CHAPTER FOUR
WAXING GIBBOUS
RUBY
After dinner Zelline and the werecat sisters all insisted on cleaning up while Krisdon and Jerjan were determined to put the new wheel on the wagon whether it was raining or not. Unable to dissuade them to wait until morning, Krisdon picked up the new wheel and Jerjan took the ever-restless Cavender from Zelline and followed Ruby down the hall to the lantern room. There were a few boxes of spare clothes, all for varying multi-species varying sizes, a box of shoes for those who wore shoes, the bolts of fabric she was bringing to Mamá Teodora and a single chain pull lantern hanging from the ceiling.
With Dwarven magic woven into every wooden plank and nail when they crafted her wagon, they'd created something extra special for Ruby to take as many captured souls as possible to freedom, the primary source of it involving the lantern. On its own it was a plain old oil burning lantern, but so long as she inserted the pin key into the end of the chain, it was endued with magic. The air changed and Ruby could feel the mana shifting through the wooden boards. Cavender chittered atop Jerjan's head and leaned onto Ruby's shoulder as he blinked curiously at the lantern.
"Just you wait, honey, we'll go outside, and you'll get to see all the stars." Ruby cooed as she pulled him from her shoulder to bounce him on her hip. Cavender blinked quietly at her, a tiny sooty velvet hand reaching to play with the golden locket around her neck, but the way his antennae wiggled told her he was very excited to see the stars.
Glancing over her shoulder she watched the two men carefully roll the wheel in behind her and smiled. "You boys ready?"
"Believe so." Krisdon grunted as he held his hand over the top of the wheel to keep it upright. "I'm just ready to get to Ottilie."
"Agreed." Jerjan huffed as he held the other side of it with his hand. "The sooner we hit the road, the sooner we go home."
Reaching up and taking a solid pull on the chain, the lantern vibrated with magic under her touch.
Click, click, click!
An intricately painted door appeared on the wall opposite them, and Ruby smelled the leftover rain covering the earth. Crickets chirped and owls hooted, but there were no gentle vibrations of rain and Ruby had the small sense that maybe she did have a little bit of luck left in her pocket.
Cavender chirped excitedly and wiggled fast from her arms and scurried over to the door, pointing and scratching, eager to get out. It was good to see Cavender so lively despite the state of his wings and his curiosity warmed her heart that she couldn't help but laugh at his excitement.
"Hang on now, give me a second."
With a screech of impatience from Cavender, Ruby rushed over to open the door and let the mothling run out into the night. The men chuckled behind her as they followed them out with the wheel and the cool night air blissed their faces. Lady Weatherspoon's rain spell had let up and she could only hope that meant they were safe enough to start traveling again. There was an exciting thought to know they'd be on the road again, and she could only hope and pray she would get them in the right direction.
White stars dotted the night sky and Cavender squealed, happily clapping, as he skipped about like a wild child. His white wings shimmered with iridescent purple as he hopped around pointing to the stars then looking back at Ruby.
"I see them. They are might pretty, aren't they?" She hummed happily as she squatted down to his level to look up at the stars with him. Cavender nodded excitedly before pulling on her hand and chittered excitedly, and Ruby could only nod as he looked back at her, doing her best to act like she was listening to him while glancing over her shoulder to see how the men were doing with the wheel.
They didn't really need her help nor her supervision but having someone other than the Dwarves do maintenance on it was a little anxiety inducing. They already had it jacked up with Krisdon holding up the wagon by the front axle while Jerjan switched out the wheels. An indignant chirp from Cavender and a hard tug of her hand had Ruby turning fast to look at the mothling.
His big blue eyes were narrowed, the rest of his face was hidden in his silvery gray ruff around his neck, and both pairs of arms were crossed tightly around his body in a pout. He caught her distracted and she had to force her smile away at his cute nature to act ashamed for not listening properly to him.
"I'm sorry Cavender." She scooped her skirts under her as she bent down to his level. "I wasn't listening for that last part; do you think you can repeat it for me?"
His antennae bobbled excitedly on his head, eyes getting big with eagerness before he shook his head, as if to remind himself he was upset with her and hissed as he turned his body away from her. His thin legs were straight in his indignation, and it was taking everything within her not to scoop up the pouting mothling and smother him with kisses until he giggled.
"Please Cavender, I promise I'll listen better this time." Ruby tried to sound more remorseful as she coaxed the mothling to talk to her and Cavender peeked one eye open suspiciously at her, contemplating the truth in her words, before his wings shuffled and he stood a little closer to her. She looked from Cavender to the stars and in a matter of minutes he was chittering away at the stars. Ruby couldn't understand him but nodded as she listened to all his babbling until she heard the wagon groan as the men put it back on the ground. Both Cavender and Ruby looked up as the men made their way over to them.
"Have your fun looking at the stars?" Krisdon chuckled as he clapped his hands together, the echo enough to sound through the damp trees.
"Yes, Cavender knows everything about the stars." Ruby smiled as the mothling beside her fluffed up with pride. She patted the spot between his antennae and peeked between the men at her wagon. "Everything with the wagon, okay?"
"Sí, Señorita Rubí." Jerjan smiled and his tail flicked behind him. "All is ready to go. We could leave tonight."
Ruby's smile pinched, "Y-You sure?"
She was already very tired from using so much of her magic and staying up for two days already, while she was just as eager to leave, she would at least like the night to sleep.
"Sí, seguro." Jerjan nodded his head. "In fact, I could even drive tonight."
"I beg your pardon?" Her throat went dry as she tried to stay polite.
"We're veeeeery far south, Señorita Rubí." Jerjan explained as he pointed to the stars. "I know this sky very well, it's not too far from my home. We're very south."
A touch of relief touched her heart, but a sense of foreboding prickled in the back of her mind. The last time she let someone else drive didn't end well. Hesitating, she bit the inside of her lip, "I just don't know, it is rather late. . ."
Although she wanted to get everyone out of the desert, something felt off about this, like it was too easy of a chance to leave. They didn't have Lady Weatherspoon's rain to hide them and there was no telling when the hunters would come for them. Not to mention she now had a new spare wheel that she wasn't sure would hold up without the Dwarven magic inscribed into it.
"Now, Ms. Ruby," Krisdon spoke up, drawing her attention from her pensive thoughts, "it's your call since it's your wagon, but if it gives you any peace of mind, Jerjan won't be driving alone. Cavender and I'll be here to make sure he doesn't fall asleep at the wheel and goes into the right direction."
Ruby smiled weakly and wished that was all worried her. Scroggins was bound to catch wind of all this, he'd no doubt wrangle a hunter party to send them all right back to Vandale and she didn't want that responsibility to fall on any of their shoulders. However, the longer she hesitated she could feel their impatient energy to leave.
Against her better judgement she relented with a sigh, "I can tell y'all are just as ready to get away from here as me. "If you think you're up for it, I guess we can leave tonight."
Puffing out a laugh, she stared down at her boots, trying to convince herself this was a good decision. The men were already turning to take the reins, and Ruby stood as firm as her petite frame would allow and stared Krisdon down.
"However," they stopped the moment and looked at her, "If it rains, even a single drop, stop immediately and get inside the wagon and get me up."
Cavender chittered excitedly and nodded his head vigorously while Krisdon and Jerjan glanced at each other with furrowed brows before nodding in agreement. She sensed their wariness, and it was almost enough to make her change her mind on the matter.
"I mean it." She placed her hands on her hips with a stern look aimed between the Orc and the Lizardman. "If you even smell rain on the winds, get inside and call for me."
"We will, Ms. Ruby." Krisdon relented with a worn smile and a glint in his eyes.
"Tú cortar el bacalao," Jerjan raised his hands up in surrender with a cheeky smile, "You call the shots, Señorita Rubí."
Their boast of confidence already made Ruby regret her decision. Chewing the inside of her cheek, Ruby gave the men a final look over before turning inside for the night, praying they'd heed her word about the rain, and closed the door behind her. Pressing her back against the door, she drooped with a sigh, letting her head fall back against it, as she tried to reassure herself things would somehow turn all right.
Squeals in the kitchen made her head snap up and drew her out of the lantern room. Shuffling down the hall and peeking into the dining room, the werecat sisters surrounded Zelline with their hands all touching her stomach.
"So strong!" Nikita squealed and clapped her hands together.
"Yes, it's a good sign." Zelline hummed as she rubbed her own hands over her rounded belly.
"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Nassoma kneeled on the floor beside her and squinted at her belly.
"Do you think you have twins?" Nurine asked as she leaned against the table.
"Oh, I would be much bigger if I had twins." Zelline threw her head back with a laugh and patted her belly with pride. "I don't care what the baby is so long as it's healthy and it grows up in a safe place."
Not wanting to ruin their moment, Ruby stayed in the shadow of the doorway as she looked on. Looking fondly at Zelline, she was truly happy for her and prayed the gods would keep her and her family safe. A phantom pain of her loss ghosted across her own stomach, and her hand rested on the emptiness within. It didn't matter she lost the baby a little over five years ago, the loss stuck with her just as deeply as losing her parents and brother.
"Ms. Ruby!"
Her head snapped up and her hand fell away from her stomach. The last thing she needed to do was worry about something in the past she couldn't change now.
"We didn't hear you come in." Zelline's brow was furrowed as she looked at her and glanced behind her at her. "Where's Krisdon?"
"The men have decided to take the reins for the night." She brushed her hands down the front of her dress and entered the room and threw on a quick smile. "Everything okay in here?"
"Yes, the baby's just a bouncing though." Zelline chuckled and ran her hand over her belly again. "Would you like to feel?"
Ruby gave a weak nod and Zelline gently took her hand, guiding it to the kicking spot and was instantly met with a ferocious kick. Zelline grunted and shook her head with a smile.
"Ya know, if I was going to guess I think I would say this is a boy. He's got Krisdon's energy."
"Maybe, or it could be a girl." Ruby hummed thoughtfully. She always wanted a girl, though she would have loved a little boy too.
"With my sass, the gods know that'd be a battle for the ages." Zelline shook her head and had a knowing look in her eye as she studied Ruby's face. "You all right, Ms. Ruby? You don't look so well?"
Her throat tightened and she carefully withdrew her hand from Zelline's belly. "I'm just a little tired."
"I bet, you've been up longer than all of us, and we're nocturnal." Nikita chirped and tilted her head, her green eyes shining curiously.
"Speak for yourself." Zelline scoffed and shook her head. "Then again, with Cavender, we've all developed the habit of staying up late."
With Cavender as the only true nocturnal member of the wagon, he often explored at night and made lots of noise when he grew bored, which was often. The werecat sisters were more than happy to keep him entertained and keep from tearing down the house, but he had a lot of energy to burn since he couldn't fly well.
"Speaking of Cavender, where is he?" Nassoma peeked under the table with a frown. "He would normally be on the ceiling right now."
"He's out with the men, looking at the stars – " A yawn cut off the rest of her sentence and darkness tickled the edges of her vision. She was more tired than she realized.
"You get yourself to bed, Miss Ruby." Zelline frowned in that motherly way that told her she better listen or else. "The girls will keep me company."
Ruby sensed that Zelline wouldn't back down and would find a way to get her into bed one way or another. However, with her pulsing headache and magical fatigue, she had no reason to argue.
"That sounds like a good idea." She relented, rubbing her temple to ease the ache away, and turned to the werecat girls. "Ladies, do you think you can keep an ear out for rain?"
Nurine blinked curiously and tilted her head to the side. "Sure, but why?"
"Because I told the men to stop the moment there was a hint of rain, but I have a feeling they won't listen. . ." Ruby hated talking about Zelline's husband, but she just had a gut feeling that they'd be stubborn men. "If it rains, please come get me so I can bring them in."
"We will, Ms. Ruby." Nassoma nodded in reassurance.
Reassured that someone listened to her, Ruby bid goodnight and returned to her bedroom. The door squeaked as it opened and closed, and she sighed once she was in the privacy of her own room. It'd only been a few nights, but it felt as though a month had passed since she was last in her room alone. Between Cavender's night adventures and every little noise keeping her awake, Ruby hadn't had a good sleep in a long time, especially since Cavender would crawl his way into her room right at sunrise.
Heaving a sigh, she looked at the mountain of dust in her sheets. His moth dust coated her bedding, evident signs of Cavender's snuggling and blanket hogging, and practically claimed her bed as his own. She would snuggle with the mothling for at least an hour before tucking him into bed to make breakfast. While the never-ending moth dust was a hassle to clean, Ruby didn't mind it and made sure to save it in case she finally found a spell that would repair his wings. Gently brushing the moth dust from her sheets to the porcelain container with all the other dust, Ruby tucked it away securely in her wardrobe.
Pulling the pins from her hair, she shook the strawberry blonde curls out, her scalp tingling with the release of the pins, and slipped them into the small cannister of pins on her vanity. Quickly undoing the buttons down the front of her blue calico dress, she squeezed out of it as soon as she was able. Left in her chemise, she rolled her neck, eliciting a low groan as her muscles flexed, and moved over to her washstand to at least wash her face before falling asleep.
Pouring water into the basin, she caught a glimpse of her reflection and grimaced at the dark circles under eyes. She looked especially haggard after having a terrible combination of using too much magic and not getting enough sleep.
"No wonder they all kept urging me to go to bed." She sighed and splashed the cold water on her face, down her neck, her arms, and her legs. Dipping her washcloth into the water and lathering up the soap, she washed her face, behind her ears, arms and legs and felt a little bit cleaner, though it was nothing compared to a nice hot bath. She didn't have to worry about water currently with the overflow of rain collected over the last few weeks, but she didn't want to overuse the water right before they made the long stretch across the desert. She needed to conserve as much water as possible if they were going to trek across the desert. Dipping her hands into the water she ran her fingers through her hair, just enough to massage the scalp when another yawn escaped her.
Feeling a little cleaner and even more tired, she made it to the edge of her bed and undid the laces in her boots before flopping unceremoniously on the bed with a sigh. Turning her light down low, she grabbed the blanket as she rolled over, and allowed sleep to take her as her eyes closed.