Chapter 18: The house

“This couple are looking for a place to rent; my father thought of your mother,” Karine said.

“Oh, I see. Yes, please come in. My mother is in the kitchen,” the man said.

“Thank you,” Koth said, letting Irin go inside before he joined them. The man guided them into the kitchen, where an older woman sat in front of the fireplace.

“Mother, there is a couple here who are interested in renting your old place,” the man said. The woman looked up at Koth and Irin and smiled.

“Hello, ma’am, my name is Koth; this is my wife, Irin,” Koth introduced them.

“Hello, please come and sit by the fire. I’m Dara. So, you are interested in my old house?” she asked. Koth made sure Irin was seated before sitting down himself.

“Yes, we have been on the road for a long time, and I can’t handle it any longer. We need a place where we can rest and get ready for the rest of our journey,” Irin said. The old woman nodded.

“It’s not an easy task, being on the road. My dear Noah came to us that way—my husband; he passed away several years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Irin said.

“Thank you, dear. He also came here to rest on his journey. But then we met, and he never left. He always said it was the best thing that could have happened to him. He was quite a charmer, my Noah,” the old woman told them and chuckled. “Not unlike your husband, I think,” she added. Irin had to laugh.

“You are right.”

“Hmm, I like you. You make a fine couple, and I can see you care for each other. I think my house would be in good hands if you were to take care of it. It worries me that it is empty,” Dara told them.

“We will take good care of it,” Irin promised.

“Good, then it’s settled. I want a sickle in rent per week, and if you want to make any changes to it, I just ask you tell me first.”

“That is more than reasonable,” Koth agreed.

“It’s fully furnished; will that be an issue?” Dara asked.

“No, we have nothing with us, so it will be convenient for us,” Irin assured her.

“Good, good. My son will take you there. I would love for you to stop by here when you are back in town and tell me how you like it,” Dara said.

“I would be more than happy to do so,” Irin told her with a smile. They said goodbye after Koth had paid for two weeks of rent. Her son saddled his horse and took them out of the village and to the south. Ten minutes later, they saw the small house out in the fields; it was located on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

“It’s beautiful,” Irin said.

“It’s a special place, but my wife thinks it’s too isolated. She prefers the villa… the city,” the man said. Irin looked at the garden that surrounded the house; it looked like it had been some time since anyone had cared for it. But she thought she saw some edible plants the autumn cold still hadn’t got to. Dara’s son showed them around inside. It was just as cosy as the outside. On the ground floor, there was a large kitchen, a living room and a bathroom. Upstairs were three bedrooms.

“This will be amazing; I feel so lucky we found this place,” Irin said.

“Yes, it will suit us fine,” Koth agreed. “We will go back with you to buy some supplies,” he then told Dara’s son.

“I can remain here; you won’t be long, and I can get started with getting the place in order,” Irin told him. He looked at her and hesitated.

“It will be fine; this is a safe place,” Dara’s son assured him. Koth nodded, even if he looked reluctant.

“Please make sure to buy food and some soap, as well as things you need for your magic,” Irin smiled at him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Koth stood frozen for a while. Irin sighed internally; he needed to get over his aversion to her if they were to pass as married. And she needed to get over the pain she felt every time he did it. As Koth set off into town again, Irin started cleaning the first floor.

Half an hour later, she had opened most of the windows in the house to let the air in and the dust out. She was walking around in the garden to have a look, and she found several herbs she could harvest and some potatoes, carrots and other root vegetables they could dig up and use. Her best find was the large rose bushes, filled with rose hips ready to be plucked. After some foraging in the house, she found a basket and started picking the vibrant fruit. She was careful not to get caught in the thorns. She was almost done with the first bush when she heard the sound of a horse. Irin placed the basket next to the bushes and carefully walked to the front of the house. To her relief, it was Koth.

“Did everything go well?” she asked. He halted the horse and dismounted.

“Yes, no problems; I think I got what we need for a week, maybe two,” he told her.

“Need any help carrying it in?”

“No, I can manage,” he told her as he heaved the packing from the horse onto his shoulders.

“I’ll get your horse settled in, then. I have already put away Glima,” she said, taking the reins of Taron and leading him to the small stable around back. She wiped him down and put him in the booth next to Glima with some hay to eat. As she got back to the garden, she saw Koth walking toward the stack of wood with an axe. She sent a prayer to the goddess for Irin not to start drooling as he took off his robe and started chopping wood. To distract herself, she continued picking the rose hips. When she was done, Koth was still chopping wood; his upper body had a thin layer of sweat, and Irin had to use all of her willpower not to ogle him. She would hate to make him feel uncomfortable. She walked inside and walked around, closing the windows before sitting down and starting to halve the rose hips, preparing them to dry. Koth came in with an armful of wood and put it next to the fireplace in the kitchen.

“Thank you; I will start making dinner,” she told him. He looked at her with surprise. “What?” she asked.

“You cook?” he asked.

“I do.”

“Oh.”

“Did you expect me not to?” she asked.

“Well, yes.”

“You have seen me cook before,” she said.

“I have seen you grill freshly caught prey over an open fire,” he told her.

“Right, you got a point there. I can cook just fine; I promise not to poison you,” she said.

“Good, then I’ll let you get to it. I will bring in wood for the fireplace in the living room as well. It’s not too cold, but this house has been empty for some time; we will need to heat it,” he said. Irin hummed an agreement. She started going through the supplies that Koth had brought back and found he had bought sensible items. It showed he was used to living on his own and doing his own cooking, she thought.

Some time later, they were sitting at the table, eating a stew and listening to the fire and the sound of the waves breaking against the cliff. It was serene, and Irin hadn’t realised how much she had missed the feeling of being in an actual home. The temple was a nice place to live, but it wasn’t a home.

“What should we do with it?” Irin asked Koth; they both knew she was talking about the amulet. He sighed and took it out and placed it on the table.

“We should hide it; if something happens, it’s best if it’s not on our person,” he said. Irin nodded; that made sense.

“Should we both know where it is, or only one of us?”

“We both need to know; in case something happens to one of us, the other needs to be able to flee with it,” he said. Irin shuffled around in her chair; she didn’t like to think about things like that, but she nodded. After Koth had done the dishes and Irin had stirred the rose hips, they went out into the garden. There was an old stone arch, which was a back entrance through the garden wall. Koth wrapped the amulet in a piece of cloth and wedged it into the top part of the arch. Irin walked around, studying it from different angles. When she was satisfied it couldn’t be seen, she nodded. They went inside again; Irin made some tea, and they sat down in the living room. For a long while, they were absorbed by their own thoughts. Irin noticed Koth rubbing one of his tattoos on his arm.

“It must have hurt to engrave spells into your skin,” she said. Koth looked down at his hand, and a small smile crept over his lips.

“Like nothing else I have experienced,” he admitted.

“Why do it? I don’t think I have heard of wizards doing it.”

“As a wizard, I depend on spells, most often in the form of written sigils.” Irin nodded. “This way, if I’m ever in a bad situation, I don’t need to stop and draw things,” he explained to her.

“Was it worth the pain?” she asked.

“For the most part, yes.”

“Which part isn’t worth it?” Irin knew she was getting into really personal questions, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“They make me look even more intimidating than I do without them, which is saying a lot,” he chuckled, but there was no joy in his voice.

“I’m sorry. It must be hard being judged like that without being given a chance.” Koth shrugged; it was even more heartbreaking to Irin that he was so used to it he thought of it as normal. She wanted to reach out and take his hand, but she remembered the last time she had made physical contact with him and restrained herself. She didn’t want him to be even more uncomfortable.

“You haven’t commented on what you heard back at the warehouse,” he said.