Free Servant of the Serpent (Serpent's War Book 1) by Jason Halstead Page B

“I just wanted to prove I wasn’t just some stupid girl good for nothing but cooking and making babies.”
    Talwin offered a thin smile and nodded. “It’s okay. Just, um, don’t tell anyone?”
    Allie frowned and then nodded. She stepped away before he could see the annoyed look on her face. She watched him stumble off and head down the road towards Saint Leander’s shrine. When she shook her head and turned back, her grandfather had picked up Talwin’s sword. “Don’t tell anyone?” she repeated.
    Bucknar nodded. “Doesn’t want no one knowing he got beat up by a girl.”
    She snorted. “He made me mad—the way he was looking at me, I mean.”
    Her grandpa nodded. “He’s a boy and you’re a pretty girl. Prime age for marrying, too. You did good. You were mad but you kept your head and fought with skill and strength. I should have knocked some sense into you years ago.”
    Allie reached up to rub her chest. She pulled her tunic out and stared down at the purple coloring that was spreading from where he’d jabbed her. She let the tunic fall back against her chest and sniffed. “Dad and you never talk about girls much. Were you ever married?”
    He chuckled. “I had my share of romances, but nothing lasted.”
    “Wait—what about Dad? Weren’t you married?”
    Bucknar cursed. “He never told you, did he?”
    “Told me? What?”
    Bucknar sighed. “My sister was your dad’s mom. I took care of her when her man was killed fighting splisskin.”
    “You’re not my real grandpa?” Allie gasped. “What happened to her?”
    “Fever got her,” Bucknar said. “Your dad was almost four by then. Far as he knew, I was his dad. I didn’t bother telling him until you came along.”
    Allie nodded and plucked at her shirt to fan herself with the hot air. “He doesn’t talk about Mom either. I got him to admit they weren’t married once, but that was all he’d say.”
    Bucknar glanced around and turned to the house. He saw her padded tunic on the ground and nodded at it. “Best pick up your things and get cleaned up.”
    “Grandpa—”
    “Thought you said I wasn’t your real grandpa?”
    She waved his comment aside with a hand. “You’re as real as can be,” she said. “Nobody else, not even Dad, would have knocked me on my arse like that.”
    “Hey,” Bucknar growled. “Watch your tongue!”
    She nodded. “Sorry.”
    “Good, now get to it. I’ve got to wander through town and check on a few things. My joints will be hurting by then. All this fighting is for younger people like you. We’ll have supper when I get back.”
    “Grandpa,” Allie said, freezing him in place as he started to turn away. “Why won’t either of you tell me anything about my mom? She was my mom—I should know about her.”
    Bucknar’s cheeks clenched as he bit down. “That’s not my story to tell.”
    “Why not? You knew her, didn’t you? Is she really dead, or did something else happen?”
    “Oh, she’s dead all right,” Buckner said and then sighed. “Look, Allie, she died in a fire. That’s near all I can say about it.”
    Allie’s eyes widened. “All you know, or all you can say?”
    Her grandfather looked away and then stared up at the sky through slitted eyes. He shook his head. “This isn’t my job,” he muttered.
    “Grandpa—”
    Bucknar spun on her. “I’ve got things to do. Almont can get by without me, sure, but I need some time to think and figure things. You do what I told you and do some studying in them books of yours. Tonight we’ll talk. I don’t know what we’ll talk about, but I’ll say what I can.”
    Allie’s breath caught in her throat. She nodded and bit her lip before rushing to him and hugging him. When she let go a moment later, she saw his scowl fading. He sighed and shook his head. “Get cleaned up. Hugging you is like squeezing a sheet in the wash.”
    Allie nodded. “I’ll head up to the river and wash up north of town.”
    Bucknar frowned. “By