father’s body,” Guthlaf’s voice scattered Urith’s memories.
The giant warrior nodded as he looked upon the white fur covered
body in the wagon. Guthlaf got on his mount, looking at his friend
before he turned the animal to begin his short journey to Gramcan.
He waved to Urith as he galloped past them ,
leaving the dust swirling with the wind.
Earmis joined Urith, taking his massive arm and drawing it around her own shoulders. As
she walked him to his mount, he noticed she wore a long, formal
tunic of fine wool, bearing the green and red colors of the
Esterblud. While not of their clan, Earmis remained conscious of
the nobility of her new position with her husband. “You will get
your ossane and proudly lead your father to the temple of Exyts . There is no better place for the great
one to be sent to the gods.” She patted his arm. “I’ll drive the
wagon.”
Urith nodded, filled with a sudden melancholy. He
took Earmis in his arms and kissed her, ignoring the pain from his
wound. The wound was still quite sensitive, and he had not slept for much of the night because of it. “You are a noble woman and even better wife to me. How
did I get so lucky?”
Her eyes grew wide with feigned amazement, “Because
your father arranged it, of course. Or don’t you remember?”
“ That’s not the way I recall it,”
he told her playfully, trying to avoid accidentally spitting on her
from his still swollen lips. “You seemed to be following me around
everywhere I went.”
His wife took his arm off her shoulders, giving him
the pouting look he adored. “That’s only because I needed the shade from the sun, you big oaf. Now, get to
your mount.” She pushed him away, smiling when he stopped her and
kissed her again. He rubbed her belly lightly before he went to the
ossane.
Pulling himself onto the mount, he waited for her to
settle herself on the hard seat of the cart. He watched her as she
cracked a small whip near the erba’s rump,
causing the large shaggy beast to move forward. He smiled to
himself as he thought about how well his wife would help him when
they returned back to his village. Her noble bearing and quick wit
established her as one of the favorites among the elders of the
clan. It also pleased him she knew how to guide him through life.
Urith steered his mount beside the cart and reached over to give
his only love a tiny flower he found that morning. She smiled at
him as they began their travel.
Just outside of Gramcan, Urith and Earmis found the
road blocked by several large erbas . Unable to
go around the animals due to the steep drop into a ravine on one
side, the cart slowly pushed through the herd.
T hen they saw the smoke. Further up the road, on an
embankment, they could see a farmer desperately trying to
extinguish a small brush fire. The man was beating the flames using
his own brown robe. Fortunately, so far, the wind remained calm,
helping him to keep the fire from spreading in the brown brush.
“ We need to help him. The brush in
this area is too dry, and that could soon
spread to the city if the wind changes.” His wife told the
warrior.
Urith nodded his head. “I’ll help him, but you stay
here. I don’t want you around those flames if the wind suddenly
whips up.” He could tell by her face; she
wanted to help, but she agreed. She said to be careful as he slowly moved his
ossane through the shaggy beasts the farmers raised for food and
transportation. Since he knew the animals were easily spooked
around any fire, Urith remained calm, speaking soothing words as he
moved through the herd.
Fighting his skittish ossane, the warrior jumped
down, unhooking a blanket from behind the saddle. The Esterblud ran
several paces to join the man working feverishly to knock down the
flames. However, when they finished, one area,
another set of flames flashed up between them and the herd of
erbas. The beasts within the herd began snorting and nervously
pawing at the ground. As the two men moved