The Brotherhood: Blood (18 page)

Before the young woman could turn to leave, Nova took her small hand in his, lifted it to his lips, then planted a short kiss on the base of her knuckles. “Thank you, madam,” he said, then bowed.

When he turned to leave, he swore he heard a faint ‘thank you’ beneath the wind.

As he arrived home, a fit of nerves and a construct of unease, he took several long, deep breaths upon entering through the front door and tried to collect himself as decently as possible. For a moment in which he believed everything had been a dream, he began to panic and thus lost his mind to unease. After a moment of recollection, however, all the fear, worry and anxiety seemed to disappear immediately and he was able to smile despite the aftermath of the feelings he’d only just recently felt.

What could it mean?
he thought, running a hand over his face.
Does this mean she’s interested?

Then again, who was to say that a woman of such prestige would be interested in him. He was young, yes, but he had no money, no astounding good looks, no house in which to allow her to live and no precious artifacts to impart upon her as gifts and treasures. In looking at himself in the mirror which lay no more than a feet away, he traced his face with his eyes—from his strong, almost-straight brow bones, his low-set cheekbones and his strong, almost-proud nose. That in itself was enough to make him uneasy, for he’d never considered himself exceptionally good-looking, but if Katarina truly was interested, did that mean looks could be replaced and things could be offered instead?

He said,
he thought, slowly trying to bring back the past of a conversation that had once taken place between him and his father.

Patrus Eternity had once said a woman was attracted to one of many things—the way her husband looked at her, the way he showed her his personal affection, the gifts of actions he took upon himself to express his feelings and his confidence that could surely radiate from one’s person were they allowed to speak freely. He had said that a woman wanted a husband who would give her his love—a man whom, by all respects, would treat her kindly—and if one was good to her, she would stick around, if only because she as a woman would know that he as a man would treat her well and not beat her into submission.

Could, he wondered, he bring Katarina closer if he let his attraction show a little more?

At that particular moment, he wished he had his father, or at least a married or experienced friend who could teach him how to express intimacy. For that he questioned whether or not the plan formulating in his brain would work.

Upon that notice, Nova closed his eyes.

“Oh God,” he said, looking up at the ceiling, near where no more than a few hundred feet above the roof the pristine-blue sky lay. “Please have mercy on me.”

He closed his eyes and breathed in the clean air.

Tomorrow,
he thought.
I’ll know more.

The following afternoon, he stood on the road that led up to the three-story mansion kicking dirt from his heels and waiting for Katarina to arrive. Anxious for her presence and even more unsure of himself, he desperately attempted to peeled dried mud and dirt from a shirt that was dirty beyond compare in an attempt to make himself more presentable, but in that moment—when he found himself almost unable to relax—he began to take into consideration the fact that surely this young woman would know of his financial situation were she to look upon him.

Where could she be,
he thought,
if not inside?

Quite possibly she was preparing herself for the day’s excursion. Putting on her clothes, her rings, her necklace, her shoes that looked to have been polished with the spit of the Gods and arranging her hair back into a fine, almost-cordial bun—these were the things that surely a woman of her caliber would have done were she to go on something that could be considered a romantic outing, but who was he to wonder or worry if her progress was slower than his own?

She just hasn’t realized that I’m here yet,
he thought.
That’s all.

He could afford to wait just a little while longer. He had, of course, not been here for too awfully long.

Convinced that time would not be of the essence in such a particular moment, Nova continued to pace, his eyes scanning the area with the veracity of which he imagined wolves or other vicious creatures much have over their prey. Roses, in shades of reds and magentas, lined the path leading up to the house, while the mansion itself boasted nondescript white paneling as if the home had been stained white itself.

Were he to have looked any closer, he imagined that he would have seen Katarina preparing for their outing. However, since the curtains of ivory and flesh shrouded his view from the mayor’s secret life, he had absolutely no idea who or what could have possibly been behind those windows.

If he had but one look, maybe then he wouldn’t feel so nervous.

Patience is a virtue,
his father had once said.

Turning, he began to make his way down the path and toward the village he called home, all the while dreading the fact that he had come all this way simply to be turned away without so much more than a word in response.

Just as he was beginning to think not a thing would happen to reveal light onto his situation, he heard the stamp of running feet on the road behind him.

“Wait!” someone called.

Nova turned just in time to see an older man approaching the wrought-iron gate, his pace ragged and his breath faint in and out of his chest.

It took but a moment for him to realize that he was facing the mayor of Bohren.

“I’m sorry,” Mayor Ketrak panted, setting a hand on his chest as if to still his frantically-beating heart. “You wouldn’t happen to be Mr. Eternity, would you?”

“Yes,” Nova said. “I am. I’m sorry I was on your property, sir. I was just interested in the flow—”

“My daughter said that she had plans of meeting you. I would’ve come sooner, but I only just realized a man was supposed to meet her.”

At this, Nova swallowed a lump in his throat that seemed to grow progressively worse by the moment. The man appeared friendly enough, but that didn’t mean he had intention of letting him slide without some form of humiliation.

All I did was take your daughter home.

As if given a life of its own, the lump swelled in his throat.

Oh, no.

Had he associated himself with a girl younger than himself? He couldn’t have. She looked to be his age, maybe even a bit older. Maybe—

“Nova?”

“Yes?” he asked, almost on instinct. He swallowed the second lump and straightened his posture. “Sir, I’m sorry, I had no right to—”

“Oh no,” Ketrak laughed, sliding a hand through the iron fence to clap his shoulder. “You have nothing to worry about, my friend. I appreciate you bringing my daughter home. I’ve told her not to go out on her own, but you know girls—they never listen to what their fathers have to say.”

“I didn’t want her to get hurt,” Nova said. “Especially since she wandered onto my property. I felt like she was my responsibility.”

“Well, she isn’t, but I thank you regardless.”

Ketrak smiled and squeezed the shoulder he’d placed his hand on no more than a few moments beforehand. The man still hadn’t revealed his reason for coming out.

“You couldn’t have. She just came down with it this morning. There’s nothing to apologize for.” Ketrak paused. He turned to glance at the front door, then at the chains snarled around the gate. “Say… would you like to come inside?”

Before Nova could finish, the mayor of Bohren secured from his belt a series of keys which he used to unchain the gate. Shortly thereafter, he took Nova by the wrist and began to drag him up the road.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” the man asked, gesturing to the flowers that lined both sides of the road. “My daughter chose the roses herself. They’re her favorite.”

“You’re beautiful,” Nova agreed. “I mean, your property—it’s quite breathtaking.”

“Thank you. I’ve had some hard work put into it. My daughter, though, she planted all the trees and flowers when she was younger.” The mayor glanced at Nova out of the corner of his eye. ”How old are you, Mister Eternity?”

“Seventeen,” he said. “My intentions with your daughter, sir—I’ll stay away from her if you like.”

“I understand your concern, but you have nothing to worry about. My daughter is only a year younger than yourself.”

“I’m not a pervert. I mean…” Nova stopped in place. Ketrak did as well. “I mean, I
do
like your daughter, sir, but I’ll stay away if you don’t want her to be with an older man.”

“I’d prefer him be with a man than no man. Most of the young women in the village are married off when they’re thirteen, fourteen even. I just want her to find someone she feels comfortable with.”

After they ate a fine meal of freshly-killed venison, vegetable soup and bread, Nova and Ketrak sat at the long table no more than a seat apart, reminiscing over the past days and how the work in the fields seemed to be going perfectly fine despite the awe-inspiring temperatures.

“Thank you for the meal,” Nova said, propping his spoon against the bowl and leaning back in his seat. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know, but I
wanted
to.” Ketrak set a hand on Nova’s arm. “I’d let you see my daughter, but I don’t want you catching what she has.”

“She needs her rest,” Nova agreed.

“Of course. I’ll give her your regards.”

Standing, Nova shook the man’s hand and started walking to the door, but stopped when he felt Ketrak grab on to the back of his shirt.

“All right then. Come over whenever you’re bored or aren’t working. I’ve got an extra room that I reserve for guests. You’re more than welcome to sleep here.”

Days later, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, Nova went to see Katarina.

Since recovering from what she had described as a ‘small cold’ that had left her bedridden despite her strength and overall good health, they’d spent a fair amount of time together walking the town and the surrounding areas, though it became apparent rather quickly that the townspeople thought this spectacle mystifying and therefore completely out of the norm. Several times, whilst walking through the streets, the commoners would stop from their place in chopping wood, hanging laundry or tending to pets and children to watch them with eyes unsure and completely stupefied, though each and every time this happened Nova pushed the feelings aside and continued along the way. However, despite all this unsurety, and despite the fact that in his heart Nova felt as though something more sinister was taking place within the hearts and minds of those around him, he couldn’t help but wonder just what they thought of the two of them.