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“Jump?” Sophie echoed dubiously. She looked at the crumbling stones in the middle of the river, the remains of what had been a bridge before the earthquake. They looked slippery and apt to crumble beneath her feet.
The man across the river nodded, pushing his dark hair out of his eyes. He was some kind of merchant, she could tell; he had a large pack at his feet and his clothes were travel-worn, though he’d done his best to make himself presentable. What was his plan? To watch her drown, then steal her belongings so he could sell them? She didn’t have anything worth stealing, certainly nothing worth killing for.
“If I can do it with this,” he called out, giving his enormous pack a little kick, “you can do it. Just don’t lose your momentum. Run and then jump to that rock, then jump again. It’s easy,” he said blithely. Sophie’s expression must have betrayed her skepticism; he laughed, a smile lightening his features. “Or you can stand there and wait for someone to build a bridge. But I wouldn’t put much stock in those two children running Mistria these days, so you may be waiting a while.”
Sophie sighed. If this was her only option, she’d have to take it. She was, after all, here to help Mistria get back on its feet after the earthquake. She couldn’t really turn back now. But fixing this bridge would be at the top of her to-do list, she vowed. With a grim determination, Sophie took a few steps back, then made a running leap for the jumble of rocks piled in the rushing water. She touched down on them, narrowly avoiding plunging a foot into the ice-cold river, and jumped again. She landed heavily on the other side of the bank.
The strange man reached out an arm to steady her. Sophie let him guide her a few steps away from the edge of the river, getting a good look at him now that they were close. He was handsome in a dashing, roguish sort of way, with a sly smile and dark eyes. Sophie somehow felt like he could read her innermost thoughts just by looking at her. His hand lingered on her back for a moment, then he stepped away quickly, busying himself with his own bag.
“There, see?” he said, keeping his eyes fixed on the buckles and straps of the backpack, “You made it just fine.”
Sophie knitted her brows at that. She had a different definition of ‘fine.’ Subtly, while his attention was occupied, she patted down her pockets and checked her own bag. Satisfied that the man hadn’t lifted anything from her, she asked, “I take it the bridge was damaged in the earthquake?”
The man nodded, hoisting his pack onto his shoulders as the pair set off toward the village. “Just like everything else around here. Rebuilding houses and important community structures was given a higher priority. Justifiably, of course,” he added quickly, “but I won’t pretend like it hasn’t made my job harder.”
“You’re a merchant?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Name’s Balor, by the way. I’m the only one who’s still willing to go this route. My stock is limited nowadays, though. Got to leave my cart on the other side of the river, so if you’re looking for anything big, you’ll have to wait until you leave here and get back to civilization,” he said dryly.
“Might be a while, then,” she said. “I’m moving here, not passing through.”
Balor looked at her in surprise as they continued walking. “Moving here? Why?” he asked, aghast.
“Are things here really that bad?” Sophie couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. “I was hired to help with the rebuilding. I’m going to be working a farm, according to the letters I’ve exchanged with Adeline.”
The merchant’s expression turned placid and unreadable; hiding his emotions was probably a skill he’d honed quickly in his line of work. It made Sophie wonder how much he had reason to hide. “Well, you’ll certainly have your work cut out for you, I won’t pretend otherwise.” They crested a small rise in the landscape and saw the village spread out before them. It was small, even smaller than Sophie had expected. A few of the buildings still showed damage; she saw boarded up windows and holes in roofs, but most of the structures looked intact. She could see a few people walking through the streets, and a large manor house looming in the distance. “Welcome to Mistria,” Balor said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
A woman with pink hair looked down the wide village avenue and noticed them, giving them a wave as she began to approach with rapid steps.
“There’s Adeline. I suppose I’ll turn you over to her care,” Balor said. “Nice to meet you…?”
“Sophie,” she supplied.
“Sophie. I suppose I’ll see you around.” He inclined his head in a small bow and headed off for a large building down the street.
Sophie stared after him, wondering. The man was hard to read, mysterious, with a subtle showmanship about him that made her wonder how much she could trust him. He reminded her of dashing highwaymen from old stories; suave and dangerous. It didn’t seem to bode well for the town that he was their only link to the outside economy. And yet, despite all that, she couldn’t help but be intrigued. Maybe she’d actually find some excitement in this backwater village after all.
The late summer sun streamed in through the windows of the inn, bathing the table in golden light. The heat had barely dissipated as the sun began its decline. Days like this, Balor was glad he wasn’t on the road. It was an odd feeling, having a room of his own, a place to come back to every night. He’d been living on the road for years now. Sure, there were some inns along his route that he frequented, places he set up shop whenever he passed through. But he’d been in Mistria, or at least based out of Mistria, longer than anywhere else now. The last trip he’d made, he caught himself thinking wistfully of the Sleeping Dragon Inn, of the curry Reina made, of the soft bed that Josephine let him rent for a very reasonable long-term rate. Was he losing sight of his goals? He didn’t like living in this nowhere village, he was only here because of its central geographical location; once Mistria got back on its feet, he’d already have the relationships with the locals to expand his trade operations. He could really build something here, if he played his cards right. And cards was one of the things he was good at.
He raised an eyebrow at Errol across the table from him. The man smiled and laid his cards down: a full house. The others at the table tittered and watched Balor expectantly. Keeping his face carefully neutral, he showed his own hand: four of a kind. The small crowd all began to talk at once.
“I thought for sure you were bluffing!”
“How would you know? His face might as well be carved from stone, with how hard he is to read!”
“Wait, is that a good hand? Who won?”
Errol laughed and pushed the paltry pile of coins toward Balor. “Well done, lad. Gave me a real run for my money! I thought for sure I had you beat!”
Only then did Balor allow a smile to come over his features. He’d learned early in his career that a merchant’s demeanor could make or break a sale, and he’d had years of practice obfuscating his real thoughts and emotions. Playing cards every week with the villagers was an amusing diversion, but it paled in comparison to the high-stakes tables he’d played at in the capital. But maybe it was for the best that the locals knew nothing of his habits in the capital.
Errol left the table, joking that he wouldn’t have enough to pay his tab if he kept playing. Reina headed back to check on something in the kitchen, and Ryis began to collect the cards for another round.
“Sophie! Come join us!” Celine called, looking over Balor’s shoulder. He turned and saw her framed by the golden light of the summer evening through the doorway. Her warm brown hair shone like amber, and her smile made his heart skip a beat. He pushed away a half-formed thought and took a sip of his drink.
“Hi everyone!” she said cheerily. Sophie had settled in to village life easily, from what Balor could tell. They had spent some time together, running into one another at the inn on Friday nights, or when she perused his stock for something Nora didn’t sell. He’d grown to like her, and was glad that his positive first impression of her when they’d met at the river hadn’t been wrong. She was charming and personable, always ready to lend a hand. She had a remarkably diverse skillset that made him wonder what exactly her life had been like before accepting this post. What was someone like her doing, taking a backbreaking job in the middle of nowhere? Though he knew he couldn’t ask her that. She’d expect him to answer in kind.
The others greeted Sophie as she sat down. Balor gave her a nod in greeting. “Um, I’m not great at cards,” Sophie confessed to Celine.
“That’s okay,” Celine said quickly with her usual amount of sweetness. “I’m not very good either. I can help you!” She began explaining the rules and the hand rankings as Ryis dealt. Balor fought the urge to roll his eyes. The people here were kind and generous, but sometimes their small-town naivete grated on him. Perhaps he’d get on the road again soon, spend a few weeks traveling his usual routes. He longed for more cosmopolitan company.
They played a few rounds. Balor’s cards weren’t great, so he watched the others. Celine broke into a smile as she drew a card. Ryis’ brow was furrowed, a tell Balor had picked up on last week. Sophie bit her lip and scanned her cards, apparently deep in thought. She hesitated before making any moves, perhaps thinking back to Celine’s simplified explanation of the game.
A few hands went by in much the same way, but something began to itch in Balor’s mind. Sophie had an exceptionally bad poker face; she would sigh or smile when she looked at her cards, always hiding it just a moment too late. She stumbled into a few winning hands, but didn’t seem to really get the hang of the game. While Ryis shuffled and did some (admittedly impressive) card tricks, she would ask Celine to clarify rules – she never asked Balor, though. It seemed odd to him that someone so intelligent and capable would be so bad at a card game. Unless she just wanted them to think that.
The evening drew on and they agreed on one more hand. “Shall we raise the stakes a little?” Balor suggested with a glint in his eye. It was time to put his theory to the test. The others agreed and added some coins to the pile in the middle of the table.
“Easy come easy go, right?” Sophie said with a self-deprecating chuckle.
“Hey, maybe luck’s on your side,” Ryis said amiably as he dealt.
A few minutes later, Ryis and Celine had both folded. Balor’s hand was decent, and he looked across the table at Sophie, who was biting her lip in a show of nervousness. It had to be a show.
“I think you’re bluffing,” he said candidly to her.
“What?” Sophie asked, sounding taken aback.
It was a good ploy. Pretend to be inexperienced, then suddenly turn everyone’s expectations on their head and win. He’d done it himself once or twice. He was certain now that Sophie was much more cunning than he’d initially thought. But she was certainly bluffing now, refusing to fold and pretending to have a good hand to make him doubt himself.
“Alright, let’s see it,” Ryis announced. Balor and Sophie lay their cards on the table at the same time. He had a flush, five clubs. Across the table, Sophie’s cards showed a five, six, seven, eight, and nine. All hearts.
“Wow, a straight flush! That’s so lucky! Well done, Sophie!” Celine gushed.
Sophie smiled, a glint in her eye that made Balor’s cheeks grow warm. “Very well played,” he said, unable to hide a smile.
“Thanks,” Sophie said, scooping the coins into her palm and pocketing them. “Beginner’s luck, I guess.”
Balor knew better.
Later, after everyone had said their goodbyes for the evening and thanked Sophie for the round she’d bought with her winnings, Balor slipped out of the inn. “That was impressive,” he said, catching up to Sophie as she walked down the path toward her farm.
“Beginner’s luck, like I said,” she said with exaggerated innocence. She stopped, leaning up against the trunk of an oak and smiling mischievously at him. “You’re not bad yourself,” she went on more seriously. “Where did you learn to play?”
Balor shrugged. “You pick up things like that, traveling as much as I do,” he said evasively. She didn’t need to hear all about the grandmother who’d raised him, the myriad of games they’d played together. His history was his own.
Sophie cocked her head and regarded him. Even in the twilight, he could see the questions in her gaze. “You know, for a traveling merchant, you sure seem to have put down roots here,” she pointed out. “I can’t recall you ever leaving town.”
“Fair point,” he conceded. “Up until recently, though, I was always on the move, going wherever business was best. But now…” he ran a hand through his hair, feeling frustration rising within himself. “There’s a lot of opportunity in Mistria. I want to get in on the ground floor, so to speak.” At least, that’s what he told himself. He wondered, though, if Sophie hadn’t hit on some other reason for his stagnancy: putting down roots. The very idea was distasteful to him. Surely that wasn’t what he was doing. He was only here to make money, then he’d move back to the capital, a place where he could live in luxury. “But I suppose I do need to get back out there, make sure my other contacts don’t forget about me,” he mused.
Sophie made a noncommittal noise. She leaned her head back against the tree, staring up into its branches. Balor followed her gaze. A few stars were beginning to appear, peeking through the leaves. “How long will you be gone?” she asked after a moment.
“Why?” Balor grinned at her. "Will you miss me?”
“I might,” Sophie said slowly. Even in the dark, he could see the glint in her eye, the slight smirk, the change in her body language when she pushed away from the tree trunk and took a step toward him. “If you give me something to miss.”
All of a sudden his surroundings seemed to fade into the background. All he could focus on was her. The way her hair fell over her shoulders in waves, the scent of warm grass that clung to her, the curve of her full lips as she smiled. They were of a height, and her eyes stared straight into his. Reading people was a crucial part of his business, and Sophie was making her desires plain. He closed the distance between them, putting a hand on the back of her neck, feeling her soft hair. She smiled and put a hand around his waist as he leaned in and kissed her.
His heart was hammering in his chest but he ignored the unexpected flare of nerves, focusing instead on the way she felt in his arms. As their lips moved against one another, he tangled a hand in her hair, earning a little gasp from Sophie. She pressed her tongue against his lower lip and he opened his mouth to her, deepening the kiss. A moan rose up in his throat as she embraced him, then pushed him gently backward so his back was against the tree. He wanted her. He wanted nothing more than to stay in this moment forever. But some instinct balked at the idea of being so open, so plain in his desire. He gave her one last kiss and pulled away.
“You know what they say,” he murmured, collecting himself and resuming his customary aloof demeanor with an effort. “Always leave them wanting more.”
Sophie laughed at that and stepped away from him. “You know what else they say?” she asked as she ran her fingers through her hair. “Don’t write checks you can’t cash.”
Balor laughed at that, the sound piercing the quiet of the night. “Touché,” he said, following her as she stepped out from the shade of the oak tree and back to the path. “See you when I get back?”
“You better,” Sophie said over her shoulder as she headed back home.
Her back was turned, so she didn’t see the smile on Balor’s face.
He didn't say goodbye before he left. Sophie hadn't expected a goodbye, even after the kiss they'd shared. He didn't seem like the type to be overly sentimental about something like that, which was part of what had attracted Sophie to him in the first place. She wanted something fun, something with no strings attached.
She only found out he was gone three days later, as she sat at the bar chatting with Josephine, Elsie, and Nora.
“Yep, paid to keep his room rented out for a few weeks. Said he wasn’t sure when he’d be back, but probably before it snows,” Josephine said as she put away a stack of plates.
“Before it snows?” Sophie repeated. The leaves had just begun turning; winter was weeks away yet. “Is he usually gone that long?” she asked, feigning nonchalance.
“This was the longest he's ever been in town before,” Josephine observed. “Usually he's gone just as soon as he makes his deliveries and picks up new stock, few days or a week at most.”
“Wonder where he goes,” Nora mused. “Doesn't it…doesn't it seem like he deliberately avoids answering questions like that?” she went on, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “I mean, all this time he's been passing through Mistria, and what do we actually know about him?”
“We know he brought in supplies for us after the quake,” Josephine pointed out. “None of the other merchants were willing to make the journey, just cut us out of their trade routes since we couldn't pay for anything beyond necessities. But he stuck around, and I'm grateful for it.”
“I am too,” Nora conceded quickly. “I just can't shake the feeling that something is off about him. I mean, his prices are much lower than what I'd expect to pay with any other merchant, especially given the pain of getting here when all the roads were closed off. It makes me wonder why he's so eager to offload his stock. If it's, you know, stolen goods or something,” she finished, her voice low.
“Stolen goods?” Elsie repeated with a gasp, keeping her voice low and conspiratorial. There was a distinct glimmer of excitement in her eye as she went on. “I don’t think he’d do that, would he? I mean, of course he’s dashing and mysterious, much like my old flame Vincenzo, but you don’t think he could be an honest-to-goodness smuggler, do you?” Nora just shrugged. “What do you think, Sophie? I’ve seen the two of you together often, you must know him well at this point?”
“Me?” Sophie said, somewhat taken aback. “I’ve known him a shorter time than any of you,” she pointed out. She took a sip of her drink, wondering why the inn was suddenly so warm. The ovens, she figured.
“He’s all business most of the time,” Nora said. “Brushes off any personal questions, always steers the conversation back to profits or supply chains or something.”
“Surely you must have drawn him out of his shell a bit, hm?” Elsie asked. “Unless, of course, you two don’t do a lot of talking when you’re together?” she added with a wink.
“Elsie! Give the girl a break!” Josephine said, though she and Nora were both fighting back grins.
“There’s nothing like that going on,” Sophie said emphatically. Not yet, anyway.
At that moment, Eliand and Olric entered, distracting the others and saving Sophie from any more awkward prying. She chatted with some of her other new neighbors as the autumn evening darkened, then made her way home in the chill air.
As she walked home, her thoughts turned back to Balor. What did she know about him, really? Did he actually want what was best for Mistria, or was he playing a long game, waiting until everyone was dependent on him so he could hold them over a barrel? She shook her head, reminding herself that all she cared about was his looks; her attraction to him was purely physical. It didn’t matter if he stayed in Mistria or not. His wit and dry sense of humor didn’t matter. The way his laughter felt hard-won, like a prize she’d earned, didn’t matter. The way he told adventure stories to the kids, and went out of his way to procure random things he’d heard someone liked, didn’t matter. The tender heart and kindness she’d seen behind all his affected hauteur and aloofness didn’t matter. The fact that she missed him already didn’t matter. Did it?
Weeks passed, busy as ever. Adeline was constantly planning the village’s development, drawing up budgets and lists of materials they’d need. Between those improvements and getting her own farm up and running, Sophie was nearly run off her feet. She did make time to prioritize the bridge repair before the weather turned cold, though. The thought of leaping across the river when the rubble was slick with ice seemed like a recipe for disaster.
She spent time with Ryis and Hayden building fences for her new flock of chickens. Celine stopped by occasionally to see how her garden was progressing. She helped Eliand at the dig site; he’d fly into raptures when they uncovered even the smallest scrap of history. She took Hayden’s advice and tried to be as social as she could, spending Friday nights at the inn, surrounded by good food and good company.
The days began growing colder. The leaves faded from a riot of oranges and reds to a dull brown. The grass withered underfoot, and soon began crunching with frost. Autumn was slipping irrevocably into winter, and Sophie found herself gazing out at the eastern road every day, wondering when Balor would return. Had he spared a thought for her in his travels? She replayed the kiss they’d shared more and more often, wondering if he would still be interested in her when he returned.
“I think that’s all of them,” Adeline said, pacing across the plaza in the center of town, her eyes on the newly repaired cobblestones. “Well done, everyone!”
“At this rate, Sophie, you could become a stonemason in addition to a farmer!” Ryis joked.
“Right, like I’m not busy enough,” Sophie said with a laugh. She and Ryis took their tools back from Dell and Luc, who’d been helping with the bricklaying while Maple and Adeline supervised.
“Well you won’t have anything to do all winter, since nothing grows,” Del pointed out. “Hey, if you’re looking for something to do, you could become a cadet of the Dragonguard!”
“Actually,” Luc cut in, “there are some plants that grow in winter, especially in milder climates like Mistria’s. There are several–”
“Balor!”
At Maple’s cry, all of them directed their gaze down the broad avenue where she was pointing. Balor was heading for the inn, evidently just arrived back in town. Even from such a distance, Sophie felt her heart leap at the sight of him.
“Finally! Let’s go see if he brought anything interesting!” Dell said. The Dragonguard took off down the street towards the inn.
“Oh! Kids, he’s probably tired from his journey!” Adeline called after them, hurrying to catch up. “Let’s maybe wait a bit, right?”
Ryis chuckled. “Makes me wonder what kind of reception I’d get if I were gone that long.”
“Adeline would probably give you a hug and a task list,” Sophie joked, helping him gather the rest of their equipment. They said goodbye and went their separate ways. Part of Sophie wanted to run to the inn along with the kids, but she didn’t want to make a fool of herself. Everyone would be pestering him, asking about his trip, where he’d gone, what he’d brought back. Sophie headed for the farm, resolved to wait a while before trying to find out where the two of them stood. She did her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.
Balor felt better after a hot shower and a plate of Reina’s chickpea curry. Though traveling was undeniably tiring, he stubbornly told himself that he preferred that kind of life. Traveling was exciting, there was always new scenery and new conversations. Always on the road, moving on whenever the mood struck him. He told himself he didn’t want to settle down, not when there was still a profit to be made. But undeniably, he felt a pull to return to Mistria, to the little room he rented at the inn, to the familiar faces of the villagers, the picturesque scenery. Maybe, he conceded, when he’d finally struck it rich, he could retire somewhere like this. He didn’t need to live in the capital to have the luxury he’d been working for his whole life, did he?
Thoughts like that had followed him down every road he traveled. For the last few miles, he’d had to shove away the idea that he was coming to the end of his journey, that he was almost home. Mistria wasn’t his home, it was the place he would make his fortune. There was a difference.
Other thoughts had followed him as well. He replayed the kiss with Sophie in his head over and over, wondering what would have happened if he’d made his desires plain right then, if he’d confessed how much he wanted her. Some nights, sleeping in the back of his wagon or in a room at some inn whose name he didn’t bother to learn, he’d think of her. Her quick smile, her easy affability, her confidence and determination. How beautiful she was. The way she’d pressed her body against his. He’d had thoughts that made him blush now. And he wondered if she’d spared a thought for him at all while he’d been gone.
He tried to tell himself it was only business that made him slip out of the inn late that evening, that he was just checking up on one of his primary suppliers. But even to his own ears, the excuse sounded hollow. His heart didn’t beat this fast when meeting with any of his other contacts.
Sophie had made some improvements to her farm while he was away, in addition to what he’d already seen around town. The warm yellow light from her windows spilled out into the yard where she was putting away some tools. He stopped for a moment just beyond the pool of light, taking in the sight of her in the flesh after so long in his dreams. Balor took a deep breath, steadying himself, slipping back into the nonchalance he wore like a mask.
“You fixed the bridge.”
Sophie smiled before she turned to face him, and he wondered if she’d heard him approach, known he was standing there watching her. “You’re welcome,” she said, taking a few steps toward him.
He did the same, not quite closing the distance. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I wouldn’t have wanted to end my journey with a dip in the river.”
She laughed, and the sound made his heart leap. For a moment, he just stood there, taking in the sight of her, wracking his brain for something clever to say. He’d spent weeks on the road thinking of her, playing out this moment, and now that he was here he found himself tongue-tied. His usual charm failed him, his confidence was shaken in her presence. He’d gone into business negotiations – even into heists – with less nerves than he felt now. It would be rude to invite himself inside, it would be even worse to make a move without knowing where she stood. What if she’d lost interest? The silence stretched between them, the hum of the insects the only sound penetrating the night air. It lasted maybe a second, but it felt like lifetimes to Balor.
“You know…” Sophie began slowly, “I can’t help but remember where we left off, last time we talked.”
Relief flooded him as she broached the subject. His confidence came rushing back now that they were in familiar territory, now that he knew their thoughts bent the same way. Or close enough, at least. He grinned and closed the distance between them, going to join her in the pool of yellow light. “Help me refresh my memory,” he murmured, his voice low so that it only carried enough to reach her. “I remember this,” he said, putting his hand on her waist. She responded with a smile, wrapping her arms around him, stepping easily into his embrace. “And this,” he ran his other hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face. “And this,” he said, his voice little more than a breath as he leaned in and kissed her.
It was soft, at first. Tender, romantic. He tried to communicate everything that wouldn’t come out in words, all his half-formed thoughts in that kiss. He couldn’t be sure how much Sophie understood, but she held him tighter, kissed him back with just as much passion. Finally they parted and Sophie smiled at him, a glimmer in her eyes like a sapphire in sunlight. “Let’s go inside.”