In the Druid's Camp
Gilbert and Elspeth Slash
Chapter 1: The dinner
Gilbert was the red headed tall guard that had laughed when the other guard thought I was a boy. My insolence must have also aided this suggestion, but he was quicker than that to see through all the mud.
I bathed with Kella shocked to see how clad I was in thick dry layers of mud thanks to Ghaltha's riding lessons the previous few days. Kella informed me we were to dress and have our meal at the Druid's table. I shrugged, but Kella pressed on saying that we were to dine with all the unbonded men in the camp.
I gaped and grew worried, but I was more concerned about getting through the block in order to reach Dommick to plan an escape, but this changed things a little. When would they want us to bond it shortened my time frame of escape somewhat. I thought again unbidden of the guard Gilbert and wondered if he would be there.
As a farseeker bonding was a wholy different thing from that of other guilds or untalents because it involved a mind merge a more exposed nakedness of your whole self. For a moment I thought of Rushton and his latent mind and then stamped out the thought and focused once again upon the problems at hand.
The gypsy skin dye still stayed on our skin so our cover was not yet blown. The clothes laid out for Kella and myself were so languish they must have been from Sutrium. I put on the green velvet dress with ties at the bosom bringing out the green hue in my eyes that I thought a mere muddy brown. Rushton has green eyes I thought, oft he had glared or stared at me so they were clear in my mind, but I did not know why.
At dinner the daughter Erin made crude jokes about Gypsys and Gilbert defended us and I felt a warming to him. The druid had said we were to be bonded in two days time and I felt panic rise in my throat. But to be bonded to Gilbert even though he was an untalent might not be so bad. He was sharp and witty and kind. And he was handsome as well I noted sceptically.