a bad kid,” Tregaar said. “Maybe you could teach him.”
“Let someone else teach him,” Wolf answered stubbornly. “Because the next time he messes up I’ll kill him myself.”
.9.
T he whore house was having an unusually quiet day. Due to the lack of customers and the pleasant weather, Magnosa had given permission for the girls to go into city and enjoy the summer festival. It made Enola sad for little Hawk who had only ever seen the world outside the whore house under cover of darkness. But despite his secluded upbringing, he was a bright, happy child with more than a passing resemblance to his absent father.
For once, as there were no customers on the premises who might see and report his existence to the authorities, Hawk had the run of the empty house and was playing hide and seek with his doting mother, giggling into a chubby hand as he listened to Enola search for him.
“Still looking?” Taola asked, passing Enola in the hallway as Taola was on her way out to the festivities.
“He’s too good at this game for my liking,” Enola admitted ruefully.
“Well, don’t say I told you so,” Taola whispered, “but the drapes in the parlour have a suspicious bulge.”
Enola grinned and hurried down the hallway, slightly breathless as she burst into the room. Much as she loved to play games with her young son she was always filled with a sense of relief when she found his hiding place. Her biggest fear was that she would never find him; that he would find his way outside and be lost in the city. But, thankfully, it was not to be so this time. The lump behind the heavy drapes quivered with excitement as Enola made her way across the room, her footsteps deliberately heavy.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said with an exaggerated sigh. “I just can’t think where Hawk could be. I may as well give up looking and beat the dust from the drapes while I’m here.”
She pounced upon the wriggling child, patting her hands up and down the drapes and making Hawk squeal with delight. He emerged from behind the heavy material with sparkling blue eyes and his dark hair on end.
“Mama funny,” he laughed throwing himself into her embrace.
“Enola?” Krisha appeared in the doorway. “This is Rixley.”
Enola clutched Hawk to her chest, her heart pounding furiously. All of the girls knew better than to bring a man back to the house when everyone was out. And to do so without warning, knowing Hawk was playing freely, was unforgivable. Krisha was simple, but not so much so she would risk Hawk being discovered.
Rixley, stepped into the parlour, a tall and heavy set man with thick hair greying at the temples. His clothes identified him as a travelling merchant, a brave man to risk his wares and his life crossing Renegade country in such troubled times.
“I mean you no harm, Missy,” he said running a hand through his hair. For a big man his voice had a surprisingly and reassuring quality. “And there’s no need to be worrying about the little man. I give my word, I will not be telling anyone he is here.”
“What is your business here?” Enola demanded, still holding onto Hawk, even as he struggled to break free.
“I see now why the young lady wanted me to speak with you,” Rixley said as he regarded the child in her arms. “That boy is the son of Wolf as sure as I’m standing here.”
“You know Wolf?”
“That I do, Missy,” Rixley nodded.
News of Wolf after more than three turns was enough to convince Enola she should indeed talk with this man. She motioned for him to come further into the room and take a seat on one of the plush sofas. His discomfort was such that Enola would guess, whatever the circumstance of his meeting with Krisha, he was not a man accustomed to the company of whores. It made him all the more likeable in Enola’s eyes. She handed Hawk to Krisha and sent them off to play upstairs, preferring him to be out of the room while she discussed the father he had never
“Let someone else teach him,” Wolf answered stubbornly. “Because the next time he messes up I’ll kill him myself.”
.9.
T he whore house was having an unusually quiet day. Due to the lack of customers and the pleasant weather, Magnosa had given permission for the girls to go into city and enjoy the summer festival. It made Enola sad for little Hawk who had only ever seen the world outside the whore house under cover of darkness. But despite his secluded upbringing, he was a bright, happy child with more than a passing resemblance to his absent father.
For once, as there were no customers on the premises who might see and report his existence to the authorities, Hawk had the run of the empty house and was playing hide and seek with his doting mother, giggling into a chubby hand as he listened to Enola search for him.
“Still looking?” Taola asked, passing Enola in the hallway as Taola was on her way out to the festivities.
“He’s too good at this game for my liking,” Enola admitted ruefully.
“Well, don’t say I told you so,” Taola whispered, “but the drapes in the parlour have a suspicious bulge.”
Enola grinned and hurried down the hallway, slightly breathless as she burst into the room. Much as she loved to play games with her young son she was always filled with a sense of relief when she found his hiding place. Her biggest fear was that she would never find him; that he would find his way outside and be lost in the city. But, thankfully, it was not to be so this time. The lump behind the heavy drapes quivered with excitement as Enola made her way across the room, her footsteps deliberately heavy.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said with an exaggerated sigh. “I just can’t think where Hawk could be. I may as well give up looking and beat the dust from the drapes while I’m here.”
She pounced upon the wriggling child, patting her hands up and down the drapes and making Hawk squeal with delight. He emerged from behind the heavy material with sparkling blue eyes and his dark hair on end.
“Mama funny,” he laughed throwing himself into her embrace.
“Enola?” Krisha appeared in the doorway. “This is Rixley.”
Enola clutched Hawk to her chest, her heart pounding furiously. All of the girls knew better than to bring a man back to the house when everyone was out. And to do so without warning, knowing Hawk was playing freely, was unforgivable. Krisha was simple, but not so much so she would risk Hawk being discovered.
Rixley, stepped into the parlour, a tall and heavy set man with thick hair greying at the temples. His clothes identified him as a travelling merchant, a brave man to risk his wares and his life crossing Renegade country in such troubled times.
“I mean you no harm, Missy,” he said running a hand through his hair. For a big man his voice had a surprisingly and reassuring quality. “And there’s no need to be worrying about the little man. I give my word, I will not be telling anyone he is here.”
“What is your business here?” Enola demanded, still holding onto Hawk, even as he struggled to break free.
“I see now why the young lady wanted me to speak with you,” Rixley said as he regarded the child in her arms. “That boy is the son of Wolf as sure as I’m standing here.”
“You know Wolf?”
“That I do, Missy,” Rixley nodded.
News of Wolf after more than three turns was enough to convince Enola she should indeed talk with this man. She motioned for him to come further into the room and take a seat on one of the plush sofas. His discomfort was such that Enola would guess, whatever the circumstance of his meeting with Krisha, he was not a man accustomed to the company of whores. It made him all the more likeable in Enola’s eyes. She handed Hawk to Krisha and sent them off to play upstairs, preferring him to be out of the room while she discussed the father he had never
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