Page 53 of Shadow Queen
The woman turned her eyes back to Norah. “I’m not from Kharav,” she said. “A life in Ashan would not be an easy one for us, with me as an outsider. It’s one of the reasons we live out here.”
“I’m an outsider too,” Norah told her. “But Ashan is beautiful. And I’ll see you’re taken care of.”
“With all due respect, you’re salara. Any other outsider in Kharav is a slave, and treated as such, even with a queen’s support.” She looked back at Hamed. “And we’re happy here.”
“What of the children?” Hamed asked his wife gently. “We can’t keep them here forever. Augustan and Misa would have wanted a life for them, more than we can give them.”
“They’d have challenges too,” she said. “With their names. And Cohen being deaf.”
Hamed shrugged. “The lord commander doesn’t have a Kharavian name.”
Marta scoffed. “He’s the lord commander!”
Soren wasn’t a Kharavian name? “Who are Augustan and Misa?” Norah asked instead.
Hamed smiled sadly. “Augustan was our son, and Misa, his wife.”
Marta’s eyes welled as she stared at her hands clasped on the table.
Norah felt a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It wasn’t my intention to bring back painful memories, or ask you to part with the children. Forgive me.”
“We’re extremely grateful for your kindness,” Hamed said, “and for the offer. It’s one”—he looked at Marta—“that we should most seriously consider.”
Norah smiled apologetically. “I don’t want to pressure you. Think about it. I’ll be happy with whatever you decide.”
Dinner was delicious, and Norah found herself accepting a second helping after Hamed offered. She looked around the table at the smiling eyes and the sound of laughter, and her heart was full. This little family felt like her own. She loved this place, and she loved these people.
After they ate, Calla and Cohen took hearty bowls of food outside to Soren and the soldiers. Norah smiled at Marta as she helped the woman clear the table.
“Could they visit us?” Marta asked suddenly. “If they went to Ashan.”
Norah put down the plate she had just picked up and took Marta’s hand. “Of course,” she breathed. “Regularly. I would come myself at times, if that’s all right.”
Slowly, the old woman nodded. “All right. They should go. They should go with you. And they should return when you visit.”
Norah smiled through her tears and hugged Marta.
The winter wind was cold, but Norah found warmth in the energy between Calla and Cohen as they excitedly journeyed back to Ashan. Calla’s face held a wide grin, pulling a smile from her brother. Norah loved Cohen’s smile. It was shy and sweet and full of heart. He wore his father’s sword across his back, and Norah couldn’t look at him for more than a moment without getting a little emotional. She wished their parents could see how beautiful their children had turned out to be.
She fell back, closer to Soren, and let Calla and Cohen ride ahead. The commander had been scowling at her all morning since finding out the siblings would be returning with them. Might as well get the argument over with.
His low voice cut through the beauty of the morning. “What are we going to do with children at the castle?”
She shrugged. “They’ll study, and train. I promised their grandparents.”
“You can’t be serious. A mute and a farm girl?”
“He’s not mute, he’s deaf,” Norah cut back. “And, yes, keen observation. Calla is a girl.”
“They don’t meet eligibility standards for the Kharavian army. Who will train them?”
She hadn’t thought of that, but she refused his scorn. “Titus,” she said. From the corner of her eye, she saw her Northman look at her.
Soren sighed through his teeth. “Surely they don’t meet Northern standards either.”
“We’re not in Mercia.”
Soren looked at Titus, who offered no support to Soren’s objection.
