CHAPTER 5

—--22nd day

She packed up and left the next morning after breakfast after telling the innkeeper the truth of the guy's demise from the night before. She rode for a day and camped at the base of the mountain among the rocks. She had shot a duck along the way. She took the breasts and legs with her in a gallon plastic bag.

She cooked it in a pot of boiling water and seasonings. She did the same thing as deboning the legs and putting the meat right back into the pot. She did her rice mixture like before but found had some wild grapes, crabapples and Queen Anne's Lace roots (wild carrots) on her trips foraging for wood and going to the bathroom on the way here and there. She cleaned them up on the way there in a small stream she saw and put them in a clean plastic bag. She cut some up and put them in with her rice mixture and let it all cook together and steam up the rice. It was better than she thought it would turn out. She saved the one small duck breast for breakfast all sliced up. It was a good night.

—--23rd day

The climb was slow and steady. It was steep in some spots and a little harrowing, so she ate her lunch on the way up.

She got to Sliabh around dinner time and stopped at the inn and found a mix of dwarves and human and fae living in this town. The innkeeper was fae, he looked about mid thirties. She decided to stay the week as she planned. She unpacked her horse and took all her baggage inside.

Sarah asked the fae innkeeper, "Can I get a room for a week, please?" The fae eyed her up and down.

He said, "Come from afar?" Sarah nodded. "It is eight silver and it includes water, privy and tub." Sarah gave him the five gold and six silver coins.

She, in her low voice, asked, "Where can I board my horse?"

He said, "Down to the left at the livery." Sarah thanked him and went up to her room. She dropped her stuff and locked the door. She took Ghrian to the livery and the owner was also a fae that looked about thirty years old, but you never know. They are long lived. He charged her four coppers a night. She gave him three silver and he gave her two coppers back.

She put her horse in a stall and took off Ghrian's saddle and gave him a good currying while humming a Celtic tune to herself. She told her horse he was a good boy, scratched his ears and hugged him. The fae blacksmith had been watching her out of the corner of his eye. He knew she was fae and female in disguise. He saw her healing magic very light and subtle drift over the horse as she hummed her song. He saw how kind and gentle she was with the horse.

It had been a long time since he had seen such kindness from one of his people to dote on a pack animal. They usually treat them as utility animals, unless it's a royal's war horse. In the back of the stall Sarah suddenly heard a mewing. She stepped into the far back corner of the stall and found a single day or two old black kitten. It was out of season for cats to be this close to winter having kittens. She picked it up and cuddled it as it cried. The blacksmith came over and saw her cuddling the kitten.

He reached out and looked under the tail and said, "It's a male kit."

He said, "The cat must have had her late litter out of season. She moved them and left the runt behind in your stall. He'll die without warmth and food."

Sarah said softly, "Poor tiny thing. I 'wish' I had milk and could take care of it." The fae man was in awe she was emitting healing magic again on the kitten. He saw her face under the hood. She was stunning and now he knew why she was hiding herself on the road.

He awkwardly felt compelled to help her and said nervously, "Let me see if I can help you. I have some unicorn's milk and some goat's milk. I can make you a fur pouch, for around your neck when you ride, if you wait. How long will you be in town? Are you from far away? You're in disguise and very pretty." Sarah looked at him shocked and took down her hood. He stood there open-mouthed how very stunning she truly was and he had never seen a fae with dark hair before and so incredibly beautiful.

Sarah said, "Thank you. My name is Sar. I'll be in town for a week at the inn. I'm from very, very far away."

He found his voice and said, "My name is Ruvyn. I'll be right back." He left to his quarters to mix the milk in a small bottle of three quarters goat to one quarter unicorn. He knew the unicorn milk was very expensive but he wanted to do it for her and he had a large bottle of it with a stasis spell on it anyway. He cast one on the quart size bottle and he put in the stopper. He had a small bottle with a narrow pointed tip on it. He had a fur pouch made up already and turned it inside out. He had a thin leather belt and took it all back to his forge. He bore holes with a punching awl and hammer to attach with leather laces on the ends to the leather fur pouch on each side.

Sarah had come up and watched him work. He had a worn leather drawstring bag with a bottle of milk and a small bottle in it. While he was gone Sarah got ten gold coins from her pocket to give him for his help. He turned and gave her the pouch and the drawstring bag with milk and bottles in it.

He smiled and said, "Here you go. I put a stasis spell on the bottle so the milk won't spoil. Maybe where you're going, you could find someone else to help you."

She smiled shyly and said, "Thank you very much, Ruvyn. It is kind of you to do this." She gave him the gold and said, "I know it can't be cheap to have unicorn milk on hand. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. It gets lonely traveling and now I have a little friend to tend to." He was stunned by her generosity. She smiled, put her hood back up and put the kitten in the fur pouch and shook his hand.

She left and went back to the inn and up to her room. She fed the kitten while laying him in her lap and rubbing soft circles on his belly. The umbilical cord was still attached to him and Sarah knew to let it fall off naturally. She rubbed gentle circles on the kitten's tummy, getting it to relax and eat as she dribbled it in his mouth and then the kitten started sucking and trying to make biscuits with his kneading tiny paws. After it was done, she rubbed a soft tiny piece of moss from the bucket in the privy to wipe with and wiped gently stimulating his genitals until he went potty. She noticed he didn't have fleas that was good. She put him in the pouch to sleep and hung him around her neck inside the cloak to warm him up. She checked her coin bag and put ten more gold in it and went downstairs to get an ale and food.

Later that evening she stoked up the fire, took a bath and washed her hair. In the tub after she rinsed and ringing out her hair, she towel dried it, and stoked the fire again. She washed the kitten gently in her used hair water carefully. She sat on the floor in front of the fire with him wrapped in a washcloth drying him and keeping him warm with soft rubs to fluff his fur a tiny bit. She washed him because she wasn't familiar with fleas, mites or such here. It got the dirt off of him anyway. She was careful not to let him get a chill until he was totally dry.

She laid him next to her for body heat, in his pouch with the covers around him. She woke up twice in the night to feed him.

—--24th day

When she woke up in the morning, she found the kitten had moved out of his pouch and was snuggled up to her crease in her neck under her hair. She smiled and said, "You little heat and heart stealer." She giggled and picked him up and he squealed and mewed. She put him in his pouch being it was warm from her body heat. She got up and peed and washed her face. She got dressed, brushed and braided her hair. She fed the kitten because it began to cry. She wore her dark brown tunic and black jeans. She put 20 gold in her jeans pocket, put her gun and knife on her jeans belt. She put her wide belt on and her lace up black boots. She put her cloak on with the kitten around her neck. She put a feeding dose in the little bottle and put a tiny piece of rolled up plastic she melted from her top of a plastic bag not interfering with the zipper top, in the tip plugging it up with a ball of melted plastic on the end flattened out. She stuck it into the small bag she got from the cobbler so it wouldn't tip over and looped the drawstring around the one strap of the pouch. She put up her hood and went down for breakfast.

She sat at the bar with a couple other people sitting at tables eating. She asked in her low voice, "Excuse me, what do you have for breakfast?"

The innkeeper said, "Eggs, potatoes, mutton and toast."

She said, "Tea too, please."

The innkeeper said, "Five coppers." She put the coins on the counter. The innkeeper put the plate and tea on the counter.

He picked up the coins and said, "My brother, Ruvyn, said you're a special customer and to watch over you for the week." Her head snapped up and looked him in the eye as he smiled at her. "I see he wasn't mistaken there. You know you don't need to be afraid of who you are here. My brother and I will watch out for you. Nobody in this town, being so out of the way for travelers, will judge it a crime to be a girl. That's why my brother and I moved here." Sarah swallowed heavily.

She whispered, "I've been posing as a boy for a long time and I don't wear women's clothes or act like other women do here. I have been all alone all my life and fight like a man. I don't even know how to do magic. I can make crystals in a pretty green and pop them but nothing more." His eyebrows went up. He was surprised about the magic and her being an orphan fae never taught a thing.

He said, "I'm sure my brother and I can teach you some between us so you're not so vulnerable. My name is Camus."

She pouted, "Hello, Camus. My name is Sar. Why would you both help me, a stranger?" He thought her pout was adorable.

He said, "Maybe because we are both attracted to help girls with pretty faces that could use a friend. My brother said you're a very kind and honest person. You didn't have to pay him for that milk yet you did because you knew it was costly and the right thing to do. He said you love animals and have a healing wild magic you emit."

She said, "I do? I didn't even know that I did." He nodded. He reached out and tugged her hood down and gasped. She looked around alarmed. His brother was so right about her being exquisite in beauty.

He said, "Oh my, you are stunning and with that dark hair." She blushed. He knew she had never had compliments paid to her. He honestly was amazed at what a fair beauty she was. Unlike any fae he had known.

With her eyes down, she said, "Thank you." He smiled.

He said, "My brother says you sing or at least hum pretty. Do you sing?" She nodded. "Well we are having music tonight. Just a band of five, no singer, but I bet they would love to play for you by ear. You could make some money and they would love it. Well, I would too, more people would come in once word goes around."

She giggled and said, "Ok, it sounds fun." He smiled and thought she was adorable making that sound. He said, "Great, let me warm up your plate a bit, Sar. It's cold by now." He took her plate back and brought back the teapot and heated up her tea. He went back and a few minutes later put her food back in front of her.

She said, "Thank you, Camus."

He smiled and said, "You're welcome." His brother was right, she was extremely beautiful, nice and respectful and was not like fae they knew at all. Most fae were arrogant and jaded. He and his brother were more jaded than arrogant from life. He couldn't believe a girl alone and untrained was still kind and respectful. It was like a breath of fresh air to him. She was very smart to learn to fight and disguise herself to be male. He went back and started washing dishes.

The kitten started to cry and she took him out of the pouch, cooed and cuddled him. She said, "It's alright, honey. Shhh… Are you hungry?"

She laid him on his back in her lap, pulled the milk out of the little bag and started feeding him. She rubbed his tummy and started humming. She smiled thinking what an innocent little tiny kitten he was so perfectly and cute. She decided to name him "Midnight".

Camus was watching her and amazed at her gentle humming and healing magic emitting just like he said it did. She was rubbing on the kit's belly. Other patrons watched her too in curiosity.

When he finished eating. She held him up looking into his closed eyes and milk sopped lips and said out loud, "I'm going to call you Midnight, do you like that name, sweet baby boy?" He mewed. She smiled. "I knew you would, Midnight." She grinned, kissed his head and put him back in his pouch.

Sarah finished her meal and got another tea. She said, "I'd like to learn defensive magic and offense too. Any other kind may take too long. I'm kinda good at picking things up fast, hopefully this too." He smiled at her as she sipped her tea.

He said, "We can start tomorrow." Sarah nodded. She got up after she finished her tea.

She said, "I'm going to look at the shops in town. See ya later, Camus." He waved as she left.

She found a bakery, grocery store, cobbler, clothier, and a tool shop.

She went into the grocery store and found many varieties of dried goods that grew on mountain tops like, meat, mushrooms, raisins, cranberries, blueberries, tomatoes, cherries, plums, apricots, kale, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano. Almonds, black walnuts, hazelnuts, and butternuts were in bins. She would need a small hammer.

She bought a little bit of everything and a mixed bag of nuts and meat. She would come for a few carrots and potatoes before she left.

She went to the clothier and bought a couple long skirts, one black and one dark blue. She got a corset in black that laced up the front. And a dark blue, hunter green and burgundy colored long sleeve peasant blouses. She got a cloth shopping bag for her smaller parcels.

She bought a tiny drawstring bag for the little feeding bottle to hang on the pouch strap because it was a better fitting one than the one she had.

She went to the tool maker and bought a small hammer.

She went to the baker and bought a dozen cinnamon sugar cookies.

She went back to the inn and took her parcels with her. She reorganized her backpack of food and spices adding to it. She slipped her hammer in it too. She put her cookies, dried fruit, nuts and dried meat in her small saddlebags.

She changed her clothes to a pair of black leggings underneath a black shirt, the dark blue peasant blouse and the black corset not tied too tight. She brushed out her hair and used her hair combs to pull it back but not expose her ears. Her knife was sheathed on her waist and her gun was between her breasts. She fed her kitten again, refilled his tiny bottle and corked it and put it in the tiny leather bag looped around the pouch strap to hang down but not spill. She put him around her neck and added more gold to her coin bag and took her cloak. She went downstairs to get lunch and wine.

Camus was shocked she looked like a girl now and he approved in his thoughts she was lovely in her dark feminine clothes. She was eating a mutton meat and vegetable hand pie and a tankard of wine for lunch. Camus smiled and said, "You look much better, more like a girl."

She blushed and said, "Thanks. It's a bit of a reprieve until I leave." He nodded.

Camus smiled and said, "I'm glad you can at least be yourself while you're here."

A human woman flounced in and sat at the bar and said, "Camus sweetie, canna have a wine." Camus rolled his eyes and went and got her a wine. She went to grab it without paying.

Camus said, "Two coppers, Maeve."

Maeve said, "Oh ye know I'm good fer it."

Camus wouldn't give her the drink and said, "Not when you owe me three silver already."

Maeve whined, "You serve her." She pointed at Sarah.

He said, "She paid for her meal and wine."

Maeve pouted and got up and flounced out of the inn. Sarah looked at Camus and said,"Who was that?"

Camus said, "The town whore."

Sarah said, "Business is not so good, huh?" He shook his head laughing. She said, "Here." She put two more coppers on the counter. He sat the wine down smiling at her. He thought at least he didn't have to sit it aside and she knew it.

She said, "After I drink my wine, I think I'll go see how your brother's day is going for a little while and walk around town." Then I'll come back for dinner and the musicians. He smiled at her and nodded