Page 58 of Between Soul and Vessel
“They are perfect,” I stated, moving beside her. I ran my fingers over the various fabrics, thankful that there wasn’t one stuffy dress to be found. Reaching the jacket, my hand stilled, recoiled, then reached out. A lump formed in my throat as I ran my fingers down the sleeve of the leather coat, dyed midnight black. It made me think of Von. A physical ache pierced my chest, stabbing me right in the heart.
Gently, Artemesia clasped my shoulder. “What is it?”
I gave her a sad smile. “It reminds me of someone I love.”
She returned the look. “I understand.” Her brow furrowed. “Do you want me to get a different jacket for you?”
“No, I like this one. I’ll wear it . . . for him.” Thethought lessened the pain in my chest.
“Alright.” She patted my shoulder comfortingly.
“Excuse me, chieftain, but I have some warm food to fill your bellies,” spoke a woman on the other side of the entrance.
“Coming!” Artemesia called out, walking over. She pushed the tent flaps open, holding them so the woman could enter.
“Thank you,” the woman said as she stepped inside, a covered wood tray in her hands. She headed over to the table and set the tray down. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked, turning to face us.
“No, that will be all. Thank you, Merita,” Artemesia responded, offering her a kind smile.
“A pleasure, as always,” Merita replied as she bowed her head and then left, a waft of cool air rushing into the tent with her departure.
I moved to the small, round table, resting my hands on the chair as I watched Artemesia remove the lid. On the tray were two plates full of steaming food—a dark, sliced meat, mashed potatoes smothered in gravy, and various boiled vegetables diced and mixed together. My mouth watered, my stomach churning with hunger.
“Have a seat. I’ll get us something to drink,” Artemesia said as she turned toward the cabinets. Sitting on top of the one were three jugs and a few drinking horns. “Wine okay?”
“Wine is great,” I answered, sitting down.
“Perfect.” She reached for the middle jug and filled the two horns. When she was done, she brought the horns overto the table and handed one to me. “I’m famished. Let’s eat.”
Our conversation was light as we filled our tummies with delicious, warm food—grilled trout, boiled potatoes, and warm, golden buns—and refreshing red wine. When our plates were empty, we both reached forward and pressed a thumb against the plate, securing a crumb. Like that, our attention caught on one another’s, and we both started to laugh.
“I see the empress never did make a lady out of you,” she chuckled before she popped her thumb into her mouth.
My smile faltered at the mention of the empress.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought her up,” Artemesia apologized.
I wiped my fingers on the cloth napkin. Now that I had food in my belly, I felt ready to talk about the harder topics. “Actually, I’m glad you did. I’d like to learn more about my past, including the parts about her.”
She picked up her plate and placed it on the tray. As she did this, she said, “I can tell you what I do know. Maybe it will help fill in some of the gaps?”
“Yeah, that would be great.” I nodded. “Talking about it might help some of my memories return.”
“Let’s give it a shot then.” She pursed her lips in thought, then said, “You and I were born to Luna and Herulf.” Warmth spread through my chest at the mention of their names. “Before the Great Divide.”
I raised a brow. “The Great Divide?”
“Oof, you don’t remember much, do you?” she asked.
“No,” I answered.
“Do you recall anything about Emperor Alaric?”
I gave her a blank look.
She blinked. “It’s going to be a long night.” Sighing, she got up, collected the wine jug, and brought it back to the table. Deep red liquid refreshed our drinking horns, misting the air with the scent of fermented grapes. She peered inside the jug, swishing the contents from side to side as she muttered to herself, “We might need more of this.”
“Perhaps we should start with what we have,” I suggested, eager to hear more.
