CHAPTER 6

—--day 20

When morning came, it was getting a bit cooler in the air. Sarah got up and went to the bathroom. Beowulf went to catch breakfast. She started the fire and boiled up some tea and oats with fruit cut up in it she had honey to add afterward. She cut off two slices of bread and made a big sandwich with her rabbit leftovers and a bit of the vegetable barley from last night for lunch. Sarah put it in one of her plastic bags. Beowulf came back and she let him eat the rest of the rabbit carcass that he wanted. She gave the horses a carrot and a apple and patted them

She cleaned, saddled and packed up both horses. She put some of the stuff on the mare tied down and tied her to the back of Dathúil's saddle. Sarah whistled for Beowulf.

She said, "Let's go Beowulf." They traveled along at a good pace. They stopped for lunch and Sarah wished for a plentiful bucket that doesn't run out of water for the animals to drink. She was eating her sandwich and was feeding the horses an apple each as they munched on grass. When she was done, Beowulf barked and barked at something in the woods.

Sarah shouted, "Beowulf come on let's go!" The wolf came running and growling as they rode off. Sarah watched him as the wolf kept looking back behind them.

Sarah asked, "Are we being followed?" He yipped.

Sarah said, "Jump up here and we can go faster." He jumped up into her arms and sped up.

Sarah asked, "Was it an animal?" He yipped twice. "Was it a man?" He yipped once. "More than one?" He yipped. They moved as fast as the mare could keep up. When dinner time came, She self contained herself and set up camp and secured the perimeter with a wish for firewood, a bale of hay and a trough that never gets dirty or runs out for the horses, the wolf and herself.

Sarah said, "Be careful and hunt real close, Beowulf. So you can run to the fire to be safe." He yipped once and started looking around. Sarah started cooking barley, vegetables with dried meat and cheese in it. Beowulf came trotting back with a rabbit in his mouth. Sarah laughed because he was getting good at small game hunting. She ate her dinner and drank her tea. She got up, put up her cowl hood and started brushing Dathúil and Àlainn watching her surroundings as she moved around them. Then she saw two men watching her from behind trees. Sarah grinned and saw a third one. They moved closer trying to get the jump on her.

Sarah made a wish, "I 'wish' these men behind the trees by my campsite had their hands bound, made to walk up to my perimeter edge and sit down in plain sight on the ground." She heard growling from Beowulf. The men were swearing and cursing walking up to the edge of the perimeter of her protection. They plopped their buts down with a "Oafff!"

Sarah wished for all three men's belongings in a pile in front of her and their horses to come to the fire. Three horses walked into the woods and into her perimeter she took them and tied them up by the hay, water and grass. Sarah sat down and started going through their stuff cramming clothes into different bags as she searched it for valuables.

The one fae was dressed in a black poet's shirt and black pants, and asked curiously, "Aren't you going to say or ask us who we are?"

Sarah said stoically, "You are highwaymen what's there to say? You wanted to get the jump on me to rob, rape and kill me, right?"

The other fae dressed in a dark blue shirt and brown pants said, "What are you doing with our things?"

Sarah said matter of factly, "Robbing you and teaching you a lesson. I come from very far away. I must say, this part of the world is rampant with thieves running amuck. You can't turn around without a band of two to four of you trying to steal and kill people. Shame on you. I'll cure you of it tonight and I'll rest easy knowing you have been stopped."

The third fae man with dirty blonde hair wearing all brown clothing asked, "What are you going to do to us?"

Sarah chuckled and said, "Take all of your valuables first. Then I will make it so you never can commit a crime again. I will send with you whatever I leave behind for you plus ten gold each. I'll plop you all into the city of Gorias with your horses."

The fae said, "We have more than ten gold each in there. What gives you the right to steal from us?"

Sarah laughed and said. "Because you all are no good low down murdering thieves and probably rapists too, idiot. I'm doing you a favor by letting you live and breathe another day. It's more than you gave your victims I bet. You have one chance to get an honest job or lose all of your magic faes."

The first fae said snottily, "How do you think you will accomplish something like that?"

Sarah said, "I'll just make a wish."

The second fae said. "Ha! Everyone knows the Goblin King is the only one that can do that."

Sarah said, "Well I'm from very far away and can do it."

The third fae asked, "Why do you keep your hood up, are you afraid to be seen?"

Sarah took down her hood and put her cloak in the tent. When she turned around they gasped. The first fae said, "You're a dark haired fae woman. How can this be no fae have dark hair?"

Sarah said, "Not here, but I'm not from here like I said." She made a wish, "I 'wish' that everything of value and all weapons that these three men have on themselves will make a pile at my feet." Items on the men untied and flew out of their pockets, boots, swords and hunting knives made a pile at her feet.

Sarah picked up a fancy sword and said, "Well looky here. Now how did you come across such a nice powerful longsword?" There was a steel or silver longsword with beautiful scrollwork and it looked like runes etched into it. Sarah could feel the magic power coming off of it. She took that to keep replacing the one she had. She tossed their clothes at them in the bags they were in. Sarah tossed their other belongings crammed into a couple saddle bags she cleaned out. Sarah took all the valuables in bags and put them in her tent.

Sarah said, "I 'wish' for these three fae to never be able to commit another crime and if they do, the fae gets stripped of their magic."

Sarah said, "I 'wish' for these three men to be sent with the belongings next to them and their three horses and ten gold for each of them to the city of Gorias where they will be unbound." They disappeared with their three horses and all their clothes.

She climbed in the tent, took off her boots getting comfortable sitting up in her tent where she took out the lit crystal and started searching each bag or box. They had three bags and their purses full of gold, silver, and copper coins totaling 1190 gold, 312 silver, and 25 copper. There were three swords including her old sword, five jeweled daggers, three hunting knives, three jewelry boxes, three bags of jewelry, seven pocket watches, and a medium size bag of gold nuggets. Sarah wished for the same to fit as much as she could into the door of the necklace. Everything fit except the weapons. She laid down after packing it all up and went to sleep.

—--day 21

After breakfast, Sarah packed up the horses and rode off to the town of Sicín (chicken), with Beowulf running bedside them. Sarah was thinking about what she needed to get rid of immediately. She needed to sell seven longswords and seven hunting knives first of all to the blacksmith if he'll take them. The rest will have to wait until she gets over the mountains in a three day trek to the city of Ubhsicín (chicken egg). Sarah thought it funny how they named their city and towns after chickens. She wondered if they worshiped a big chicken in the sky? Humm?

Sarah came up to the town Sicín and had Beowulf on the saddle with his leash on. She rode up to the inn that was busy and music was playing. Sarah tethered both horses and took off all her stuff wishing it lighter and walked into the inn with Beowulf right next to her. The music stopped and everyone was looking at her.

She asked the innkeeper in her low voice,"Can I have a room for two nights, please?" The fae man that was the innkeeper looked her up and down and at the wolf.

He said, "What are you doing with a wolf?"

Sarah said, "He's mine and only half grown anyway. He's no threat. I feed him well and he never leaves my side." She held up the leash.

The innkeeper said, "Ok, seven silver a night. Room five." Sarah gave him fourteen silver to lighten up her purse. He handed her the key.

Sarah went upstairs and dropped off her stuff and wished to secure the room. She locked up and went out of the inn to board her horses. She left the weapons on Àlainn. Sarah led both horses with the wolf in tow being careful not to get stepped on.

The blacksmith asked, "What do we have here?"

Sarah asked, "Can I board both of them for two nights, please? I also came across seven swords and seven hunting knives to sell? I just want to get rid of them really."

The black smith took the knives and swords over to his bench and said, "It's five copper a night so one silver each." Sarah led them into stalls next to each other. She unsaddled them and petted and hugged them singing to them softly. She whispered and wished for two apples. Sarah pulled one out of her cloak and cut it up into quarters. She fed them the apples. They munched away as she patted them both. Sarah and Beowulf left to go back to the inn after the blacksmith gave her twelve gold for the weapons. The blacksmith was surprised to see how gently she treated her horses, singing and whispering to them. The stallion nicked and shook his head like he was answering her. He knew she had to be female to act like that, but the wolf was a big surprise. It patiently sat there watching her until she squatted down and pet him and said come on. That's when he realized the leash laid on the ground in front of the wolf but he never moved from the spot. It was a very well behaved wolf.

Sarah went up to the counter and asked for two dinners and a wine. He gave her a tray Sarah gave him two silver and said keep the rest and thank you. The innkeeper smiled a little smile at her. Sarah found a table in the corner out of the way. She sat down and could see the whole crowded room of people and the band. Sarah put a plate of roasted chicken with vegetables on the floor right by her chair. Sarah ate and watched everyone watch her and the wolf in the corner. People were whispering to each other. Sarah could give a crap unless someone starts shit. She took her time eating and sat back. Two men got up and walked towards her and the innkeeper came up behind them and was talking to them in hushed tones. He coaxed them to sit down and have a ale. Sarah took that as her cue to go to the room. She stacked up the plates and killed her wine and headed down the hall to her room, got in and locked the door. Sarah put a chair underneath the door to block off the keyhole. Sarah took off her cloak and got settled in pulling out her sleep shirt, towels and toiletries. She went to the bathroom and Beowulf was looking at the door wagging his tale.

Sarah said, "I guess you have to go too. I hope those two guys don't cause any trouble for us. You stay out of this. I don't want to get you hurt." Sarah put on his leash and her cloak and they locked the door and headed to the inn front door. They went outside and walked around the corner to the back wooded area away from where people walk. Beowulf did his business and they were walking back to find two fae men acting like they were blocking her way.

Sarah said lower, "Nice night, are you out for a stroll too, gents?" Sarah already had her knife in her one hand.

The taller man with short blonde hair and rumpled clothing said in an intimidating voice, "What are you doing around here with a filthy wolf?" Beowulf growled but stayed back.

Sarah said, "He's not filthy. I gave him a bath. He's only a half grown pup. Why is it upsetting you? He isn't away from me ever and he can't get into mischief that way. He listens to me completely and hasn't done a bad thing his whole life."

The other fae said hesitantly, "That does not matter because he is a killer!"

Sarah said simply, "No he's not. I feed him well, so all he hunts is rabbit and rodents when we are between towns. He doesn't even eat chicken unless it is served cooked. He's a good boy. Come on guys, let it go and I'll buy you an ale? I'm only here two nights anyway. I'm just stocking food tomorrow. Besides…. I'm a woman. Are you gonna beat me up?" Sarah took down her hood and they saw her dark hair and markings that she is a royal fae. They both looked at her for a minute, deciding and shocked.

The one man asked, "Why are you dressed like a man?"

Sarah said, "I'm traveling and it usually causes less problems." They looked at each other and nodded.

The second man smiled and said, "Ok, you can buy us that ale now. Why did you not use magic on us?"

Sarah put up her hood and said, "I'm not like the fae, here. I'm from far away and my people are different. I don't hurt people if it is not necessary. You guys won't tell if I'm a girl, right?" They started walking.