The Walls of Westernfort

by Jane Fletcher

  “I would not presume to try to understand the working of her will. I only trust in her bounty. You cannot expect the working of the Goddess to be comprehensible to human reason.” Rohanna’s voice was austere.

  “But you’ve already told me why the Goddess sent me to the kiln and explained the part it plays in her overall design. Can’t you see that you’re always certain you understand the working of the Goddess only when you can put a slant on things that agree with your preconceptions?”

  “We have the guidance of The Book of the Elder-Ones.”

  “By your own admission, the Goddess doesn’t follow human logic. Perhaps she gave us The Book of the Elder-Ones as a test, to see if we can reject unthinking obedience and follow the conscience and common sense that she gave us.”

  “I see you’ve damned your soul and rejected your creator,” Rohanna said angrily.

  “I don’t think so. I went to the kiln on a whim—the result of a trivial string of events. You say it was the working of the Goddess...” Natasha shrugged. “I can’t say I felt divinely inspired. But when I was about to kill Lynn, I knew, in the very core of my being, that it would be an evil act. My soul was in revolt at what I was preparing to do. If ever I have felt the touch of the Goddess in my heart and my mind, it was then.” She looked back into the startled eyes of Rohanna. “But of course, you know that can’t have been the case, because you know the Goddess wants Lynn dead, and there is nothing Celaeno herself could do to persuade you otherwise. Ask yourself—”

  Natasha was allowed to go no further. Rohanna snatched another wad of wool with one hand while she prized Natasha’s jaws open with the other. The wool was rammed into Natasha’s mouth and fixed in place with a strip of cloth as a gag. Then Rohanna stood and glared down at her. “At least that will keep our ears free from your heretical rambling.”

  Natasha looked up, confused by her own reactions. Once, she had felt admiration and even affection for Rohanna. She had been proud to be a member of her team. Now she could not begin to recapture the emotion. She could feel only horror at what Rohanna and Cal were proposing to do, exasperation at their inability to question, and shame that she had once been like them.

  Cal had already taken one of the backpacks and pulled out various items, including a length of rope, presumably in preparation for the night’s work. Rohanna treated Natasha to one last, bitter look before joining her comrade. “If I were you, I’d spend the time remaining in preparing yourself to stand before Celaeno and answer for your sins.” Her eyes glanced toward the sun, estimating its position, and then back. “I’d say you have about eight hours left.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two—Confrontation

  Dani stomped out of her shop and slammed the door. She was feeling generally angry: angry at Natasha for her gall, angry at Shelly for her idiocy, angry at her customers for dithering, angry at the clay for not behaving on the wheel, and angry at herself for leaving the ax behind at the kiln. She had only just remembered it. The sun was dropping toward the mountains, and dusk was less than an hour away. The weather was showing no sign of rain, but the ax was valuable and should not be left out overnight to rust in the dew.

  With any luck, Natasha would not still be at the kiln. Dani never wanted to see her again. In fact, she wanted never to have seen her at all. She wished that Natasha would be blasted off the face of the world. I hate her. I despise her. I hate her. Dani mentally chanted the mantra in time to her footsteps as she marched along, head down and shoulders hunched. She paid no attention to the other people on the road until one tapped her arm.

  “Oh, Dani. Tell Natasha I sorted out the animals. Just this once, as a favor.” Dani raised her head and saw Lynn grinning at her.

  “Why should I be seeing her?” Dani snapped.

  Lynn’s smile faded. “Didn’t she...I thought she was going to talk to you.”

  “Yes. But that was ages ago.”

  “Hasn’t she been with...” Lynn stopped. “I’m sorry. When she didn’t show up this afternoon, I assumed...” Again, Lynn’s voice trailed away.

  Dani added someone else to the list of people she was angry with. She could imagine what Lynn had assumed. “No, she hasn’t spent the afternoon with me—in or out of bed. I told her to go hang herself.”

  “Right.” Lynn’s voice held both surprise and regret. “Well, hopefully, she hasn’t.”

  “I didn’t mean her to take me literally.”

  “I’ll tell her that when I find her.”

  “I don’t—” Dani broke off in uncertainty as Lynn gave her a long, hard look.

  “When did you last see her?” Lynn asked eventually.

  “About lunchtime. I was up at the kiln.”

  “Do you have any idea where she went?”

  “No, I left her there.” Dani’s eyes dropped to her feet. She could feel a blush rising on her cheeks. Something in Lynn’s expression was making her very uncomfortable.

  “I’ll go check her room.” Lynn hesitated and then added in a lower voice, “It was my fault that she went to speak to you. I’m sorry if you found the conversation unpleasant.” She turned and walked away.

  Dani watched until Lynn was out of sight before resuming her trek. Her anger was shifting into a jumble of emotions not so easy to name. By the time she reached the kiln, a fair chunk of guilt was making itself known. She picked up the ax and stared at the spot where Natasha had stood. “I don’t care. I hate her.” Dani spoke aloud to the empty clearing, but even she could hear the lack of conviction in her own voice. She looked around at the trees, dreading the sight of a figure dangling from one. However, nothing was close by and the deepening twilight made it impossible to see far into the woods.

  “She wouldn’t.” Dani whispered the words. Then she drew a sharp breath and shouted, “Damn her!” Her face twisted in pain. She marched back through the forest, trying to recapture her earlier anger as a defense against the growing anxiety. It did not work.

  The sun was setting by the time she reached the outlying buildings of Westernfort. The light was sufficient to see outside, but the room at the back of her shop was fading into gloom. Dani propped the ax in a corner, lit one candle, and sat staring at the flame. It took all her willpower not to go in search of Lynn and ask whether Natasha had been found. She’s probably moping in her room or in the tavern, getting drunk, Dani tried to convince herself. Surely it was ridiculous to worry just because Natasha had not returned to her work at the barn.

  Dani closed her eyes. She called on old memories: her sister playing, her mothers sitting together by the hearth, their home, and their deaths. She tried to picture Natasha in a Guard’s uniform, waving a bloody butcher knife and laughing. The images would not fit together. Dani tried again, working on the details of Natasha’s face.

  Suddenly, the vision came to life, beyond Dani’s power to control. All other thoughts were swept away by the memory of the last time Natasha had stood in the room. Dani could not stop herself from recalling the firmness of Natasha’s arms around her and the softness of Natasha’s lips—the touch and the taste and the scent of her. Dani whimpered and buried her face in her hands.

  The sound of the street door opening pulled her back to the present. “Dani?” a voice called out.

  “Yes. I’m here. Come in.” Dani gathered herself, pinching the bridge of her nose.

  Ash entered the room. “Oh, good. I was worried you’d be asleep.”

  Dani looked around, surprised by how dark it had become. The candle had burnt low. “Er, no...I was…um...” A cold knot formed in her stomach. “Is this about Natasha?”

  “Yes.”

  “Have you found her?”

  “No.” Ash’s voice was grim. “It seems that you were the last person to see her, so I’ve come to ask you a few questions.”

  “Oh...yes.” Dani tried to keep her voice calm.

  “Lynn says you spoke to her at your kiln.”

  Dani nodded. “Yes. It was just after midday.”

  “Did she s
ay anything by way of a clue as to where she might be now?”

  “Well...it’s not so much what she said...more what I said.”

  “Which was?”

  “I told her to go hang herself.”

  “You had an argument,” Ash said dryly.

  “Yes. I was angry and got carried away, but I didn’t really mean for her to kill herself.”

  “You seriously think she might have?”

  “No. At least, I didn’t at the time...not until Lynn said she was missing. But Natasha was quite upset...I said a few other things I wish I hadn’t. But no, I don’t think she would...probably.” Dani’s disordered mumbling ground to a halt, and her eyes fixed on the floor.

  “And there’s nothing else you can tell me?”

  “No.”

  “OK. It’s too dark to do anything now, but I’ll go up to the kiln at first light tomorrow and see if I can pick up her trail. Let me know if you think of anything else.” Ash turned toward the door.

  Dani blurted out, “Isn’t there...”

  “What?”

  “You know something else, don’t you?”

  “Why do you ask?” Ash sounded genuinely confused.

  “You’re taking this very seriously. She’s a grown adult. And running off after an argument...it doesn’t normally warrant a full search so quickly.”

  “Of course there’s more to it,” Ash said curtly. “It’s after dark, and she’s not in town. She’s broken the terms of her parole, which could have grave consequences. Not the least is that she can be killed on sight by anyone with a grudge against Guards.”

  Ash made the last part of her pronouncement with a sharp edge, but Dani was too stunned to be cut by it. The conditions of Natasha’s parole had not occurred to her before. “Will she be in serious trouble?”

  “That will be for Kim to decide.”

  “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have said what I said to her.”

  “Natasha gave her word not to be outside town after nightfall. There was no proviso about people being nice to her.”

  “I didn’t want...” Dani could not finish. She did not know what she wanted.

  Ash spoke in a softer tone. “As long as she gives herself up without a fight, I can’t see Kim being too hard on her. Natasha may have lost her option to stay in Westernfort, but it looks as though Rohanna and Cal have gotten away. So at worst, I’d guess she’ll be locked up until she can be sent back to the Homelands.”

  “I suppose that might be for the best anyway.” Dani hung her head. “But if need be, I don’t mind admitting my part. I wouldn’t want Kim to be unfair...even to a Guard.”

  “And Kim wouldn’t want to be unfair either. I’m sure she’ll be very glad to hear what you have to say after Natasha is found.”

  “Just as long as she isn’t dead.”

  Ash pursed her lips. “Well, if it’s any comfort, no one has reported any rope going missing.” She gave a nod of farewell and left.

  Dani lit a second candle and sat watching it burn down. The time when she should have gone to bed was well past, but she knew she would be unable to sleep. Maybe if she waited until she was tired enough, she would drop off as soon as her head hit the pillow. When she finally stripped off her clothes and slipped between the sheets, however, her thoughts were still in turmoil, and sleep would not come.

  After a frustrating hour of tossing around, Dani swung her feet out of bed and went to pour herself a drink of water from the urn. The night had grown chilly. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and wandered into the shop. The row of buildings opposite were the only thing visible through the unshuttered window. While sipping the water, she stared out bleakly. The moonlit street was bleached of all color and deserted. It looked harsh and joyless in monochrome and matched her mood.

  Dani drained her mug and left the window. She stood in the doorway to the back room. Her bedclothes were disheveled. She tried to muster the enthusiasm to straighten them, but no matter what state they were in, Dani knew that she was not about to sleep.

  The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps in the street. Dani twisted around just in time to see three figures flit past her window. The brief glimpse was not enough for her to identify them all, but she was sure that the middle one had been Natasha. Dani rushed to the window and pressed her face against the glass, trying to peer up the street, but the angle was too acute, and she could not catch sight of the women who had passed by. She leapt to the door. Again, she was too slow, and the street was now empty.

  Dani closed the door and leaned back against the wooden slats. Her certainty that Natasha had been one of the women was fading. In fact, she was starting to wonder whether she had completely imagined all three. Dani bit her lip. If her first impression was right, presumably the Rangers had caught Natasha and were escorting her to see Kim. Or maybe not. Dani trotted through to the room at the back and reached for her clothes. She might as well go and find out, because there was no way she was going to get any sleep until she knew the answer.

  *

  Natasha did not struggle as she was taken through the streets of Westernfort. The effort was better saved until she had a reasonable chance of catching someone’s attention. Her hands were tied securely behind her back, and the wool gag in her mouth prevented her from making any sound loud enough to wake people inside the solid stone houses. But surely she would get an opportunity soon. She just had to be alert and ready.

  At the edge of the main square, Rohanna gave the signal to halt and peered around the corner. Nobody was in sight. She beckoned them forward again. The door of the house where Lynn and Kim lived was unbarred. What need was there to lock any door in Westernfort? Cal pushed it open and slipped through.

  This is my chance, Natasha thought. The door was open, and her captors were separated. If she could start a scuffle, the noise might be enough to wake someone and raise the alarm. Her muscles tensed, but Rohanna was one move ahead of her. Before Natasha could act, Rohanna caught hold of her bound wrists and wrenched them upward.

  Only the gag stopped Natasha from screaming. Her shoulders felt as if they had been dislocated. By the time her mind had cleared enough to think, she was in the middle of the main room of the house. Rohanna still had her hands pulled up high behind her, which had the effect of compelling her to stand on tiptoe and bend double while forcing half her weight onto her strained shoulder joints. From this awkward position, she peered around frantically.

  Brilliant moonlight flooded in through two windows, overwhelming the dull red glow from the dying embers in the fireplace. The room seemed even bigger than Natasha remembered, easily twelve meters long. The sparse furniture was pushed back against the walls. The only thing close enough to kick was Rohanna’s legs, and since they were slightly in front of her, she could not hit them hard enough to achieve anything worthwhile.

  Cal stood to one side with a rope in her hands, looking up at a heavy suspended candle holder. She nodded in satisfaction and then stepped over to collect a chair that she could use as a ladder. Beyond her, in the corner of the room farthest from the entrance, was the door to the bedroom Kim and Lynn shared. Natasha’s face twisted in despair. Her ex-comrades knew which room it was; she had drawn them a map of the house months ago.

  Natasha’s eyes darted around the room. Two meters away, a large earthenware jug was balanced on a round stool that someone had used as a makeshift table. Natasha clenched her teeth. If she launched herself to one side, with luck, the sudden movement would tear her free of Rohanna’s grasp and send her into the stool. Her shoulders would possibly be wrenched out of their sockets, but this was not a major issue under the circumstances. Natasha was bracing herself for the dive when the door behind her opened again.

  “What’s going...” The two words were enough for her to identify Dani’s voice.

  Rohanna was the first to recover. She whipped out a dagger and leapt toward the door. Dani shrank away and ended up in a corner. The instant her hands were released, Natasha a
lso made her move. The dive sent her into the stool with enough force to knock it flying. The jug smashed on the floor. At the same time, a draft slammed the door shut. The twin sounds shattered the silence of the night. For a second, no one moved.

  “Who’s there?” Kim’s voice from the next room was synchronous with the rasp as Cal drew her sword.

  “Forget these two. We’ll get the ones we came for.” Rohanna snapped out the order.

  Cal nodded, but before either Guard could move, the door at the back was pulled open and Kim appeared, clad only in a loose thigh-length shirt. Cal was a couple of meters away. She tightened her grip on her sword and took a step forward.

  Natasha had rolled onto her knees. Despair and anger battled at the sight before her. Kim would stand no chance, unarmed and outnumbered. The bound hands impaired Natasha’s balance and limited her options, but they did not stop her from powering herself up and forward like a sprinter coming off the mark. Cal’s attention was fixed on Kim, and she was too slow to respond to the charge. Natasha was still rising as she made impact.

  The top of Natasha’s head slammed into Cal’s stomach and sent her crashing into the wall behind. The Guard gasped and crumpled to the floor. Natasha ended up sprawled on top of her. Hastily, Natasha pulled herself up, added a blow with her knee to Cal’s jaw, and then twisted around to view the events unfolding in the room.

  Kim was staring desperately at where her sword belt hung on a peg beside the door. However, Rohanna was between it and her. Dani was the nearest, and she had recovered from the frozen paralysis of surprise, yet there seemed to be no hope that she could pass the weapon to Kim in time.

  In swift strides, Rohanna advanced up the room, sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. Kim had also moved forward, balancing lightly on her feet, preparing to sidestep, but Rohanna was clearly aware of her intentions and was covering the angles. Then Natasha straightened herself and very deliberately stood in Rohanna’s way.