The Clearing

by Lina J. Potter

  “But she is a shilda! What else could she be?” Darius cried out. He was rewarded with a blow to the head.

  “Fool! A woman can be intelligent without being a shilda. The countess is smart and knows her own worth. If we work with her, we’ll make more money than you can imagine.”

  “But what could she…”

  Torius gazed up at the ceiling. When he looked back at his son, he spoke slowly and coldly. “If you say one more word about the countess I will throw you out of my house.”

  “Father!”

  Darius was shocked. Everyone knew that women were like furniture. They didn’t have their own brains. Their only purpose was to give birth. They were a vessel for man’s seed. Nothing more. (Well, they could also cook, sew and clean, but that was definitely the extent of it. What brains could a woman have?) They were shiftless liars and wanton fools who were used by Maldonaya as her tools. What on earth was his father talking about?

  “I stand to make good money by working with Lilian Earton. She is one of the few intelligent women alive today. And I don’t want you destroying something that is just starting to bear fruit.”

  After swearing at his son, forbidding him to take any action against the countess and giving him a whipping at the stable for good measure, Torius Avermal went off to find Helke Leitz. He was starting to like the Eveer. The man was smart, practical, and knew his advantages (this is how Torius thought of himself, as well). And now they were tied together by a common interest.

  “My nephew will be leaving for Earton soon,” said Helke as he poured Torius a coup of herbal tea. It was Lily’s recipe: raudan, sybrelle and altasia[2]. It was tart, so he always added honey.

  “Wonderful. Please send her my respects.”

  “I will do that, baron.”

  “Just call me Torius. We are partners now.”

  “I wouldn’t dare to argue with a partner.” Helke gave an ironic smile.

  Torius showed his teeth. “You? I think you would.” Both men grinned happily. “Helke, we? have a small problem.”

  The pastor sealed a letter and gave it to his messenger boy.

  Now then, my lady, we will see just how much your husband knows about your business. If he didn’t know before, he’ll find out now. Will he be pleased? I wonder

  Later that morning, he was visited by the honorable Torius Avermal.

  “You have my respect, Pastor Leider.”

  “Blessings on you, child of light.”

  With those formalities out of the way, the men got down to business. The pastor pointed to a chair. Torius sat down and put a small box on the table in front of him.

  “How can I be of service, Honorable Torius?”

  “I am not here to ask for favors, pastor. I have brought you a small gift.” Torius gave a cunning smile.

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes. It is from a woman we both know well.”

  “Who might that be?”

  “Her ladyship Lilian Earton.”

  “Lilian Earton?”

  “Yes. She was very sorry she didn’t have time to see you again before she left.” According to the mayor’s account of it, the countess was grateful for Pastor Leider’s interest in her fate and wished to give him a humble gift. Just the tiniest sign of her affection.

  Pastor Leider opened the box. It held a gold pen and a gold ink well, both encrusted liberally with malachite. Helke had worked hard. He, himself, made the expensive items that were intended for wealthy customers, but he had six apprentices busy making everything else.

  “How lovely!”

  “The countess asked me to tell you that she has the friendliest memories of your talks. She hopes that Aldonai will make it possible for you to meet again.”

  “I look forward to such a time.” The pastor relaxed. This was how things were supposed to go. Gifts, hope of a future meeting. The countess was still wary of her husband, but his charms were having an effect on her.

  I suppose I shouldn’t have written to the earl so quickly, but there’s no use thinking of that now.

  “Will you write to the countess?”

  “Certainly. I will invite her to come back to Altver.”

  “I will do the same.”

  “Perfect. I will send your letter for you.”

  They parted in perfect understanding.

  Helke Leitz was drowning. There was no other way to describe it. His wife and children saw him all of ten minutes a day. He was up before dawn and went to bed long after midnight. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep for a few hours before jumping up to do it all over again.

  Every day was a whirlwind of work, but he was enjoying himself. Lilian Earton’s inventions were not merely popular – people were buying them by the cartload. His main problem was how to make enough of the most popular items.

  It would have been easy to make five of her non-spill ink wells, but making fifty or five hundred of them was a manufacturing problem of a different magnitude. Helke also had to contract with partners in other towns and build relationships with storekeepers and merchants.

  Sometimes he thought he might lose his mind.

  He was grateful for the support he got from Eveer communities in the larger towns. They used carrier pigeons to stay in touch with each other. Locals had a low opinion of Eveers’ business practices, but they were loyal to a fault in dealings with others of their faith.

  In the beginning, Helke had considered cutting Lilian Earton out of her share of the profits. It wouldn’t have been difficult. He soon realized, however, that he stood to earn more by doing honest business with her. There was also Torius Avermal to consider. The mayor would never let go of what he felt was his. He’d grab a piece of meat from the jaws of a bear.

  Things were going well so far. Helke planned to send his nephew to Earton soon to see if the countess had anything new for him.

  

  The killer watched Lilian Earton surreptitiously.

  Strange.

  She was nothing like the self-centered, thoughtless idiot that had been described to him. Not that it made any difference. He was there to do his job and get out. The soldiers were set to leave tomorrow morning. That meant that the Countess of Earton had to be finished off tonight.

  Lily had no idea that her life was being weighed and measured, and that its end was being planned. She was busy with castle affairs and Miranda. She was expecting men and women from the villages tomorrow. The moat still needed to be dug out, and the walls were in dire need of repair.

  I wonder if they know about cement? Or concrete? People always say that old buildings were built to last, but I don’t have the time or the resources to mix a mortar out of chicken eggs!

  She sighed and went down to the kitchen.

  She was lucky. Miranda’s tutors and the other guests did not rank high enough to eat at her table, but they were not servants, either. Their food was taken to their rooms on trays. Lily added a generous sprinkling of “herbs” to Shirvey Lindt’s food. She might have overdone it, but she had no way of knowing how much he would eat.

  Dinner went well. She and Miranda ate separately from the others. The little girl tried hard to copy her stepmother’s table manners, and when Lily corrected her she did it in a friendly, joking manner.

  Is it hard to tame a child? Yes, it is. But I’m making progress.

  The problem was that nobody was really raising Miranda. Her father didn’t know what to do with little girls. She didn’t like her cousins, so that cut out her aunt and uncle. Her nanny loved her, but even a chicken is capable of love. Miranda needed someone who could hold her attention. Lily definitely held her attention. When she ran out of Kipling’s stories, she started in on the “Snow Queen.” Mirrie sat and listened, capitvated.

  “How do you know so much?”

  “I studied a lot.”

  “Will I ever know as much as you do?”

  “Tomorrow we will have lessons with your tutors and find out how much you know rig
ht now.”

  “They never tell me stories like the ones you tell me.”

  “I’m your storyteller and they are your tutors. You have to learn.”

  Miranda’s face fell. She preferred interesting stories to her lessons any day. Lily smiled. She wouldn’t give up on the girl. Once she taught her about medicine, she’d have a good helper by her side.

  I’ll teach the earl’s daughter to be a doctor, as long as no one gets in my way!

  After dinner, Lily taught Miranda a hand-clapping game and how to play rock-paper-scissors. Then she turned her over to her nanny, tired and happy.

  “Find her something simple to wear tomorrow,” Lily instructed the nanny. “We will be cleaning the castle tomorrow, so it’s best that she wear something cheap.”

  Calma puffed up with importance. “Miranda is the daughter of an earl! She has no cheap dresses.”

  Lily rolled her eyes. “My dear, you must want to get kicked out of the castle gate with a black mark on your back. Or whipped at the stables. Your choice. You must be tired of your nice, warm life here if you think you can talk back to me.”

  The nanny’s face went white as a sheet. Two Virmans had suddenly appeared out of nowhere by Lily’s side. They said nothing, but their weapons clanked.

  “Forgive me, my lady…”

  “Aldonai will forgive you. But if you say one more word to me that isn’t relevant and respectful, you’ll find yourself barking by the roadside. Is that clear?”

  Calma nodded.

  As Lily walked away, she reflected that Calma might be jealous of her relationship with Miranda. The little girl had always belonged to her nanny before, but now she was infatuated with her fun-loving stepmother. Calma was just trying to hold on to her sense of importance.

  She’ll have to cope.

  Lily wasn’t angry at the woman, but she had no intention of sharing Miranda. She was too valuable, both as an instrument for influencing the earl and as a future helper to Lily. And there was one other thing. Lily felt herself growing to love the little girl. She was tired of being alone all the time.

  Lily dragged herself back to her room and called for a servant girl to help her undress. It had been a long day, even with servants and nannies to help out. She wondered how parents in her old world managed to work and take care of their children.

  I must have lost at least two pounds running after that little girl today.

  The killer was already in her room.

  He knew that the Virmans followed the countess everywhere except her bedroom. When she was in her room, they stood watch outside her door. That was just fine with him. He hid in her wardrobe. It was large enough to hide more than one murderer at a time.

  His plan was to wait for her to go to bed and then stab her in her sleep. If he did it just right, she wouldn’t even have time to scream, much less fight back. What could she do against him, anyway? Then he would exit through the window. It was high off the ground, so he would shimmy down a sheet.

  The countess, however, was in no hurry to go to sleep. He could not see her, but he could hear her walking around the room and shuffling parchment. The killer would have been surprised if someone had told him that his prey was dangerous. Lily remembered all the lessons of her childhood. And even something as simple as several (dozen) extra pounds could be used as a weapon.

  Lily was exhausted, but she didn’t want to go to bed. Her body ached, but her head was clear. She felt like she could get a lot done if she just sat up a while longer. She reached for some parchment and a pen. Pharmacology. She had never liked it. She would copy it down first, before she forgot what she knew.

  She had burned through two yards of parchment before she tired of writing and lay down on her bed. She blew out the candle on its massive stand. Then she folded her arms behind her head and thought about various things for a while. Five minutes later, she was asleep.

  The killer waited another hour, just to be sure. Lily was sound asleep. He could hear her turning over and talking in her sleep. Her overworked brain was trying to relax as best it could. He waited until she was deep asleep before slipping out of the wardrobe.

  The door creaked. A bitter odor crept through the room. Lily rolled over. The killer froze. If she woke up, he’d have to do some ugly work. But a sharp smell was not enough to wake Lily. It had been a hard day. After a few minutes the man sighed in relief.

  It occurred to him that he could just hold her pillow over her face. Everyone would assume she had died in her sleep.

  He could have been successful. One step, another step, then the bed where Lily was lying. It would be the work of a minute…

  Then another door creaked.

  Killing a sleeping woman was one thing, but dealing with a child who wanted to get in bed with mama (or at least with an interesting lady) and beg for another story was quite a different skill set.

  Miranda Catherine Earton didn’t want to go to sleep. She wanted another story. But when she opened the door, she saw a dark figure bent over the countess’ bed. She did the only thing she could do.

  She screamed.

  Lily was instantly awake and aware of her surroundings.

  The killer leaped forward and received a blow to the head with Lily’s pillow. It was stuffed with goose feathers and heavy as a brick. That startled him just long enough for Lily to evaluate the situation.

  Mirrie! She latched the door behind her! They’ll have to break the door down to get in here! Oh hell!

  Thoughts came to her in flashes: Murder! Hostages! Whoever this man in her room was, he hadn’t come to beg for potatoes. The Virmans ought to have heard something.

  Miranda! I have to do something!

  The killer leaped. She tossed three more pillows at his legs. He tripped, giving Lily the opening she needed

  “Help!” she yelled in the voice she reserved for fire alarms.

  The killer cursed and grabbed at her. She saw a knife flash in his hand. He was desperate to slash her and make his exit through the window. If he couldn’t do it silently, at the very least he had to get away.

  Lilian Earton had other plans. She rolled out of bed on the other side, putting her closer to the door. She knew she couldn’t run or he’d get her with a knife to the back. Mirrie had stopped screaming. The killer paid her no attention, but Lily was focused on nothing but the child. She made a dash for the door to get him further away from the little girl. The black shadow jumped onto the bed. Lily pulled the sheet out from under him.

  It worked!

  He fell hard. Lily tossed the sheet on top of him. Then she grabbed the candlestick and ran for the door.

  She was just two steps from the door when she felt with the hairs on the back of her neck that he would get to her first. She turned around sharply and adopted a fighting stance. It wasn’t great, but it was the best she could do: legs wide apart and bent, one hand out.

  “Stop! If you kill me you’ll die, too.”

  The shadow laughed. That was a mistake. Lily was trying to distract him.

  She was scared. Weak. Helpless.

  “Don’t hurt me! I’ll give you money.”

  The killer took a step toward her. He wanted to finish his job and run.

  Lily had other plans. She knew she couldn’t defeat him in hand to hand combat, so she used her weight to her advantage. She fell to her knees and whacked his legs with the candlestick with every ounce of strength she had. She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. His knife had grazed her. She threw out her left hand to push the weapon away from her. She knew she had just a few seconds. If he got his hands on her, it was over. So, she played a dirty trick on him. Without moving an inch, she picked up the candlestick and jammed it against the killer’s balls – pardon, against his genitals. As hard as she could.

  She hit her target.

  While he howled in pain, Lily covered the remaining distance to the door and threw back the latch. Ivar and Gel flew into the room and jumped on the man.

  “Don’t kill him!�
� Lily shouted, just in time. The Virmans obeyed. They tied his hands behind his back and held him up for her to examine.

  Lily took a candelabra from the table and lit all six candles. She had already learned how to use a tinderbox. In the quavering light, she recognized the man as one of her husband’s soldiers. His face had already suffered from contact with the Virmans.

  “Who do we have here? What is your name?”

  The killer spat on the floor and said nothing. Lily narrowed her eyes.

  You’ve messed with the wrong woman, fool.

  “What happened?” It was Calma. “My lady, are you wounded?”

  Olaf touched her shoulder. It was only then that Lily came to. She looked around. The Virmans were tying the man up with all the rope they had. She thought he was one of the soldiers, but she couldn’t be sure. Miranda was standing by the wall, white as a sheet. Lily shook her head at Olaf and went over to the girl, ignoring the pounding in her ears.

  “Baby, are you alright?”

  Miranda sniffled and threw herself on her stepmother. “Lily! Lily!”

  The woman stroked her dark hair. She couldn’t pick the little girl up because of the growing pain in her shoulder. She looked over at Olaf. “Call the herbalist boy.” Then she turned back to Mirrie. “It’s alright, honey. Don’t cry.”

  “I was so scared!”

  Lily had been scared, too, but she didn’t mention it. “You are an earl’s daughter. You have to be strong and brave. Like me.”

  “You’re bleeding.”

  “So what? It doesn’t hurt at all.”

  The Virmans glanced at each other with respect.

  People started running into the room. Several of them froze in the doorway. It was quite a sight: the extra-large countess in her pink, tent-style nightgown soaked through with blood was comforting a little girl in a white nightshirt, surrounded by axe-wielding Virmans. The killer was tied up on the floor. Two terrified servant girls peeked through the door leading to the earl’s bedroom, where Miranda was staying.

  “My lady!” one of them cried.