The village girls lined the edge of the hayloft in Hesta’s family’s barn with their legs dangling in midair. They were looking down on the two boys wrestling below. The rest of the boys stood in a line on the lower level of the barn, hooting and hollering. The party had started as what passed for formal in the peasants’ end of the valley , which was a far cry from Lord and Lady Westfall’s standards. Everyone had dressed nicely for a sit-down dinner and dancing. That had all gone by the wayside when something had been said about someone’s mother and soon enough the whole party trooped out to the barn to watch the two boys in question settle the matter.

“You’ve got him!” Hesta, next to Kiri, leaped to her feet, toes dangerously close to the edge. She pumped her fist in the air. “Go! Go! Go!”

Hesta was right, down below, one of the boys (Hesta’s brother, whose mother had been insulted) had pinned the other to the dirty barn floor. The other boys chanted the count, and Hesta’s brother was the acknowledged victor. He pulled his opponent back to his feet and the two shook hands.

Screaming and cheering, Hesta completely lost her head. She nearly lost her balance, too, teetering on the edge of the hayloft. Kiri had been expecting it, and quickly caught and tugged Hesta’s skirt, throwing her weight backwards into the hayloft. They both collapsed back into the hay, Hesta falling onto Kiri’s injured leg.

“Oh! Thanks, Kiri!” Hesta said. “I almost fell!”

Kiri nodded mutely. She didn’t trust herself to speak in a steady voice. Her leg was screaming with pain. If she held very still, she felt sure it would soon subside. Hesta obliviously scampered off. Mala very soon took her place. She looked down at Kiri, clucking her tongue and shaking her head.

“Come on,” she pulled Kiri up and got her shoulder under Kiri’s arm.

“I should’ve let her fall,” Kiri said through gritted teeth.

Mala looked down at Hesta, who was flirting with some of the boys. “Nah. It would’ve ruined the party.”

Garon was waiting for them at the bottom of the loft ladder, looking like he wanted to help Kiri down the ladder, but there wasn’t anything to do that would actually help. The second Kiri’s feet touched the ground he took her arm and helped her hobble out of Mala’s way.

“Are you all right, Kiri?” he asked. “You look awful. You should’ve just let her fall.”

“That’s what I said!” Kiri agreed.

Everyone else was trooping out of the barn. Hesta was in the lead, looking thrilled with the attention.

“They’re going to see Hesta’s new foal,” Garon explained. He looked at Kiri’s foot doubtfully.

“I can’t walk all the way out into the field,” Kiri said.

“We’ll stay here with you,” Garon was quick to answer.

Mala looked unhappy. “I’ve seen foals before,” she said with a sigh. “Hesta said this one is white.”

“I could carry Kiri,” Garon offered.

Kiri was ready to refuse. She wasn’t sure about her decision yet, and letting Garon carry her sounded like the wrong kind of signal to send. But she saw Mala shifting from foot to foot, clearly itching to go see the horse, and she relented.

The unfortunate thing about riding on Garon’s back was that the place where he held onto her leg to keep her from slipping was very near her stab wound, and she couldn’t say anything about it. Eventually Garon noticed that she was flinching, and slowed his pace.

“Just hurry up,” she said. “We’re almost there.”

They joined the group gathered along the fence line. Hesta was standing on the other side of the fence, rubbing the nose of a very young white foal. Most of the group was sitting or leaning on one side or the other of the fence. Mala hopped right over it and went straight to Hesta and her new horse. Garon set Kiri down on a stump on the near side of the fence. He hopped up to sit on the top of the fence so he could see over the crowd.

“It is a really cute little horse. If you want, when everyone else gets bored of her, I’ll carry you over there.”

“Ok,” Kiri said. Her voice was tight with pain, and Garon noticed. He sent a sharp look at her over his shoulder.

“You should get some rest first, though.”

“Probably,” Kiri agreed.

Garon shrugged and went back to watching the foal. Kiri could see it when she leaned just right to look between people, and it was very cute indeed. Mala seemed to have produced a carrot from somewhere and was feeding it to the little foal’s mother. The other horses in the paddock, having been rebuffed by Hesta and Mala, were searching among the gathered people for similar treats. A large-eyed bay approached Garon, ducking his head inquisitively.

“Don’t move,” a low voice behind Kiri said urgently.

She froze, eyes flicking around, trying to find the danger without moving. An asp, which surely hadn’t been there when Garon set her down, was poised inches from her hand on the stump, its head raised a little from the wood, staring at her as intently as if she were a snake charmer. She heard a gasp from Garon, but didn’t dare look away from the snake. Then she heard his boots thud against the ground. The snake’s head whipped away from her to strike at Garon. Without a thought Kiri lunged forward and grabbed the slippery-looking body, to stop it reaching Garon.

It wasn’t slippery after all, but it was hard to hang onto. The snake writhed in her grasp, twisting around to try and bite her. She couldn't open her hand to shock it, even if she were willing to use her power in front of Garon. The only thing she could try was to grab it behind the head with her other hand to keep it from reaching her. The snake fought, its coils wrapping, pushing, twisting. Kiri hadn’t grabbed it close enough to its head to actually control it, and she knew she couldn’t keep this up. The snake was bound to bite her soon.

“What do I do?” she demanded, her voice high and panicked.

“Throw it,” said the low, serious voice that had first warned her.

Kiri obeyed, tossing the snake into the grass away from everyone else. It twisted in the air, but as soon as it hit the ground, it was gone, slithering into the cover of the tall blades.

Garon whistled. “That was close.”

“I know,” Kiri swiveled around to see who had warned her. She saw to her surprise that it was Flint, her next oldest sister Ani’s husband, and there was Ani right behind him. When did they get here?

Ani swooped in and hugged Kiri, who gripped her tightly. She felt the tension the snake had filled her with draining out.

“It’s so good to see you, Ani,” Kiri said as they pulled apart. “What are you two doing in town? I haven’t seen you since...”

Ani nodded sadly. She also didn’t name their mother’s funeral. “What are we doing besides saving your life?” she asked. “We needed some things from the store. Mathilda said you would probably be out here, so we thought we’d stop by. And Flint wanted to speak to Mat. I’m glad we came. Life is never boring with you, Kiri.”

Kiri thought of bandits, the lightning in her hand, and most lately, two suitors she couldn’t seem to choose between and gave her sister an apologetic shrug. “Too true.”

They stayed out at the field for well over an hour. No one wanted their foal-petting turn cut short. Luckily, it was a patient little animal, and its mother had plenty of treats to keep her interest. Ani and Kiri sat on the stump, after Flint made sure there were no more snakes, catching up on each other’s lives. They rarely saw each other anymore, so there was plenty to cover. Kiri was sad that most of what she wanted to talk about, she couldn’t. Of all her sisters, Ani was the one that she knew the best. The two had always shared a room until Ani moved away and many secrets had been revealed in the dark of the night. It felt almost as wrong as it did with Mala, not telling Ani about the Standing Stones, the bandits, and the Firebrand. Once Garon was out of earshot, talking with Flint, Kiri was at least able to talk about him; Ani listened politely to Kiri telling about Gilliam and Garon, and Mala’s charge that she must decide.

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“I don’t know, Kiri,” Ani said. “There isn’t a hurry. You haven’t made any promises. Until one of them has spoken you don’t have to decide. But you don’t want to be trapped in the wrong decision. And all this uncertainty, jealousy...it really does hurt.”

“How do I know which is the wrong decision?” Kiri said.

Ani laughed. “You tell me. I would tell you that you would know if you thought about it, but I don’t think that’s true. I think that it is possible to trick yourself, to lie to yourself. I didn’t let myself realize I was in love with Flint for a long time. He was so quiet, I just didn’t think about it. But then he was ill, and I realized it! I couldn’t live without him.” She leaned in close to Kiri’s ear. “I’m not supposed to tell yet, but we’re going to have a baby!”

Kiri smiled. “That’s great.” But she felt guilty, because Ani was sharing a secret with her, and she could not return the favor.

Flint and Garon were coming over to them. Kiri watched her sister’s face light up when Flint smiled at her and pulled her up into an embrace.

“Hop on,” Garon said, kneeling in front of Kiri. “We’re heading back.”

Ani raised her eyebrows.

“I twisted my foot,” Kiri explained as she clambered onto Garon’s back. “Falling down the stairs.”

Ani rolled her eyes. “Of course you did. You just can’t stay out of trouble, can you, little sister?”

~

They trailed behind the others getting back to the house, because as much as Garon protested that Kiri wasn’t heavy, carrying her slowed him down considerably. To Kiri’s surprise, she saw Gilliam sitting on the steps by the back door of Hesta’s house, chatting amiably with Hesta and her best friend Rinda. Kiri was suddenly very uncomfortable with her position on Garon’s back.

“This is far enough,” she said. “I can walk.”

“The steps aren’t far...” Garon looked in that direction and noticed Gilliam. “Oh.”

Gilliam, noticing their eyes on him, hopped to his feet and trotted over to them. He was smiling. “I thought I had missed the party!”

“Still going,” Ani said. “But you missed the adventure.”

“Ah! That always happens to me,” Gilliam said. He bowed. “I am Gilliam, and you are...?”

“This is my sister Ani, Gilliam,” Kiri said. Garon finally set her down, keeping a hand on her arm to steady her. “And her husband Flint.”

“Lovely to meet you, Gilliam,” Ani said. “Kiri told me all about you. You are quite charming.” She shot a meaningful look at Kiri as Gilliam bowed again, charmingly denying his charm.

“But Kiri is still injured,” Gilliam said. “Let us all sit.” He looked a little too long at Garon’s hand helping support Kiri as though he was contemplating how to remove it. Instead, he led the way to the steps. Hesta and her friend had gone to join a group of people by the tree swing, so there was plenty of room.

For a while Gilliam did most of the talking. Ani and Flint both seemed very interested in his tales of the capital, and Mala, joining them on the steps, asked question after question about all the nobles he had known.

“They all love to brag, though they are sometimes more subtle than others,” he said. “Lord Useph’s son, for instance, told me that his father is richer than the king.”

“Did he really say that?” Ani sounded scandalized.

“Actually, he did,” Gilliam said. “Who knows, it could be true. The crown has been in debt to the desert lords before, in times of war. There are mines in the desert as well, nearly every desert lord has at least one. That’s part of why it is said the Thief Lord must be from the desert. It takes money to have his level of power.”

“Richer than the king, though,” Mala said. “That’s amazing, and hard to believe.”

“It could be,” Gilliam said. “That Lord Useph is here as an agent of the Thief Lord as well as a loyal servant to the king.”

“Why would the Thief Lord send an agent here?” Garon asked.

“For the same reason as the King did,” Gilliam said. “The Thief Lord wouldn’t like the crime wave we’ve been having. His organization wouldn’t have sanctioned such a mess. And he would want to get rid of the Firebrand.”

Garon harrumphed. “It doesn’t sound likely to me,” he said. “There’s not enough money in Westfall Valley for the Thief Lord to care about it. He never has before.”

Kiri had to concentrate to keep her expression neutral and not give away her suddenly racing heart. She hoped Garon was right. The alternative was terrifying. To not only be pursued by the bandits who had killed her mother, but the Thief Lord as well was more than she was ready for. Everyone knew he was a man that even the king feared.

“Do you think the Thief Lord will bring the bandits under control?” Ani’s voice was low and intense.

“It won’t change the past, Ani,” Flint said softly, and his eyes flicked to Kiri.

Gilliam glanced at Kiri, too. She tried not to show any reaction, to show how her heart rate had quickened even more, how she could almost see the faces of the bandits surrounding her. They all noticed anyway, and for a few moments were awkwardly silent. Everyone but Ani was staring at the ground. She was watching her sister and chewing on her lip.

“Um, I meant to tell you, Kiri,” she said in a falsely bright voice. “There was a new merchant by the shop this week who wanted to meet you. He regretted that you had moved.”

“Why would anyone want to meet me?” Kiri asked.

“Well...” Ani said. “That’s why I didn’t bring it up earlier. He lost his parents to bandits. He had heard about...things and came down from his boat, thinking you might have a lot in common.”

“Oh,” Kiri said. “Odd that he missed me then, since I live so close to the docks now.”

“Maybe you’ll run into each other at the inn, then,” Ani said.

“I’ll keep an eye out for him,” Kiri said. “What was his name?”

“I’m embarrassed to say, I don’t remember for sure,” Ani said. She turned to Flint, “Bill, was it?”

Flint shook his head. “Not Bill. His name was Neal.”

~

Neal leaned against the bar, slowly turning his glass. “So you see, the story of this young maiden moved me,” he said. “I thought my experience might help her. Even that we might find a connection.”

The barmaid, whose gray-streaked hair put a question to the term “maid”, snorted. “Connection, is it?” she said skeptically. “Well, you can get in line with the others who want a connection to that girl. And you’ll have to come back later. She’s out. Probably at Lord Westfall’s. She works there with the scribe the lord hired for this tax season. He’s one of the ones you’ll have to line up behind.”

“I see,” Neal said. “I’m sorry I missed her. Especially now that I hear she is intelligent and well-connected.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a sealed envelope. “Could you give this to her with my regrets?”

Karey took the envelope skeptically. “If you like,” she said. “But boy, I warn you, you’re wasting your time. This ship has already sailed.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Neal said, setting his glass down with a tight smile. He slapped both palms on the counter and stood. “Fine whiskey,” he said. “Don’t forget, Miss Karey.”

Karey watched him out the door. Neal tried to be as disarming and charming as he could when he waved and nodded to her at the threshold. This Firebrand was proving to be hard to track down, and he hated to depend on a bored barmaid not to open a message meant for her far more interesting roommate. But Markus expected him back soon, and he had to have something to show for his efforts.

~

Kiri closed the bedroom door and leaned against it. It had been exhausting getting home. Garon and Gilliam each kept trying to get the other to go home and leave Kiri to his own care. They both made it all the way to the inn door, still trying to come up with excuses why the other man should hurry home. Kiri did not invite them in. She knew she wasn’t handling her suitors’ rivalry well. She was still having difficulty accepting that she had suitors at all.

The slow-building, flickering light of a just-lit candle illuminated the door. Kiri turned around.

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t,” said Karey. “I was hoping you would get in before I fell asleep.”

Kiri was surprised. “Did you want to talk to me about something?”

“I have a note for you actually,” Karey said. “A young man stopped by looking for you. A merchant, I think. I told him you were at Lord Westfall’s.”

“Actually, I was at a party,” Kiri said as she went to sit on her bed to change out of her clothes.

“You aren’t surprised, are you?” Karey said. “The men are always falling all over themselves over you, aren’t they?”

“They didn’t used to,” Kiri said. “No. I wasn’t surprised because my sister mentioned there was a merchant looking for me at the shop.”

“Oh, business then,” Karey said, handing over the letter. “I got the impression he was doing a different kind of shopping.”

“I think you had it right,” Kiri said. “I’ve never met him, though. Was his name Neal?”

“That’s him,” Karey said. “Not bad-looking, either. Wealthy enough, I’ll bet, too. Maybe you should widen the pool for this one.”

Kiri was only half listening as she opened the letter. It was short and to the point.

I’m sorry to have missed you again.

We didn’t have a chance to talk at the Standing Stones.

See you soon.

The Untouchable

Kiri snapped the letter shut and shoved it in the drawer of her bedside table.

“Needs to work on his love-letter skills, eh?” Karey said. “Maybe you should just stick to the others. Why let a late-comer into the party, anyway?”

“Yeah,” Kiri said. When she finally fell asleep that night she dreamed that all of the bandits from the Standing Stones were bringing her gifts and tokens, but everytime she opened one a snake would emerge and strike at her. She fended them away again and again with sparks from her hand, but everytime she did they slithered towards Garon or Gilliam who disappeared when she ran towards them, and another bandit, bearing another gift, appeared suddenly in her way.