Karl nodded and hurried off toward Jakey’s house.
William turned to Tanyth. “You sure you’re alright, mum?”
She looked up at him. “Little bruised about the ribs but I’m alright, William. Thank you.” She looked around at the women and children who’d come out to see what all the commotion was. “We should get him under cover and clear this path, though.”
“You concerned for his health after what he tried to do, mum?” William had a look of incredulity on his face.
“In a way. I don’t want anybody to hurt him until we have Megan back. We may need to convince him to tell us where they’re camped.” Tanyth looked down at the man on the ground. “When he can talk again.”
William glanced at him and then around at the angry faces that were beginning to press a bit closer. “I take your meaning, mum.”
Jakey came running over with his wife in tow. He’d had time to put on boots and clothes, but he’d obviously left the house in a hurry. He was still buttoning his shirt when he arrived. He took in the scene. “What cha got here, William?”
“This here is Josh Willowston. They called him Josh the Cosh back in Kleesport. He’s one of the boyos that was riding with Andy Birchwood.”
Jakey leaned over to examined the man closely. “He seems a mite worse for wear. What’d ya do to him?”
William shook his head. “Nothing. Mother Fairport here took him down and tied him up.”
Jakey’s eyes bulged a bit and he turned to regard the small woman still standing over the mewling man. “You, mum?”
“Yup.” She nodded. “Hard for a man to stand with crushed knackers. Takes the fight out of ‘em quite nicely.”
Jakey winced a bit. “You ok, mum?”
She gave a half shrug. “I’ll be better when we get Megan back.”
Jakey nodded. “Karl said they’d gotten her.” He turned to William. “What’s the plan?”
William jerked his head toward the woods. “Thomas is looking for their trail now. When he finds it, we’ll go in and get her back.”
Jakey nodded. “Lemme round up the crew—what’s left of it—and we’ll go with you.”
William nodded.
Tanyth narrowed her eyes. “What should we do with this one?” She nudged him with her boot again.
William reached down and grabbed him by the collar. “Jakey, gimme a hand here, will ya? We need to get him over to the barracks house so we can watch him.”
Jakey looked down at the hapless Josh once more. “He’s not really gonna walk any where soon, you think?”
William shook his head. “Nope.”
Jakey nodded and grabbed on beside William. Together they dragged him off, around the corner and down between the rows of houses.
When the men had gone, Amber and Sadie rushed to Tanyth’s side. “You sure you’re ok, mum?” Amber asked.
Tanyth took a deep breath. “I’ve been worse, but I’ll feel a whole lot better when we get Megan back and these thugs leave us alone.” Sadie joined them and Tanyth looked back at Megan’s house. “We’ll need to take care of the kids until we know.”
Amber and Sadie nodded solemnly. Amber patted Tanyth’s arm.”We’ll get all the kids together at my house today. Don’t worry, mum. We’ll take care of them.”
Tanyth nodded and felt the strength in her legs waning rapidly. She turned and went back into Megan’s house with the younger women in tow. She sat heavily down on her bedroll as Amber and Sadie bundled up the three, wide-eyed children.
On their way out, the small blonde girl—Tanyth remembered her name was Sandy—stopped and turned to Tanyth. “You’ll watch over us all, won’t you, mum?”
Tanyth smiled and swallowed back a lump. “I’ll try, sweetling. I’ll certainly try.”
The little girl smiled beatifically. “Thank you, mum. That’s all we can ask.” She rejoined her sibs and they all trooped out, following Sadie.
Amber paused at the door uncertainly. “Will you be alright, mum? I shouldn’t leave you alone…” Her voice trailed off.
Tanyth shook her head. “I’ll be fine, my dear. I just need to sit quietly here for a moment. Put the kettle on. I’ll be along for a cup of tea in a moment.”
Amber hesitated but did as she was bid, and left the house, closing the door behind her.
Tanyth pulled her knees up to her chest and placed her forehead on them and prayed to the All-Mother for guidance and protection.
22
A Feint and a Fire
No matter how hard Tanyth tried, the edge of sleep was as elusive as a wave on the shore, slipping close and lapping her feet but always receding again. For the first time since she’d seen through the raven’s eyes, she found herself desperately desiring a vision instead of fearing it.
She heard the men mustering behind the house and pulled herself up wearily and went to see what was happening. Amber had the same idea and the two women converged on the gathering just as Thomas slipped back out of the woods, his face grim.
William nodded to him. “Trail?”
Thomas held up a scrap of fabric. “Caught on a limb. Trail’s there but it’s rough. They’re headed south and not very far ahead yet. We ready to move?” He looked to William.
William looked at his assembled party of quarrymen. Jakey nodded and the others looked grimly eager to be off. William turned to Amber. “We tied Josh to a cot in the barracks house. He should be okay ‘til we get back.” He spared a glance for Tanyth. “You really did a job on him, mum.”
“Yes.” She smiled in a way that had nothing to do with humor. “More’n one thought a little woman like me was easy pluckin’ in the last twenty winters.”
His breath huffed out in a single laugh at that but he turned back to his wife. “They’ll be running and we’ll be behind them, so you should be safe enough here, but keep everybody in the house and together until we get back, alright?”
She nodded and reached up to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “Be careful.”
He just nodded, his mind already on the trail ahead. He turned to Thomas. “Go!”
The men slipped into the undergrowth and in moments there was no sound at all except for the wind in the treetops and the morning birds chirping in the brush.
Amber turned to Tanyth. “I’ll go get Charlotte and Bethany. Why don’t you go get warm in front of the fire, mum.”
Tanyth smiled. “I will. Let me just pick up my things a bit and get some fresh clothes…” She looked down at her clothing—slept in and muddy from her scramble on the ground.
Amber grinned. “You’ve had a full morning, mum.”
“Yes, and I haven’t even had my tea. No wonder I’m grumpy.” Her tone was vaguely self-mocking. “It’s not good to accost me on the way back from the privy before I’ve had my tea.”
Amber’s giggle sparkled in the light of the rising sun. “No, mum. I can see that.”
The reality of their grim situation reasserted itself and the two went their separate ways, Tanyth to collect her bed roll and pack and Amber to check on the remaining women and children.
In the house, Tanyth pulled the kettle back from the fire and banked what little fire was left. With all the excitement, it had almost burned itself out already. In just a few moments, she’d stashed her extra clothing in her pack, fetched her belt knife from the bedroll, and rolled the bed roll into a loose ball. She didn’t bother to attach it to the pack, but just looped the pack over one arm, clapped her hat on her head, took staff in hand and grabbed the bedroll under the other arm for the short walk across the grass.
When she entered the hut, Sadie had the children all sitting in a circle playing a game that involved hand clapping in a complicated progression of patterns that seemed to make them all fall into gales of giggle whenever one of them missed and they had to start over.
Tanyth propped her pack in the corner and plunked the bedroll in front of it for a seat. As she started to settle on it, Sadie hurried over and before she knew it, Tanyth fou
nd herself sitting at the place of honor on the hearthstone and holding an earthenware mug of hot tea.
“You just rest there, mum. We’ll have something hot for breakfast soon’s Amber gets back.”
On cue, Amber scurried down into the house alone. “Bethany, Rebecca, and Charlotte have barricaded themselves in with their kids up there.”
Sadie nodded. “Probably just as well.” She nodded at the alarming large pile of children on the floor. “Gonna get noisy enough in here before the morning’s out with just this lot.” Her smile was warm even if her tone sounded resigned.
The lot in question dissolved in to shrieking laughter as their clapping pattern was broken once more and they started over again.
The two younger women bustled around the fire, heating water and warming a pot of stew for breakfast. They smeared soft cheese on slices of bread and broke into the circle of clapping children to hand out skewers of bread that they could warm for themselves over the coals at the edge of the hearth.
Their initial tasks completed, the women stepped back and let the kids get closer to the coals. There was the usual jockeying for position and the requisite number of burned and dropped pieces of bread, but all in all, the morning progressed in good order.
Amber saw Tanyth watching the operation with a faintly amused expression on her face. “It’s slow, mum, but it keeps ‘em occupied for a bit.” She smiled.
Tanyth returned the smile, including Sadie in her gaze. “You two are going to be wonderful innkeepers.”
Sadie shook her head. “Not me, mum. That’s all Amber’s headache. I don’t want anything to do with it.”
Amber laughed a bit. “I’m gonna make you a bread oven the likes of which you’ve only dreamed of! You see if I don’t.”
The way Sadie’s eyes lit up for a moment before she caught the handle on her enthusiasm made Tanyth think that Amber knew her friend very well indeed.
They sat quietly and sipped their tea while the gaggle of children finished toasting—and sometimes burning—their bread and cheese.
After a few minutes, Sadie turned to Tanyth. “D’you really think we’ll have an inn here, mum? Really?”
Tanyth shrugged. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“Well, there’s not that many travelers on the Pike, mum. I got my doubts as to whether or not we could make a go of it.”
Tanyth gave a little half shrug. “You won’t really know until you try, will you?”
Sadie shrugged back. “I guess so, mum. Just seems like a lotta work for something that might not pan out in the end.”
Tanyth looked back and forth between the two younger women. “What’s the worst that can happen? The town gets a big building where you can all gather. If guests come to stay, then good. If not, then you still have the building for days when it’s raining or snowing.”
The two looked at each other and nodded. Amber’s mouth turned up a little at the corners. “It would be nice to have someplace bigger than this little house to gather in.” She eyed the crowded corners and small floor space. The only place that was really clear was where Tanyth realized the root cellar must be.
They laughed at Amber’s half-wistful tone.
Tanyth nodded at the children. “As this lot gets older, and bigger, you’re going to need something to keep them busy. Who knows? In a few winters you’ll have all the staff you need right here.”
Amber and Sadie looked a bit startled at that notion, but the idea soon settled into them and they nodded in agreement.
The children finished burning breakfast and returned to their places on the floor. The game of clapping and laughing began once more. They made a lot of noise but it was happy noise and the adults settled down to bowls of stew and hanks of bread and another round of tea before the day’s work began.
The game reached the breaking point quickly, but instead of dissolving into peals of laughter, two of the children began squabbling. Tanyth didn’t even have a chance to figure out which two before Sadie shouted. “Stop! If you can’t play nice, you’ll have to do chores.”
Sandy piped up. “But he was—”
Sadie raised a hand, palm out. “Tut!”
The children silenced immediately.
“No tales! No tattle! If you can’t get along…” She let the unstated threat hang in the air and let the children imagine something worse than she could reasonably threaten.
She started to say something else but in the silence another sound reached them, a low rumbling.
Sadie turned to Amber. “Thunder? This time of year?”
Tanyth was already moving. “Horses.” She grabbed her staff and headed for the front door before anybody else could move. She burst through the door even as the three riders carrying burning torches galloped up the path from the Pike. One was headed right for her but she raised her staff and shouted in the horse’s face “Oye! Hyah!” And the horse shied away.
The rider held on and glared at her as the horse wheeled. He got the animal under control and spurred it toward Sadie’s house instead. Tanyth recognized Andrew Birchwood with a shock. He galloped up to the front, kicked the door open from where he sat and tossed a burning torch through the opening.
Behind her Tanyth heard Sadie gasp and glanced to see her start to run towards her home. Amber stopped her as Birchwood drew steel and wheeled his horse back in their direction. “Where is he?” he barked, his face clouded in red anger.
Tanyth laughed in his face. “You shoulda asked that before you started torchin’ houses!”
Birchwood reined up, disconcerted for a moment, and Tanyth swung her staff at his sword hand. The horse wheeled and she missed, but it put the man even more off balance.
A shout echoed across the village. “Here!”
Birchwood spared a glance for the women and then charged to where his men helped Josh the Cosh up out of the house. The crippled man was still not able to stand upright on his own but the two on the ground hefted him over the saddle of a riderless horse like a sack of grain. One tossed the reins to Birchwood who sheathed his sword and caught up the leather. He trotted his horse back the way they’d come while the other two double mounted the remaining horse and followed—victorious grins plastered across their faces.
As they rode away, Tanyth bolted towards Sadie’s house and skidded through the door into the fire. The torch had landed right in the middle of one of the woven grass mats and the fire had a good hold. The high peak was filling with smoke, but the ground level was still relatively clear. Sadie and Amber ran in behind her and Sadie started to grab a woolen blanket from the cot but Amber shouted. “No! Help me.”
Between them they lifted the burning mat and dragged it out onto the grass before anything else caught fire. The billowing smoke from around the village told them they weren’t going to be as lucky with the rest of the houses.
Charlotte and Bethany came running around the corner and the five women headed back toward Megan and Harry’s house but the torch there had done its work and the flames were licking out of the open door. Tanyth ran up to the open front door and slammed it shut to try to slow the fire’s spread. They ran past to the next house but it was unoccupied and the torch had fallen on bare earth and posed no risk.
“Buckets.” Tanyth was panting now and the others stared numbly at her. “We might be able to save something! Buckets. Water!”
They scattered and Tanyth headed for the pump. “Riley! Riley! Come to me, boy! Riley!”
The stout lad lanced out of the backdoor of Amber’s house as fast as his solid little legs could carry him and Tanyth pointed at the pump. “Keep the water going, lad. Just keep pumping!”
Amber was the first back with two buckets and Sadie was right on her heels. Tanyth helped Riley get the pump going and then she grabbed a bucket herself and they started running back and forth from the pump to Megan’s back door, tossing bucket after bucket into the heart of the fire and splashing water around as quickly as they could. Charlotte and Bethany returned and added their mus
cles and buckets. The cold water did the trick and they began to beat the fire back slowly at first and then suddenly it was over.
Tanyth looked around at her soot smeared brigade, taking stock. “Is anybody hurt?”
Amber pointed to Tanyth where a burn welted up the skin of her lower arm. “Just you, mum, I think.”
Tanyth looked at the burn and felt its sting but it was superficial. “I’ll be alright. Where are the children.”
Riley’s voice piped up from outside. “Here, mum.”
Riley had them all lined up in order of age outside by the pump. “They helped me pump!”
Tanyth smiled at the pride in his voice. “Good job, everyone.”
The exhausted women practically crawled out of the fire ravaged hut, coughing a bit from the smoke and stinking of burned wool. They collapsed on the grass, muscles trembling from the exertion and gulping clean morning air. The wide eyed children gathered around and settled between and among them—some cuddling, some demanding reassurance, and others offering.
Young Riley stood at the open door and peered down into the blackened ruin. After a period of careful consideration, he turned to the assembled party and with a jerk of his thumb at the open door. “Boy, Ms. Megan is gonna be mad when she sees that mess.”
The women all dissolved in to gales of laughter and their relief echoed through the forest and sailed on the last wisps of gray smoke up into the blue, morning sky.
23
Recovery
Tanyth was the first to recover and leaped to her feet when Thomas and the quarrymen came crashing through the forest. The men skidded to a stop and surveyed the women and children—eyeing the burnt-out house and trying to see everything at once.
Thomas spoke first. “Is everybody alright?”
Tanyth nodded. “We’re all fine. Singed a little here and there, but they got Josh and this house is probably not going to be habitable.” She jerked her head in the direction of the burned house. “Where’s Megan?”
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