CHAPTER 9
After stopping for lunch, while sorting through each room. Sarah had everything Brie would need identical to what she had was packed in brown leather baggage to mount on a horse. Brianna couldn't believe she had such nice stuff like Sarah now, but in brown leather. She was starting to feel hope for the first time since her parents were murdered in front of her. She thought Sar was the nicest person she ever met. Sar got her set up with everything and is taking her with her. She was going to get to see the world and meet new people with her new big sister. She was getting excited.
Sarah asked, "Brie, do you know how to ride a horse?" Brianna nodded yes. Sarah patted her head and said, "That's great."
Sarah had a heavy bag of jewelry she put with their baggage. Sarah locked up all the doors and had Brie go hang them back up on the pegs. Sarah joined Brie down into the kitchen with a leather bag and Sarah started going through the groceries and finding stuff to take with them and putting it all in the bag flour, sugar, honey, jam, tea, barley, nuts, dried berries, dried mushrooms, dried meats, bread, cheese, a few potatoes, carrots, parsnips, shallots, spices, salt, pepper, garlic, dried onion. Sarah showed her how to wrap up and pack around so the jars aren't close. The pup cried out. Sarah stopped to feed him. Brie took a small frying pan and pot, a little cutting board and a couple spoons, forks and butter knives. Sarah said that was a good idea. It made Brie feel more confident.
Sarah said after feeding Azrael, "We need to get our cloak and gloves on and go see the blacksmith." Brie started getting nervous.
Brie meekly said to Sarah, "They won' think I kilt all those poor people will they? I be so scared of em' hurtin' me or sellin' me. I coulda never do tha mean things he did."
Sarah wrapped her arms around her and said, "Don't worry, we will leave in the morning together." Brie hugged Sarah. Sarah and Brianna went up to the room and put on their cloaks and gloves. Sarah held Brianna's hand and they went down to the blacksmith.
Sarah walked in and the blacksmith asked, "What can I do fer ya?"
Sarah said, "We have a problem and need you to come to the inn because it's very important."
The blacksmith asked, "Wha'd tha bastard do? Ifin ye kilt em' tha town be havin' a party in ye honor."
Sarah took down her hood and the man gasped. Sarah said, "This I say to you on a swear. He killed this child's parents and dragged her here raping, beating and threatening to sell her. He has been drugging patrons that stay the night, so he can steal their belongings and sell them to Ogres or Centaurs. He killed the original owner, a husband and wife and has been lying to the town. I didn't kill him when he tried that on me last night. I did something better."
The blacksmith asked, "Wha'd ye do to tha thief?"
Sarah said, "I wished them away."
The blacksmith asked, "How can ye do tha?"
Sarah said, "You have to not tell anyone. Just say I scared them off after threatening their lives and beating them up or something."
He said, "I be promisin' I won' tell anyone."
Sarah said, "I have that special kind of magic. I wished him and his plotting friends to be changed into human women and sold to the Centaurs. They screamed and then disappeared." The blacksmith started laughing so hard he was hysterical.
He finally took a breath and said, "Lassie, ye be tha smartest most creative punisher there ever be." He was still chuckling.
Sarah said, "My little girl said he's been here for about four months. He has three rooms of stuff in there packed in a mountain of people's belongings. I can't imagine how many poor innocent people he has sold or killed, men and women. It's disgusting."
The blacksmith said, "He not be hurtin' em' anymore. Ye taking this wee one with ye?"
Sarah said, "Yes, I'll take good care of her. She's only thirteen years old. We will be traveling as males. She'll be my little sister from another mister… or my little brother from another mother." Sarah put her arm around the girl and hugged her.
He said, "Yer not like other fae. Ye talk funny an ye hair be almost black."
Sarah said, "I'm not from here. I'm from very, very far away. I was raised by humans. I'm very different from people here, but I care and my heart is good. I'm just not a pushover. I was taught to fight for the right things."
He said, "I suppose tha larder be full with food?"
Sarah said, "Too much for us to take. We are leaving in the morning. I hope someone knows how to get in touch with a relative one day so they can open it again. I can bring you the key in the morning. Did that bastard have a horse?"
He said, "Yep, this un." He pointed at a brown chestnut black mane and tail.
Sarah said, "I think my sister needs a horse to travel with me. She told me she can ride. How much did he owe you?"
He said, "He musta laid claim ta bout' six other horses ere' too. They musta belong ta em' poor souls."
Sarah said, "Perhaps you should sell them. How old do you think his horse is?"
The blacksmith looked at the gelding's teeth and everything. He said, "He looks bout' three."
Sarah asked, "What story are you going to tell about me?"
Tha ye kicked his sorry arse outta town but good fer doing what he done ta them folks and he and his friends moved on ferever." Sarah gave him a stack of ten gold.
Sarah said, "Yer a good man. I'm Sar." She put out her hand.
He took her hand and shook it. He said, "Yer a good person too, lassie. I be Nat." Sarah smiled.
Sarah said, "Nat, we will be bringing you the key in the morning when we pick up and pack up our horses." He nodded and said ok.
Sarah walked back to the inn, put a sign on the door saying closed and locked up. Sarah said, "Brie honey, let's take a nap." Brie nodded and they took off their cloaks, belts and boots. Sarah filled Azrael's bottle, started a fire with the screen in front and laid down on the bed and took a nap with the room door locked. Brianna jumped up and put the chair under the door knob. They both cuddled up and the pup was nuzzling Sarah's neck.
Brianna and Sarah made dinner together. Chicken leg quarters and barley with spinach and chard sauteed with a glass of wine. They went to bed tired after cleaning up and getting organized to load their horses up.
—--Day 31
Sarah and Brie woke up, took care of their bathroom needs and Sarah took care of Azrael's needs. They went down and made breakfast and cleaned up.
They got dressed. Sarah had Brianna wear two shirts and pants over leggings for extra warmth. Sarah put a sheathed knife and the short sword on Brie's belt. She gave her a boot knife and her coin purse too. She bundled Brie up to keep her safe and healthy. Sarah did the same, only Sarah had her knife from home, the hunting knife, the long sword and her boot knife. She had a total of eight other knives in her baggage, some had gemstones in them.
Sarah said she would get the horses. She told Brie to bring their bags to the door and she will help when she gets back. Sarah said hi to Nat and said she would be back after saddling both horses. Sarah led them down to the front of the inn and tethered them to the post. Sarah went in and helped with the baggage. Sarah showed Brie how to put on a bow and arrow set on her back and how to tie down the bags so they won't interfere with riding. She had their front saddlebags loaded with food to readily eat. Sarah took the key and locked the inn doors with the closed sign in the window and took it to Nat to keep. She kissed the man on the cheek and thanked him. She waved goodbye and went to Brie and helped her mount up because she is little and shorter. Sarah told her they were going to the town of Gáire that was due west. Sarah looked at her compass. Nat said they would get there by nightfall.
While they rode there Sarah explained how to deepen her voice and keep her face down and far back in her hood and hands in her gloves. She said not to let anyone know that they are nobody but brothers traveling. Brie told her that she wanted to name her horse Donn (brown).
Towards evening it started to snow. Sarah and Brie stepped up to get there faster. It was getting dark. Sarah asked if Brie wanted her own room or wanted to share. Brie said she wanted to share. Sarah smiled and said she didn't mind.
They got to Gáire and rode up to the inn. Sarah grabbed all her baggage and told her to stay until she settled the room and dropped off her baggage and would come help her next. Sarah unloaded the horse and walked into the inn and got a room. She dropped off her stuff and locked it. She went out to get Brie. She helped her down and helped her with her bags and they got in the room. Sarah took Azrael from her neck and put him on the bed . Sarah said get settled in and she'll board the horses.
When Sarah returned she saw Brie playing with Azrael gigging like a child. It was so cute. Sarah took her cloak off and gloves and warmed up by the fire in a chair. Sarah was trying to get the chill off her fingers and toes.
Sarah said, "Thanks for making the fire, honey. I was freezing."
Brie said, "I know. Me too. I was wantin' ta warm up tha room fer ye and Az… rael. He be a darlin' pup." She giggled. Sarah was happy to see her acting like a child.
Sarah stood up and said, "He sure is." She walked over and sat on the bed with them and watched them play.
Sarah said, "Brie, what can I call you when we are acting like boys? I can't call you Brie or Brianna. How about Bri? That's a man's name."
Brianna looked pensive thinking and said, "It be very close to me name. Bri… hmm…ok. Sar, how long we be stayin' here?"
Sarah said, "I put in for three days, because I need directions through the Unicorn Kingdom. I think we need dinner now." She put the screen up on the fireplace and Sarah kissed Azrael's head and put him in his pouch around her neck. They put on their cloaks and gloves and pulled the hoods up to hide their faces. They locked the door and went downstairs. There were two seats at the counter and the place was busy. They sat down.
The innkeeper asked, "What ya need?"
Sarah said, "Two dinners and two wines, please." Sarah put one silver two coppers on the counter. He went and poured two cups of wine and sat it in front of them. He went and got two big bowls of lamb stew with spoons. Sarah and Brie ate heartily because it was a delicious stew. They had another wine and Sarah whispered that she wanted to listen to the gossip. Brie nodded.
Sarah heard one man talking to another about grain prices this winter and that the only kingdoms in the north to south west that had good crops this year were the Goblin and Unicorn Kingdoms.
Another conversation was how King Jareth and King Folen were being hunted for husbands by six different royal women. He said they have been seen with them all at once at one event or another.
The other man said to him that the Goblin King sleeps with all the pretty ones, while the Unicorn King just sleeps with any of them. They laughed.
Another man said that the Unicorn Kingdom got hit with quite a bit of snow in the mountains and the passageways have the dwarves that live there trying to clear the roads.
His friend said the passage was cleared already according to a couple travelers coming from there yesterday.
Sarah patted Brie to finish up her wine and they went up to the room. Sarah locked the door and put a cloth over the keyhole. They hung up their cloaks and got undressed, put on a night shirt, washed their clothes and hung them up to dry in front of the fire. Sarah asked what she heard and Sarah told her what she heard. They went to bed with another log on the fire.
—--Day 34
Sarah found passage through the Unicorn Kingdom by the kind blacksmith who took pity on the brothers who lost their parents. Brie was getting better at telling lies and sticking to it. Sarah had stocked up on cookies and pastries for their trip.
The blacksmith called Barney, told them to go west to the town of Draíocht (magic) a one day ride, southwest to the town of Eireaball (tail) a one day ride, north to the capital city of Adharc (horn) a one day ride, west to the top of a mountain Crúb (hoof) a one day ride, southwest to Gabhar (goatee) a two day ride, south to the city of Loch Criostail (lake crystal) a one day ride, south to a town of Órga (golden) a two day ride.
Sarah had them packed up, ate breakfast and the horses loaded. She helped Brie up in the saddle. The rode west to Draíocht. Sarah was teaching Brie while they rode, about the things her Uncle Kenny told her about life, people, philosophy and how to try to do the right things and if not, the just things. Sarah said it's not right to be arrogant because you may know more than someone else, because they may have experienced and just know different things than you.
Brie was fascinated by how much Sar knew about things. She never thought she could understand what Sar knew, but she didn't talk down to her or say mean things when she asked questions. She explained everything so she could understand.