In The Beginning by Gail Daley (top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT) 📕

"She belongs to me," Andre told him. "Anyone who bothers her is going to answer to me, understand?"

"Sure," Jokan agreed hastily. "No problem. I didn't know she was taken. I saw a prettier girl over in the wagons anyway. One skirt's as good as another."

"Rebecca's sisters, and the wives and daughters of any man who works for us are off limits, Jo. You be sure to tell the others. I'd hate to kill one of them over a misunderstanding."

"Sure," Jokan said. He went over to one of the full tubs and opened his war bag to dump in some clothes, whistling as he started his laundry.

Andre watched him for a few minutes, before he went out the door Rebecca had used. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her waiting for him, a small fireball rolling in her palm.

He caught her wrist, looking down at her hand. She closed her fist and the ball of flame disappeared. Curiously Andre rubbed a finger over her palm. It was cool to the touch.

"Didn't I tell you to go back to the wagons?" he said.

"I know," she replied, "but he isn't here alone. I saw a whole troop ride in earlier."

He looked at her, a small, delighted smile playing around his lips. "And you were going to use that to help me?"

She nodded, ducking her head and looking at him sideways, not sure how he would react to this display of Magi talent.

Andre brought her palm to his mouth and pressed a kiss into it. "I wasn't in any danger, Darling."

"Well, I realize that now," she admitted. "I stayed because I knew he would have challenged Grandpa or Owen and I supposed it would be the same with you. Why didn't he?"

"He knew better," Andre told her dryly. "He and I worked together a couple of times. Jokan Locklear never saw the day he could beat me in a fight."

He tucked her hand under his arm and started back toward the wagons.

"He called you by another name," Rebecca said. "Hammer something."

"I used the name Hammer Smith when I fought as a Merc," Andre said, watching her expression to see if his past occupation offended her.

Rebecca nodded. If he was remembering, he might decide he wasn't engaged after all. Tentatively, she asked, "Is your memory coming back?"

Andre hesitated. "Like I said earlier, I remember being in the Mercs, and I remember a fight in a town, but anything afterwards is only bits and pieces. What I do regret is not remembering much about you before I woke up in the wagon with a headache."

"Oh. Is he a friend?" she asked.

"No, we just worked together, that's all."

"I'm glad. I didn't like him," she admitted. "A friend of yours is always going to be welcome to me, but I'm glad he isn't a friend. He frightened Selene."

He nodded soberly. "I saw that. I passed the word to leave you girls alone, but it will be better if you stick close to our wagons until they leave."

"Anja and I both left clothes there on the drying lines," she told him. "We will need to go back and get them this afternoon when they are dry."

"I'll go with you," he promised.

"Was your hunt successful?" she asked.

He grinned. "Got two buck pronghorns. Owen did okay with his crossbow. We can spend a couple of days curing the hides and smoking the meat. I had to hang them pretty high; your cats kept trying to drag the meat down," he said with a laugh.

Rebecca grinned at him, "Well, a cat is a cat. I can put up a ward to keep them from reaching it."

They had parked their wagons far enough from the station house and any other Travelers to give them some privacy. Trade Stations were neutral territory, but they were hotbeds of gossip as well. Lewys never wanted to camp close to other Travelers. He didn't want a casual observer to be able to listen in on their conversations. Anyone could stop at the Stations and be sure of not being bothered if they behaved properly. The Station Master had the right to summon the Sheriff of nearby towns if trouble occurred, but it was a rare occasion when it was necessary anymore. When the Stations had first been established, the Shahen had also stationed soldiers at them to enforce order.

The women spent the afternoon cutting the meat into strips. When Rebecca gave Anja a quarter of the meat, the woman teared up. "Thank you," she whispered.

Andre showed Owen how to build a smoking rack while Rebecca and Catrin cut the meat into thin strips for smoking. Although it would take several days to finish curing, by evening the smoked meat was beginning to give off an appetizing odor. Selene had been given the task of keeping the kittens from burning their paws when they tried to get close enough to steal a strip of the meat, so Rebecca showed her how to set a ward around the rack. It was a low grade ward, not noticeable to the casual observer.

The women were starting to prepare dinner when a man on an old zebra unicorn rode up to their wagons, stopping a little way from entering the camp. "May I come to the fire?" he called.

"Come in," Lewys said easily. Tobias noted with approval that Andre and Owen both moved into the shadows to cover the camp and he did the same.

The man on the zebra unicorn was young, but he showed signs of hardship. His clothes were worn and the unicorn looked gaunt.

"Dracon Mabinogion?" he asked hesitantly.

When Lewys nodded, he said, "I am Sorson Lorkeet. I was told you might be wanting some goats to restore the herds at Ironlyn?"

"Perhaps. Do you have goats?"

Lorkeet took a deep breath. "Yes. My family has kept goat herds for many generations, but we recently lost our holding and are looking for a new patron."

Andre and Owen came