Page 16 of A Veil of Gods and Kings

She pulled back the catapult. “I spend my time productively, unlike you.”

I ambled over to retrieve my arrow. “Why don’t you just stab me? It would hurt less than your words.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

I chuckled and reached into the lime grasses, lifting my arrow. Part of it dangled, the shaft snapped in half. I scoffed. “You broke it. Do you know how long it takes me to fit the head onto one of these?”

“Good,” Temi said without looking up, “it will give you something to do other than mope in your room.”

I clicked my tongue again, cracking the wood against my leg and dropping the arrowhead into my pack.

The morning drifted by, the sun rising, sweat trickling over our muscles. Temi grazed her arm over her forehead, swiping away the perspiration beading against her skin. “Come with me on my rounds this afternoon.”

I bent down, gathering up the ripped pieces of fabric. “I don’t know.”

She snagged my arm, and I turned to meet her gaze. Warmth and almost a pleading welled over the deep brown of her eyes. “Please come with me.”

I sighed. “Who should I come as?”

“My brother.” I tensed my jaw, and she cupped my cheek with her calloused fingers. “Can you veil that bruise?”

“Yes.”

“Well then?”

I picked up the last of the targets and dropped them into a sack. “All right.”

We ambled back to the house together and went through the kitchen and storeroom, gathering slabs of salted meat, cheeses, fruits, breads, and nuts. We wrapped hefty portions into cloth, tied them with string, and loaded them all into bags which we heaved over our shoulders.

I pulled a veil, the one most similar to my actual appearance. Coppery curls, the same brown eyes Temi had, the magic smoothing out the bruise. Temi’s brother who visited occasionally. I held back the sigh, and we headed out the door.

As we marched down the hill, I readjusted the bag. “Damn, do you seriously do this every week? No wonder you’re so strong. You could probably kick my ass if you wanted to.”

She snorted. “I could definitely kick your ass.”

“I’ll try not to give you a reason to.”

Her lips thinned. “That’ll be new.”

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. We reached the outer edges of the village, where small homes with thatched roofs huddled together. Temi walked up and knocked. A woman with large, dark eyes opened the door. “Oh, Temi. Hello.” She shifted her gaze to me. “Andreas, it’s been a while. It’s good to see you.” I nodded to her. Two little children with ebony curls slipped around the woman’s legs, peering from behind her tunic.

The woman touched her fingers to the top of one child’s head as Temi pulled several bundles out of her bag. “Here you go.”

“Oh.” The woman’s cheeks darkened in color. “We can’t take two.”

Temi tossed her head to the side and reached out, touching the woman’s swollen stomach. “You need two, Agnes.”

Tears pricked her eyes, and she sunk her fingers into the packages. “I can’t say how much I appreciate it. Ever since Demetrius’ death we’ve been—”

Temi swiped her hand in front of her. “Don’t worry yourself.”

Agnes clutched the package to her chest. “But, can you truly spare two bundles for us this week?”

Temi smiled with one side of her mouth. “We have plenty. Don’t concern yourself with that.”

Agnes swallowed and bobbed her head. “Thank you again.”

“We have more to deliver, so we must go.” Temi crouched down in front of the children. “But I’ll see you all soon. Maybe I’ll bring a treat with me next time?”