The Hermit of Lammas Wood

by Nathan Lowell

  “You mean you found it, mum.”

  Tanyth chuckled. “Well, a rat found it. I just helped her along a bit.”

  Penny’s eyes grew round. “Somebody tried to sink the Call? That’s dangerous knowledge to have.”

  “More dangerous to be sailing back when you wasn’t supposed to arrive to begin with, I’m thinkin’,” Tanyth said.

  “Think he knew?” Rebecca asked with a sidelong glance at Tanyth.

  “Who? Your father? Maybe,” she said. “Maybe he just doesn’t like Saul Groves.”

  “Maybe he made the arrangements last year thinking the Sea Rover would be first to answer the Call,” Penny said. “This is all interestin’ but it’s not gettin’ us out of town.”

  “We need to be out of here before noon tomorrow,” Tanyth said. “And three miles out in the woods before he can catch us.”

  “Why tomorrow? You said he’s coming to visit tomorrow afternoon?” Penny asked.

  “Yeah. We didn’t get as much time to catch up on old times as either of us wanted, but if he’s goin’ to be pig-headed like his father, we’ll need to be well away before he figures out he needs to arrest us before we bolt.”

  “Arrest us?” Rebecca said sitting up straight. “For what?”

  “Don’t need much of a reason, far as that goes,” Penny said with a half shrug. “Only needs to keep you here till the Sea Rover docks and your father arrives. After that, you’re his problem.”

  “That might be the best solution,” Tanyth said.

  “He’ll still try to keep you here,” Rebecca said. “And my father isn’t about to let me go harin’ off into the back of beyond. He’d probably lock me up himself.”

  “No, but he’d have to explain what he’s lookin’ for or come up with another reason for searchin’,” Tanyth said. “Which one you think he’d most likely do?”

  Amanda interrupted their discussion with heavy platters of venison and roasted root crops. “You get on the outside of those and there’s more in the kitchen. Any plans yet?”

  “Still gettin’ acquainted,” Penny said. “I think we’re gonna need to leave here around first light.”

  Amanda nodded. “That’s what I’d do. And stick to the deer trails. A couple of the garrison are on the porch drinkin’ Perry’s ale and complaining about having to be on patrol on the north road by dawn.”

  Tanyth nodded. “He’s plannin’ ahead. Wouldn’t be surprised if he shows up tomorrow with a couple of troopers to ‘protect’ us while we’re in town.”

  “There’s plenty of travel rations in the larder here, if you need ’em. More’n you’ll need. You’re welcome to ’em.”

  “Thanks, Amanda,” Penny said. “I’ve got a good stock, too. Never know when I might need a fast meal between babies.”

  “So can you go in the morning?” Tanyth asked. “Nobody due?”

  Penny smiled. “There’s always somebody due. Audrey McGilvry was the last of the fall babies. There’s another batch due in a few weeks, but things should be quiet until then.”

  “Oh, the blizzard we had just before Hunter’s Moon?” Amanda asked.

  “Yeah. Wasn’t much to do with two feet of snow and winds blowing it more sideways than down. Charlene Noonan’s gonna be next, I figure. Ed was just back from lumberin’ when the storm hit.”

  The two women shared a knowing smirk.

  Rebecca cast a glance at Tanyth.

  “Don’t start with that woodbox thing, again,” Tanyth growled.

  “Frank’s a good man, mum. You know that,” Rebecca said.

  Amanda and Penny grinned at Tanyth’s squirming in her chair.

  “Something about a woodbox?” Penny said.

  “Frank used to keep Mother Fairport’s woodbox filled when she lived in Ravenwood last winter.”

  Tanyth addressed her venison with gusto and tried to ignore the grins all around the table.

  “Is that what they call it now?” Penny said.

  “Frank Crane is a good man,” Tanyth said. “He looked out for me while I was helpin’ out. That’s all.”

  “Havin’ a hot flash, mum?” Rebecca asked, flashing a cheeky grin as she sawed a morsel of venison from the pile on her plate.

  Tanyth felt the heat flush across her neck and face for reasons that had nothing to do with a hot flash. “Waitin’ for your father is soundin’ more and more appealin’,” she said.

  “If you’d have asked, he’d have come with us,” Rebecca said.

  Tanyth took a deep breath and let it out, feeling her anger seep away to be replaced by something more like regret. “He’s needed where he is and I couldn’t wait,” she said. She looked around at all the faces peering at her. “Some things just ain’t meant to be.”

  Penny winked at her. “Some things just need time to grow before they can be.”

  Even Amanda nodded. “Good for you, mum.” A shout from across the dining room made her scurry away without saying anything else.

  “Sorry, mum. I didn’t mean anythin’ by it,” Rebecca said, reaching over to place a hand on Tanyth’s forearm.

  Tanyth smiled and patted her hand. “I know, dear. Just...” she shrugged, unable to explain her reaction.

  “Okay, well, we’ll need to get out of here without bein’ seen in the mornin’ and get to the deer trails by first light,” Penny said. “No good thrashin’ around out there in the dark, but from my place to the forest is a matter of yards. We can disappear there easily enough.”

  “How do we get to your place without bein’ seen?” Rebecca asked. “We can’t very well be hikin’ up the main street and down your block.”

  Penny grinned. “The back gate to my place is just across the street here. There’s an alley between the inn and old Murray’s place next door. Perry uses it for deliveries to his brew house back there. You can slip out the back door of the kitchen and be across the street in nothing flat. Only eyes on you at that hour will be owls.”

  Tanyth snorted. “The owls are not what they seem.”

  Penny’s plan rattled to a halt and she cocked her head to one side. “What?”

  Tanyth shook her head and gave the younger woman a narrow smile. “I had a dream about an owl once. Nothin’ important.”

  Penny looked to Rebecca who offered a shrug in return.

  “All right then,” Penny continued, with a last glance at Tanyth before picking up her utensils. “Eat up. This’ll be the last hot meal like this until we get to Grandmother’s house.”

  “She has a house?” Rebecca asked, a forkful of mashed potato halfway to her mouth.

  “What? She’s a hermit so she must live in a cave?” Penny asked, her lips curved into a lop-sided grin.

  Rebecca just blinked her eyes several times. “Yeah. That’s kinda what I thought, but...how do you get a house way out there in the woods?”

  Penny shrugged. “Same way anybody does, I guess. Build it.”

  Tanyth grinned down at her plate and concentrated on fueling her body for the trek ahead.

  Chapter Eight:

  Slipping The Leash

  The full Shearing Moon hung above the treetops, gleaming on the packed streets of the town. Somewhere not far away humans made man-noises. A cautious foray into the open often brought delicious rewards; her whiskered nose told her that food waited just beyond the building. Her kits needed milk; she needed food to make the milk. She knew the humans and relied on their food the year round. This place sometimes had softened grains and even cooked breads and vegetables. Her mouth watered at the thought but she hunkered down to wait. She could be patient until the humans went to their dens.

  She had barely settled down when the big human came out and extinguished the lamp beside the entrance to their huge den. Darkness grew deeper, if not entirely black. The watching moon saw all. When the big human re-entered his den, she waited until she heard his heavy steps move away and waited a little longer. Haste carried more risk than reward.

  When all was quiet and she smelled no fresh sc
ents, she scuttled across the packed earth as quickly as her legs would carry her and disappeared into the shadows. Without winter’s fat she moved quickly, her dugs swaying under her belly as she ran. She stopped and waited, listening and twitching her nose.

  A scuffed step in the shadows nearly made her leap.

  Two men in identical skins lurked just around the corner, her corner. Now that she knew they were there, her nose picked out their scents from the mess of odors that a mass of humans leaves behind. She’d nearly run into them in the dark.

  Her heart beat fast and she backed away from them, exposing herself to the moon briefly before darting around the den to approach from the other side. There was food nearby and more than one way to get it. Her kits needed milk and she needed the food. Silly humans hiding in the dark could not be allowed to stop her.

  Tanyth blinked herself awake but lay silently in her bed, listening to the night around them. A glance at the window showed her the silvery moonlight painting the treetops. “Well, that complicates things,” she muttered.

  “Wassat, mum?” Rebecca’s sleepy murmur came from the shadowed cot across the small room.

  “Nothin’, dear. Go back to sleep. Mornin’ comes before breakfast.”

  “Usually does,” she said and rolled over again.

  Tanyth slept fitfully until the rays of moonlight through the window told her that dawn was not far off. She heard the distant clatter of cooking coming from below and rolled out of her bed. “Rebecca. Time to go.”

  The younger woman rolled out of her cot almost immediately, weeks of working the deck of a sailing schooner training her to near-instant wakefulness. “Two shakes, mum,” she murmured.

  “We have a problem. There’s soldiers in the alley.”

  Tanyth finished buckling her belt and pulling on her traveling coat. She looped a single strap of her heavy pack over one shoulder, settled her wide-brimmed hat on her head, and took up her staff.

  “Meet me in the kitchen.”

  “You had a dream?” Rebecca asked, working quickly and quietly to gather her own traveling gear.

  “Yeah.” Tanyth slipped from the room and down the stairs, her worn boots making small scuff noises but otherwise silent in the quiet inn. The clanking of pots on the iron stove and the sound of a spoon stirring something drew her to the kitchen door.

  “Morning, mum,” Amanda said, when she stuck her nose into the kitchen.

  Tanyth held a finger up to her lips and motioned Amanda out of the brightly lit kitchen.

  Putting down the spoon, she followed Tanyth out to the dining room, a frown on her brow. “What is it?” she hissed.

  “There’s two soldiers in the alley, just around the corner from the front of the inn. I think they’re watching the street and can prob’ly see into the kitchen.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “They were there at midnight when Perry turned out the lantern. Unless something’s happened, they’re prob’ly still there.”

  “Your son seems to be the cautious type,” Amanda said.

  “Being in the King’s Own has taught him that, I suppose. Wasn’t anything he learned at home.”

  Amanda’s cheery smile shone in the dimness. “Well, we’ll have to ask them in for breakfast, won’t we?”

  “What?”

  “Stay here for a few more minutes. I’ve got the breads rising and the tea on. I figured you’d want something to eat before you hit the trail. Perry will be down in a couple of minutes; I’ll get him to pull a pile of rations from the pantry and bring them out to you.”

  Rebecca joined them in the dark. “Mornin’, Amanda. She told you?”

  “About the guards? Yeah. It’s under control, unless he’s left some other little surprises. Sit tight. It’ll only be a few minutes.”

  Perry clumped out of the back room and started when he found them all standing there in the near dark. “What the—?”

  “Hush,” Amanda said. “Come help me in the kitchen. We’ve got guests.” With that, she pushed back through the door, Perry following without another word.

  Tanyth and Amanda took refuge in the shadows beside the stairs and hunkered down to wait. In a few minutes, the kitchen door opened and Perry stomped in from the kitchen, headed to the hearth with a burlap sack in his hand. He spent several minutes laying out the wood and pulling kindling from the sack. A couple of quick scratches with flint and steel started the fire. He stood, dusting his hands together as the growing firelight illuminated more and more of the room, making the shadows by the stairs seem even darker.

  Seemingly satisfied with his work, he picked up the bag and headed for the kitchen, dropping it at the foot of the stairs on his way. “Rations in there. Help yourselves,” he muttered as he pushed through the door. “Fire’s laid,” he announced as the door swung shut behind him.

  They heard Amanda say, “Good. Now take that pile of slops out of here and bring me back some fresh eggs, would you?”

  “Of course, m’ dear.”

  Tanyth snaked the sack back from the firelight. The two women added half a dozen wrapped travel rations to each of their packs.

  “Think that’s enough?” Rebecca whispered.

  “Should be more’n enough. Penny’ll have her own and this is enough for nearly a week of travelin’. Might get borin’ but it’ll keep us movin’.”

  “If you say so.”

  They didn’t have long to wait before they heard male voices in the kitchen.

  “Ma’am, we really need to be out front.”

  “Oh, please, you two are near to frozen and don’t tell me a hot cuppa tea is against orders.”

  “But, ma’am—”

  “Don’t ‘but ma’am’ me, soldier,” she said. “Perry, go open up the front doors and see if anybody’s comin’.”

  “Yes, dear,” he said and his burly frame bounced through the kitchen door. He marched loudly to the front of the inn and waved to Tanyth and Rebecca to follow. They dodged to the shadows beside the entry as he made way too much noise fiddling with the front door and sticking his head out. After a quick look, he held the door and waved them through it, pointing to a break in the fence diagonally across the narrow street. “Through there. Quick. Take you right to Penny’s place.”

  They scampered down the steps and across the street even as they heard Perry’s booming voice carry on the morning air. “Nobody out here. Who were you lookin’ for again?”

  The front door to the inn bumped closed as they scurried up the narrow trail and onto the pine-needle paths that led to Penny Oakton’s door.

  Chapter Nine:

  On The Trail

  Penny opened her door on the first soft tap. “You ready?” she asked. “The moon will set when the sun rises and we should have plenty of light to see by.”

  “Robert posted garrison troops to guard the inn,” Tanyth said. “Sooner we get out of his reach, the happier I’ll be.”

  “He what?”

  “Tell you when we break for lunch—miles from here, I hope.”

  Penny nodded and grabbed her coat from the peg beside the door. Shucking into it, she pulled a knit cap from the pocket that she snugged down on her head. Her pack waited beside the door and she stepped out on the stoop with it in her hand. She closed the door and flipped a sign to read “In the woods” in rough-carved letters.

  Rebecca snorted. “You do this often, I take it?”

  Penny grinned, her smile bright in the dim light of the setting moon. “Often enough. People ’round here know enough to go to one of the king’s healers if it’s serious and they can pay.”

  “What if it is and they can’t?” Tanyth asked.

  Penny’s smile disappeared. “Generally, they die. Let’s go before the guards wise up.” She pushed past Tanyth and headed for the woods at the end of the road, shouldering her pack as she went.

  Tanyth followed, with Rebecca bringing up the rear.

  The path that Penny led them down turned from a proper one to something more ap
propriately called a deer trail. Gaps in the canopy let in enough moonlight that they didn’t trip on too many roots or run into any low-hanging limbs. Penny stopped after about fifteen minutes and leaned her pack against the bole of a tree beside the trail.

  When she spoke, she kept her voice low. “Voices carry. Speak softly when you have to speak at all. Not talking until we get past Four Mile Creek is best. The sun’ll be up in about half an hour, and that means the moon’s going down. Light’s gonna get bad so we’ll have to go slower.”

  Tanyth and Rebecca nodded.

  “You both doin’ all right?” Penny asked.

  Tanyth nodded. “I’m fine. Pro’bly be sore tomorrow, but good enough for now.”

  “Me, too,” Rebecca added. “I got a lot more exercise on the way to Kleesport than she did, and I was huntin’ on trails like this for the last four winters.”

  “All right, then.” Penny’s grin showed white against the darkness behind her. “We’re going to be crossing the main north road in a few minutes. We’ll keep an eye out for patrols but we’ll prob’ly hear them before we see them.”

  She pushed herself off from the tree and walked down the trail again, moving more slowly and deliberately. Tanyth and Rebecca followed.

  Within a few minutes, Penny halted on the trail and held up a hand for them to stop. They listened but only heard the faint whisper of the morning breeze in the pine tops. After a moment an owl’s hoot echoed through the pre-dawn.

  Penny stepped forward and they found themselves beside a road of packed gravel. Directly across from them a dark tunnel led off between two heavy trees. Penny pointed to it. Tanyth nodded.

  Penny pointed at Tanyth and then at the tunnel across the road again.

  Tanyth moved. The gravel crunched under her boots, loud against the morning’s quiet, but she slipped into the mouth of the tunnel without incident. She took a couple of paces down the trail and turned to look back.

  The gathering light seemed almost bright from her vantage point. She could see Rebecca and Penny clearly against the dark woods behind them.

  Penny sent Rebecca ahead.

  Rebecca’s boots also crunched briefly but she, too, made it across without incident to join Tanyth under the trees.