and raise their hands in salute before one gasps, staring at Kirin’s bound calf.
“Are you hurt?” he asks Kirin.
“I’m fine, Kel.”
The soldiers look at me with undisguised curiosity.
“You’re lucky to be alive, miss,” the soldier, Kel, tells me. “When we saw you come running towards us we thought you were a ghost at first. What were you doing in the woods?”
“She’s a camp follower,” Kirin says swiftly, and the two soldiers exchange a knowing glance. “With the healers, she was collecting willow bark for her stores. I’ve already questioned her and extracted her word that she’ll not stray there again,” he adds tartly. “So what happened?”
“We saw them off. Killed three of theirs, but they killed two of ours, and wounded two more. Three more.” Kel nods respectfully. “We didn’t know what had happened to you, but Cam said he saw you go down.”
“I’m fine. Cam, send word to bring the bodies of our men back to the camp for burning. Leave the enemy as a warning to others. Kel, wait over there for me. I’ll need aid getting back.”
I look up at Kirin in surprise at the power in his voice. The two soldiers salute and turn away, throwing me a coy glance before they do. I wait until they’re well out of earshot before I speak.
“They listen to you.”
He clears his throat and refuses to meet my eye. “I’m a second lieutenant.”
“Congratulations,” I say, and he snorts. “Are there camp followers?” I think of the women who follow after the armies in stories. They’re not usually healers. Not in a traditional sense, anyway.
“We have a few.” He ducks his head.
“Oh.” My skin heats at the implication, and then I feel foolish for behaving like a child. I live in Almwyk, for Oak’s sake. “Well, I suppose it must be a comfort…”
He glares at me. “I’m betrothed, thank you,” he says shortly, and then swallows so violently it’s audible.
“What?” I say. “Really? So the harvest dance…?”
When a shy smile curves his cheeks, I move without thinking and launch myself at him, flinging my arms around his neck, remembering too late that he’s injured. He overbalances and moans, gripping my cloak to keep himself upright, panting slightly with the pain, his face greying once more. When I pull away I see Kel studiously ignoring us.
“Kirin, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, are you all right?” He tries to scowl but can’t