Rain Glade

by Carroll, John H.

  Verna laughed and patted the snout. “I want you to eat this leaf. It’ll help take care of the pain.” She pulled a large frond out of her bag and shoved it at the wyvern.

  The creature’s eyelids half-lowered over the catlike eyes. Rain marveled at how the eyes were the exact same green as its scales.

  Verna bonked the wyvern on its snout. “Don’t give me that look. You’ll do as I say.”

  It whimpered and opened its mouth for the leaf, giving them another excellent view of its sharp teeth. Verna tossed the leaf in and watched as the wyvern chomped it. The look of distaste on the wyvern’s face caused Rain to giggle. That earned her a glare from the creature. Rain stopped immediately and was grateful when the wyvern decided to let the matter pass.

  A moment later, its eyelids drooped with sleepiness. Much of the pain seemed to ease as it relaxed on the ground with the broken wing still spread out.

  Verna pulled Rain over to the wound. “I’m going to need your help with this. Once I have the herbs and wrappings ready, you’re going to hold it straight while I apply them.”

  “Why are we helping it?” Rain asked even though she would do whatever Verna wanted anyway. “I know you heal rabbits and other animals, even wolves, but why a dangerous creature such as this?”

  “Because I heal all creatures in need, except for humans. I don’t like them as much.” Verna pulled long strips of cloth along with herbs out of her bag.

  “Oh.” Rain didn’t know how to feel about that.

  Verna glanced at her. “I like you, just not anyone else.”

  “Oh.” That made Rain feel better. “What is a wyvern anyway? I’ve never heard of them.” She knelt next to the wing.

  “No one knows for certain.” Verna opened a jar of paste and dipped a brush in it. She began spreading it on the cracked bone and the tear in the wing. The wyvern whimpered in pain. “Wyverns are rare. They stay away from civilization. It’s said that they’re distantly related to dragons.”

  “Dragons are real?” Rain asked in amazement. “I’ve only heard of them once.”

  Verna smiled at her while setting aside the brush and paste. “Yes. They’re real. They avoid humans as well, which is good since they could destroy Cothbern with a sneeze.”

  Rain imagined a dragon sneezing on the village and didn’t know whether to laugh or be afraid.

  “I’m going to need you to hold up this side of the wing with your shoulder. It’s going to take a while, so get a good grip and be steady.” Verna motioned for Rain to get under the side of the break away from the body.

  Rain did so and was surprised at how light the wing was. The wyvern cried out in pain as they moved the wing up into position. Verna began applying red leaves, which stuck to the paste. When that was done, she put her hands on the top and bottom of the break. Then she began chanting in a language Rain had never heard before.

  Wind whipped Verna’s hair and dress, but Rain couldn’t feel it. Brown mists appeared around the woman’s hands and soaked into the wing. The tear disappeared and the bone knitted right before Rain’s wide eyes. She had seen Verna heal smaller animals, but this was vastly different.

  The mist dissipated and the mysterious wind faded. Verna fell back in a swoon. Rain wanted to catch her, but the wing was still on her shoulder and she didn’t know if she could let go. Verna leaned on one elbow, covered her face with the other and moaned.

  Rain carefully set the wing down to the ground. There was a long scar around the bone and down the wing, but it appeared healthy again. Then she went to Verna’s side. “Are you alright? What happened?”

  Verna smiled weakly. “I’m fine. I just need to regain my strength. Put a light layer of paste on the wound and lay the cloths over it, please.”

  Rain grabbed the brush and spread paste over the scar as evenly as possible. She marveled at the way the muddy green wing had a metallic shimmer to it. When she was done, she placed the strips of cloth. They stuck to the paste.

  “Very good, now do the bottom too.” Verna was sitting up and eating another flatbread.

  Covering the bottom was more difficult, but Rain finished in a short time. Some of the paste got on her hands causing them to tingle numbly where it touched.

  “Perfect,” Verna said as she checked the wing. She stood and swayed, but steadied herself with Rain’s help. “The strips of cloth will help the paste stay on, but all of it will come off in a few days. By then, the wyvern should be able to support its weight on it.”

  “That’s amazing, Verna. How did you do that?”

  Verna ignored the question and went to the wyvern’s snout. It opened a sleepy eye at her. “You’re going to sleep for a while. That’s good. You need to stay off the wing for a day or two and let it become solid again. That’s an order.”

  The wyvern gave a single nod, which seemed to satisfy Verna. She patted the snout and began walking out of the clearing. Rain grabbed the brush and bowl of paste, put them in the bag and then followed.

  As they walked between the trees, Rain looked back at the magnificent creature. It gingerly folded the wing over its back and went to sleep.

  They reached Verna’s home after a quiet, two-hour journey. Verna was exhausted and fell into her soft bed immediately. Rain covered her up and kissed her cheek. Then she tidied the house and cleaned off the brush they had used to apply the paste.

  It was nighttime when she stepped outside, but the moons were both full. Siahray cast its bluish-green light, which mixed with the smaller Piohray’s red light. It made the sky glow bright lavender, one of Rain’s favorite colors. She did a twirl as she walked away from the house.

  ***

  Rain was lost deep in thought as she walked through the village. As a result, she wasn’t paying attention and ran straight into the Mayor’s back while he was talking to the blacksmith and a couple of farmers.

  “What the . . .” The mayor was a stout man who owned the inn. His hair was balding and his face ruddy. He grabbed Rain and shook her by the arm. What’s wrong with you, stupid girl?” Spittle flew from his mouth into Rain’s face. “You shouldn’t be out at night. Get back to your home and stay there.” He threw her to the ground. As she got to her hands and knees, he kicked her in the gut.

  Pain exploded throughout her body and she fell to her side wheezing for breath. The men walked away toward the inn, their callous laughter filling the air.

  Rain finally sucked in a breath as spots floated in her vision. She got to her knees and planted her forehead on the cool grass as she clutched her arms around her waist and sobbed. Her stomach twisted and she retched, making the agony even worse.

  A quarter of an hour passed before she could get to her feet. She clutched her stomach as she made her way home. A few times, she stumbled to her knees as dizziness threatened to overcome her.

  When Rain finally made it home, she struggled up the ladder and fell asleep in her dress.

  ***

  Morning peeked through the bottom of the eaves. Rain groaned as she rolled over. Her belly was in agony and she felt like throwing up again. She slid across the straw to her ladder and clung to it as she made her way down. Her father was passed out in a corner, a wineskin in his hand and wine stains down his filthy shirt.

  Rain slipped through the door, vainly shushing the squeaky hinges. She walked to a creek-fed pool at the base of a small waterfall where she liked to bathe. It was off the path and up a hill halfway to Ulga’s house. Once there, she plunged her face into the ice-cold water.

  It was a mistake. The shock made her retch what few contents her stomach still contained. She held her strained tummy and wept for a few minutes before splashing water over her head and rinsing out her mouth. A little more cleaned the front of her neck and dress. It would have to do. She lurched to her feet and made her way down the path.

  Ulga Tumo waved as Rain passed. “Hello, Rain. So lovely to see you.” The old woman made her way down the step of the porch when Rain didn’t stop to chat. She was much too slow t
o catch up though, so she called out in a worried tone. “Rain dear, what’s wrong?”

  Rain waved a hand over her head, but didn’t have the strength to talk.

  By the time she reached Tonia’s house, Rain forced herself to walk normally and put on a brave face, but it was difficult.

  Tonia came down her front walk to the gate with Rober following behind. Her black hair was bedraggled and her green eyes bloodshot. “Thank you for coming. They hardly slept at all last night and they’ve been cranky.” Tonia handed the infant over, smiling at the pleased coo it made upon seeing Rain. “Tia just ate, so she should be fine for a while. There’s a bottle of milk in the shade for later. I should be home before she needs more.”

  Rain lifted Tia to her shoulder, hiding the grimace of pain she felt. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

  “There’s some porridge left for breakfast. I put a leaf of mint in. It gives it a surprisingly pleasant taste. If you gather eggs from the coop, you can make yourself and Rober a couple for lunch.”

  “Egg,” Rober said, pointing a stubby finger to the side of the house where the chicken coop was.

  Tonia leaned down and kissed the top of Rober’s curly black hair. “Yes, egg. You be good for Rain now. Mommy will be back in a little while.” Tonia turned and quickly walked away.

  It took a moment for Rober to realize what was happening. He cried pitifully after his mother until she was out of sight. Then he stopped and turned to Rain. “Egg?”

  “Yes, let’s gather eggs.” Rain held out her hand and led him to the chicken coop.

  A little while later, Tia and Rober were both asleep, much to Rain’s relief. She lifted her dress and looked at her stomach. Her side and belly were bruised ugly black and blue. Rain curled up on the deer pelt next to the children and buried her face in her hands as she cried, each sob making the pain worse. She just couldn’t help it. Eventually she fell asleep.

  The baby woke her up with a wail of displeasure. It also woke up Rober, but Rain was able to get them both calmed down quickly after she changed their soiled bottoms. Tia took the bottle and Rober drank some water while Rain washed the diapers. The rest of the day went fairly well even though Rain didn’t get any cleaning done as she had hoped.

  “Rain? Rain, are you alright?” Tonia’s voice seemed far away. Rain looked up from where she was sitting on a chair next to the empty hearth. She had been staring at the floor with Tia in her arms while Rober played quietly nearby. Tonia was kneeling in front of her with an expression of worry.

  “Yes. You’re back early.”

  “No. It’s late afternoon. You look terrible, Rain. Here, let me take Tia.” Tonia took the sleeping baby out of Rain’s arms. “The children behave so well for you.”

  Rain stood slowly, hiding her pain. “I’m going to go home now. Let me know when you need me again.”

  “I will.” Tonia put a hand on Rain’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

  “Yes, just tired.” Rain gave a feeble smile and left, ignoring the concerned gaze following her out the door.

  ***

  Even though she moved slowly, Rain was determined to take a proper bath when she reached the pool. Soap was one of the treasures in her pouch and she put it on a rock before climbing into the water. Shivering made the pain worse, but it lessened as her body became accustomed to the cold water.

  After a while, she took her dress off and began scrubbing it with the soap. When she was done, she left it on a rock in the sun to dry. She sat on another rock with her feet in the water and studied the bruise.

  “Whoever did that should be put in stocks,” a deep voice said from nearby.

  Rain yipped in surprise and slid into the water until it was up to her chin. She turned and saw a young man in the red leather jacket and pants of Lord Greffen’s personal guard.

  He ran fingers through curly black hair that nearly reached his shoulders. His other hand rested on the hilt of a sword at his waist. “I saw you walking down the road from that woman’s house and it looked like you were in pain. I promised the woman, Tonia I think her name was, that I would check on you and make certain you were safe.”

  Rain continued to hide in the water, covering her body the best she could. She noticed that his eyes were pink, common in most lands, but something she had never seen in Cothbern.

  “I didn’t mean to watch you.” He looked at the trees around the pool for a moment. “It’s just that you’re so pretty, I couldn’t stop staring.” The soldier looked at her again.

  Pretty? No one’s ever called me pretty, Rain thought to herself. Why would he say I’m pretty?

  “I was going to slip away, but then I saw that bruise. It’s bad. I don’t know anything about healing though.” He moved to the edge of the pool and squatted. “I’m worried about you.”

  Rain stared without knowing what to say. He was handsome, with a stubbled chin and strong cheekbones. His uniform was clean, bright and looked as though it had been made to fit him. Why did he call me pretty? she wondered.

  “I’ve scared you, haven’t I?” The soldier stood and dusted off his knees even though there was no dirt on them. “My name is Jacob Miner. I’m in Lord Greffen’s personal guard. My dad’s a copper miner in Tilbern, north of Seyten, which is why my last name is Miner. Lord Greffen recruited me before winter because I’m strong. I’ve been training all winter.” Jacob sat on a rock near the small waterfall and crossed one leg over the other. He tugged at a leaf of a bush growing nearby.

  Rain dashed to grab her soap off the rock where she had been sitting. She went back into the deep part of the pool and began washing her hair while she listened.

  “My sergeant and three of us new guys have been ordered to visit all the villages. We’re only here for the night and then we’re headed off to Lithbern.” He unbuckled his jacket, revealing a cream-colored shirt underneath. “This village is smaller than mine. My ma says one day all this fighting will end and people can get back to living their lives.”

  “My ma used to say that the fighting in Paruth will never end.” Rain dipped her head in the water to rinse it.

  “She may be right. Is that who you live with?”

  “No. She died a few years ago.” Rain had no desire to talk about it. She was finished bathing, but it didn’t appear as though the soldier was going to go away, so she got out of the water and put her dress back on, ignoring the fact that he was staring at her. Normally she would have spent some time in the sun drying off, but didn’t feel comfortable doing that with him there. “So what will you do now?”

  Jacob stood and moved next to her. “I was thinking about seeing where this stream comes from, but I want to make sure you’re going to be alright. That bruise on your stomach looks bad. You wince every time you move.”

  Rain didn’t know how to feel with him standing so close. The sun warmed his leather uniform, releasing the scent of it along with the pleasantly musky smell of his skin. He wasn’t a great deal taller than her, but no man had ever truly paid attention to her. “I should probably go home, but . . . I’ve always wanted to find the beginning of the stream too.”

  “Let’s go then! It sounds like an adventure.” He put a hand on her shoulder.

  Rain froze. His touch sent little bolts of sensation through her body, and she didn’t know what that meant.

  He removed the hand. “I’m being too familiar, aren’t I?” Jacob ran fingers through his hair. “I’m clumsy when it comes to talking to people. No one likes me back home.” He shrugged. “I’ll just go away and stop scaring you.”

  “No.” Rain put a hand on his arm. The leather was softer than she imagined and the muscles underneath were solid. “Let’s explore. If you’re allowed?”

  “Yeah, I get to do whatever I want until noon tomorrow when we leave.” He held his arm out like a nobleman would do for a lady.

  Rain instinctively took it, even though she didn’t know what the gesture meant. He guided her up the hill by the waterfall and from there, to
ok her hand, much as Verna had done the day before.

  ***

  “My sister likes being married to the fletcher. She spends a lot of time in the woods collecting feathers, although with the baby coming she’ll slow down a little.” Jacob helped Rain up some rocks along the creek. Most of the terrain had been easy to travel, but there were a few tricky spots.

  She gasped as a bolt of pain shot through her side. He put hands under her arms and lifted her the rest of the way. She didn’t protest and even rested her head against his shoulder when he wrapped his arms around her. The walking and climbing had taken their toll on her. Rain tried to resist the tears, but they burst past her defenses and she began sobbing and clutching his jacket. She felt surprisingly safe in Jacob’s arms, even though she had just met him.

  “We need to get you someplace where we can sit and rest awhile,” Jacob said when Rain’s tears stopped. “You still haven’t told me what happened.” He let go with one arm and pointed up the creek. “That looks promising.”

  Rain followed the gesture. An animal path led parallel to the creek through thick trees, creating a dark tunnel. “I’ve never been this far before. We must have walked for almost an hour.”

  “That sounds about right,” Jacob agreed. “Why haven’t you followed the stream before?”

  “I’ve been afraid of getting lost all alone. There are dangerous creatures out here too.” Rain thought of the wyvern from the day before. “Perhaps we should turn back.”

  Jacob lifted his chin and puffed his chest. “I can handle anything. Part of my training has been how to battle dangerous beasts that threaten villages.”

  Rain couldn’t help but be impressed. Verna was the only one she ever felt safe with in the forest. Rain didn’t like the idea that Jacob might hurt anything though, especially since Verna had taught her that the life of all creatures was sacred. “Do you kill animals for fun then?”