A Warrior's Redemption

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Queen’s Ransom

  Krista

  Krista brushed back the wild ringlets of hair that had fallen across her face as she straightened up. It was not yet mid morning and she already had all the herbs she needed to fill her orders for the week ahead. She headed off towards the small village of Lornas. Maybe she would be able to have a little time for herself this afternoon. She hadn’t had a moment of ease since setting up shop in the little village of Lornas.

  Work! Work! Work!

  But it had been good for her. The town wasn’t wealthy by any means and most of the time her customers couldn’t pay her with money, but her work was so rewarding and she made enough to get by.

  She wouldn’t starve that was for sure. She had run out of uses and appetite for the never ending flow of eggs with which her poorer customers paid her. If it wasn’t eggs it was fur pelts. She’d run out of uses for those too. She still had some of the money that Sebastian had given her if times did get too hard. She made her way through the hustle and bustle of the village. Shyly she waved and greeted fellow villagers that greeted her along the way.

  It had been awkward at first, to be treated as an equal, but she was getting used to it and in fact enjoyed every moment of it, as she distanced herself from her past life as a slave. It was new and exciting, this freedom that she was experiencing every day. She never got tired of it. She’d work for free just to be treated like this. Her little herbal shop was nestled in between the butcher’s shop and a barrel makers shop. The town’s one main commerce item was the woodland ale that they brewed and sold to the lower settlements.

  The main ingredient for the ale was derived from the bark of a rare tree that grew in great abundance in the forest that surrounded the little village. The same forest that was utilized for its rare trees was also rich in herbs. The town hadn’t had a healer in years due to the poor nature of the populace and they had received her with open arms of invitation, once it became clear that she knew what she was doing. They had given her the shop she worked in free of charge and her position in the town had only risen with every grateful new patient she had helped to overcome whatever malady they had brought to her. Life was good.

  The mood of the townspeople had brightened considerably with the news of the Zoarinian Empire’s great loss in the Valley Lands. Everyone breathed easier now that the domination of the entire world by the Zoarinians had been thwarted, but they talked about it quietly. The village of Lornas lay nestled in the Hills of Ernor directly above the menacing Zoarinian Empire that lay to the south. It was not good to speak too loudly in jubilation over their loss, for obvious reasons.

  The Zoarinians may have lost a fleet and a great army, but they were still a powerful force to be reckoned with. Many stories had filtered down about the great battle that had taken place in the north. Krista tried not to listen to the stories, but it was impossible not to. Roric had seemingly won the day single handedly if the exaggerated stories were to be believed. While there had to be some exaggeration going on, she did not doubt that he had played a major role.

  She hoped that he had found peace along with the praise that greeted his name everywhere it was mentioned. Surely he had everything he could possibly want after such a victory? Her thoughts were interrupted as a frantic knock sounded on her door. She opened the door and saw no one at first, but then, looking down, she saw little Talus Tolok standing on her door mat wringing his hands together as he bit his lip hard.

  Krista kneeled down, placing her hands on the boy’s thin shoulders, “What is it Talus? What’s wrong? Is it your mother?”

  “Yes ma’am! She’s in an awful amount of pain! The midwife wanted to know if you could come and help her with your stuff. There’s lotsa blood and she won’t stop screaming. I’m scared!”

  “Give me a moment to gather some stuff and I’ll be over!” Krista straightened and turned to hurry back into her shop, but Talus’s hand tugging on her dress stopped her.

  “Father said to tell ya that we can’t pay anything and that we’d understand if ya can’t come on account of us already owing ya.”

  “Shush now, don’t be silly! I’ll be there as quick as I can! Now you run ahead and tell them that I’ll be there soon!”

  The little boy’s face brightened like he had been given the sun and he raced off toward the even poorer section of the village. Krista grabbed a bag and threw everything she might need, and some she might not, into it.

  It was better to have it than not, if it became needed later. She rushed out the shop door with the bag, not even bothering to stop and lock the door. She raced down the muddy street, ducking in and around people and horse drawn carts that were in her way.

  She didn’t see the rough looking man with the eye patch over one eye standing in the door of the town’s only tavern. He turned and said something to a companion further inside the tavern, who came to the door and stared after Krista’s retreating form.