Tarashana by Rachel Neumeier (little red riding hood ebook TXT) 📕

him up, and put him somewhere safe. I don’t think he’ll try to kill himself now—will you try to kill yourself, Kerren?” Aras studied him again and then turned back to Geras. “He won’t. At least not right now: he’s too tired and he realizes there’s no point. Put him somewhere he can rest and see that he’s left alone. Give him something to eat. He may not want it now, but he will later.”

Geras nodded. “Yes, my lord.” He beckoned to some of the soldiers, and they pulled the young man to his feet, steadying him so he did not fall. They took him out.

Aras said, “If everyone would step out, please,” to everyone else, but he beckoned for me to stay and also made a sign to Esau to remain. No one argued. When they were gone, Aras said to Esau, “The girl’s bearing. The child is due in the fall.”

“Ah,” said Esau.

“But he did not marry this young woman?” I asked. “She is not his wife?”

“No, and ordinarily that would be seriously irresponsible, as a girl in her situation may well wind up in a one-candle house, or at best she might find a place as a low servant, or perhaps as a talon wife with a military company. Ordinarily, especially if he’s the acknowledged father and not married to anyone else, the women’s court could sue for him to marry her and regularize the child, and impose a stigma if he refused. In this case, of course, it’s far better that no marriage took place. That puts the girl out of the way of the decree. The problem is the unborn child.” He tapped his fingers restlessly on the table, then glanced at me, seeing that I was still puzzled. “The child falls under the decree regardless, unless a court rules it isn’t his. If the girl has the sense to claim otherwise, the women’s court would probably rule that there’s enough uncertainty to justify sparing the child, but the lord’s court in Pitasosa might rule either way. I hate to risk it. Requiring this girl to carry and bear a child only to have it put to death once it’s born ... I would very much like to avoid that.” He paused again. “I gather the Ugaro customs regarding marriage and parentage are quite different. What confuses you?”

Everything about his explanation seemed strange to me. Among Ugaro, if a young unmarried woman comes to know she is carrying, she will certainly marry at once, so that any child she bears will be her husband’s child. There is no need to ask anyone to rule on the matter. But I said, “It is not important. I understand that this child may fall under the decree. I understand you would prefer this did not happen.”

“That’s certainly the heart of the matter, yes. As only the gods can know for certain whether the child is his, I’d rather believe it isn’t. I’d prefer not to wait to see whether a magistrate might decide otherwise.” He turned to Esau. “The young woman’s name is Keraunani. She lives in Pitasosa. I want you to get there before anyone official arrives to arrest the Rahavet family and whomever else falls under the decree. Get that girl out of the Rahavet house if she’s there. Bribe someone to write parentage lines for the child into the register—the girl should be able to suggest some plausible name—”

“You can’t trust neighbors not to gossip,” Esau said without emphasis. “Too likely someone’d say the wrong thing to the wrong person. Plus I wouldn’t trust a man I didn’t know. Doesn’t matter how much I paid him, there’d be too much chance he’d discard the girl once I wasn’t there looking over his shoulder. Drop her and the baby both in some one-candle house, maybe. No, the thing to do is get someone trustworthy to marry her real quick and get her out of Pitasosa and someplace safe. I can do it, if you want, my lord. Won’t make any difference to me, and I’ll do as well by her as anybody’s likely to. I can have an adjudicator write in my name, then get her away before anyone has a chance to say a word about it.”

Aras pressed his hands across his eyes. He stayed like that for a moment. Then he took a long breath, nodded, and looked up. “You’re quite right. That’s a better solution, if you’re willing. I’d have to promote you to troop leader.”

Esau shrugged. He had been promoted before, then stripped of that rank again as punishment for one fault or another. That had happened more than once. Everyone knew it. He said now, “If you’re willing to put a promotion through, I’ll take it, my lord. Once the adjudicator writes the lines in, won’t matter if you drop me down again later, she’ll still be my wife. I’ll take her, get her clear of this mess. You won’t want her here. I’ll take her to Gaur, set her up there, then come back when she’s settled. If that’s all right with you, my lord.”

Aras nodded again. “Very well. Yes. This will do. If you’re willing, I’m grateful. Have I missed anything else, Troop Leader Esau?”

Esau shrugged. “There’s always some problem or other. Whatever comes up, I’ll take care of it.”

“Very well. Good. That will do, then, I expect. You’ll need coin. A horse—two horses. Whatever else you think you’ll need, requisition.” He wrote out a promissory note and handed it to Esau.

“Right. Yes, my lord.” Esau took the note, saluted Aras, gave me a small nod, said, “See you, Ryo,” and went out without any further comment.

I waited for him to go. Then I said, “My lord, I do not want to change your mind. If this solution will let Esau step between this young woman and that law, this seems good to me.