Straight to Lahn.
Oh shit.
The warrior slowed us to a walk, got close to Lahn and then he plucked me off the warrior’s horse and planted me in front of him.
And before I settled, his arm got tight around me, my ass slid into his groin and he looked to the side and said something.
I looked where he was looking and saw Diandra next to us, the warrior gone, Zephyr riderless going with him.
Yep. Oh shit it was.
“He wishes for me to translate for you both, Dahksahna Circe,”
Diandra told me.
Great. Just great.
Oh well, again, I had no choice.
“Okay, Diandra,” I said softly and aimed my eyes forward.
Lahn spoke and thus commenced our conversation with Diandra interpreting.
“You ride with me until we make camp,” Lahn ordered.
There it was. We were making camp.
Damn.
“Okey dokey,” I replied flippantly (Diandra didn’t translate that and it got me a squeeze from Lahn’s arm when I said it probably because I said it flippantly).
Lahn spoke. “While we ride, I wish to learn about your mother.”
All flippant disappeared, my back went straight and my eyes went to Diandra. She tipped her head to the side in an “I’m sorry” gesture and I turned to face forward again.
Lahn’s arm gave me another squeeze and he growled, “Circe.”
I gave in because I didn’t have any other choice.
“Okay, what do you want to know?” I asked.
“She was killed,” he stated but I shook my head.
“No, she wasn’t killed. You can be killed in an accident. She wasn’t in an accident. She was murdered.”
“By whom?”
“A robber, a thief. She walked in on him while he was in the middle of stealing; he turned his weapon on her and murdered her.”
“Was this during war?” he asked.
“No war, no one else died that day, he was a petty thief. It was just an average day, bad luck, Mom being in the wrong place at the way wrong time and then she was gone.”
Lahn was silent for long moments. Then, “You had feelings for her.”
“She was my mother,” I replied.
“You had feelings for her,” he repeated.
Yeah. Shit yeah. I had feelings for her.
I sucked in breath then said softly, “I loved her more than anything on this earth, except my Pop. She was a good Mom. No, a great one. She died a pointless death at the hands of a stupid, reckless man and I’ve lived with that knowledge my whole life… or the length of it I led when I didn’t have her.”
Again he was silent for awhile. Then, “And who took your father’s life?”
I closed my eyes.
“A dream,” I whispered.
“What?”
I pulled in breath and opened my eyes.
“He died in his sleep,” I lied a lie that cut me to the quick. “I don’t know how.”
“He commanded men?”
I smiled a sad smile. “Yeah, he commanded men.”
