Half Wylde | Book 1

Forty Three: Mila's Cabin

We woke before dawn and made our way to Mila's cabin. As we grew closer to the parts of the mountains that were familiar to me my heart ached. With grief. With homesickness.

The smell of Mila's herb garden stung my nose long before I saw the wooden building. She always grew strange things that weren't meant to go into the cook-pot and as a child I was always afraid to step foot in her garden. Now it was the thing that comforted me as we grew close.

Puko was restless, no doubt sensing how close we were to his old home.

A dusting of snow covered everything within two miles of Mila's cabin. Thain let me lead the way as we came up the dirt path and I stopped at the door.

It felt odd not to knock, but I didn't want to do it and look foolish in front of Thain or Nassir, so I took a breath and opened the door.

The inside was empty of life. I could tell Mila packed in a hurry. The shelves that usually overflowed with jars of herbs and solutions were nearly empty. Her books were gone, her furniture was dusty, and her wardrobe was open and bare. I was a little surprised to see that none of the mountain people had tried to take any of the good furniture, or at least the empty jars on the shelves, but maybe they were still too afraid to steal from a witch.

"What is this place?" Nassir frowned, moving his head around the room as he took in the strange smells.

"The abandoned home of Mila the witch," I answered. "And before you say anything, she was my friend. And I wonder if she was my mother's friend too..."

I had begun to suspect Mila may have answers I sought, but that would imply that she kept those answers from me for all these years and I couldn't bare that truth. Not yet.

I pushed the thoughts away and picked up the broom she always kept by the door. I used it to brush off as much dust as I could from the chairs, table, and bed.

"Nassir, I'm sure you're tired. Can I show you to the bed to sit while we discuss our next move?" I asked.

"I will sit wherever you put me," he answered. "I am at your mercy, my dear."

"Here," Thain said as he helped Nassir find the mattress. His eyes widened as he sat on the soft bed, for the first time in hundreds of years. Sorrow clenched a fist around my heart for him, then anger for what DuVarick had done.

"Alright," Thain sighed, taking a seat at the wooden table and looking a bit uncomfortable in his new surroundings. "If DuVarick is really going to harm Schula at the solstice, he is going to do it publicly. There is something about Schula that you don't know. I wasn't going to say anything, Eberon and I were going to let her tell you, but I think at this point it's too late. You need to know."

I took the other seat at the table and asked apprehensively. "What is it?"

"Schula is... from the Winter court," Thain started. "And she has a complicated history with DuVarick."

"What does that mean?" I asked, nervously playing with the end of my braid.

"I don't even know where to begin. I'm not sure the humans in this part of the world have this concept. Do you know of any kings or rulers who keep many women in their care? It's like the concept of having a wife, only you have several of them." Thain was trying to explain, and was clearly a little uncomfortable with the subject.

"No, how do you have more than one wife?" I asked.

"Well they aren't wives, they are called concubines. A group of females that... serve... the ruler of a court," Thain sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Stars this is hard."