A Promise of Iron by Brandon McCoy (best free ebook reader TXT) 📗

the sun and marked its position against the mountains. By my estimates, he got us here in well under an hour. Perhaps covering twice the distance of an average horse was worth twice the price.

As I approached the gatehouse, I waved to Penir, the house captain. He waved, and the large wooden gate creaked open to reveal the rest of the estate.

“Is he in?” I asked.

“The master is out, not sure about the young lord, though, best check with Kerry,” Penir replied. “That’s a fine stallion you got there; where did you get him?”

“No time, Penir, sorry,” I said, urging Steven back into a trot.

He nodded and gave me a parting wave. We traveled the dirt carriage road for several hundred feet before coming upon the inner wall. Just as with Lira’s home, it was built more to distinguish boundaries than to repel any invaders.

As I approached the gate, I saw a familiar face with eyes of blue and copper. The boy was running about the flowers hopping from one patch to the next like a toad. He looked up as I neared and began waving enthusiastically.

“Hi, Faerin!” the boy shouted. “Want to help me catch bees for Ama?”

“I can’t today, sorry, Jaeron,” I said, tussling his hair. He frowned, then did his best to hide the frown.

“Ama says no rain clouds today,” he whispered as if telling a secret.

I leaned in conspiratorially. “Next time. I know where the queen lives.”

His eyes lit excitedly. “How many days?” He held up his hand with all five fingers stretch out.

I folded two down. “Three seems about right,” I said, tussling his hair once more. “You seen Crylwin around?”

He shook his head. “Wait, I saw him this morning. Not since after lunch, though. Ama said if I ate all my lunch, I would get a sweet.”

“But only if you catch her some bees, right?”

He nodded.

I knew that game very well. “Well, you’d better get back to it then, they won’t catch themselves.”

He smiled and skipped off to another patch of flowers.

I continued my climb up the hill and came upon a woman perched on a wooden stool. She was busy knitting in the shade of the gate that led inside to the manner house. She was weathered in hands and face, but her copper eyes were sharp and full of knowing. I gave her a wave as I approached. She gave me a warm smile, the kind that seems to grow like crops around kind old amas

“Is that Faerin I see up there?” she asked with a shaky voice, her eyes not parting from her knitting. “I can barely recognize you; it’s been so long.”

“Hello, Ama Kerry,” I replied. “Is Crylwin in? I need to talk with him.”

“Are you going to get off that great beast of a horse and give an old lady a kiss?”

“Sorry, Ama.” I sighed. I pulled my leg free of the stirrups and swung down from the saddle. “I’m in a hurry, is all.”

“Too busy to say hello to his ama?” She chuckled. She stood from her stool and wrapped her arms around me tightly. “You get taller every time I see you. Are you eating well? Want me to send you home with some supper? I think I have some sausages that should keep nicely if that Cole ever spent more than a copper to outfit you boys with a proper cold box.”

“Jaeron!” she shouted. “Run inside and get Faerin some of those sausages and wrap up some hard cheese for him too.”

“No,” I protested but stopped when I saw him bolt off towards the house.

Kerry patted me on the back. “Sometimes, I just need to find something for that one to do.”

“Oh, I remember,” I said. “I think I might have been stung thirty times in one cycle.”

She patted my arm. “But not the next cycle, right?”

I shook my head and smiled.

She turned to me and gave me the kind of quick once over that Amas are famed for. She paused when she saw my feet. “You know you really shouldn’t be riding a horse in bathing sandals.”

“So I’ve been told.” I chuckled. “About Crylwin, is he in? I really do need to talk to him.”

“I am afraid you missed him by a few hours,” she said. Her face crinkled. “He came in early this morning looking like the bottom of a grave, then headed right back out an hour or so later. He was in a rush too. All my good looking boys are in a rush these days.” She gave my arm a playful squeeze. “Now, where did he say he was off to?”

She placed a long wrinkled finger on her chin. “Well, he said he was going to talk with that Decia of his, he made a real mess of things last night, you know. Oh, that reminds me.” She turned around and patted her clothing. “I know it is here somewhere. I just saw the darned thing. Ah, here it is.”

She pulled her fingers out of one of the many sewn on pockets that lined the front of her dress. A ray of sunlight caught on an item in her hand. I looked closer and saw a single copper ring held in outstretched fingers. She took my right hand in her own and pressed the ring into my palm. I looked down at it. It was clean and polished but worn just like the hands that once wore it. I ran my thumb around the band and felt the faded remains of an etching that might have once been intricate scrollwork.

“I found this the other day when I was cleaning out Ellon’s old things. He must have tucked it away all those years ago; gods rest him. It was his ama’s if I remember correctly.” She smiled fondly. “They say that once the copper turns green, you better give silver or expect the ring back. My Ellon waited a full year before he had a proper engagement ring on my finger.” Her