Claws: Homeward VII

by Barb Hendee

  The next day, Julianna helped Jan put together a small yard for the chickens—complete with wooden boxes filled with straw. But, beforehand, she noticed that it took Jan a while to choose what he considered would be the best spot. Apparently, the family had been camping for years in the area where Sebastian’s group was now situated, and the change of location was causing a few issues.

  However... although no one said anything, she also noticed Doreena, Rosario, and Jan continually glancing in the direction of the town, as if waiting for someone to approach. She realized they were worried that Donovan had made a report about Rico, and they feared someone in authority coming to investigate.

  No one came.

  Perhaps Donovan had been so embarrassed by Belle’s rejection that he’d decided not to tell anyone what happened?

  In the late afternoon, she was out gathering firewood when Jan came to find her.

  “I’m going into town for supplies,” he said. “Would you like to come?”

  She hesitated. She wanted to go, but she’d never seen the inside of an actual town.

  “Don’t worry,” he teased, as if reading her mind. “I’ll protect you.”

  That did it.

  “I don’t need you to protect me,” she said, walking toward him.

  They went back to camp and stacked the firewood she’d found.

  Aunt Doreena approached them and spoke to Jan. “Is Julianna going with you?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Good. She can help you carry. In addition to oats, onions, and cooking oil, don’t forget we need at least twelve beeswax candles and six bars of soap. Oh and tea. We’re running low on tea. Take as much money as you think you’ll need from the box and just put anything back that you don’t spend.”

  “Yes, Aunt,” he said, turning toward the wagon.

  Confused, Julianna followed him. “What box?”

  “I’ll show you.”

  He went up the short set of stairs into his aunt and uncle’s wagon. No one was inside. Without hesitating, he went straight to the bunk where Julianna slept every night, and he dropped to his knees, reaching under and lifting a floorboard.

  “There’s a box down here,” he said, “where all our community funds are stored. Aunt Doreena oversees it. If you need coin for anything, just tell her, and she’ll give permission. Everyone knows it’s here. We share almost everything... so different from the villagers back home. It’s one of the things I like best about traveling with my mother’s family.”

  “Does everyone put all the money they earn in that box?”

  “Just what we earn performing with the family. Anything we earn on our own, we usually keep for ourselves, but... we mainly perform together.”

  Although, she’d never say it, Julianna was slightly taken aback by the knowledge that everyone stored money in the same box and everyone knew exactly where it was and no one worried.

  “Why is Doreena sending you to the market?” she asked. “I would have thought she’d prefer to make her own purchases.”

  Pulling a metal box from the hole in the floor, he flashed her a grin. “You’ve never seen me haggle. It’s one of my talents.” As he opened the box, his grin faded, and he stared downward.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he jumped to his feet and moved past her, hanging out the door. “Aunt Doreena. Uncle Rosario. Come quick!”

  Taking a step forward, Julianna looked down. The box was empty.

  A moment later, Doreena and Rosario came through the door, and she had to move deeper inside the wagon to make room for them.

  “The box is empty,” Jan said in alarm.

  “That’s impossible,” Doreena answered, pushing past him and kneeling down. “Was it open when you pulled it out? The coins must have fallen.”

  Still, for her brave words, she was pale as she glanced at the empty box and reached into the hole.

  “No, it was closed,” Jan insisted. “Nothing fell out.”

  A tickling fear crawled up Julianna’s neck. She was the only newcomer here, and the box had been stored directly below her bunk. Though she tried to ignore lingering scars from her youth, she still had bad dreams about being a hungry orphan. She was no thief, but whenever food went missing in Chemestúk, she’d been accused. It was easy to blame the orphan, the outsider.

  Rosario was shaking his large head in confusion. “It can’t be gone. That was two year’s worth of our savings. No one would take it.”

  “What about someone from Sebastian’s group?” Jan asked.

  Doreena was growing more distraught. “No... they would never steal from other Móndyalítko, not even one of Sebastian’s people.”

  “They stole our camping site!” Rosario countered angrily. “What’s to stop them from stealing our money!”

  She shook her head. “I don’t believe that, and you can’t go over there accusing them without proof.” Her mouth pursed. “Something is wrong here. Something I don’t understand yet.”

  So far, Julianna hadn’t said a word. She was holding her breath. But no one even glanced her way. Perhaps because Nadja had sent her, they considered her above reproach. That thought was somewhat comforting.

  “Two years savings,” Rosario whispered. “Except for our expenses, everything we’ve earned was in that box, and now... we’re going to have to split this moon’s livelihood between our family and Sebastian’s.”

  Doreena frowned at him. “That kind of talk isn’t helping.” She stood. “I’ll get to the bottom of this. Julianna, dear, would reach into that shelf above your head and hand me the tin tea jar you see.”

  Looking up, Julianna did as she was asked, though a part of her still feared she’d be accused of theft at any moment.

  Doreena opened the tin and removed a small pouch. “I keep this hidden in case the wagon is ever searched and robbed by soldiers. They never seem interested in tea.” She handed the pouch to Jan. “We still need supplies, but you’ll have to shorten the list. Get only six candles, three bars of soap, and enough oats for a few days. Rico can go hunting tonight, and we’ll start performing as soon as tomorrow.”

  Julianna couldn’t help being impressed by Doreena’s ability to accept a staggering problem—the loss of all their money—and focus on whatever they could do to help themselves in the moment.

  All four of them exited the wagon, and once on the ground outside, Doreena repeated to Rosario, “Don’t you worry. I’ll get to the bottom of this.” Dusk was close, and she glanced at Jan and Julianna. “You two best hurry. The stalls will be closing soon after dark.”

  Jan nodded and motioned Julianna to follow.

  She walked beside him down a path through the trees, and within what seemed like only moments, the path emptied into a road.

  Serov lay before them.

  Alone with him, she blurted out, “Neither your aunt or uncle even considered accusing me.”

  “You? Why would they accuse you?”

  “Because I’m the only outsider traveling with the group, and I’ve been sleeping right over the top of that box!”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You didn’t even know it was there.” He seemed to completely dismiss her concerns. “Come on. I’ll show you the market.”

  She continued walking beside him, looking all around. Soon, the terrible theft moved a little further toward the back her mind. The outskirts of this town consisted of more homes than shops. Most of the houses were made of wood, but a few were made from stone. The streets were clean, and so were the people walking past. She noted the fine shutters and fresh paint, as if the townsfolk here took pride in their dwellings. Further in, Jan turned right, and they entered a merchant district with taverns and eateries and various shops. She’d never seen anything like this.

  The smells of smoked sausages and perfumed candles followed them, and then a delicious, sweet fragrance wafted into her nostrils.

  Jan pointed ahead. “There’s the open market.” He sniffed the air too and broke into a trot
, heading for the first stall. Reaching into his pocket, he drew something out and handed it to the merchant—without haggling.

  She followed to find that he’d bought a good-sized handful of almonds covered in sugar and cinnamon. He held out his hands.

  “Try them.”

  She hesitated, and as usual, he read her mind.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I didn’t use the money Aunt Doreena sent with us. My father gave me some coins before we left, and he told me to buy you a few treats along the way.”

  The sweetened almonds were the delicious scent she’d smelled in the air, and once she learned they were a gift from Cadell, she didn’t need to be invited twice. Taking an almond, she put it in her mouth. The sugar, cinnamon and nutty flavor all seemed to melt together.

  “Oh, Jan,” she said, still chewing.

  “Over there,” he said, motioning with his head to a clear spot near the booth.

  Together, they took a pause, stayed out of the way, and ate every last almost. Julianna had never tasted anything so good.

  “All right then,” he said, sounding more businesslike. “Let’s get the oats first. With the family’s money this tight, I’m going to have to be obnoxious. You just stand behind me like an embarrassed wife.”

  “What?”

  “Just follow my lead. Do you think I’ll be able to embarrass you?”

  Her jaw clenched. “I’ve no doubt.”

  He produced a small, folded burlap bag from inside his shirt as he walked up to an older man in a stall filled with barrels. “Four pounds of oats, please,” he said.

  The man nodded and picked up a scoop. “Cut or ground?”

  “Ground.”

  The man filled the bag and weighed it on a scale, pouring in a few more. “That’ll be two groats.”

  Jan’s expression went stricken. “Two groats?” He put his hand to his chest. “Robber!” he cried. “I’m being robbed!”

  The oat merchant took a step back, but Jan staggered forward, leaning dramatically on the counter of the stall.

  “Robbed, I say!” he cried.

  People began turning to stare.

  Julianna didn’t need to fake embarrassment. She was mortified. “Jan...” she said quietly. “That’s not an unfair price.”

  “Unfair?” he cried so loudly that his voice broke. “Unfair you say? He’s stealing any meat we might buy straight from our children’s mouths!”

  The poor merchant appeared stunned, and he glanced at Julianna. “One groat then...” he stammered, as if he just wanted them to leave.

  “Pay him,” Julianna hissed at Jan.

  “One groat,” Jan said mournfully handing over the coin. “Such robbery.”

  She grabbed the bag with one hand and Jan’s arm with the other, pulling him away. His expression calmed instantly.

  “Good enough,” he said. “You did well. But see if you can manage to look a bit more put upon next time, as if you know I’m a completely unhinged cad who won’t stop.” He looked around.

  “Next time?”

  “Onto the candle maker.”

  “Oh, Jan, no. I’m not—”

  She was cut off by the explosion of an eerie sound that sounded somewhere between a snarl and a scream. She and Jan both whirled.

  This was followed by the sound of several townspeople screaming.

  “There!” someone shouted. “Run.”

  A second snarl rang out, as people began to scatter, and to Julianna’s shock, through the fading light of day, she saw a huge black cat dash out from behind a market stall, chasing a man. As the cat closed, the man seemed to trip and fall forward, and then the creature was upon him, flipping him onto his back and pinning him to the ground.

  As if on instinct, Jan darted in front of Julianna, using one arm to push her behind himself.

  Before he could act further, the great cat drew back one claw and slashed the man it had pinned across the face.

  Then, as quickly as it appeared, it dashed away and vanished from sight, heading in the direction of the forest.

  Julianna was gasping. It had all happened so fast. Then she and Jan both ran for the injured man—along with a dozen other people. His eyes were closed, and his face was bleeding badly from at least three deep claw marks, but she could see his chest rising and falling.

  Still half in shock, she tried to calm her breathing and whispered to Jan. “Why would Rico do this?”

  His eyes flew to her face. “That wasn’t Rico.”

  · · · · ·

  After a restless night, Julianna emerged from the wagon just past dawn to help with the morning campfires, but the mood of the group had changed. No one spoke or laughed, and as Doreena came out to help with breakfast, she continually glanced in the direction of the town.

  No one knew what to expect. Word of the attack by the great cat had spread, apparently reaching Sebastian’s camp not long after it happened. Jan had told Julianna that Sebastian’s people knew about Rico—as having a shifter in the group was a symbol of prestige—though Jan didn’t seem to view this as a threat. He swore that none of the Móndyalítko would ever betray such a secret.

  But... he’d also sworn they didn’t steal territory or money from each other either, and both of those things had happened.

  Shortly after the breakfast oats were boiling, Julianna heard light hoof beats and looked up. A tall man with silver hair on a dappled gray horse was riding toward the camp. He didn’t look angry or threatening, but rather more... uncomfortable.

  Before he’d even dismounted, Jan, Doreena, Rosario, Heraldo, Corbin, Rico, and Belle gathered near the fire, all of them pretending to be about their morning duties. Julianna slipped over behind Jan.

  The tall man swung off his horse and walked over.

  “Morning, Master Braxton,” Doreena said, smiling. “Would you like some oats and cream? Or a mug of tea?”

  “No, thank you.”

  Julianna had already suspected he was the town magistrate. The only other person Doreena had mentioned—who might come with questions—was Lord Rueben, the vassal, and this visitor wasn’t dressed like a nobleman. His boots were dusty, and although his cloak was well made, it was of coarse brown wool, as if he had little care for his clothing.

  “How can we help you,” Rosario asked, stoking the campfire. “I don’t suppose you’ve come to run off Sebastian?”

  Braxton didn’t smile at the poor jest, and he looked over everyone standing before him. His eyes rested for a moment on Belle, who tilted her head and curtsied to him prettily. Then his gaze fell on Rico.

  “I’ve come because...” he trailed off as if uncertain what to say. “Young Donovan came to me with a story yesterday, that your Rico turned into a large black cat and attacked him and four of his father’s men. Donovan didn’t have a mark on him, and I waved him off, telling him he’d been sampling too much of his father’s wine stock.” He paused and Julianna tensed, keeping halfway hidden behind Jan. “But then, we had an... event occur last evening. I’ve got an injured townsman, and a dozen witnesses tell me they saw a cat, the size of one of the lions that hunt in the hills, attack this man.”

  To Julianna’s astonishment, everyone gathered by the morning campfire continued to look at Braxton expectantly, as waiting for him to make his point.

  When he didn’t continue, Rosario finally said, “And after knowing us all these years, you’ve come here to... what? To arrest Rico and accuse him of having transformed into a great cat?”

  Braxton dropped his gaze, his discomfort turning to open embarrassment. “No, but the report had been made, and after what happened in town... you understand that I needed to come out and speak with you.” He raised his eyes again and focused on Rico. “Can you at least assure me that you were here in camp last night?”

  Rico nodded solemnly.

  Doreena let out a snort. “I am sorry for the man who was injured in town, but I can most certainly promise you that our Rico did not transform himself into a great cat and go
prowling through Serov.”

  The manner in which she said this made it sound so ridiculous that Braxton merely nodded, perhaps relieved the interview was over.

  “All right then. You understand I had to come... and I may be back.”

  Rosario stepped forward to walk him back to his horse. “Of course. Sometimes those mountain cats will go into populated areas if they get hungry enough. We’ve seen them once or twice ourselves in our travels.”

  Braxton nodded and put his foot in the stirrup. “Yes, that was my thinking too. I’ll speak with Lord Rueben about appointing some extra guards.”

  “Good idea.”

  Julianna was bursting with a question. A part of her wished to keep invisible, but she couldn’t help calling out, “Sir?”

  Mounting his horse, Braxton turned his head toward her and frowned slightly, probably wondering who she was. “Yes?”

  “Does Lord Rueben keep a menagerie?”

  Everyone stared at her, but she waited for an answer. Zupan Cadell had told her it was common for higher nobles to keep collections of exotic animals, and it was an equally common practice for them to give other unusual animals as gifts.

  Braxton paused, thinking. “I... I think he does.”

  “You might see if he’s missing a great cat.”

  He studied her a moment longer, then nodded and turned his horse away.

  Rosario remained in place as the magistrate rode out of sight, and then he slowly turned and walked back to the campfire.

  “So...” he began. “As polite as that was, we are officially under investigation.”

  “You mean, I’m under investigation,” Rico said quietly.

  “No one can accuse you of anything,” Belle put in.

  “Unless Donovan’s guards all testified that they saw the same thing.” Rosario sighed. “And Braxton didn’t mention it and he’s just waiting for proof.”

  Both Heraldo and Corbin remained silent, listening, but Corbin twitched once, as if unable to stop himself. Julianna could see that they disliked having their group as the center of any kind of unpleasant attention.

  “Maybe it was only a hungry mountain cat that wandered into town,” Belle continued. She seemed bent on this coming to nothing. Perhaps she felt guiltier than she’d let on.