A/N: I'll be honest, what I really want to be doing right now is reading a
fic by one of my most favorite authors, but for various reasons I can't, so
lets just get on with the chapter. To anybody who is reading Typical
Prototype along with this one: I am taking a break from it to finish this
story, but thank you so much for the reviews for it anyway. I don't know
when I'll finish it, but trust me, it's right at the top of my list. And
thanks and thanks again to my pals Gok and cheler, glad to hear you're
enjoying it.
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They rode quietly and inconspicuously (A/N: Hail the Queen of Spelling!) throughout the night. Linnet didn't dare be the first to complain about her sore rear, so she bit her tongue to distract her from the spiking pain shooting through her lower back. Finally, as dawn broke through the thick trees, she could take it no more.
"Alright!" she cried, halting her horse and gratefully, if gingerly, slid off her mare, "That's quite enough riding for the time being."
Taren followed her lead, but not without a smug smile, "Aw, but Torture the Noble is such a fun game, don't you think, Xandro?" But the tailor wasn't listening to his bickering companions. His eyes were scanning the dense foliage uneasily, "Xandro?" his brother said, "You alright there, baby brother?"
Xandro turned quickly to Taren, "Huh? No- I mean, yes, I'm fine." He glanced over the trees again briefly, "It's just-" he stopped, "Nevermind, I must be tired." He rubbed his eyes and stretched as if to prove his assertion, then dismounted as well. He seemed better after the activity, "So, what's for breakfast?"
Taren was already going through one of his saddle bags, while Linnet tied up the horses, "Lovely, buttery, cold biscuits and water from a stream I saw not far back. Princess," he handed Linnet an empty water sac, "If you would be so kind?"
I can do this, Linnet told herself solidly, no problem. Get water from the stream, easy. She stood still among the trees for a moment and listened for Taren's alleged stream. She smiled as she detected the faint but unmistakable gurgle of running water. Walking quietly so as not to lose the sound, Linnet examined the brown leather water sac. Just how was she supposed to open it? She figured it probably had something to do with the small brown stopper at one end of the thing, but, as much as she pried, she couldn't get it out.
She nearly stepped into the stream's clear, cool waters in her focused deliberation. And all of her attention flew from the water sac at the low growl that entered her ears. Her dark brown eyes flashed up to take in the large wolf just on the other side of the woefully narrow stream. Its stiff posture didn't suggest it had been drinking, more like it had been waiting, very tensely, for something. Or someone, Linnet's overactive imagination whispered. The growl started again, louder, making Linnet jump slightly but stay in her frozen position of gripping the water sac tightly to her chest and biting her lip. She knew she had to do something eventually, and that time seemed to be rapidly approaching as Linnet took in the wolf's change in posture from a living statue to a tightly coiled spring. She felt almost hypnotized by the predator's fierce golden eyes.
One more growling bark from the wolf set off her own spring, and Linnet dropped the water sac and rocketed into the woods to her right as fast as her legs could carry her. She ran along the pebbly stream bed, dodging branches and splashing across the shallow stream itself, sending glittering droplets of water into the air in her wake. Linnet tried not to scream as she heard the wolf bounding silently after her, nearly right on her heels. She veered off the stream bed and into a small clearing where a large tree stood. Linnet was almost laughing with relief as she hoisted herself into the low branches, not stopping until she was ten feet off the ground and safely out of the wolf's waiting jaws. She let herself fall against the trunk's gnarled bark with a sigh as the wolf paced slowly below.
Okay, she thought while catching her breath, this is good, she examined her surroundings a little more closely, But now I've got a whole new set of problems. She glanced down at the wolf, who in turn eyed her with its golden eyes. Linnet shivered slightly, those eyes were starting to scare her in an entirely different way other than possible disembowelment and digestion. She had to get help, very soon.
"Taren!" she called, cupping her hand to her mouth, "Xandro! Anybody!" she glanced back at the wolf, who was still staring at her, and now growling, "HELP!!" She stopped yelling long enough to listen for any possible response. The only one she got was more growling from her determined hunter, but this time it sounded strange. She tried to look through the dense leaves, and her breath caught as she noticed more movement in the clearing. She bent one of the tree's branches down to reveal six other wolves wandering in the clearing. They all looked directly at her with identical golden eyes and emitted a low, menacing growl that sent her made her push back against the trunk in fear, letting the branch bounce back into place. She couldn't prevent her body from shaking as the one echoing growl created by the pack died, leaving her in silence.
"These can't be normal wolves," she whispered with a trembling voice, "He- he-HELP!!!" she screamed, and waited once more for a response. This time she wasn't disappointed.
"Linnet!" a distant call drifted to her ears.
"Taren!" she answered happily, but then stopped, "No- NO!! Taren, don't come any closer, there're WOLVES here!" She couldn't let him die trying to save her.
Taren didn't heed her warning, "Don't worry, Linnet! I'm coming!" She moaned with anxious worry as she heard his voice come closer and closer, he wasn't listening to her!
But Taren was smarter than that. He'd heard the wolves' growl almost overtake his friend's cries for help and, along with Xandro, slowed his steps to a creep when he neared the clearing. He decided he'd never seen anything like this as he watched the wolves from the safety of the bushes. This can't be normal behavior, he thought. They occupied the clearing like a hunting party under a treed raccoon, just waiting for it to come down. Most of them paced around the large tree, growling at intervals, some sat by a fallen log. There were no cubs playing among them, only full-grown adults, and that fact made their presence all the more threatening.
Keeping his eyes on the pack, Taren handed Xandro a thick log the size of a sword, also taking one for himself, "Xandro," he whispered, "when I count to three, we're going to run out there." His brother made a move to protest, but Taren continued talking, "We have to be really loud, though. Swing the stick, try to hit one of them if possible, yell and run. I think they'll get scared and run, but it'll at least distract them while I go fetch Linnet."
"Why do I have to be the bait?" Xandro whined.
Taren sighed exasperatedly, Little brothers, he groaned in his mind, "Because I'm faster, that's why. I'll be able to get Linnet out of that tree and away from the clearing in less time than you. And besides, you scream louder too." He didn't wait for Xandro's offended response, "One, two, three!" He sprang from the foliage with Xandro right behind him, who was doing exactly as he was told, and sprinted toward the tree. Xandro galloped along the edge of the clearing sideways, swinging the stick, shouting for all he was worth, and trying to avoid catching the staring golden eyes that were following him like a sniper's arrow.
While Xandro was accomplishing his mission, Taren had made it to the tree, "Linnet! Get down here!"
He spotted her olive-skinned face framed by leaves, "Taren? I told you to stay away! Don't you know there're about a hundred really weird WOLVES out there?!"
"You don't say?" Taren quipped (A/N: I've always wanted to use that word.), "Look, don't worry, Xandro's takin' care of it as we speak. Now, quit foolin' around in that tree 'n get your arse down here!" Linnet's face disappeared, only to be replaced by her feet, then legs, then body and head as she descended from the tree. Taren helped her down, wrapping an arm around her waist as she put an arm around his neck.
"What happened?" Linnet said quietly as she walked into the clearing. Taren turned from the tree to see the clearing completely devoid of growling wildlife. Xandro stood near the center, breathing hard and leaning on the stick as if it were a cane. Linnet walked toward him almost cautiously, "Are you okay, Xandro?"
He looked up at her from his slumped over position with an ashen face and haunted green eyes, "I don't know what happened," he said with a gulp of air, "They were here one minute, and then they were gone. But they didn't make a sound when they left, it was like- ghosts, or something."
Linnet put an arm around the tailor, "It's okay, though, they're gone," she said comfortingly, "They're gone and we're all safe. I'm proud of you, Xandro." She kissed his cheek lightly and felt relieved to see the corners of his mouth turn up in a small smile.
Taren approached the pair with a pleased smile of his own. He reached for Linnet, wrapping his arm around her waist once again, "Hey, baby brother, that's my princess. Get your own!" All three laughed, more to get out the adrenaline than with mirth, and they walked out of the clearing.
"That's two against one for camping outside, Taren," Linnet said with a satisfied smile, "You lose." She and Xandro started packing up the few possessions they'd gotten out during their first stop.
"Are you two still scared the wolves'll come back?" Taren growled jokingly and made to grab Linnet. But the princess wasn't about to joke regarding the events of the past few hours. She stood with a hard frown that froze Taren in his tracks. "Okay, inn it is, then," he conceded hastily.
"Very good, Taren," Linnet said primly as she pulled herself into the saddle. They small party set off.
"Those WERE some strange wolves though, don't you think?" Taren said after they'd been riding along the dirt road for a few minutes. Linnet nodded but said nothing, Xandro didn't answer at all. The color had come back to his face, but he'd been withdrawn and on the alert since, and no matter how many jokes Taren told he barely smiled and rarely spoke. Neither Xandro nor Linnet wanted to even think about what they had just experienced, and Taren luckily picked up on that and shut his mouth for the rest of the ride.
"Here we are, Vienne's Inn," were the next words to come out of Taren's mouth. The warm-looking building was a welcome sight for all three travelers as they tethered their horses and headed inside.
Night had fallen as they'd rode, so the place was lit by a roaring fire in a back corner and several lamps hung up on posts. Along the right wall was a bar that also led to a kitchen, and circular, wooden tables were scattered on the first floor. To the left were stairs that led to the balcony and doors, presumably sleeping quarters. People of all shapes and sizes sat at the tables or by the fire, eating delicious smelling stews or sipping from ale mugs or chewing up glistening hunks of meat.
"I'll tell ya' one thing," Taren said, not bothering to hide his lustful looks at the food, "Man cannot live on biscuits alone."
Just then a sturdy-looking woman in a stained apron greeted the travelers, "Welcome to Vienne's Inn," she said in a strong voice, "What can I do ya' for?"
Linnet was the first to speak, "We, ah, we require two rooms, please."
The woman, most probably Vienne herself eyed the number of new comers, specifically Taren and Linnet, then smiled knowingly, "Ah, newlyweds are ya'?" Linnet started to reply in the negative, but Vienne continued, "Well, many congratulations to ya', Vienne's Inn wishes you the best of luck in your new life together. You do know that we offer a complimentary breakfast for honeymooners?" She again eyed the pair with a twinkle in her eye that was making Linnet uncomfortable.
But before she could set things straight she found herself arm in arm with Taren, "Yes," he was saying with pride in his voice, "That's us, the new Mr. and Mrs., er, Wilson. My love," he turned to Linnet, a look of affection so clear on his face it made her blush, "Don't you want to hear about that lovely breakfast their serving? And it's free!" He turned back to Vienne, "It is free, right?"
"That's what complimentary means, Mr. Wilson," the woman answered.
Xandro took up the act, "Well, that's just great, isn't it? We couldn't talk you into dinner as well, could we, Vienne?" He turned a beaming and thoroughly charming smile on the woman.
It appeared to work, due to Vienne's suddenly blushing and slightly flustered response, "Oh, I suppose that wouldn't be a problem. I mean, they ARE newlyweds. Though," she started to balk, "It's not the policy-"
Xandro drew himself from behind Linnet and Taren to Vienne's side, "Come now, Vienne," he said smoothly, "We've been on the road all day, we've just come from the wedding so we didn't get any food at all. We're starvin' here. You look like a good, kind woman who would have no problem doin' a good deed and givin' us a little extra."
"Alright, boy, alright," Vienne pushed Xandro away gently with a smile on her face and color on her cheeks, "I'll throw in dinner for just a little extra. Let's see," she calculated their tab in her head, "two rooms and I'll say half the usual dinner fee would be- two gold florins."
"Thank you kindly, Vienne," Xandro bowed and kissed the woman's hand in a way that reminded Linnet of Taren's exit from her chambers after the betrothal banquet.
"Yes, Vienne," Linnet said, feeling she should show some gratitude after completely duping the woman into thinking she was married to Taren, "Thank you for everything."
"Well, congratulations again. I'll send someone to help you with your bags." She left then, bustling back behind the bar and into the kitchen.
Xandro at least had the humility to look a little embarrassed by his little stunt, "Right then," he said, scratching the back of his head, "Come on, let's get our things to our rooms so we can have some of that delicious stew their cookin' here."
It took only one trip with the help of a maid to carry their meager possessions into their respective rooms. To continue the illusion it was obvious Taren and Linnet would share one room, and Xandro alone in the other, instead of the brothers in one, Linnet in the other, as she had planned.
"Why'd you have to go and say we were married, Taren?" Linnet dropped her sack of clothes and fixed him with a frown.
Taren only looked at her as if she'd grown gills, "Didn't you hear the woman? Newlyweds get free breakfast! Sorry if you can't appreciate my financial finesse."
She snorted, "Oh sure, finesse? Actually, what just happened down there is more commonly referred to as LYING-"
"Alright," Taren interrupted, "I'm all choked up about it, are you happy? Princess, I don't think you understand that, in the real world, you can't be truthful all the time, especially to strangers. Listen, it didn't do her any harm, and we get free breakfast and half-price dinner out of the deal! Excuse me, but I don't see any downside."
Linnet finally relented, "Fine, fine, have it your dishonest way. I can't claim to be a saint, that's for sure. But you'd better cut it out with that 'Princess' stuff or people might get suspicious."
Taren put an arm around her shoulders and laughed as they left the room and ventured into the bar, "Oh, come now, we're newlyweds! They'll just think it's a sweet term of endearment, my princess." Linnet blushed slightly.
Linnet sipped her ale quietly at the bar next to Taren and Xandro, scanning her fellow Vienne's Inn patrons over the rim of her mug. No one stood out, which either they were very good spies, or she was actually safe, which she seriously doubted. They'd had a smooth time of it so far, at least if you didn't count the weird wolf episode, and it was making her nervous. Why hadn't they run into any soldiers looking for the princess, the heiress to the throne? Was her father THAT indecisive? She couldn't believe it. It had been a whole day since she'd left, didn't that MEAN anything to him!? Ugh, I have to calm down, she mentally told herself and took another swig of ale. It was too watered-down to get drunk on, but she could at least pretend it was soothing her nerves.
It was as she glanced up from the ale in her lap that she noticed the girl sitting almost in the center of the grouping of tables. She was around Linnet's age, but she couldn't really tell because the girl's hand cradled her head, obscuring her face. A dingy dark blue cape was draped around the girl's body, also obscuring her size. The cape's hood hid almost all of her hair, except for a few reddish locks that fell around her hand. Linnet had no idea what made the girl stand out when she was obviously trying to fit in, just that she did, and it made her curious. She levered herself off her barstool and approached the table. Even when Linnet set her ale mug on its wooden surface the girl only jumped slightly. She kept her face hidden behind the hood and her hand.
"Hello," Linnet said clearly and directly at the girl, so she wouldn't think she was talking to someone else, "I'm Lin- uh, Lin. My name's Lin. What's yours?" She sat in the chair on the opposite side of the table and waited for a response.
"Hello," the girl said, "Um, I'm kind of reading something, could you- "
"Why don't you show me your face?" Linnet inquired, staring intently at the girl. Her hand stayed up, masking her entire face.
"What if I don't?" she replied, none too friendly.
"Why wouldn't you?" retorted Linnet. She hadn't expected this much resistance, "Are you scared to?" Suddenly Linnet could see a red light glow from behind the girl's hand. It dropped, and Linnet made a small gasp. Her brain registered a soft mouth and a long, straight nose, but she stared at the girl's eyes, which glowed bright red. Not only the iris, but the entire eyeball was filled with red.
"Happy?" she said angrily. The red abruptly faded away, like a dust cloud in reverse to reveal not a normal pair of eyes as Linnet had expected, but a gray something that clouded the girl's eyes like a mist or a fog. Linnet could see it working inside her eyeballs.
Linnet swallowed nervously, "You- You're a witch."
"Apparently you're smarter than you look," the girl replied.
"What's your name?" she asked hesitantly.
The girl smiled crookedly, "My name? Well, I don't truly remember, to tell you the truth. Luckily," she continued, "Everyone started calling me Witch, so I decided I might as well stick with it. My name is Witch." A mix of yellow and green mist flooded the gray above Witch's crooked smile and she returned to the book that was in her lap, her hand replaced.
Linnet didn't know what to say. Although she had gotten some answers. No wonder she'd made such an effort to stay anonymous, it must have been very difficult for her going through life with those tell-tale eyes. Linnet didn't know much at all about witches, only scattered stories Taren would pick up, but none of them were very flattering. The general belief was that witches were the wicked of the wicked, the scum of the earth, in line with every dark magic and deed there was. Wherever there were villains there were at least a handful of witches as their personal gang, army in some cases. But Linnet was conflicted. This girl may have had a quick temper, but she certainly didn't fear for her life in her presence, as she had heard so many times she should. All she could do was sit there and battle with her emotions.
"Princess?" Taren's voice brought her back to reality, "Come," he laid gentle hands on her shoulders, "let's away. It's getting late." Linnet didn't see Vienne's cocked eyebrow, or a clued-in serving boy's wolf whistle as the pair mounted the stairs. She was watching Witch's now yellow mist-filled eyes watch her.
The three travelers ate their complimentary breakfast early and began to set out an hour after dawn.
"Ah," Xandro breathed deep with a stretch, "I had the best sleep, and that breakfast was great. I feel a hundred and ten percent better! How're you, Taren?"
Taren didn't respond, but sent an icy glare at Linnet and rubbed his aching back. He was still sore at her for making him take the floor the previous night, something he felt shouldn't even have been a problem in the first place. They were friends, weren't they? But in the end he'd given in, more out of sheer fatigue than agreement with Linnet's various and mostly ludicrous reasons.
They were just about to mount their horses when Xandro stopped, "Did you hear that?" he said and moved out into the road beyond the inn.
"Hear what, Xandro?" Linnet, who'd gotten a lovely night's sleep and was as well feeling a hundred and ten percent better, responded. Then she heard it too, the definite sounds of a slightly muffled scream. She and Xandro immediately broke into a run toward the scream, followed by a weary but willing Taren. Xandro skidded to a stop between the last two shops at the end of the marketplace. They were both closed, not opening until later, and their dark fronts were like two intimidating soldiers guarding some forbidden place. But Xandro caught the scream again, and bolted into the alley, Linnet and Taren a few steps behind.
The alley was almost pitch black with the lack of the sun; they could barely make out the forms of the two men and the smaller person between them. Xandro didn't take time to ask questions, but leapt onto the nearest tall man's back with a shout. The small figure sagged as the man tried to pull the tailor off him. Taren went for the second man, Linnet to the shaking figure on the ground.
"Are you okay?" she asked frantically amidst the grunts and shouts of the four men behind them.
"Hey, it's you," the figure said, turning red, white, and black eyes at the same time on Linnet.
"Witch?" Just then Witch grabbed Linnet, pulling her out of the way of the tumbling form of one of the men.
"Ha ha!" Xandro cried triumphantly, "Well, that wasn't so hard-" He was interrupted by the second man's fist in his jaw. Taren quickly disabled the man, and the four young people left the alley.
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A/N: Well, how's about THAT for adventure! That worked out quite well if I do say so myself. So, what do ya' think of Witch? Shall I keep her? Review with an opinion, please!
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They rode quietly and inconspicuously (A/N: Hail the Queen of Spelling!) throughout the night. Linnet didn't dare be the first to complain about her sore rear, so she bit her tongue to distract her from the spiking pain shooting through her lower back. Finally, as dawn broke through the thick trees, she could take it no more.
"Alright!" she cried, halting her horse and gratefully, if gingerly, slid off her mare, "That's quite enough riding for the time being."
Taren followed her lead, but not without a smug smile, "Aw, but Torture the Noble is such a fun game, don't you think, Xandro?" But the tailor wasn't listening to his bickering companions. His eyes were scanning the dense foliage uneasily, "Xandro?" his brother said, "You alright there, baby brother?"
Xandro turned quickly to Taren, "Huh? No- I mean, yes, I'm fine." He glanced over the trees again briefly, "It's just-" he stopped, "Nevermind, I must be tired." He rubbed his eyes and stretched as if to prove his assertion, then dismounted as well. He seemed better after the activity, "So, what's for breakfast?"
Taren was already going through one of his saddle bags, while Linnet tied up the horses, "Lovely, buttery, cold biscuits and water from a stream I saw not far back. Princess," he handed Linnet an empty water sac, "If you would be so kind?"
I can do this, Linnet told herself solidly, no problem. Get water from the stream, easy. She stood still among the trees for a moment and listened for Taren's alleged stream. She smiled as she detected the faint but unmistakable gurgle of running water. Walking quietly so as not to lose the sound, Linnet examined the brown leather water sac. Just how was she supposed to open it? She figured it probably had something to do with the small brown stopper at one end of the thing, but, as much as she pried, she couldn't get it out.
She nearly stepped into the stream's clear, cool waters in her focused deliberation. And all of her attention flew from the water sac at the low growl that entered her ears. Her dark brown eyes flashed up to take in the large wolf just on the other side of the woefully narrow stream. Its stiff posture didn't suggest it had been drinking, more like it had been waiting, very tensely, for something. Or someone, Linnet's overactive imagination whispered. The growl started again, louder, making Linnet jump slightly but stay in her frozen position of gripping the water sac tightly to her chest and biting her lip. She knew she had to do something eventually, and that time seemed to be rapidly approaching as Linnet took in the wolf's change in posture from a living statue to a tightly coiled spring. She felt almost hypnotized by the predator's fierce golden eyes.
One more growling bark from the wolf set off her own spring, and Linnet dropped the water sac and rocketed into the woods to her right as fast as her legs could carry her. She ran along the pebbly stream bed, dodging branches and splashing across the shallow stream itself, sending glittering droplets of water into the air in her wake. Linnet tried not to scream as she heard the wolf bounding silently after her, nearly right on her heels. She veered off the stream bed and into a small clearing where a large tree stood. Linnet was almost laughing with relief as she hoisted herself into the low branches, not stopping until she was ten feet off the ground and safely out of the wolf's waiting jaws. She let herself fall against the trunk's gnarled bark with a sigh as the wolf paced slowly below.
Okay, she thought while catching her breath, this is good, she examined her surroundings a little more closely, But now I've got a whole new set of problems. She glanced down at the wolf, who in turn eyed her with its golden eyes. Linnet shivered slightly, those eyes were starting to scare her in an entirely different way other than possible disembowelment and digestion. She had to get help, very soon.
"Taren!" she called, cupping her hand to her mouth, "Xandro! Anybody!" she glanced back at the wolf, who was still staring at her, and now growling, "HELP!!" She stopped yelling long enough to listen for any possible response. The only one she got was more growling from her determined hunter, but this time it sounded strange. She tried to look through the dense leaves, and her breath caught as she noticed more movement in the clearing. She bent one of the tree's branches down to reveal six other wolves wandering in the clearing. They all looked directly at her with identical golden eyes and emitted a low, menacing growl that sent her made her push back against the trunk in fear, letting the branch bounce back into place. She couldn't prevent her body from shaking as the one echoing growl created by the pack died, leaving her in silence.
"These can't be normal wolves," she whispered with a trembling voice, "He- he-HELP!!!" she screamed, and waited once more for a response. This time she wasn't disappointed.
"Linnet!" a distant call drifted to her ears.
"Taren!" she answered happily, but then stopped, "No- NO!! Taren, don't come any closer, there're WOLVES here!" She couldn't let him die trying to save her.
Taren didn't heed her warning, "Don't worry, Linnet! I'm coming!" She moaned with anxious worry as she heard his voice come closer and closer, he wasn't listening to her!
But Taren was smarter than that. He'd heard the wolves' growl almost overtake his friend's cries for help and, along with Xandro, slowed his steps to a creep when he neared the clearing. He decided he'd never seen anything like this as he watched the wolves from the safety of the bushes. This can't be normal behavior, he thought. They occupied the clearing like a hunting party under a treed raccoon, just waiting for it to come down. Most of them paced around the large tree, growling at intervals, some sat by a fallen log. There were no cubs playing among them, only full-grown adults, and that fact made their presence all the more threatening.
Keeping his eyes on the pack, Taren handed Xandro a thick log the size of a sword, also taking one for himself, "Xandro," he whispered, "when I count to three, we're going to run out there." His brother made a move to protest, but Taren continued talking, "We have to be really loud, though. Swing the stick, try to hit one of them if possible, yell and run. I think they'll get scared and run, but it'll at least distract them while I go fetch Linnet."
"Why do I have to be the bait?" Xandro whined.
Taren sighed exasperatedly, Little brothers, he groaned in his mind, "Because I'm faster, that's why. I'll be able to get Linnet out of that tree and away from the clearing in less time than you. And besides, you scream louder too." He didn't wait for Xandro's offended response, "One, two, three!" He sprang from the foliage with Xandro right behind him, who was doing exactly as he was told, and sprinted toward the tree. Xandro galloped along the edge of the clearing sideways, swinging the stick, shouting for all he was worth, and trying to avoid catching the staring golden eyes that were following him like a sniper's arrow.
While Xandro was accomplishing his mission, Taren had made it to the tree, "Linnet! Get down here!"
He spotted her olive-skinned face framed by leaves, "Taren? I told you to stay away! Don't you know there're about a hundred really weird WOLVES out there?!"
"You don't say?" Taren quipped (A/N: I've always wanted to use that word.), "Look, don't worry, Xandro's takin' care of it as we speak. Now, quit foolin' around in that tree 'n get your arse down here!" Linnet's face disappeared, only to be replaced by her feet, then legs, then body and head as she descended from the tree. Taren helped her down, wrapping an arm around her waist as she put an arm around his neck.
"What happened?" Linnet said quietly as she walked into the clearing. Taren turned from the tree to see the clearing completely devoid of growling wildlife. Xandro stood near the center, breathing hard and leaning on the stick as if it were a cane. Linnet walked toward him almost cautiously, "Are you okay, Xandro?"
He looked up at her from his slumped over position with an ashen face and haunted green eyes, "I don't know what happened," he said with a gulp of air, "They were here one minute, and then they were gone. But they didn't make a sound when they left, it was like- ghosts, or something."
Linnet put an arm around the tailor, "It's okay, though, they're gone," she said comfortingly, "They're gone and we're all safe. I'm proud of you, Xandro." She kissed his cheek lightly and felt relieved to see the corners of his mouth turn up in a small smile.
Taren approached the pair with a pleased smile of his own. He reached for Linnet, wrapping his arm around her waist once again, "Hey, baby brother, that's my princess. Get your own!" All three laughed, more to get out the adrenaline than with mirth, and they walked out of the clearing.
"That's two against one for camping outside, Taren," Linnet said with a satisfied smile, "You lose." She and Xandro started packing up the few possessions they'd gotten out during their first stop.
"Are you two still scared the wolves'll come back?" Taren growled jokingly and made to grab Linnet. But the princess wasn't about to joke regarding the events of the past few hours. She stood with a hard frown that froze Taren in his tracks. "Okay, inn it is, then," he conceded hastily.
"Very good, Taren," Linnet said primly as she pulled herself into the saddle. They small party set off.
"Those WERE some strange wolves though, don't you think?" Taren said after they'd been riding along the dirt road for a few minutes. Linnet nodded but said nothing, Xandro didn't answer at all. The color had come back to his face, but he'd been withdrawn and on the alert since, and no matter how many jokes Taren told he barely smiled and rarely spoke. Neither Xandro nor Linnet wanted to even think about what they had just experienced, and Taren luckily picked up on that and shut his mouth for the rest of the ride.
"Here we are, Vienne's Inn," were the next words to come out of Taren's mouth. The warm-looking building was a welcome sight for all three travelers as they tethered their horses and headed inside.
Night had fallen as they'd rode, so the place was lit by a roaring fire in a back corner and several lamps hung up on posts. Along the right wall was a bar that also led to a kitchen, and circular, wooden tables were scattered on the first floor. To the left were stairs that led to the balcony and doors, presumably sleeping quarters. People of all shapes and sizes sat at the tables or by the fire, eating delicious smelling stews or sipping from ale mugs or chewing up glistening hunks of meat.
"I'll tell ya' one thing," Taren said, not bothering to hide his lustful looks at the food, "Man cannot live on biscuits alone."
Just then a sturdy-looking woman in a stained apron greeted the travelers, "Welcome to Vienne's Inn," she said in a strong voice, "What can I do ya' for?"
Linnet was the first to speak, "We, ah, we require two rooms, please."
The woman, most probably Vienne herself eyed the number of new comers, specifically Taren and Linnet, then smiled knowingly, "Ah, newlyweds are ya'?" Linnet started to reply in the negative, but Vienne continued, "Well, many congratulations to ya', Vienne's Inn wishes you the best of luck in your new life together. You do know that we offer a complimentary breakfast for honeymooners?" She again eyed the pair with a twinkle in her eye that was making Linnet uncomfortable.
But before she could set things straight she found herself arm in arm with Taren, "Yes," he was saying with pride in his voice, "That's us, the new Mr. and Mrs., er, Wilson. My love," he turned to Linnet, a look of affection so clear on his face it made her blush, "Don't you want to hear about that lovely breakfast their serving? And it's free!" He turned back to Vienne, "It is free, right?"
"That's what complimentary means, Mr. Wilson," the woman answered.
Xandro took up the act, "Well, that's just great, isn't it? We couldn't talk you into dinner as well, could we, Vienne?" He turned a beaming and thoroughly charming smile on the woman.
It appeared to work, due to Vienne's suddenly blushing and slightly flustered response, "Oh, I suppose that wouldn't be a problem. I mean, they ARE newlyweds. Though," she started to balk, "It's not the policy-"
Xandro drew himself from behind Linnet and Taren to Vienne's side, "Come now, Vienne," he said smoothly, "We've been on the road all day, we've just come from the wedding so we didn't get any food at all. We're starvin' here. You look like a good, kind woman who would have no problem doin' a good deed and givin' us a little extra."
"Alright, boy, alright," Vienne pushed Xandro away gently with a smile on her face and color on her cheeks, "I'll throw in dinner for just a little extra. Let's see," she calculated their tab in her head, "two rooms and I'll say half the usual dinner fee would be- two gold florins."
"Thank you kindly, Vienne," Xandro bowed and kissed the woman's hand in a way that reminded Linnet of Taren's exit from her chambers after the betrothal banquet.
"Yes, Vienne," Linnet said, feeling she should show some gratitude after completely duping the woman into thinking she was married to Taren, "Thank you for everything."
"Well, congratulations again. I'll send someone to help you with your bags." She left then, bustling back behind the bar and into the kitchen.
Xandro at least had the humility to look a little embarrassed by his little stunt, "Right then," he said, scratching the back of his head, "Come on, let's get our things to our rooms so we can have some of that delicious stew their cookin' here."
It took only one trip with the help of a maid to carry their meager possessions into their respective rooms. To continue the illusion it was obvious Taren and Linnet would share one room, and Xandro alone in the other, instead of the brothers in one, Linnet in the other, as she had planned.
"Why'd you have to go and say we were married, Taren?" Linnet dropped her sack of clothes and fixed him with a frown.
Taren only looked at her as if she'd grown gills, "Didn't you hear the woman? Newlyweds get free breakfast! Sorry if you can't appreciate my financial finesse."
She snorted, "Oh sure, finesse? Actually, what just happened down there is more commonly referred to as LYING-"
"Alright," Taren interrupted, "I'm all choked up about it, are you happy? Princess, I don't think you understand that, in the real world, you can't be truthful all the time, especially to strangers. Listen, it didn't do her any harm, and we get free breakfast and half-price dinner out of the deal! Excuse me, but I don't see any downside."
Linnet finally relented, "Fine, fine, have it your dishonest way. I can't claim to be a saint, that's for sure. But you'd better cut it out with that 'Princess' stuff or people might get suspicious."
Taren put an arm around her shoulders and laughed as they left the room and ventured into the bar, "Oh, come now, we're newlyweds! They'll just think it's a sweet term of endearment, my princess." Linnet blushed slightly.
Linnet sipped her ale quietly at the bar next to Taren and Xandro, scanning her fellow Vienne's Inn patrons over the rim of her mug. No one stood out, which either they were very good spies, or she was actually safe, which she seriously doubted. They'd had a smooth time of it so far, at least if you didn't count the weird wolf episode, and it was making her nervous. Why hadn't they run into any soldiers looking for the princess, the heiress to the throne? Was her father THAT indecisive? She couldn't believe it. It had been a whole day since she'd left, didn't that MEAN anything to him!? Ugh, I have to calm down, she mentally told herself and took another swig of ale. It was too watered-down to get drunk on, but she could at least pretend it was soothing her nerves.
It was as she glanced up from the ale in her lap that she noticed the girl sitting almost in the center of the grouping of tables. She was around Linnet's age, but she couldn't really tell because the girl's hand cradled her head, obscuring her face. A dingy dark blue cape was draped around the girl's body, also obscuring her size. The cape's hood hid almost all of her hair, except for a few reddish locks that fell around her hand. Linnet had no idea what made the girl stand out when she was obviously trying to fit in, just that she did, and it made her curious. She levered herself off her barstool and approached the table. Even when Linnet set her ale mug on its wooden surface the girl only jumped slightly. She kept her face hidden behind the hood and her hand.
"Hello," Linnet said clearly and directly at the girl, so she wouldn't think she was talking to someone else, "I'm Lin- uh, Lin. My name's Lin. What's yours?" She sat in the chair on the opposite side of the table and waited for a response.
"Hello," the girl said, "Um, I'm kind of reading something, could you- "
"Why don't you show me your face?" Linnet inquired, staring intently at the girl. Her hand stayed up, masking her entire face.
"What if I don't?" she replied, none too friendly.
"Why wouldn't you?" retorted Linnet. She hadn't expected this much resistance, "Are you scared to?" Suddenly Linnet could see a red light glow from behind the girl's hand. It dropped, and Linnet made a small gasp. Her brain registered a soft mouth and a long, straight nose, but she stared at the girl's eyes, which glowed bright red. Not only the iris, but the entire eyeball was filled with red.
"Happy?" she said angrily. The red abruptly faded away, like a dust cloud in reverse to reveal not a normal pair of eyes as Linnet had expected, but a gray something that clouded the girl's eyes like a mist or a fog. Linnet could see it working inside her eyeballs.
Linnet swallowed nervously, "You- You're a witch."
"Apparently you're smarter than you look," the girl replied.
"What's your name?" she asked hesitantly.
The girl smiled crookedly, "My name? Well, I don't truly remember, to tell you the truth. Luckily," she continued, "Everyone started calling me Witch, so I decided I might as well stick with it. My name is Witch." A mix of yellow and green mist flooded the gray above Witch's crooked smile and she returned to the book that was in her lap, her hand replaced.
Linnet didn't know what to say. Although she had gotten some answers. No wonder she'd made such an effort to stay anonymous, it must have been very difficult for her going through life with those tell-tale eyes. Linnet didn't know much at all about witches, only scattered stories Taren would pick up, but none of them were very flattering. The general belief was that witches were the wicked of the wicked, the scum of the earth, in line with every dark magic and deed there was. Wherever there were villains there were at least a handful of witches as their personal gang, army in some cases. But Linnet was conflicted. This girl may have had a quick temper, but she certainly didn't fear for her life in her presence, as she had heard so many times she should. All she could do was sit there and battle with her emotions.
"Princess?" Taren's voice brought her back to reality, "Come," he laid gentle hands on her shoulders, "let's away. It's getting late." Linnet didn't see Vienne's cocked eyebrow, or a clued-in serving boy's wolf whistle as the pair mounted the stairs. She was watching Witch's now yellow mist-filled eyes watch her.
The three travelers ate their complimentary breakfast early and began to set out an hour after dawn.
"Ah," Xandro breathed deep with a stretch, "I had the best sleep, and that breakfast was great. I feel a hundred and ten percent better! How're you, Taren?"
Taren didn't respond, but sent an icy glare at Linnet and rubbed his aching back. He was still sore at her for making him take the floor the previous night, something he felt shouldn't even have been a problem in the first place. They were friends, weren't they? But in the end he'd given in, more out of sheer fatigue than agreement with Linnet's various and mostly ludicrous reasons.
They were just about to mount their horses when Xandro stopped, "Did you hear that?" he said and moved out into the road beyond the inn.
"Hear what, Xandro?" Linnet, who'd gotten a lovely night's sleep and was as well feeling a hundred and ten percent better, responded. Then she heard it too, the definite sounds of a slightly muffled scream. She and Xandro immediately broke into a run toward the scream, followed by a weary but willing Taren. Xandro skidded to a stop between the last two shops at the end of the marketplace. They were both closed, not opening until later, and their dark fronts were like two intimidating soldiers guarding some forbidden place. But Xandro caught the scream again, and bolted into the alley, Linnet and Taren a few steps behind.
The alley was almost pitch black with the lack of the sun; they could barely make out the forms of the two men and the smaller person between them. Xandro didn't take time to ask questions, but leapt onto the nearest tall man's back with a shout. The small figure sagged as the man tried to pull the tailor off him. Taren went for the second man, Linnet to the shaking figure on the ground.
"Are you okay?" she asked frantically amidst the grunts and shouts of the four men behind them.
"Hey, it's you," the figure said, turning red, white, and black eyes at the same time on Linnet.
"Witch?" Just then Witch grabbed Linnet, pulling her out of the way of the tumbling form of one of the men.
"Ha ha!" Xandro cried triumphantly, "Well, that wasn't so hard-" He was interrupted by the second man's fist in his jaw. Taren quickly disabled the man, and the four young people left the alley.
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A/N: Well, how's about THAT for adventure! That worked out quite well if I do say so myself. So, what do ya' think of Witch? Shall I keep her? Review with an opinion, please!