by Amy McNulty
At least with Mistress Baker to care for and a goal in mind, Mother seemed to steel herself a little better. Her tight grip around Mistress Baker’s shoulders kept them both steady as we marched back out of the city and into the woods. Away from the tavern. Away from Ailill and the danger he thought more pressing than the cavern.
He’s got over a hundred specters to help him calm things down. He can do it. But even if he couldn’t, I could. I could save Father and stop Elfriede. Maybe save Jurij, too. And never put Ailill in danger in the first place.
“This way,” I said, pointing to the bush bent from all the times we’d pushed past it to get to the cavern a short distance ahead. The women followed me with only Mistress Baker’s occasional sobs to punctuate the chirps and hoots of the animals in the darkness. Mistress Baker could only find two candles to light our way, and she tried to light them with shaking hands before Alvilda took over. I tapped my foot impatiently. I just wanted to be there and make sure it was all just a misunderstanding. And take them all away from the cavern so I could do what I needed to do.
It was unsettling, leaving the murmurs and shouts of the chaotic village behind us. But something about what Ailill had told me, the threat of someone other than him “always watching,” made me certain Elfriede, Roslyn, and Nissa were the more pressing matter.
“Here it is.” I held my candle up to give them a better look at the mouth of the cavern. “Watch your step. There are stalagmites all over the ground.” I nodded at Alvilda as she followed behind me. “Take the back. Light as much of the ground as you can with your candle.”
We didn’t speak for several more minutes as we made our way slowly through the cavern. More than once, one of the women stumbled, but there were no complaints, no suggestions we stop to rest as we plowed forward. The whistling emptiness was invaded by a faint trickle of water.
“The pool’s up ahead,” I said, clearing my throat. The light that should have been violet poked into the darkness, as red as the blood on Father’s page. There was no way the page had been lying. Father was dead. And I couldn’t tell Mother. I wouldn’t need to, if I could change the past.
Father. Part of me worried I couldn’t do this. That I’d never get to know the real him. I’d failed to thus far. I’d just seen glimpses of him, been reminded of the time he drank to forget the pain of Mother being trapped in Ailill’s castle, and turned away.
Darwyn had even asked you to save him. To save “both” of them. I frowned. I never knew who else he’d been referring to. Jurij? Or was it the lord? But why would he care about the lord? It had to have been Jurij. But my mind had gone instantly to Ailill, my thoughts never more than a step away from him. Somehow, that had become the case.
My chest clenched at the image of Ailill’s castle in my mind. Rotten and in disarray. And he’d been taking so many deliveries of wine and ale from the tavern.
He’d looked thin when I saw him. Almost like he was trying to wither away.
The trickle was drowned out by a splash, and Mother screamed. She let go of Mistress Baker’s arms and pushed past, running forward.
“Mother, wait!” I couldn’t reach her. Even when she tripped and stumbled, the brightening red glow was enough to give her confidence in her steps.
I picked up my skirt with one hand and ran after her, not caring that the candle extinguished as I did. Not thinking of the women I left behind.
As the pool came into view, I gasped. The useless candle slipped to the ground.
“What are you doing here?” I shrieked, running toward the large gathering of people at the water’s edge. “I told you to hide in my shack!”
Jaron turned his head, not moving from where he stood, casually leaning on a stick. “We discussed it and thought it might get a little crowded in there. Best make use of our freedom while we have it, right? It’s not like we’ll be able to effectively hide from him anywhere.”
I frowned, my gaze falling over the men I’d freed from the castle’s cells just before I’d joined Ailill in the carriage.
I’d wanted them to hide. To stay away from the tavern and just get out of there, so I could reason with Ailill once the whole thing blew over. I should have warned them to stay away from this place.
Mother bent down by the water. “Get out of there!” She tugged on Nissa until they both fell on the sediment. Nissa laughed as she rolled over, dripping wet. Mother was furious.
“Darwyn! Sindri!” Mistress Baker reached out to hug them both. Before they could even process that their mother stood beside them or think to reciprocate the hug, she pulled back. “Roslyn!” She pushed past them to draw the young woman into her arms.
Roslyn smiled and hugged her, twittering like a sweet little bird. “Goodmother!” She laughed and pulled away, covering her mouth. “I suppose it’s just Thea now, isn’t it?”
Mistress Baker’s lips grew taut, and she stuck a finger in Roslyn’s face. “I was worried sick about you! I thought you were in the tavern—and then I was sure you’d drowned yourself!”
“Drowned herself?” Nissa stood, brushing off the front of her skirt. Siofra brushed past Master Tailor with a spiteful glance, as if he had anything to do with Nissa being there. Finding Luuk a short distance away, she led Nissa to him and put her arms around them both. Luuk looked embarrassed and shifted away, patting the side of his leg.
Mistress Baker looked at all of the faces around her, perhaps more confused than I was. “What’s going on here then?”
“Nothing!” said Sindri. He also looked uncomfortable, and he’d spoken his protestation of innocence too quickly. “Jurij said we should see something here. And when we got here, we found the women. Swimming.”
Elfriede and Marden sat at the edge of the water, whispering to each other. Their clothes were damp, as if they’d slipped them on hastily and they’d gotten soaked due to the wet undergarments beneath. Mother joined them.
I just about jumped out of my skin as someone’s arm entwined through mine. I turned, expecting Jurij or Ailill, but it was Roslyn, smiling. “We’ve been here a few times, swimming.”
I wanted to rip my arm away from hers, but I couldn’t blame her oblivious peacefulness if she truly didn’t know what was happening. “At night?”
Roslyn shrugged. “Sure. Why not? Everyone expects so much of us during the day.” She dropped my arm and motioned for Jurij. “And I wanted to celebrate today. And maybe just help ease the pain of your happiness a bit for your sister.”
Jurij didn’t take the cue to stand beside me. His glare was cold, and he dropped his eyes, focusing on his side, at which he clutched something.
“Well, that was stupid,” said Alvilda, stopping beside her brother and looking him once over. “And dangerous. Especially tonight.”
“We didn’t know they were here,” protested Master Tailor.
“Tonight?” cut in Roslyn, her sweet voice wavering. “What’s going on tonight?”
Every man’s eyes dropped down to his side. Every man’s but Jaron’s. But I didn’t tell them about the tavern. I didn’t want to put them in harm’s way. Jaron stood straighter, no longer leaning on his stick. He lifted it up in the air, letting the red light of the pool bounce off it.
It was a sword! All of the men had scabbards tied around their waists. Every one of them. Even Luuk.
“Tonight the men decided it was time to get some answers,” said Jaron. I couldn’t sense malice in his words, but the sword he held aloft gave me dreadful feelings of nostalgia. There was a time when men acted much like he was acting, not even realizing the menace of their actions. Jaron slid his sword back into the scabbard at his side and nodded. Roslyn screamed as Darwyn and Tayton shoved her aside and slipped their arms through mine, gripping me tightly.
Jaron smiled. He looked almost friendly. “And Noll here has some answers.”
I struggled to be free of Darwyn and Tayton, sending them both my angriest glare. Neither looked down, and neither caved much t
o my resistance, so I went slack.
It wasn’t like I wanted to keep it all secret. But I’d have to find a way to explain my hesitation.
“What is the meaning of this?” demanded Alvilda, striding toward me.
But before she could get much closer, Master Tailor stepped around her, pushing his hands against her chest. “Stand back, Alvilda.”
Alvilda’s eyebrows furrowed, and her face soured, like she’d eaten something rotten. “No! Step aside, Coll, or so help me, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” interrupted Jaron, his casual stride to stand beside Master Tailor belying any ill intent. “Command him to stand down? Send him to the commune to rot?” The corner of his mouth twitched. “You don’t have any power here, Alvilda. Not anymore.”
Alvilda spat at the ground near his feet. “You think I was any happier knowing I couldn’t be with Siofra thanks to you meddling men? Don’t blame me for the rules of this village.”
“Blame Noll.” Jurij’s voice was quiet. Elfriede lifted her head as he stood beside me. It was the first time I’d seen her move at all since we’d arrived.
All eyes were on me. Even the women’s, and they looked more surprised than angry.
I glanced warily at the glow of the red pool beside us. “This isn’t the time.”
“You had weeks, months, to pick a better time.” Jaron stepped closer. “We waited long enough for Jurij to get the truth out of you. His way didn’t work.”
I eyed Jurij curiously. “His way?”
The lump at the base of Jurij’s throat bobbed, and he looked away. “I thought if you loved me, you’d tell me everything you knew.”
I supposed it was lucky Darwyn and Tayton had such tight grips on me because I imagined myself punching him across the face. “You liar! All you’ve ever done is lie to me! You pretended to be my friend! You pretended to love me. You no-good—”
Jurij spun around, bringing his face closer than ever. “I wasn’t lying! I loved you. You gave me my freedom, and then you pushed me away.” He turned away and wouldn’t look at me again.
“She gave you your freedom?” echoed Mistress Baker, oblivious to the intensity of the conversation.
“People are hurt at the tavern!” I shouted, drowning out Mistress Baker’s question. “There’s been a fight—a real fight, in which people spill each other’s blood—and the lord and his servants had to rush out to stop it.” I gulped, not expecting the sudden wave of emotion that slammed into me. I had to stop myself from letting tears fall. “And I … I’ve got to take care of it. I told you all to wait out of harm’s way.” I eyed Roslyn and Elfriede. “And then you all had to have this little pity gathering at the worst time.”
“Pity gathering?” Elfriede shot up, practically knocking Mother down as she did. “How dare you belittle us?” She marched toward me, clenching her fists.
“Oh. Because you’ve been through so much just because your men left you,” I growled. “Excuse me while I reserve my sympathy.”
“Enough!” Jurij’s voice reverberated off the cavern ceiling. He looked from Elfriede to me and back again. “Both of you.” He sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. “I’m tired of being the cause of fights between you.”
I rolled my eyes. Since when had he cared about that? Maybe he couldn’t help it before, but he could now.
Jaron stepped between us sisters, nudging Jurij aside. “We know about the fight at the tavern.” Jaron nodded at Darwyn and Tayton, and they let me go, even if they still stood within easy reach. I pulled my arms away to make the point that I didn’t appreciate being held in place. What was the point of holding me down anyway? Were they worried I’d run, or a specter would step out from the shadows to whisk me away?
I stopped. “You knew about the tavern?”
Jaron looked smug and patted the sword at his side. “The boys told me about those games you used to play. A queen and her retainers battling monsters with tools called swords meant to destroy your foes. We realized people could fight each other with or without these tools.” He gestured toward the scabbard at his waist, which I noticed was slightly askew and over his stomach, not at all the tight and practiced way the men of the distant past had worn them over their hips. “Of course we didn’t expect to find a whole stash of these things in the castle after you let us free. But we didn’t need them for our fellow village men, anyway. Fists would do.”
“What are you saying?” asked Mistress Baker, her voice wavering.
Jaron shrugged. “We planned the fight in the tavern. If we failed to return after we investigated the castle, Gideon agreed to provide a distraction that might summon the lord and his men away.”
“You planned that?” I felt hot tears burning my cheeks, but I couldn’t stop them. “Father’s dead because of your plans!”
The air went still, the stifling thickness of the cavern with so many people in it threatening to suffocate us all. Even Jaron’s smugness slipped just a bit. “How do you—”
“No!” Mother screamed. She broke down into sobs, far worse than when she feared Elfriede had gone missing.
I took a step toward her, but Darwyn and Tayton clutched my forearms to stop me. I glared at them and by the time I turned back, Jaron was crouched beside Mother, patting her back. “Aubree, she must be mistaken. Don’t get yourself so worked up.”
“The pages!” I screamed, roaring to life. “Father died in ink and silhouette before my eyes. And more men and women could too.” I strained my shoulders, struggling to free myself. “What were you thinking? You figured out men could harm one another, but you didn’t consider how easy it would be for that harm to become permanent? Even fatal?”
Jurij rubbed his scar and watched as Elfriede crouched beside Mother and took her into her arms. The red of the pool flickered across the tears streaming down my sister’s face. Jaron backed away, watching the two sobbing women like they were some monster he’d unleashed upon the world. Perhaps their tears were.
Alvilda frowned. “What are you talking about? Pages?”
I stopped fighting, and I felt my captors relax. They still didn’t let me go. “Ailill watches us through pages in a book.”
Alvilda raised an eyebrow. “Okay … ”
“Well, if you had shared what you knew with us earlier, it wouldn’t have come to this!” Jaron took the distraction from my weeping family as an excuse to wag a finger in my direction. I felt a sudden wave of anger for this stupid man and his stupid plan, which put my father and so many more in danger. And now he wouldn’t even let me be with my family. Marden took my place patting Elfriede on the back, and Roslyn brushed past Jaron to join them, Mistress Baker trembling and following after her. Even Siofra let go of the children’s hands and directed them over toward Mother and Elfriede.
“Don’t blame this on me!” I snarled. None of the men but Jaron would look at me. That said all I needed to know; they did indeed blame me. But how much has Jurij told them? I swallowed, wondering if I was just imagining the red of the pool growing brighter and deeper in color. Was it time? Could I go back? Could I stop myself from even hinting to Jurij while I was at it? “The lot of you schemed without me, trying to drag me into your foolish plans, coming up with the stupidest of ways to find out something you don’t even need to know!”
“Don’t need to know?” Jaron practically spat as he grunted in frustration.
“Why can’t it be enough for you that you’re free? Do you really need to know why?”
Jaron patted the hilt of the sword at his side. “That’s easy for you to say since you know everything!”
“I don’t know everything!” The water seethed red, echoing my anger. “And if I told you what I know, I could put you all in danger!”
Jurij snapped back to the moment, tearing his focus from the huddle of grieving women. “Danger?” he asked, anxious, disbelieving. “From whom?”
“Who else?”
Ailill.
The spe
cters that filed into the cavern from the darkness were so silent, not a single person had noticed them approaching. They split into two lines, settling in behind the group on either side, blocking us all from the path back to the entrance.
Falling into place at the center of the half circle of specters, Ailill stepped out from the darkness, tugging at the bottom of his glove as if he were just slipping it back on.
He’s all right! I couldn’t believe how relieved I felt. There were tears in his clothing. His boots were scuffed and dirty. His hair was a bit mussed and out of place. There was a dark bruise on his cheek, and a thin line, no thicker or deeper than a cat’s scratch, across part of his throat that smeared red across the delicate paleness of his skin.
He didn’t seem to notice me studying him as he forced a smile. “I had wondered where you all slipped off to.” He gestured slightly, and the specters moved forward, each reaching for the nearest person. “Perhaps you can find the answers you seek in the life beyond.” The specters lifted their arms and reached forward as one, easily tearing the swords from the scabbards the men wore too loosely at their hips.
The specters raised the swords above their heads with both hands, all pointed down at the men.
Ailill crossed his arms and nodded. “Proceed.”
“No!” I screeched.
The specters stopped as one, the blades hovering dangerously over the men’s heads and backs.
Their sudden hesitation gave the men enough time to pull away. Sindri, Darwyn, Tayton, and Master Tailor formed a half circle with their backs to the water. Even Alvilda stood beside her brother, her hands clenched at her sides. Siofra pulled Luuk out of the way, and she and the rest of the women, my mother and Elfriede included, stood in a half circle around Luuk and Nissa, whom they pushed toward the water’s edge.
I was worried they were making a mistake, trusting in that water to save them. I didn’t want them anywhere near it. I had no idea how I could go back through time with so many people around.
