CHAPTER 6
Sarah packed up everything, saddled Shadow and led him outside to mount. She rode up the mountain. The fae in the cowl hooded cloak watched her go up passing by his cave. He thought that it looked like a young man or boy but could be human or fae. He just wasn't sure so he packed up and followed at a distance trying not to spook him.
Sarah rode along all morning with a niggling feeling that she was being followed but saw nothing. So she said, "Shadow, I think we are being tracked, but they are keeping out of the line of sight. Let's hide behind that big group of boulders on the right side up ahead of us and watch if they pass." Shadow nickered. When he got up there Sarah had him backed up behind the boulders. Sarah wished for horse prints in the snow to go up to the top of the mountain. They waited.
…And they waited, until a man in black passed by them. Sarah let him get far enough ahead of them and started following him out of the line of sight. Sarah watched the hoof prints and knew he was up there then she saw them veer off.
Sarah said softly, "I 'wish' to bind the hands of the man in black tracking me behind his back." Sarah moved forward slowly to see the man in black struggling on the horse with his hands behind his back.
Sarah said in a low voice, "What trouble are you looking for?" The fae man stopped and looked at her but still could not make out if she was human or not.
The man demanded, "Let me go!"
Sarah laughed all throaty low and proceeded up the mountain. The man yelled, "You can't just leave me out here like this!" Sarah had Shadow back up a bit.
Sarah said in her low voice, "Oh, yes I can. Tell me who you are and why you followed me like a tracker and what you are thinking of doing or I'll make you."
The fae snidely said, "You can't make me do anything."
Sarah turned around in her saddle and softly said mumbling, "I 'wish' that this man would tell me the truth of why he is following me and what he wants."
Sarah said in a low voice, "Tell me what I want to know and the truth or die out here."
The man struggled and was compelled but fighting the words, "I wanted… to know… if you were…hu…human or what, since… last night when I… looked in… your cave. If you were… human… I was going to sell you…to the ogres or centaurs… for money because I haven't had a bounty in a while."
Sarah said, "You sure are stupid, because I am human and you're dead. How do you like that for fate? Thought you'd ruin my life and now you'll die for it." Sarah shook her head and started up the mountain again.
The man screamed after her, "I didn't mean to do it! Please help me!"
Sarah said, "I 'wish' that that man could no longer commit a crime or sell another human again." She stopped and turned around. Sarah took the man's reins and tied it to her saddle.
The man said softly, "Thank you, thank you."
Sarah said in a low voice, "Shut up!"
Sarah stopped to feed her kittens, never bringing them out of the pouch into the cold.
The man asked, "What creatures do you have in that pouch?"
Sarah said, "None of you damn business. I said to shut up and you will or I'll leave you here again." When she was done feeding the kittens and ate a cookie, she proceeded up to the town.
By nightfall, they reached the town of Féasóg. As they approached, Sarah wished that the man could not perform any magic on her or her animals or gear.
Once she tethered him to the post outside the inn, Sarah boarded Shadow and brought her gear with her to the inn. She stood at the door of the inn, wished to release his hands and went inside to get a room for a week.
The innkeeper was a fae and looked her up and down. He said, "One gold a night." Sarah plunked down seven gold and he gave her a key to room seven.
Sarah went upstairs and locked the room and put a chair under the knob and wished to only let herself in the room until she removed her baggage. She started unpacking and took off her cloak, gloves and belt. She started a fire, laid out her bath stuff and nightshirt. She sat on the bed and took off her pouch. The kittens came crawling out across the bed to her. She smiled and kissed them scooped up in both her hands. She laid down and cooed to them kissing them. They started purring. She fed them and got dressed to go eat downstairs.
She sat at the counter by the wall and ordered a meal for a silver and a wine leaning against the wall. It was a bit busy with a dinner crowd. The man came downstairs. Sarah figured he got a room. He spotted her and sat a couple seats away. Sarah wasn't worried about him and turned to eat her food. The kittens started mewing. They must have stepped on each other or something.
The innkeeper asked, "What do you have there?"
Sarah pulled out one kitten and said, "A pair of cathwyllt brothers. The mother was killed by an animal nearby when I was camping."
The fae innkeeper said smiling, "I'll be. I never saw one before. They are so rare and hide well. Those are tiny. How long have you had them?"
Sarah said, "About a week and a half or so. They are two and a half weeks old. Can I get another wine?" She put the kitten back in the pouch and put three coppers down. The innkeeper gave her some wine. She drank it leisurely finishing her meal. The fae next to her kept watching her in his peripheral vision and she knew it. She finished her wine and took another up to her room and locked the door putting a chair under the doorknob. She heated up water and pulled out her dirty clothes in a pile on the floor.
After she washed her clothes she was exhausted and went to bed with her cuddly kittens. After a while she heard the door being messed with. She thought, 'That asshat doesn't give up.'
Sarah whispered, "I 'wish' the guy messing with my door would get a big pile of snow dropped down his pants."
She smiled hearing, "Oh.. oh… oh that's cold!" She fell asleep.
—--Day 19
Sarah got up, did her morning routine and put on her girl clothes. She wore a dark green blouse with her black one underneath, black skirt and black corset. She wore hair combs to hold her hair back and light makeup with her emerald green earrings and pendant. She put her kittens around her neck. She went down to breakfast with her cloak on with the hood down.
Sarah sat at the counter and smiled at the innkeeper who was stunned looking at the beautiful dark haired fae woman at his counter. The kittens mewed and grunted. Sarah giggled and petted them in their pouch.
The fae innkeeper said, "You are the one from last night. My gods, you're beautiful. Can I get you breakfast and tea?" Sarah smiled and nodded, laying down a silver coin. She pulled her hair forward and put up her hood.
When the innkeeper came back, Sarah said, "The guy who got a room after me last night is hunting humans. I want him to think I am one, ok? He can't do anything to me but I want him to try. He's a fool." The innkeeper nodded and smiled at her and knew all about playing fae games even with each other. He wasn't fond of the human buying and selling anyway.
The guy came down a little while later and saw the dark haired woman in the same cloak sitting at the counter with a pouch like last night around her neck. He thought she was a man. He swore that he could get more for a human woman. Her hair was dark, so she had to be human, right? He would just wait for his moment.
Sarah took her time enjoying her breakfast talking with the innkeeper.
The innkeeper said, "My name is Devon. Where are you from? I ask because you talk differently."
Sarah said, "That's because I come from far far away."
Devon asked, "Do other people have dark pretty hair like yours there?"
Sarah said, "Yes. My name is Ashar, but you can call me Ash." She put her hand out to him and he kissed it.
The other fae thought, 'Why is he acting like that to a human? They are beneath us.' He hurried up and ate so he could watch her from outside around the corner.
Sarah knew he was outside watching her in broad daylight. She buttoned up and went to the bakery. Devon told her where to go. She walked outside and went to the bakery while the guy followed her around.
After she got baked goods, she went to the fae cobbler and asked him to make her four little balls of leather filled with scrap leather that a child could play with and roll around. She drew him a picture of how big. He said it may take a couple days and she gave him a gold coin and said to take his time because she was here for the next six nights. The man smiled at her and she left to go back to the inn. She walked around a corner and the guy tried to grab her. She elbowed him in the face. He went down into the snow on his back with a bloody nose.
Sarah said, pulling her hood down, "You must be the stupidest fae in the Underground. I used magic on you so many times and you still think you're trying to capture a human. Stop being so stupid! Geez!" Sarah held her hands up and let them drop. She shook her head, put her hood back up and walked away back to the inn.
She went up to her room and locked the door. She pulled off her cloak and gloves and put the kittens on the bed. Sarah lit the fire and heated up the room and some water in the kettle to make a cup of tea. Her little boys were sitting on the bed watching her move around the room.
Sarah sat down on the bed and said, "Hi babies. How are my little men doing?" They mewed at her, wobbled and toddled over to where she was sitting.
She smiled and said, "What's that your saying? You're so sweet to say such nice things to your mama. You're both such good little boys." She picked them up and kissed their little bellies. She held them to her neck cuddling them. She sat them on the bed and got her cup and tea out, dipping a cup of hot water into her cup with tea leaves in it. She took the kettle off the fire. Sarah sat back down and the little ones came back to her. She petted them as she slipped her tea. She started singing to them "An Irish Lullaby". She smiled and rubbed their bellies and they both fell asleep laid out on their backs on the bed. Sarah thought they were so adorable as she slipped her tea as they slept and twitched their tiny paws.
Downstairs the innkeeper grinned listening to her sing. The fae that Sarah hit outside listened to her sing also along with the patrons sitting in the inn. One fae man asked, "Devon, did you give a room to a new singer? She sounds pretty."
Devon said, "She isn't just pretty, but beautiful. The only dark haired fae I've ever heard or seen."
The man said, "No… Really a dark haired fae?"
Devon said, "Yes, she's from far far away. Her people have dark hair. She has the most beautiful emerald green eyes too."
The fae man said, "Devon we could get the band together for a music night again. Have the pretty lady sing songs from her homeland whilst she is here. I would love to play new music. I can get Moll to come sing for us too. She has been itching to get out of the house."
Devon said, "She is here for the next six nights. I will ask her tonight at dinner. What night do you think you could get the lads together?"
The fae man said, "Tomorrow night seems alright."
Devon said, "Then tomorrow night then. Sounds good."
Later that evening Sarah fed the kittens, came down for dinner but left her cloak upstairs and took a seat at the counter. The room was so quiet a pin could drop. She looked around and everyone was staring at her.
Sarah looked at Devon and said, "Devon, did I grow a third head on my shoulders?"
He started laughing and said, "Everyone stop staring at my new friend, Ash. She will go back upstairs if you do not stop." Everyone laughed and started talking.
Devon smiled and asked, "Dinner and wine?" Sarah smiled at him and nodded. She slid a silver across the counter to him. Her kittens started grunting in the pouch. Sarah cooed and petted them to calm them both down.
The bounty hunter fae watched her from a table behind her. He thought she really was beautiful and kind caring for cathwyllt kittens. He knew most fae don't care about other creatures, but this one did. She was very different, almost human and fae. Perhaps, the fae were very different far away from where she comes from.
Sarah turned and started eating dinner and drinking her wine. Dinner was good with roasted chicken and root vegetables with sauteed kale, chard and red peppers.
Devon asked her,"Ash, some of my mates want to get the band together tomorrow night and have a music night. I heard you singing earlier and wondered if you would like to sing some of your songs from your homeland with them. The one mate of mine heard you and thought your voice was pretty too. He is asking his wife Moll to sing too so it would not just be you."
Sarah laughed and said, "Ok, if your ears don't bleed from my caterwauling, I guess so." He laughed.
Devon said, "I will let him know in the morning." He patted her hand and filled some drink orders.
Sarah finished two wines and her meal, then went upstairs. She locked the door and put the chair under the doorknob. She started the fire back up, got into her nightshirt and got into bed cuddling up with her fuzzy bedmates. Sarah fell asleep. She woke up twice to feed the kits.
