“Yeah, my girl will do the same to me.” Luke took a swig from his mug, tossed a coin onto the table, and followed Marc. A gust of frozen wind took Luke and Marc outside.
Yuzu sat across from the red-haired man. Why is she talking to him? Timothy caught her gaze and crossed the room. Elsie passed and touched his arm, pulling his attention away from Yuzu and the man. “I don’t normally say anything, but we are a small town and don’t see travelers like you too often. People talk, you understand.” She leaned close. “I am too old to catch, but you are not still sick, are you? You have the look. People will wonder considering all this foolish talk of Honheim.”
“No…I am fine now,” Timothy said. “What…they said of Honheim is true though. We came from there.”
Elsie pursed her lips. “I will have to tell Al so we can be sure to have medicines stocked just in case it comes here. Our granddaughters are coming for a visit soon.” She gave him a hard look.
Timothy understood what she meant. “We plan on leaving today.”
Elsie nodded. “Nothing against you, but it is best to be careful. For my granddaughters and the young ones in the village, you understand. We may have to turn away travelers for a time just to be safe.”
“Elsie,” a man called.
She patted Timothy’s arm. “Best be careful if you are still weak. Rest and eat.”
“I could use breakfast.”
Elsie nodded and moved toward the man waving at her.
I hope for their sake the illness stays away.
Yuzu glanced up as Timothy approached.
“Broke. I had only a belt knife and he his claws,” the red-haired man said.
“Sis is still sleeping?” Yuzu asked. The red-haired man adjusted his bandana. Timothy guessed the man was popular with women. Timothy had seen girls make ewe eyes at faces with less perfection.
“She is combing her fur…hair.” He took one of the chairs. Yuzu’s bowl smelled of porridge and berries.
“Daeric was just telling me of his adventures in Belafonte.” Yuzu stirred her porridge and smiled at the bandana-wearing man.
“Daeric Rhine.” He dipped his head. “You are a lucky man to travel with such a beauty as Miss Yuzu.” He snatched Yuzu’s free hand from the table and pressed it against his lips. Yuzu’s cheeks flushed.
“Daeric knows the way to Belafonte and the dangers there,” Yuzu said.
“I know not why a beauty such as you would want to go to such a dangerous place. Some places even I dare not tread,” Daeric said.
“We have our reasons,” Timothy said.
Elsie appeared with a steaming bowl, a fresh honey cake, and a mug of tea balanced on a wooden tray. She plunked the tray down and stared a hole into him. “Not to eavesdrop, but that is where you are off to? Is that your fool idea? Al should have kept that story to himself last night.”
“It is Kit’s—my wife’s—idea.” Timothy spooned a mouthful of too hot berry porridge. Yuzu arched an eyebrow, and Elsie sniffed. What did I do? It’s the truth. “She grew up near there. She wants to show her sister, Yuzu, where she grew up.” Timothy said around the porridge.
“Eat or talk. Don’t do both. You are as bad as my husband.” Elsie snapped her towel and stalked off.
“She runs the inn well,” Yuzu said.
“That she does, my rose.” Daeric reached for Yuzu’s hand.
Yuzu lifted her tea with both hands, and Daeric frowned. “It is nice how she lets Master Doni enjoy his evenings,” Yuzu said.
Timothy stared into his empty bowl. He didn’t remember eating that fast. His hand reached for the honey cake. His hand was still thin, but at least he could no longer see through it. A little healthy color had returned.
“Your wife is the red-haired goddess?” Daeric asked.
Timothy affirmed around the roll. They had carried the story for so long that Timothy now thought of Kit as his wife. She would probably bruise his shins if she knew that.
“My…sister,” Yuzu said, “grew up near Belafonte.”
Daeric looked beyond Timothy and his eyes widened. Timothy turned to see what made the man slack-jawed. Kit crossed the room, wearing her brown cloak over a cream blouse. Her skirts were a deeper brown, and a green scarf tied under her chin set off brushed hair that almost touched her shoulders. He wondered how much she had paid that farm girl for those clothes, but whatever the amount, it was certainly worth it. Timothy smiled. She is beautiful. She met his gaze and smiled. Freckles stood out on her cheeks.
Daeric leaped to his feet, almost overturning the chair. He bowed with a flourish that didn’t stop his eyes from roving over Kit. “The sun walks among men, and we are blinded by her brilliance,” he said.
Yuzu groaned. Timothy already did not like the man. Who said such things?
“Oh, my rose.” Daeric flashed a smile at Yuzu. “You are the moon as much as she is the sun.”
“The moon does not shine with its own light,” Kit said.
Daeric tripped over the table leg as he offered her a chair. Kit’s cheeks held a touch of pink. “Why, thank you Master…”
“Daeric Rhine. You and my rose can just call me Daeric.”
“I am glad to see someone knows how to treat a lady,” Kit said without looking at Timothy.
She might as well have shouted at him with her nose touching his, but Timothy took the bait anyway. “Ladies like it best if they are ignored. Wouldn’t you agree, Rhine?”
Daeric frowned. “Why would a gentleman ignore any lady?”
“Yes,” Kit said, “why would a gentleman ignore a lady?”
Timothy caught Elsie’s gaze from across the room and raised a finger. Let Kit order her own breakfast. He could use another bowl. “So, Master Rhine, you know the way?”
Yuzu looked at Timothy as if she had found a sour berry in her porridge. Kit wore a small smile. Timothy wasn’t jealous. He just didn’t like how the man preened.
“I don’t think a beauty like your—wife?—would like Belafonte. It is dangerous for such a nymph,” Daeric said.
“Oh, it is not his idea,” Kit said. “I have had to drag my stubborn husband this far. He does think I am made of glass.”
“No glass or diamond could do you justice.” Daeric took Kit’s hand and bowed in his seat. He stopped just shy of kissing it and smiled at Timothy’s grimace.
“More like a choking bramble,” Timothy muttered. Kit kicked him under the table.
Elsie appeared and replaced Timothy’s bowl. Timothy agreed with the disgusted look Elsie gave Daeric, but why did she include Timothy too? He ran a hand through his hair. Yuzu was good with scissors, even if she had left his hair a little long.
“We could use a guide to show us the way,” Yuzu said.
Kit curled her nose as she watched Timothy’s spoon. He hoped no one else noticed her head scarf was moving.
“I would enjoy guiding the moon and sun!” Daeric looked like he wanted to flourish a bow again. Could any man enjoy preening that much? The man was worse than Trent. “It is two weeks’ ride in the best of weather.”
“I can pay you.” Kit stared at Timothy’s bowl. Why didn’t she just order one? He sighed and pushed the bowl to her. She beamed at him, slipped her hand from Daeric’s, and attacked the bowl. Porridge slopped onto the table.
“Very ladylike,” Timothy said.
Daeric scowled at him. Yuzu stirred her porridge and watched Daeric from under her eyelashes. Kit ignored Timothy and continued her attack. The porridge didn’t stand a chance.
“Oh, I do not want your money. My fee is just to travel with you and enjoy your companionship.” His hands twitched toward Kit. “And with you, my moon,” he added with a smile for Yuzu.
Timothy leaned back and crossed his arms. It was time to end this nonsense. “Thanks for your offer, but we decline. We will be fine on our own.”
“You don’t look like you know the bow and spear,” Daeric said. “This is dangerous country. Bears and boars. Bandits.” He looked at Kit. “D
o you think you can defend…your wife?”
I pity any bandit or bear that tries to attack Kit.
She watched him from her bowl. Why did she keep smiling? Anger seethed just below the surface. It had to be anger. I am not jealous.
“We will be fine without you,” Timothy said.
“We will be leaving once we have our things together,” Kit said.
“We don’t need him!” Timothy slapped the table.
Yuzu jumped, and Daeric patted her shoulder. The girl leaned into his hand! “Do not worry, moonflower. He will not hurt you while I am around.”
“Husband.” Kit looked ready to throw her bowl at Timothy. “It is best we have a guide. I don’t want any more incidents. Master Rhine can protect us.”
The man stood and flashed a bow. “I swear you will make it safely, my sunflower. I swear I will protect you, my moonflower.”
“Of that I have no doubt. Husband, please prepare for our travels. I need to speak with Mistress Doni about our tab and supplies,” Kit said.
“Come, moonflower.” Daeric offered a hand to Yuzu. “I am sure the man can handle everything on his own. I will show you that I am not all bluster. Have you ever seen an arrow split by another?”
Yuzu giggled. She let him place his coat over her shoulders and lead her outside.
Kit elbowed Timothy. “If glares could kill, he would be dead thrice over.” She patted his cheek. “It is about time you behaved properly.”
“I had best gather our things as my lady commands.”
“No need to sulk, husband.” She grabbed his arm and hugged it against her chest. “You did do well. A man is best when a little jealous.”
“I am not jealous. He preens too much, and his eyes need to stay in his head.”
Kit chimed a laugh.
“We don’t need him, Kit.”
“I agree.” She stared at the closed door with pursed lips.
“Then why?”
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Because he would have followed us. There is something…unsettling about him. I saw him yesterday when we first came in. I could feel his eyes on me. He smells…odd too.” She tapped her lips with a finger.
“Maybe he needs to take a bath.”
“Not like that, muttonhead. Everyone has a certain scent. Yours is…” She trailed off and smiled. “Nice. People all have a certain type of scent. Animals each have different ones too. His scent is almost like it is both.”
“Both?”
“I do not understand.” She frowned. Timothy knew she hated that admission. “But I do know he would have followed us. His scent reminds me of a hound at bay. This way we can keep an eye on him.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I told you before, a little jealousy does a man well,” Kit said.
“And how much about men do you know, wife?”
She pushed his arms between her breasts. “Enough to know you are collared and leashed to me.
Timothy cleared his throat. “Should we tell Yuzu?”
Kit’s breath touched his ear. “No. How could I tell her anyway? Say, ‘I think this man smells funny?’ I don’t like traveling with anyone but you. I can’t take proper care of my tail or ears, but it looks like I will have to stay hidden longer. It was nice during the festival to walk with my ears and tail free.”
“Nice for you. I almost died from the stress, but I do look forward to seeing your ears and tail free in the sun.”
“Why, Timmy, I do think I need to watch for your silver tongue too.”
He rolled his eyes.
* * *
Evelyn patted the horse and handed it off to the inn’s stable boy. How many days had it been since Honheim had been cleaned? She didn’t know. It didn’t matter. God had decided not to claim her after burning away her sins. In his mercy, he allowed her a chance to be a good mother. If only she could find her troublesome boy. There were few places for him to hide. She followed her instinct to search east. Most of the villages around were punished and redeemed like Honheim. Here and there she found a single surviving person who, like her, still had a job to do in God’s plans. This village was the first she’d seen that showed no touch of God’s judgment. Evelyn felt the Prophetess stir within her. This village needed cleaning too, but some things were more important. Joseph was waiting.
She walked into the Warm Bed, as the sign proclaimed. Evelyn’s breath frosted the air. Dark clouds overhead threatened to fall. A dim part of her mind remembered the beauty of snow, as if anything in this sinful world could be beautiful. Well, the fires that cleaned Honheim were beautiful, but that was a spiritual beauty.
Evelyn entered the inn. A few men looked up as she entered and then glanced away. A round man with a bushy beard bellowed behind the bar, and a plump woman with gray touching her temples scurried about the common room. The hearth danced warmth. Not as warm as Honheim. Not as warm as the fires that burned away her sins, but her body still welcomed the feeling. The woman kept the room reasonably clean. Evelyn knew who the owner was. Men didn’t appreciate a clean room, a clean mind, and a clean soul. Except Joseph.
What you are doing is wrong.
Evelyn squashed that tiny, mad voice. It had grown more insane and incessant since she’d renounced being the Prophetess. If only she could spread more of God’s truth. These farmers needed to drink of the purging fires. Evelyn still did not understand why God decided to pass the fire from her. She could have done much good if she’d carried the fever in her bones.
He wants everyone to live and be happy. How can they find him dead?
“Get out, get out, get out.” Evelyn chanted to herself. She ignored the eyes on her and found an empty table. Greedy eyes. Hungry eyes. The round man with the beard told a story with wide gestures. His eyes, too, were greedy and hungry.
“Hands on the rack. I pulled and twisted. The burned thing dragged me toward the pond…”
“Cold night for a woman to be out alone.” The plump woman cast a shadow over Evelyn.
“I am looking for my little boy. He is dirty, filthy…He travels with a red-haired slattern—girl.”
“Little boy and red-haired girl? There was a red-haired girl who left this morning.”
Evelyn smiled at the owner. She had to be the owner of the inn. The big man telling the story was too much of a buffoon, like all men. Except Joseph. “I am Timothy’s mother. He ran away with that girl without my permission.”
“He is a man. If those two are not married, I’ve never seen a couple.” The woman looked over at the big man.
The man acted as if he was holding onto something above his head. “There I dangled, holding on for dear life. The stag and I slipped farther down the hill. Not even the big bastard was strong enough for my meatiness.” He slapped his wide stomach. People laughed.
The laughter clattered in Evelyn’s mind. These people should be praying for salvation! Mirth was sinful. Joseph was gone. How many other people were dead and gone? So many. So many broken promises.
“He ran away from me.” Evelyn wanted to rant. She wanted to be the Prophetess. Maybe just once more.
“You have the same eyes and look. The boy looked like he was recovering from illness. Is it true about Honheim?” the plump woman asked.
“It is clean. Burned. Fire burns and cleans.”
The woman backed up a step. “Well, fire does do that.”
“Which way?” Evelyn leaned toward the woman. “Which way did my baby boy go?”
The woman hesitated. Her eyes darted around the room before settling on Evelyn again. “West.”
East. Evelyn saw the lie. Joseph always said she was dangerous with how she could know the truth. It was people’s eyes. The eyes always gave it away. They flicked and dodged. Truth made people see straight and true. Truth made people look straight into the soul.
“Splashed all over me!” The big man finished his story.
“Al, your embellishments are better than the real stories,” a man said. “Why did it t
ake so long?”
“Bah, Marc. This isn’t an embellishment. It is God’s own truth. It is just not one of my finer moments.”
Liars. The world was full of liars. Except Joseph. He had taught her how to live. Why did he have to leave her? It wasn’t right. They were barely together for a year when he had broken his promise.
Evelyn stood up. The inn owner’s gaze followed her. Her eyebrows lifted as Evelyn felt the Prophetess surge within.
Don’t do this again. You are not the voice of God. The insane voice squirmed in her mind. Leave these good people alone.
Evelyn squashed the voice.
“You are all liars. Sinners!” Evelyn scythed the farmers with a finger. She felt the Prophetess fill her with strength. Her voice rang across the room. “God will smite you with his justice on you unless you repent. He will burn your souls. Chop it. Chop out your sins. You will never see the Gates of Heaven or your families if you do not.”
“Now see here, woman,” the rotund man said. “We are all God fearers here and good people.”
“Only those who burn with inner fire are cleansed. You need to burn to be healed!”
“Are you mad, woman?” the fat man asked.
Farmers grumbled and looked at Evelyn like she was the spawn of demons instead of them.
Joseph would not have wanted this.
“Shut up! Leave me alone.” Evelyn told the voice. The Prophetess turned toward the sinners. “I have seen. I have been cleaned! Liars, slatterns, thieves. I am the Prophetess!”
“You are leaving. I will not hear this blasphemy.” The plump woman stepped toward Evelyn.
The Prophetess speared a finger at the woman. “You are the blasphemer for not listening to a voice of God.”
Evelyn’s vision exploded into a quilt of colors. Pain lanced up her jaw, and she hit the floor hard. The insane voice in her mind groaned.
The woman stood over her, massaging her knuckles. “I will not hear anyone speak such under my roof, mad woman or no.” She grabbed Evelyn’s coat and hoisted her.
“You will burn for eternity for this.” She squirmed in the woman’s strong grip. Her toes scraped against the floorboards as the fat demon woman dragged her toward the exit.
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