Tinderbox Under Winter Stars

by Emma Sterner-Radley

  Elise started at the sight of the tinderbox.

  Anja peered at her. “Everything all right?”

  Elise swallowed. “Yes, I was merely… pondering the fire risk.”

  “Ah. Fires are rare, but they do have pump bottles of water in every compartment just in case. This is but one of the luxuries you find here but not in minor class. In those carriages, you’d be packed in like animals. Rarely any seats, and where there are seats, they have no… softness?”

  “Cushioning?” Elise suggested.

  Anja grunted. “That’s it. No cushioning.”

  “Where can we sit?” Nessa asked.

  “Your ticket will have a number on it.”

  Elise looked at her piece of card, her ticket, she corrected herself. It said 5B. She looked over at Nessa’s and saw that she was in 5A. Anja pointed at the numbers on the train walls above the seats.

  “I am in seat 4A, the window seat here. So, I will sit opposite you, yes? Unless you both want a window seat, in which case we switch, and I sit in 5B,” she said.

  “I d-don’t know,” Nessa said, looking in panic to Elise.

  Elise smiled reassuringly at her. “I think we will sit as our tickets say at first. Then we can switch later if we wish. Will someone sit in 4B?”

  “Possibly,” Anja replied.

  “Shame. I was going to suggest that our bags could be in that spot,” Elise said.

  Anja shook her head. “There is a place for luggage, not that you two have much of that. You travel surprisingly light. Anyway, at the back of this carriage are what we call luggage racks.”

  So, she noticed that we arrived without real luggage. Curses.

  “Perfect. I’ll put our bags there,” Elise said while relieving Nessa of her satchel.

  “Thank you,” Anja said, handing over her own bag.

  Elise quashed the impulse to have a quick glance into it. Her curiosity for the stoic older woman shouldn’t make her forget her manners and common decency.

  She put the bags on the top shelf, noting that she or Anja would have to get them down as the shorter Nessa couldn’t reach. Then she went back to their seats.

  Anja was leaning her head back, eyes closed. A perfect opposite to Nessa, who sat stiff and stared out the window as if she expected the gods to appear on the platform with burning spears and judgement.

  Elise sat down next to her and kissed her temple. “Exciting, is it not?”

  Nessa blew out a long breath. “I suppose.”

  Elise leaned in to whisper right into Nessa’s ear. “Heartling, when we get to whatever rooms we hire, I intend to settle between those legs of yours and relax you. And I do not want you distracted by the muscle knots you are creating now. Try to get those shoulders away from your ears.”

  Nessa sniggered, lowering her shoulders as requested. Elise gave her temple another kiss.

  The train hissed loudly, and a thrumming noise began. The man with the sign outside shouted something in Sundish and then, in Arclidian, bellowed, “Departure is now, ladies and gentlemen. Take your seats on the train to Skarhult.”

  Five or six people came in and sat down, leaving the carriage still half-empty. But from what Eleonora Lindberg had told Elise, the train stopped often and took on more people while only a few left.

  The train seemed to be vibrating now. Elise’s heart was working overtime and her blood humming with excitement.

  Nessa took her hand and shakily whispered, “Here we go.”

  The train began to move, and Elise was filled with a lightness, as if she were flying across the land. She bit her lip, holding back an elated laugh. It made no sense that Arclid had fought against the trains for so long. This was magic! She closed her eyes and squeezed Nessa’s slightly damp hand.

  “Yes, my heartling. Here we go!”

  Chapter 7

  To Skarhult

  Some time later, Nessa asked how far along they were and was told they were about a third of the way.

  “At least I believe so,” Anja said with a shrug. “I never timed the journey. I only go to Charlottenberg when not working, and then I do not let my timepiece control my days.”

  Elise’s golden eyes went wide. “You have a timepiece?”

  Anja opened her coat and pulled out a pocket watch. “Don’t you have these?”

  Nessa chuckled. “Well yes, Arclidians have them, but we don’t. Only the Nobles can afford them. Oh, and the church timekeepers, who get timepieces to keep church clocks working. All commoners tell time by them. And the movements of the sun, of course.”

  “I had one,” Elise said quietly, gazing out the window. “I was given a golden pocket watch when I was at—”

  “Which you didn’t get to keep when you left your employer, right?” Nessa interrupted. She had to stop Elise before she slipped up and said at court. They might not be in Arclid anymore and were not sure that the Queen was really hunting them, but they were still laying low.

  Elisandrine shook herself out of her reverie. “Right. Quite so. I had to leave it behind as it was… a gift that came with my profession.”

  “I see,” Anja said. “It must have been a high-paid job then, if timepieces come at such a premium, yes?”

  Elise didn’t hesitate, fully in control now. “I was a companion to a rich and powerful Noble. A lady at court.”

  “Sounds rather tedious,” Anja muttered.

  Nessa worried Elise would become defensive at the rudeness, maybe even have that temper of hers flare up.

  Instead, Elise laughed. “It was at times, although the court intrigues forced my mind to be alert. You had to be one step ahead of the closest plotting lady who wanted whatever favour you had just managed to get. The court of Arclid is like a flock of starved vultures. Wanting treasure, power, and attention rather than meat.”

  Nessa’s jaws tightened with jealousy at Elise’s sudden patience. She wished Anja was a man, thereby ensuring that “Only-Women-Thanks Elise” would not have any physical interest.

  Stop it. Elise’s roving days are over, flirting is just her way. Quell your insecurities, Clay.

  Massaging her jaw, Nessa focused back on the discussion of the pocket watch. Anja’s was not as gilded and gaudy as the one she had seen Prince Macray peer at during town celebrations. This was a functional yet elegant open-faced timepiece which turned out to have a pattern of an ice bear on the back. The silver was so darkened with time and use that it might as well be tin.

  “Lovely. Are they expensive here?” Elise asked.

  “No. We have a lot of people who work with watchmaking and clockwork. Time belongs to all in Storsund, not just to the rich and powerful.”

  Elise and Nessa glanced at each other. Such a thought wouldn’t go down well in Arclid. Especially not at the court in Highmere.

  Elise began asking how the watch worked, something which Nessa found she couldn’t focus on in her fatigue. Her mind seemed to have been filled to the brim with new things and threatened to spill over.

  The view outside the window took her attention instead. Gone were the pastel buildings of Charlottenberg. Now she saw only occasional wooden houses flanked with dense forest. Grey clouds filled the sky, making it appear like dusk even though it was only early afternoon. As the sky got darker and darker, promising thunderstorms, the ground got lighter. There was more snow here. The light, dirty dusting on the ground in Charlottenberg was replaced with a shimmering white blanket.

  The train was warm, seeming to thaw the cold which had set in her bones during the six-week sea voyage. Seeing that Anja had taken her coat off, Nessa took hers off, too. She was growing sleepy. For a long time, she watched the layer of snow growing thicker as they travelled, covering every house and tree.

  Her reverie was interrupted by Elise’s hand on her thigh. “Nessa? Did you hear my idea?”

  “What? No. Sorry. I was watching the snow.”

  “I just asked if perhaps we could stay with Anja for a few days?”

  Nessa looked over at
Anja and saw what she interpreted as hesitance.

  “Heartling, we’ve only just met her. Perhaps we shouldn’t simply invite ourselves into her home?”

  Elise pursed her red lips. “But it would be most beneficial to all of us! I could even help Anja by taking dictation.”

  “Take what now?” Anja asked with a frown on her clear features.

  “Dictation is when you say out loud what you want written and someone writes it for you. I enjoy history and would love to be of use to you. Not that I doubt your ability to manage on your own,” Elise hastened to say. She smiled apologetically before adding, “In return, we would only ask for a roof over our heads. Then Nessa can look for an apprentice position with a local glassblower, and when she finds one, we can rent some rooms in town.”

  Anja ran a hand over her unruly hair. “I… don’t live in the centre of Skarhult, only in an industrial area farther out. You seem like a city woman, you would not like my little hovel.”

  Elise laughed her silver bell laughter. “Oh, hush. I am sure it is not a hovel!”

  Nessa was about to apologise for Elise’s impetuousness when they were interrupted by a man in a railway uniform clearing his throat. In front of him was a silver cart which held a pot of coffee and a stack of cups, matching saucers, and a small glass bottle filled with milk. At least Nessa assumed it was milk. Who knew in this peculiar place?

  “Pardon, ladies. Coffee?” the man said, his ginger moustache twitching with his nervous smile.

  Anja whispered, “A cup is included in your ticket. Take one even if you don’t want it and I’ll have it.”

  “Yes, please,” Nessa said, unsure if she was keeping the cup or handing it over.

  Elise nodded with her nose scrunched up. They all knew she wasn’t drinking hers.

  Anja accepted her cup and saucer, her bright eyes seeming to twinkle when the black liquid was poured.

  When the ginger-haired man moved on, Nessa said, “You really do love this stuff, don’t you?”

  “Love it and need it. If you have it everyday, you are likely to become addicted,” Anja replied and took a long slurp.

  Elise pushed her coffee over to Anja, looking sheepish.

  Nessa blew on hers, watching her lover.

  Is that look because you forced the houseguest idea or because you spurned her favourite drink?

  Anja put her cup down with a satisfied sigh. “We are lucky to have such a good trade deal with the Western Isles.”

  “Is that where you get the coffee?” Nessa asked.

  “Yes. There are frequent ships between our southwest coast and the closest of their islands. We get coffee, and in return, they receive sturdy timber and grains that do not grow in their warm lands.”

  “Speaking of warmth. There is a lot of snow out there and our boots aren’t made for it. We’ll need to buy boots and other winter wear when we alight in Skarhult,” Nessa said to Elise.

  Anja nodded gravely. “Yes, you will. And woollen underwear which covers arms and legs, yes? It’ll keep you alive.”

  “Thank you for the suggestion. We shall make that a priority,” Elise said, still looking cowed.

  Anja blew out a breath and sat back. “Now, Elise, returning to your question. As I mentioned before, I’m a loner, while you two are strangers I met only this morning. Why should I house you?”

  Some of the energy returned to Elise’s features. “Because we can be of use to you. I can help with the writing, as I said. Nessa is strong and capable and can assist around the house. You cannot be sure we are not thieves or murderers, but we cannot be sure you are not one of those, either. We are, however, willing to trust you.”

  The defiance in Elise’s voice threatened to morph into anger, so Nessa interrupted. “Anja, I know this must seem hasty to you. We’ve had to live our lives taking chances and trusting strangers lately, but you have not. Perhaps there is a compromise? Why don’t we come stay with you for only a day or two? Then we’ll know if we get along and if anyone is planning any attacks with a bread knife?”

  Anja stood up. “Perhaps. I will think about it. I need to stretch my legs.”

  She walked down the carriage and began striding back and forth.

  When she was out of earshot, Nessa turned to Elise. “Heartling, you can’t just rush things along like that. You must be patient.”

  Elise huffed.

  Nessa tried again. “I know your style of pushing and being bold worked well for us in Nightport, and I’m grateful. However, here we might have to wait longer to get jobs and lodging. We might just have to make do and prepare for discomfort.”

  Elise jutted her chin out and stared out the window.

  “Really, Elise? You’re not going to reply?” Nessa softened her tone. “Just… don’t push so fast. I know I’ve said it before, but not everyone is as flexible and free as you, heartling.”

  Elise busied herself with brushing down her coat. “Fine. I will endeavour to be patient.”

  “Thank you. I’m sure your plan will come to fruition anyway. It always does. Just use a subtler, gentler touch.”

  “Yes, yes. I get it.”

  “Great. Now, speak plainly… on a scale from one to ten, how much do you loathe coffee?”

  “Eleven,” Elise drawled before pursing her lips.

  Nessa laughed, prompting Elise to sigh and put her head on her shoulder.

  “I do so adore it when you laugh. How quick you are to laugh was one of the first things I fell for.”

  Nessa kissed her hair. “Really? What were the other first things?”

  “Fishing for compliments, are we?”

  “Merely passing the time until we get to Skarhult,” Nessa replied stiffly while picking up her coffee cup.

  “Aha. Hmm. I would say that the first things were your honesty, your shyness, your beauty, and how eager you were to help. Even a complete stranger, like I was then.”

  “My beauty?”

  Elise adjusted her head on Nessa’s shoulder. “Yes.”

  “You… find me beautiful?”

  “Of course, silly. I cannot take my eyes, or my hands, off of you.”

  Nessa sipped the last of the coffee. “I-I thought that was just because you love me.”

  “Oh, come now, even the Queen had to admit that you are attractive. Even if she did so in her unpleasant way.”

  “Don’t mention her. I’m trying not to think about her,” Nessa hissed. She looked down at her hands and mumbled, “Trying to shake the feeling that she’s right behind us, scheming to take you away from me.”

  “Sorry. I can find other examples. What about your best friend’s wife, who had a colossal crush on you? Or even Hunter Smith, who in all his disinterest in the pleasures of the flesh, could not resist flirting his head off when he saw you.”

  Nessa scoffed. “Hunter flirts with everyone. It’s how he hides that he doesn’t want to bed them.”

  “True. But when he flirted with you, he pointed out that you have a natural, obvious beauty. One that does not require cosmetics, like mine does. Or require a certain taste in looks, like, well, like Anja's appearance does.”

  Nessa stiffened, hoping that Elise hadn’t felt it. “You find her attractive?”

  “Mm. I suppose I do. In an austere, handsome sort of way. She has a certain… presence and such striking eyes.”

  “No, you have striking eyes.”

  Elise gave a hollow laugh. “I have peculiar eyes, my treasure. It is not the same thing.”

  “Peculiar? No! The way your eyes look is like,” she paused. “Like morning sunlight. Golden yellow, all bright and warm.”

  Elise moved her head off Nessa’s shoulder and faced her. “You say the sweetest things.”

  Nessa was going to answer, but something in the way her lover looked at her made her stop. Elise’s gaze moved from her eyes and down to her lips. There was a shiver of pleasure working its way down Nessa’s spine to settle between her legs.

  Annoyingly, it was interrupted by
Anja coming back to sit down.

  “The next stop will be Skarhult,” she said, peeking into Nessa’s cup and scowling when she found it empty.

  How does she not need to relieve herself every two minutes if she drinks that much?

  The train slowed to a halt. Anja and Nessa put their coats on while Elise, who had kept hers on, merely stretched and yawned. The fresh, cold air outside would be good for them all.

  Nessa’s wakeup call came as her right foot sank into a patch of untouched snow. It was the only part she could see that wasn’t trodden in or otherwise disturbed.

  The only two times in her life when there had been snow in Ground Hollow, it had been untouched when she first saw it. A thin film of fragile white covering the farm, like lace over a dress. Then she and the other children had played in it, quickly ruining it, leaving only traces in the middle of the fields, where their parents wouldn’t let them play for fear of injuring the crops.

  She looked along the platform and saw that the snow here was trampled and packed into a dense crust. But the snow at the end of the platform, where there were no trains or passengers, looked like it would be ankle deep. The train tracks were clear. Did someone shovel them every time snow fell? If not, would they be stuck here? Warily, Nessa searched the sky. There was no sign of snow, but the gloomy clouds, with the reflection from the white snow and the city, appeared darkly purplish. Did that mean there was snow in them?

  She shivered and cast a glance over at Anja. Should she bother Anja with a prompt to take them to a shop where they could buy winter clothes? And then maybe lunch? Maybe even food before the shopping? It must be past lunchtime now, and the energy of Nessa’s sandwich at the cafe had been burned through.

  Anja gazed ahead at the city beyond the station, a severe look on her face. Her pepper-and-salt hair blew across her eyes, and she shook her head violently to clear her vision. She appeared to have a million things on her mind. Nevertheless, it was Nessa’s role in her relationship with Elise to be the practical one. They needed winter clothes, and if this was a large city, they needed a guide. Nessa geared up to ask, to be the whiny, nagging one once more.