The Hunter's Mark Pt. 03

Sally cursed herself and her expressive face. But now that he had her pegged, she decided she may as well tell the truth. "Yeah, I do care. I want to know why he's leaving."

"So you can kiss him goodbye?"

"Shit on you, Mellman, that's more than I'll ever do for you." She didn't answer his question because he wasn't worth answering. And because she didn't know.

As she made her way down the hillside, feet rustling on the grass and gravel, she mulled over her feelings about him. She knew that she liked him. She liked that he always seemed glad to see her and that he listened to what she said. And she liked how easy it was to relax around him. It made no sense-- Jens was always wringing his fists and looking over his shoulder and fingering the hilt of his machete. He was the least calm, least relaxed person she knew. And yet, with him she felt no pressure, no expectation, because unlike other men, he didn't want anything from her. He was all the company with none of the obligation. And if he meant to leave and take that with him, then at least he owed her an explanation.

She found him at his lonely little hut, loading sacks and bags onto a pack horse. A frying pan dangled from a peg on the horse's side just below a bow, and a bundle of arrows stuck up from a quiver on the beast's other flank, raven-black fletching promising death.

Jens stepped out from behind the horse, a sizeable rucksack clinging to his back, and as he saw her, his face twitched with surprise.

"You're packing your things?" Sally looked at him, then at Eric and the map in his hand, then at their hut, which had been emptied completely. She wanted to look at that map and find out where they were going, but she didn't want to admit that she couldn't read. So she tried the direct approach. "You're packing all of your things! Why? What's going on?"

"We're..." he hesitated. "...leaving."

"He says it's not safe here," threw in Eric.

"Not safe?" Sally looked at Jens, waiting for him to add something. He didn't. "You've got that giant knife. You've got your reputation, too, everyone knows what happened to the last men who fought you. What are you afraid of?"

"I don't like the way Mellman looks at us."

Her fists clenched. "What did he do? I know the judge's daughter. We can talk to her, and he'll put him on trial!"

"It's not like that. He hasn't done anything yet. I just don't know what he's going to do." Now Jens was looking at the ground, trying to hide his eyes from hers.

Sally had seen him angry before, and she'd seen him ashamed, and neither looked like this. "Jens? What is it really? It can't just be him, there's no way."

He looked her in the eyes, and he looked old. He patted the horse, as if thinking of leaping on its back and galloping off. Then he spoke. "The day we left the village, we were on a hunt. My uncle was there. He was a terrible man..." He stopped. "No, he wasn't. But he had rages that made him terrible. He had another one that day. Just when we were about to get through it, someone made it worse. He challenged him to a duel."

She finished it for him. "And the other man won, didn't he?"

"I didn't wait to find out. I thought Uncle Stalhi didn't stand a chance, and I knew that after he was dead, I'd be next. And if I wasn't there, it'd be Eric."

"What? How?"

He looked at his horse and angrily tightened a strap. "Grudges are like fires. They get bigger."

"Why couldn't he just... refuse to fight? Your uncle, I mean."

"Same thing. It would be a challenge unanswered. It would fall on my father."

"Where's your father?"

"I tried to get him to come with."

"Gods, Jens, I'm sorry. You were forced, and that... I can't imagine what that's like." Some of her anger came back to her. "But why are you leaving now? All that happened at the bottom of the world! You don't have to run anymore, not here."

"All I know is, we're not safe." He sighed. "I was going to see you, to say goodbye. I wanted to do it last thing before we left. I thought you'd try to stop me."

"Stop you?" From nowhere, an idea struck her. It was a stupid idea, and she loved it. "Oh, Jens, I know there's no stopping you, I know you better than that. That's why I'm going to come with you!" Now that the words were out of her mouth, part of her was horrified. But she didn't want to take it back. She felt a thrill like nothing she'd felt since leaving the Isle of Song. She would leave behind the easy life she had, just like before. She would throw herself into the unknown, just like before. Only this time, she wouldn't do it just for herself. This time, she wouldn't do it alone.