Rolf retrieved the arrow and handed it back to me.
I took it from him, deciding that now would be a good time to get some inside information on Ket. He seemed to be in the know about Wult gossip, so I decided to pick his brain a little.
“Rolf,” I tried to ask casually as I lined up the arrow, “what do you know of Lady Kethildr?”
“Ket?” he asked. “Of the Northland tribe?”
“Yes, that’s her.”
He straightened the dummy’s head once again. “Well,” he started, “I know she’s favored by her people and has a reputation as one of their best warriors. Also, her mother, Lady Æsa, is an admired warrior.”
“I’ve heard of her. The king courted her once, I believe.”
“Yes, I don’t know for certain, but that’s quite possible.”
“What else do you know about Ket?”
“She spent some time in Danegeld for her tutoring when she was younger.” He cleared his throat, and his eyes darted from mine. He knew something that he didn’t want to tell me.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“No, that’s as much as I know.”
“I see.” I released the arrow. It flew a few feet and then skittered across the floor.
Rolf fetched it for me. “You’re getting better already,” he said with a smile.
“Yeah,” I answered, “at this rate, I’ll be slaughtering ants like nobody’s business.”
He laughed. “True. But you never know—there may be some very dangerous ants on the outer isles.”
I took the arrow from him. “Rolf, when I asked about Ket, I didn’t really want to know about her professional life, I sort of wanted to know what she’s like informally. You know, what people say about her, that sort of thing.”
“Oh,” he answered, as if that hadn’t occurred to him. “Yes, well…” He cleared his throat. “She’s umm… you know, this is kind of awkward for me, Olive.”
“Awkward why?”
He hesitated. “Menfolk talk, you know, but it’s supposed to be between the men.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think I can handle it.”
“Well,” he hesitated. “All right, but you didn’t hear this from me.”
“Fine.”
“And it’s all just gossip anyway.”
“I know.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And you can’t tell Kull—”
“I got it,” I interrupted him.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
He sighed. “All right. The truth is, Kull and Ket kind of had a thing when they were younger.”
“A thing?”
“Yes. They trained together all the time. They were inseparable. We caught them in front of the library’s fireplace once. He was supposed to be tutoring her. But, you know… he was—just not in ancient languages.”
“The library in the Northland’s keep?”
“No, in Danegeld. In Kull’s library.”
I cringed. They were by the fireplace? By my fireplace?
“Olive, you really can’t tell Kull that I told you. He’d kill me.”
“I promised, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but your word doesn’t mean much. I know Earthlanders don’t take promises seriously, and it’s not your fault, but… That came out wrong… sorry.” He paused and started again. “What I meant was—”
“No, it’s okay. I’m not Wult. I get it. Besides, they were both young, and I’m sure it wasn’t a serious relationship. I doubt Kull would be upset that you told me.”
He eyed me. “You’re sure?”
I nodded.
“Okay, if you say so. But… aren’t you upset?”
“Why would I be upset?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe you’d be jealous. Ket is a better warrior and all. She’s fairer to look at and more of his type—” He stopped mid-sentence. His face fell. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What I mean is—I do think you’re a very good warrior. I’m sure Kull knows what he’s doing. It’s just that Kull was so attached to Ket. I know he was crushed when they split up so he could get engaged to the elven princess. But now that the engagement’s off, I’m not sure why he didn’t take her back.”
Wow, Rolf. Super tactful today, aren’t we?
“I’m sure he had his reasons,” I said. “Like, maybe he was more interested in someone else.”
“Oh yes,” he agreed too quickly. “I’m sure that’s why.”
The inevitable awkward silence ensued. I pretended to be interested in my bow and arrow as I lined them up. Eyeing the target, I let my newfound aggravation fuel my movements. This time, I knew I would hit the mark without problem. I pulled the string as tight as I could and then released the bow. The arrow went wild. It impaled a crate of bow staffs several feet away from my mark.
Damn it all.
I couldn’t even get a shot off when I was angry.
“Well,” Rolf said with a strained smile, “at least you’ve moved up from killing ants.”
Chapter 22
I paced the halls of the Sea Ghost. I wasn’t jealous. I wasn’t even angry. I was just… irritated. I shouldn’t have asked about Lady Ket. Who Kull had dated in his younger years wasn’t any of my business.
But she’s easier on the eyes. And more talented.
I tried to put myself in Kull’s place. What if he had met one of my former boyfriends? Would I be concerned? The answer was obviously no. The relationship Kull and I had was nothing compared to my former flings.
I decided to put Ket out of my mind as I had enough to worry about as it was. Finding my way to my cabin, I collapsed on the bed. The other three women were already asleep, but sleep wouldn’t come to me. Despite my vow to forget her, I couldn’t help but glance at Ket.
The lantern from the hallway shone through the crack beneath the door, giving me just enough light to see Ket lying on her bunk opposite mine. She’d unbraided her hair and wore it loose around her face. It fell around her in a golden wave. The ties on her white nightshirt had been unfastened around her neck, exposing her collarbone and the tops of her shapely breasts.
Why was she so attractive? More importantly, why did it bother me so much? Rolling to
