Warcry

Atira. “Perhaps for your lady?”
    “It’s been a while since we broke our fast.” Heath nodded, reaching into his pouch. “But I fear my lady knows only of gurt.”
    Kalisa frowned as she moved to cut two slices of yellow cheese, placing them between thin wafers. “Odd stuff, that Firelander cheese.”
    Heath leaned down and traded the coins for the food. “My thanks, Kalisa.”
    “The Sun God bless you, milord,” Kalisa called. “And the Queen as well!”
    Heath passed Atira her portion, and they headed off at a fast walk. Atira eyed the yellow substance carefully, then bit into it. The taste was strange on her tongue, but good. She ate as they moved down the street in the direction Kalisa had pointed out.
    Heath had almost finished his, cramming it into his mouth and wiping the crumbs off on his trous. He pointed down the street. “There, that’s Ismari and Dunstan’s shop.”
    Atira finished her cheese as they dismounted. Heath called out, and a young lad came running out, taking up the reins and tugging the horses around a corner. The door stayed open and Heath stepped in, holding it for Atira to enter.
    The inside was rather plain, with a wooden counter that ran the length of the opposite wall. The door behind it opened, and a girl with her black hair piled on top of her head popped through, her leather apron stained and burned.
    “Heath!” she said, her smile warm and bright.
    “We’re on an errand for the Queen, Ismari,” Heath started. “This is Atira of the Bear.”
    Ismari nodded. “We were wondering when she’d send for them,” she said. “Wait here.”
    She vanished behind the door, but it never got the chance to close before a lad stepped through, his own apron as burned and stained as the woman’s. The air around him was scented with heat and smoke and something tinged with metal. But Atira was focused on the naked blade in his hand.
    Atira reached for her sword, but Heath stilled her hand with his own. “This is Nathan, one of the journeymen. There is always a guard when Ismari displays her wares.”
    “If I’d known it was you, I’d have not bothered,” Nathan said with a grin. “But I’m just as glad of the break. Dunstan’s got a new idea for working a blade, and he’s got us sweatin’ over the anvil for hours now.”
    “Really?” Heath asked. “What did he come up with?”
    “Now you’re asking guild secrets,” Nathan teased as Ismari returned. The opened door let in heat and noise before swinging shut behind her.
    Ismari set a polished wooden box on the counter and opened it, turning it to display the contents. “What do you think?”
    Atira stepped closer and looked. Heath moved with her, his body pressed against hers.
    “Amazing,” Heath breathed over Atira’s shoulder, and she had to agree.
    There were two rings in the box—one slightly bigger than the other, each of the same design. Each ring showed two hands—one of gold, the other of silver, the fingers intertwined. It took a moment for Atira to realize that the gold hand was slightly larger than the silver. A man’s hand, then, the fingers intertwined with a woman’s, the tips of the thumbs just touching.
    Atira caught her breath. It was the gesture that she’d glimpsed between Lara and Keir, something that had significance to both of them. Something private and rare, and ever so precious. Something more than just a sharing of bodies.
    “Well?” Heath asked as he leaned in, his breath warm on her ear.

CHAPTER 25
     
    “WELL?” HEATH ASKED, TURNING HIS HEAD JUST enough to feel Atira’s hair brush on his face. “What do you think?”
    Her brown eyes glanced in his direction, and he drew in a breath at the softness in her eyes—a quiet, desperate longing. But it was gone in an instant, and she straightened and addressed Ismari. “They are lovely. Where did you find them?”
    Ismari gave her a startled look, then laughed as she picked up the box. “No finding the likes of these, warrior. I made them based on the Queen’s description.” She looked into the box with a satisfied look. “They need a bit of a polish, mind.”
    “You never think your work is perfect,” Heath chided her. “They are lovely just as they are.”
    A faint blush danced over Ismari’s pale face. “Come back into the shop,” she gestured them around the counter. “Dunstan is working a test blade, and midday is almost on us. Come eat with us, if you don’t mind the chaos.”
    “I used to come here when I