Match Found, page 15
part #1 of Mudden Men Series
Griff squeezed Kay’s hand a little tighter. She knew he was nervous.
“Your new council member is Celyn Pugh.”
Kay’s stomach sank. She watched in horror as Celyn got up from his spot on the bench and walked up to the stage. Most people clapped, but it wasn’t a cheerful clap. It was more the clapping of people who expected nothing more than what they got.
Celyn took his seat at the council table, giving Griff a mean, satisfied look.
The speaker went on, going over the economics of the Clan over the last month and any changes that would need implementing. Kay could barely hear a word of what he said. Lost in her thoughts, she wondered how this decision would affect the Clan and Griff. She’d caught a sideways glance of his face, and he looked angry.
The speaker came to the close of the meeting and asked if anyone had any grievances to address.
Colm, one of Celyn’s friends who sat in the front row, stood up. “I do.”
The speaker turned toward him questioningly.
“I find it unfair there should be unmarried women in Glaerus when so many of us are still unmatched.”
Kay’s stomach did a flip.
“What unmarried women?” the speaker asked.
“Eurion’s widow.”
The room gasped, and the speaker looked genuinely confused.
“It is only fair that unmarried women be remarried to unmatched men,” the man continued. “They should not be left unattended and uncared for.”
“But Ava is past her fertile age,” the speaker said. “She has grown children.”
“So she should be joined with an unmatched man of similar age.”
Kay looked around for Ava but couldn’t find her. She was probably still at home, being the only person who had nothing left to fear from the military men. They’d already taken everything from her, or so she’d thought.
“We will take it to a vote,” the speaker said, sounding like he doubted something this ridiculous would pass.
While many laws protected married women from other men while they were married, Kay had read of a case where a widowed woman had been remarried in Glearus. The woman had been young and a few years had passed since her husband’s death. The council had ruled that since she was already in Glearus, did not need kidnapping, and her husband was dead, it was the council’s right to remarry her as they chose. Kay remembered because she’d been pretty horrified by the story until Andras had told her the woman had fallen in love with someone new and had petitioned the council herself for permission to remarry. But still, the council had precedent to go with Celyn’s request, and Kay felt the permanent weight in her stomach getting a little heavier as she thought of Ava.
The council left the room. Customarily, attendees would take a break outside while the council deliberated so they could chat and walk around, but no one dared to leave the room. No one wanted to chat.
Griff looked at Kay, and she saw fear and sorrow in his eyes and something else too. Something she never wanted to see on Griff’s face. She saw defeat.
The council came back after ten minutes.
“We have deliberated,” the speaker said, his voice shaking. “From now on, women who are unmarried due to the death of their husbands will be rejoined with an unmatched man of the council’s choosing to ensure that they are not left unprotected and alone.”
The room remained quiet. Too shocked to protest. Or too scared.
“Ava will be married to Colm at the next council meeting.” The speaker held his chin up stubbornly at that last part. Maybe Celyn had wanted to marry them today, and he’d rebelled enough to at least give the woman a month to grieve.
After the meeting, Griff and Kay followed everyone outside. Celyn walked up to them with a wide smile on his face.
“Looks like the best man won. What did you think of the council’s decision?” He asked, looking at Griff and Kay in turn.
Griff just shook his head, but Kay couldn’t stand his smug smile. “I’m surprised you didn’t marry her yourself.”
Celyn laughed.
“Why would I marry a sterile old woman when, with a little patience I will soon have myself a fertile widow to give me sons.”
He looked Kay up and down.
A muscle on Griff’s jaw twitched, he swung out and punched Celyn in the nose.
The hit made a sharp sound, like something breaking. Celyn yelled and pulled his hands over his face, blood seeping between his fingers.
Without a word, Griff grabbed Kay’s hand and pulled her along in the direction of their house.
* * *
Griff and Kay had not made it halfway home when they heard running behind them.
“Halt!” a deep voice yelled.
Griff stopped, still holding on to Kay’s hand, and they turned around.
Four military men faced them with their lasers out and pointed toward them. Kay’s heart jumped to her throat as she stared down the barrel of a gun.
“Don’t move!”
Griff lifted his hands up in a gesture of surrender. They had nowhere to go.
Two of the men approached while the other two kept their guns pointed at them.
One man grabbed Kay’s arm and pulled her out of the way. Griff reached out for her, and the other man punched him in the stomach.
Kay stepped to the side and watched in fear as Griff bent over in pain. The second man smiled and punched Griff in the face. Griff didn’t fight back. He glanced once in Kay’s direction, and she moved out to the side and away from them. She knew he wanted her to be safe, but all she wanted to do was squeeze the throats of the men hitting him.
“Enough,” said one of the men still holding his gun, and the punching stopped.
The men grabbed Griff’s wrists, pulled them behind his back, and tied them up. They pushed him forward, forcing him to walk partly hunched over. His face twisted in pain.
They walked back to the main square. Kay followed, always staying a few meters behind them. Almost every person they met on the way joined them, stepping in behind Kay.
She heard whispers that they’d finally arrested another rebel, but she ignored them, focusing her attention on Griff.
When they reached the square, the men went up to Celyn, who was holding his still bleeding nose.
“That’s him,” he said through gritted teeth.
He walked up to Griff.
“Looks like I won’t have to be that patient after all,” he snarled. “Thanks for speeding the process along.”
Griff fixed him with a murderous glare.
Andras ran up to them.
“Grady,” he asked, turning to the leader, “what happened?”
“He committed violence,” said Grady, pointing at Celyn’s nose.
A look of understanding crossed Andras’ face and he looked at Griff as if to say, what the hell is wrong with you?
Griff looked back at his friend almost as angrily as he had Celyn.
“This is a clan matter,” Andras said. “We can put him in our jail overnight.”
The military man shook his head.
“Everything falls under our jurisdiction as long as Glaerus is under investigation. We will take custody.”
Celyn smiled a self-satisfied smile.
The military men pushed Griff along, away from the square. Kay stepped in line behind them. Andras pulled on her arm.
“Are you alright?” he asked, looking at her with concern.
Kay shook her head unable to say anything. She had to see where they took Griff.
Andras stayed by her side, and they followed the group as they made their way toward the front gate.
Kay’s stomach twisted into a painful knot. Eurion’s body still hung there as a warning to all rebels. She didn’t want to see the rotting corpse. She’d gone out of her way to avoid having to go by the gate for days. People said the stink was unbearable.
They arrived at the gate, and Kay had a sudden fear that they would hang Griff too.
People were right about the smell. She put her hand over her nose and mouth and tried not to gag.
Two military men pushed Griff toward the wooden medieval contraption where they’d held Eurion prior to his trial.
Placing Griff’s head and hands in between the wooden planks, they closed and chained them shut.
A crowd gathered around them. People whispered and gossiped, asking each other what had happened.
Kay stared at Griff, and he looked back at her. She saw the regret in his eyes and the fear. She fought back tears. She didn’t want to scream like Ava had. She wanted to be strong.
After a while, Andras tried to pull her away.
“Let’s go,” he said to her. “We can’t do anything for him here.”
Kay shook her head, her eyes locked on Griff. Andras stayed with her.
When it got dark, Andras pulled her arm again. “We have to go.”
Kay shook her head again, the thought of going home without Griff choked her with sorrow. But this time he didn’t take no for an answer and pulled her away by the arm. As soon as they were out of view, she broke down and cried.
Andras led her back to his house. Sandrine made Kay lay down on the couch and made her a tea that Kay suspected was spiked with something stronger. No longer able to keep her eyes open, she fell asleep with tears drying on her face.
* * *
Kay felt cold. She wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, holding on to sleep as if holding on for dear life. But try as she may, real life could not be ignored. As she slipped into consciousness, she realized she was cold because Griff wasn’t laying next to her. She woke up on Sandrine’s couch.
“Good morning,” Sandrine said.
She was standing in the kitchen doing something at the counter.
“Morning,” Kay’s voice sounded harsh from too much crying.
She got up from the couch and went to the bathroom. When she came back, she hovered around the kitchen, hesitating.
“Is Griff still tied up outside?” she finally dared to ask, hoping beyond hope that they had released him while she slept.
“Yes.” Sandrine herself didn’t look like she’d gotten much sleep last night. Kay knew Sandrine and Griff had been friends for thirteen years. It probably wasn’t easy on her either.
“I’m going back there,” Kay said.
“Where?” Sandrine asked, turning toward Kay.
“To see Griff.”
“Shower and eat first.” Sandrine put on her sternest motherly voice.
“I’m not hungry. And I couldn’t care less what I look like right now.”
“Celyn might be there. And the military men. You don’t want them to see you like this.”
“Why not?” Kay said. She was sure Griff looked a lot worse than her, and she wasn’t going to bother with her appearance when he could not even drink, or lay down, or warm up.
“Kay,” Sandrine said, “this is all political. Don’t let them see you crumble. Don’t give them the satisfaction. Get showered, eat, and then we’ll go see Griff.”
Kay had half a mind to let Celyn see her now and make a comment about taking her from Griff. But she knew that Sandrine was right. She could not let them see her give up. She had too much pride to let them think they’d won.
After her shower, Sandrine forced her to eat some food. Kay had a hard time swallowing anything. Every bite reminded her that Griff had not eaten dinner last night and probably had not gotten breakfast this morning. She fought through the guilt because she knew that she would have a much harder time getting through the day on an empty stomach.
Someone knocked on the door, and Sandrine went to answer.
Leah stood on the other side of the door. She took Sandrine in a hug and started crying.
Kay’s stomach turned. She hadn’t thought about Leah. Had she seen Griff?
Sandrine led a crying Leah into the house and made her sit on the couch.
“How could this happen?” she said between sobs. “Griff would never hurt a fly.”
Sandrine nodded and went to make tea.
“I taught him that violence doesn’t solve anything.”
“Everyone has their limits,” Kay said.
Leah looked at her as if she hadn’t noticed that she was in the room.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that Celyn pushed too many of Griff’s buttons. Griff reached his limit and lost control.”
“Did you tell him to hit Celyn?”
“No!”
“You’re the one who thinks she can solve problems with violence,” Leah said. “You’re the one who hit Dr. Wells.”
Leah came to stand in front of Kay. “Griff was never violent before you came.”
“Eurion hadn’t been hung before I came. Griff’s life was never in danger before I came. And he didn’t have someone he…” Kay almost said loves. “He didn’t have someone he cares for threatened.”
Sandrine placed her hand on Leah’s arm and led her back to the couch.
“Kay is right,” she said. “The last few weeks have put everyone on edge. Celyn was out to get Griff personally. He finally succeeded in getting a rise out of him.”
“He should not have succeeded. Two months ago, he wouldn’t have.”
“Two months ago, Griff had nothing to protect,” Sandrine said, sounding a little bit irritated with the woman. “Being joined changes a man. You know that just as well as I do.”
Kay’s heart beat faster. Had she really changed Griff? From the moment she’d met him, he’d declared he was hers. She had noticed his interest increasing over the last month—an interest that was entirely two sided. Having sex every night had brought them closer. A lot closer. So close that she could no longer imagine falling asleep without his body next to hers. She missed him. She’d been without him less than twenty-four hours, and she already missed him. She tried not to think about what that meant. She had to see Griff.
“Let’s go,” she said, interrupting the women’s conversation.
Chapter Fifteen
Kay, Leah, and Sandrine made their way to the front gate. Every person they passed avoided eye contact. Some looked sympathetic, but some just looked scared or angry. Kay had a feeling she was finding out just how Ava had felt over the last two weeks.
Besides four guards, not many people were around. Kay’s heart stopped beating when she laid eyes on Griff. His head hanging down, he looked like he could barely hold himself up. He couldn’t relax in that position either, constantly falling down and bringing himself back up.
Kay instinctively ran to him. One of the military men grabbed her before she got very close, but even from that distance she could smell the urine on him.
“Let me go,” she said, trying to wiggle her way out of the guard’s hands. He tightened his grip.
“Kay, stop,” Sandrine said, pulling on her arms to get her away from the guard. Kay let Sandrine pull her back, but she kept her gaze on Griff the whole time. He looked agitated. He tried to turn his head toward her to see what was happening, but he couldn’t angle it that way because of the piece of wood holding him in place.
Kay moved so she stood directly in front of him. He had shame written all over his face. He clearly didn’t want her to see him like that. Hell, she didn’t want to see him like that either, but she wasn’t going to avoid him to soothe his pride.
“They haven’t given him food or water,” Leah said.
She looked pale, like she might fall over any minute. Sandrine left Kay’s side and went to hold Leah.
Griff tried to smile at his mother, but it came out as a painful grimace.
“Sandrine!” All three women turned around to see Andras coming toward them in great strides. “What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t have stopped them even if I wanted to.”
Andras grimaced. “You should go home.” He looked first at Kay, then at Leah. “There is nothing you can do here.”
“We can keep him company,” Leah said indignantly, and for once Kay agreed with her.
“I’ll keep him company,” Andras said. “The two of you go home and get some rest.”
Kay crossed her arms against her chest. No way was she going home with Griff chained up.
“You too,” Andras said to his wife, tracing a finger down her tired face.
Suddenly, the gate made a creaking sound and started to open. What now? No one had been allowed in or out of Glaerus since the military men had arrived.
A hover cart pulled by an ox came through. Kay immediately recognized the large man with the ugly scar on his face leading the ox.
The military men went to meet him. They didn’t stop him from entering, just followed him inside the village. He brought the cart to a stop in front of the crowd, and Dr. Wells stepped out wearing her doctor’s coat and an angry frown on her face.
“What is going on here?” She turned to the military man closest to her with an eyebrow raised. “This man is severely dehydrated.” She went to Griff, and no one stopped her. Kay could tell the military men were a little bit intimidated by her, though she had no idea why.
Dr. Wells looked Griff over.
“Unchain him,” she said to the guards.
“He’s a prisoner,” Grady said.
“Has he been convicted of a crime?”
“No,” Grady reluctantly admitted.
“In that case,” Dr. Wells continued. “Release him before you accidentally kill him.”
“We must keep him locked up until his trial,” the man said, not giving in.
“We have an empty jail available,” Andras offered, coming up to the doctor.
“Good,” Dr. Wells said. “Bring him there.”
Grady looked at her with hatred and a little bit of fear. He looked like he wasn’t going to comply until the goon took a very slight step forward.
“Untie him,” he finally instructed his guards.
“I will treat him at the jail,” Dr. Wells said to Andras. “In the meantime, I have a baby to examine.”
Dr. Wells turned around.
“Leah, Kay,” she called out to them. “Take me to Derwyn.”
Leah and Kay were too surprised by the turn of events to object. They joined Dr. Wells, and Kay took one last look at Griff as the guards released him. She wanted to run to him, but she knew that what Dr. Wells had accomplished was no small feat. She didn’t want to make things worse by interfering.
