Leif

by Jane Stain

  “He doubled ower and fell backward intae the arms o' the other three, whose eyes went wide with surprise at seeing a lass wielding a dagger sae wull, nay doubt. They took up their fellow and went away.”

  She stood up straight and proud, as she deserved to do, protector of them all as she was.

  “Sae long as I am here, I dinna believe they wull be back. Na here tae the house, though ye ken we must take care ootside. I commend ye on making these doors sae narrow and the place sae easy tae defend. ‘Tis a job well done."

  Leif put on his sternest look and addressed Jessica and Katherine.

  "Ye will na leave this house with nary Lauren or one o' us men as an escort, ye ken? Ye must hae someone with ye tae protect ye at all times ootside this house."

  Still looking peaked, both lasses nodded their heads and made agreement.

  Now that was over and he could start new doings. He smiled at Jessica in appreciation for her idea, then turned a questioning look to Lauren.

  "Lauren, Jessica described something called a water closet tae me." He met Taran and Luag’s inquisitive glances. "An outhouse that can be inside the house yet flush the waste ootside tae be collected and composted, then taken tae the fields." He looked to Lauren again. "Can ye create such a contraption? I think it would be verra good tae hae."

  While Lauren walked the house, Senga came out of the kitchen and stood behind Leif, a signal she had something to tell him.

  Leif smiled at the old cook.

  “Thank ye for bringing the lasses intae the kitchen with ye, Senga.”

  She gave him a puzzled look.

  “I didna. I came oot tae tell ye Amena slept through it all and is well.”

  Lauren returned to the table with a determined look on her face.

  "Aye. A water closet wull fit nicely at the end o’ the hall upstairs. We wull build a wee wooden alcove for privacy, and the pipe can go oot the window. We wull need the help o' the blacksmith and the cooper."

  Chapter 10

  Amena ran up and grabbed hold of Leif’s leg.

  "If all the other lasses are going along with ye doon tae toon, then I can come along tae."

  Leif put a hand on the lassie’s head and smoothed her hair.

  "Senga!"

  Fortunately, the cook had heard. She hurried out and gently took hold of Amena, turning her toward the kitchen.

  "I canna spare ye, Amena. With everyone else gone, there wull be nay one tae help me. Will ye stay? I dinna want tae be here all by myself, ye ken."

  Leif met Senga’s eyes over Amena's head and gave her a smile in gratitude.

  Making a very serious face, Amena followed Senga into the kitchen, turning just her head back.

  "Ye will hae tae go without me, Leif. Senga needs me here, sae I wull be staying."

  Anxious as he was to be off after the grown lasses who were so prone to trouble they likely couldn't do without him for even this amount of time, Leif’s heartstrings nonetheless were pulled on by his poor little sister who had lost her parents so young. He went down on one knee and held his arms out for her.

  "Aye, I dae ken yer responsibility tae bide here and help Senga. But ye can give me a hug afore I go, can ye not?"

  Amena shrugged and nodded, then ran over and gave him a quick hug before turning back toward Senga and the kitchen. Waving at him over her shoulder, she disappeared behind the kitchen wall, casually calling out to him.

  "Hae a good day."

  Oddly sad at being so easily dismissed, he turned toward the open door. Far too soon, he and Taran would be going off to battle and leaving Amena behind in just this way.

  Senga called out from the kitchen in a singsong voice that made Leif glad for the thousandth time that she was here to keep Amena company.

  "Hae a good day, Leif."

  Jessica was pleased to see Leif waiting for her at the front door with his arm outstretched. She joyfully took it, but this walk down to the village was different than their walk back up yesterday.

  This time, Katherine, Lauren, Luag, and Taran were along. Katherine had this way of meeting Jessica's eyes and teasing her. She wasn’t mean about it, but still, Jessica just didn't think she could relax the way she had when she and Leif were alone on the trail.

  Would they ever get home again? Oddly, Jessica wasn't too worried about that. Something inside her assured her that no matter what, she would get to go home. If she wanted to.

  After patting her hand reassuringly, Leif addressed her and Lauren.

  "’Twould be best if ye let us educate the men about yer water closets, Ceàrd-ruadh."

  Jessica swallowed.

  "But we know far better than ye dae what—"

  Leif patted her hand again, kindly but with finality.

  "The men will already be out o' sorts that ye are with us. Subjecting them tae schooling by lasses? I fear that would be tae much."

  Luag joined in.

  “Sae mayhap ye had better educate us on the way doon there, sae that we can better educate the men, aye?"

  Jessica sighed.

  Katherine scrunched her nose at Luag.

  “Glad tae ken ye are the better man and able tae take educating from lasses. It would be tae bad if ye were na. We dinna hae tae give ye oor knowledge, ye ken. We could just lie back."

  It was an awful thing to say, that they could lie back and watch the villagers die of sickness, but coming from Katherine it sounded charming and witty.

  Jessica reasserted herself into the conversation.

  "Mayhap for today ye should just concentrate on the open sewer ye hae running through yer toon where everyone breathes the foul air therefrom. If that could just be cleared up and redirected out tae a compost pit, ye would make a verra large step toward lowering the death count here. Once that is done, we can explain the plan for all tae hae water closets.”

  The women’s first month in the village was a whirlwind of industriousness.

  At first, they were all overseeing the redirecting of the sewer channel from the streets so that it went to the compost pit. Each evening the men drilled while the women watched so that the men were nearby to guard them from druid intruders.

  After a large amount of begging from Jessica, Katherine and Luag were persuaded to stay and see the sewer trenches finished so that Jess and Lauren could move on to the next phase.

  Jessica discussed with the women the amount of willow-bark tea the people were using for bringing down a fever.

  “A bit o' fever is good for driving oot the contagion, mind,” she told them, “howsoever, the verra auld and the verra young can succumb tae the fever its ownself, sae betimes ‘tis good tae bring the fever doon.”

  But their sick loved ones were already getting the sort of personal care she could provide as a nurse. She wanted to get underway with the physical improvements she envisioned for the village. That was how she could help these people the most.

  Starting with Leif and Taran’s house, she and Lauren and the smithy and the cooper put in water closets. The benefits were twofold. One, it was much more convenient, of course. But two, this was the easiest way to collect the sewage into the compost pit.

  Little Amena did come down the hill with them sometimes. The joyful noises were wonderful when she played with the other children on the village green.

  When the month was up, many friends had been by Cresh Manor and seen Leif and Taran’s water closet. They were extolling its virtues from one end of the village to the other so that the villagers were clamoring for water closets of their own.

  With Lauren’s help and Taran there to guard Lauren, Gilly the smithy and Jacob the cooper were able to produce the water closets pretty quickly now. This cheered Jessica greatly. It fed her soul, knowing she was doing so much good.

  Jessica was walking back up to the manor house from the village, on Leif’s arm.

  She was always on his arm, but she never got used to it. Every time she touched him, a thrill went through her. It was difficult while touching this exqui
site specimen of a man, but she made her mind work rationally.

  “While Lauren, Taran, Gilly, and Jacob get the rest o’ the water closets installed and Katherine and Luag help yer men make sure the tanks are being emptied intae the compost pit, I want yer help planning the next improvement.”

  Leif met her eyes as he always did when she spoke to him, but something about being alone out here in the trees on the pathway up to the manor house must have made him more carefree than his usual reserve allowed, because he held her gaze for a long moment.

  He moved in closer.

  Her breath caught in her throat, and she resisted the urge to wet her lips.

  His eyes bored deep into hers, questioning, probing, seeing into her soul, it seemed.

  “Aye?” he said. “And what might that be?”

  “Huh?”

  His eyes twinkled at her.

  “What improvement dae ye want next, Ceàrd-ruadh?”

  Oh yeah, the improvements.

  She never moved away from looking into his eyes this time. Caution begone. After a month of walking on his arm and having nothing happen between them beyond these deep stares, she was beginning to suspect that he wouldn’t make any move at all without knowing for certain she was interested.

  And she was interested. Wouldn’t it be a shame if he was too much of a gentleman to show his interest unless she showed hers, and she never showed hers? Lauren had friends who lived in the past. They stayed in touch with their families through her friend Kelsey.

  That could work for me.

  So this time, Jessica probed and soul-seeked right back. It was easy, staring into those deep blue caring eyes of Leif’s.

  She sighed and spoke breathlessly.

  “‘Tis terribly inconvenient for the women who live on the other side o' toon tae carry water all the way from the well tae fill their water closet tanks— Ack!”

  Two robed figures came out of the trees. Their eerily white robes stood out against the green of the forest, but that was all Jessica saw out of the corner of her eye before the men moved in and grabbed her right off Leif's arm.

  Jessica screamed.

  At the same time, she heard the smallpipes Leif always carried.

  Her captors quickly moved off toward the forest, carrying her by the arms even though she dragged her feet.

  “Ye canna win against us," the younger one said to Leif, "just let us take her, and ye willna be harmed."

  The older one turned his head over his shoulder toward Leif as they dragged Jessica screaming into the forest.

  "And just so ye know, we mean her na harm. We just desire tae question her for the knowledge she holds. Certies ye are aware by now she comes from the future."

  Leif just kept playing his smallpipes, but his determined eyes found hers and promised he wasn’t letting them take her.

  For the first few hundred steps with these robed men — whom she now recognized from near the castle where she had arrived in this time with Lauren and Katherine, which meant they were druids, according to what Lauren had said — Jessica wondered. What did they plan to do with her? Should she ask? No, best not to reveal anything to them.

  Leave your options open, Jessica.

  But at five hundred steps or so, her robed captors got quite a surprise. It happened all at once.

  Gilly and the militia from that side of town came from behind Jessica and her captors all in a rush of footfalls through the trees.

  Alvin and the militia from the other side of town came straight toward her from between two clumps of bushes up ahead parallel to the side of the village.

  The robed figures dropped Jessica’s arms and dissolved into smoke. The smoke lingered but a few moments and then blew away on a sudden breeze. They were gone.

  Leif held out his arm.

  Jessica ran to him, grabbing on to him as if she never meant to let go.

  Leif turned her to face his troops and held her to his side while he looked them over with deep concern in his eyes.

  "This isna over. They will be back, mayhap with more. We need tae set a guard aroond the house at all hours.”

  Leif gave a few short commands about who was to watch on what shift, and then most of the militia went back toward the village, leaving five to accompany him and her back to the manor house.

  He turned to her with those deep blue caring eyes full of worry.

  “And Jessica, I dinna think ye and Katherine should leave the house. Na till ‘tis time for the three o' ye tae leave. And even then, we will need tae escort ye home."

  All Jessica could do was nod. She didn't want to tell Leif right here in front of his men that the place she, Katherine, and Lauren needed to return to in order to go home was the very castle these two robed men had come from.

  Chapter 11

  The morning after the two robed druids grabbed Jessica promised good times at Cresh Manor. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad, not being able to leave the house without Leif, Taran, Luag, or Lauren. They had fun together. More than that, living together was making them all begin to feel like Jessica’s new and chosen extended family.

  The water closet helped the house feel like home immensely. Especially at night. In fact, now she wanted two. Three, if they could put one upstairs.

  After another of Senga’s wonderful breakfasts, Lauren went to the focal point in the dining room.

  "Let's play a game!"

  Taran smiled encouragingly at her and moved to sit in front. Leif had been up to use the water closet, and now he sat down next to Amena and across from Jessica so as not to walk in front of Lauren.

  Taran called out, "What shall we play, Forfeits?" He raised his eyebrows three times fast, leading Jessica to believe Forfeits was an adolescent game.

  Yep. Leif gave Jessica an embarrassed grin, and even Senga laughed, tsking as she cleared the dishes off the table, so Jessica laughed too.

  Lauren smiled her bright enthusiastic smile.

  "Nay, my favorite game is charades." She looked around to see if any of the men knew it, but their blank looks showed they didn’t. "Charades is a French word that means ‘speaking tae entertain.’ The game is anything but. Nay, ye canna speak, sae ye act out the names o’… yer favorite stories."

  Jessica chuckled, and Leif raised an enquiring eyebrow that invited an explanation, so she gave one. To the whole group.

  "I hae a feeling their favorite stories will be things we hae na heard o, and vice versa, Lauren."

  But Katherine saved the day.

  "I wager we hae all read the same Bible stories. Let's use those."

  Lauren smiled huge at Katherine in gratitude.

  "Aye! We wull act out Bible stories. Verra well. Sae there's nary a need tae differentiate between the type o' story it is—"

  Leif wrinkled his brow in an ‘are you kidding?’ way at the same time as Jessica shook her head no. They smiled at each other at the same time next.

  Jessica pulled her eyes away from him and addressed Lauren.

  "On the contrary. Some Bible stories are in the New Testament and some are in the Auld Testament, for one difference."

  Lauren looked pleased.

  "Och, aye. Verra well, sae tae show auld, ye point behind ye with yer thumb this way. Come on. Everyone up and show me ye ken…"

  After Lauren showed them dozens of gestures, she acted out Jonah being swallowed by the whale, and Taran guessed it. Taran acted out putting old wine in new wineskins, and Lauren guessed it.

  Leif cleared his throat when Lauren got up to take another turn, giving Jessica a ‘wait a darn second’ look, to which she scrunched her nose and nodded yes the tiniest bit.

  "The rest o' us would like tae play as well. How aboot if we let Luag take a turn?"

  At first Lauren took a deep breath and balled her fists, poor thing. She took the game seriously and was quite competitive. Why should she give up a turn?

  Jessica was about to say as much.

  But then Lauren surprised her, nodding slightly for no appare
nt reason and relaxing.

  "Ye hae the right o' it."

  She turned to Luag and nodded sideways toward the front of the room.

  Curiously, Luag winked at Leif when he went up. And then he used gestures Jessica had never seen before, pointing from his eyes to the ceiling and then winding his fist in the air.

  Plainly Lauren had never seen these gestures either, because she shrugged, and her eyes looked blank.

  But Leif stood up and shouted.

  "David fighting Goliath!"

  Luag smiled and nodded, then sat to give Leif a turn.

  Lauren crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair with her leg over her knee, sulking.

  Leif winked at Jessica, and then he put his hand next to his face and pointed down to the ground and then pulled his fingers out from his head as if smoothing back his hair. He curled his arm next to him, almost as if holding a woman close, and then he put his other hand to his neck to protect it.

  Taran jumped up this time.

  "That fool Samson allowing Delilah to cut his hair!"

  "Aye, that's it," said Leif, going to his seat and excitedly turning to see what Taran was going to act out.

  This time, Taran used the men’s gestures, and all through his turn, Lauren sank back in her chair even more, crossing her arms more tightly with a scowl on her face now.

  Taran noticed her and chuckled.

  "Verra well. Let us show the lasses some o' oor warrior movements sae that they can as well succeed at this game o' theirs."

  He turned to Lauren, and the two of them gave each other the sarcastic grin children use when they're fighting in front of their parents and can’t say anything mean.

  Amena let out a big sneeze.

  Jessica noticed for the first time today how quiet the child had been. She should have been jumping up and down ready to explode with guesses during the game, but she was sitting quietly.

  At first, Leif raised his eyebrows with an amused look on his face.

  "Bless ye, Amena."

  And at first, the little girl smiled at her brother.