Sure enough, the girls were on the large bed, tangled up in twisted and wadded sheets. Their snoring harmonized in an almost impressive fashion. Seeing the waste bucket full of liquid, Blaze smiled as the ultimate wake-up call crossed her mind. She walked over to the corner and picked the bucket up, being extra careful not to slosh its contents onto herself.
“Are you truly considering that?”
She nearly dropped the bucket at the whisper as she discovered Theoverus standing at the door. She sighed in resentment of being surprised for the second time that day. She also didn’t like how his smile, while amused, made her feel like a foolish child. “Maybe,” she said defiantly but set the bucket down and resorted to a less defiling method. Walking to the window, she opened the curtains and slammed the blinds against the wall. All three jumped, and Ezel, who was perched precariously on the edge fell off of the waist high bed. Blaze enjoyed the domino effect of Ezel then Sue then Martha tumbling to the ground in a screeching whirl.
“Ohwa! Get your elbow out of my face!”
“EEEKKK! You cows are squashing me!”
“AAHH! I can’t get this kaffing sheet off! I can’t move!”
“Oh, smackers! Stop shouting. Oh! My head!”
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Blaze! You smacker! Help me!”
Blaze chuckled at the struggling trio and bent down to their level. “Oh, is the sheet too much for you? I thought that it would be nothing compared to taking care of all those men last night.” The girls shrieked at the same time, each clawing at the other in an effort to get at her, but they simultaneously stopped and cradled their hung-over heads. “Now since you ladies were nice enough to leave Evan and me head deep in demanding guests, you have earned the privilege of cleaning up after your loving friends.” As she got up to leave, she further emphasized her point. “If this inn isn’t ready for another troop of Urlificans by evening, I will personally see to it that you learn the meaning of punishment. And, by the looks of it...” She peered out the window. “You have less than half a day left.”
The girls’ dagger looks tickled Blaze’s satisfaction as she left the Urlifican remains. Theoverus stood in the entryway, looking around the inn. Something about him made her feel uncomfortable, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “If you’re looking for a room, we have some private ones upstairs that should be in good condition.”
He smiled back at her and nodded, “Thank you, but I’m staying with you and Jonathan.” He fell into step with her out of the inn back to the pub. “Are you okay with that?”
The question surprised her. “Well, I guess so. I mean, there is no reason why not. There is the spare room that no one is using at the moment.” Of course, he knew this; that would be the only place he could stay at Jonathan’s. She needed more sleep. The smell of stewed mutton, gravy, and warm bread welcomed Blaze as Theoverus opened the back door of the pub for her. He bowed his head and followed her in.
He certainly does bow a lot.
“Ah, Blaze, breakfast is jus about ready. An’ sir, I’m afraid that we’re closed.”
“Oh, it’s alright, he’s a friend.” Evan stared at her with curiosity, and she stared back with surprise. Had she just given the Traitor an excuse to stay? That was the last thing she thought she wanted.
“Alright, friend sir, what’s your name?”
“Theoverus, but you can call me Theo for short.”
“Evan.” And the men twisted hands.
“Well, Evan, it is great to finally meet you face to face. I’ve heard marvelous things about you, and about your honey ale in particular.”
Evan blushed and scratched the back of his head. “Oh, well, is nothin’ special,” he muttered. “Jus stumbled upon the mixture by accident. Actually have little Tawnya over ‘cross the way ta thank fer it. Girl wanted ta sweeten everythin’ like her mama when she was younger.”
“I didn’t know that,” Blaze said.
Evan laughed. “Ay, nearly whacked the little nymph when I discovered her dumpin’ all of my honey inta the brewin’ vat. Luckily, I tasted the stuff before completely givin’ up.”
Blaze smiled as the two men laughed, walking around the bar to dish their bowls. The pleasant atmosphere tried to relax her. However, her hate for the Urlificans prevented her from believing all was well. She couldn’t picture them simply leaving after one day.
“Oh, Blaze. Please don’t dish me a bowl,” Theoverus asked appreciatively. “I need to get back with Jonathan. I just came on the request of Tawnya; she would sincerely like for you to be at the Dinner tonight.”
Evan and his breakfast jumped when Blaze slammed the bowl down in front of him. “They are not still having that kaffing Dinner!” She bolted to the door.
“Where are you goin’?” Evan called after her.
“Someone’s got to stop them.”
“But the Urlificans are gone. If they’re goin’ ta have their Dinner, why not let them. Come back an’ get some food in you,” he reasoned.
She continued on through the door. Thanks to Jonathan’s courteous nature, Theoverus had ridden Lily into town, and the mare stood tied to the post. Jumping into the saddle, she looked up in time to see Theoverus standing in the doorway, watching her. His face was as unreadable as Brudock’s.
“Just have some breakfast with Evan, and I’ll be back with Lily. Hyah!” Derrick the butcher jumped out of the way with protest as the mare galloped through town.
Anger at the Traitors’ stupidity threatened to drive her mad, and the distance to Jonathan’s jumped away as the mare fed off of her agitation. Approaching the cabin without restraint, Blaze leap off of Lily and charge the door at full force.
“Did the Urlificans take your blasted heads?” She barged into the den full of Srift’s Traitors: Jonathan, Seth with his wife, Contessa, and twelve cycled daughter, Addison, Mark and Rick, Tawnya, Linda, and Kevin. All stared at her in silent shock as she flailed her anger upon them. “Does it not seem strange that the Urlificans would be here for just one day? Do you think that they would go eight days out of their way just for one kaffing day of questioning and then give up? What if this is a trap?”
Kevin recovered first from the sudden onslaught of questions. “They’re gone, Blaze. Evan and I watched them leave this morning. When the Grand General started asking me questions about the dairy, he seemed more interested in the business side of things, and when I later talked to Fisher, he said that the Junior Officer wanted to know how we taxed and sent the contributions back to Eclamai.”
“When I was questioned by them, they wondered who I bought my iron from,” Seth put in.
As they explained the reasoning for their comfort, Blaze understood their mistake. Burdock had asked about why she owned a pub and about herself.
“Srift is a small village on the outskirts of Lesira,” Linda explained. “They were probably sent out to make sure that we are doing our part for the kingdom and to remind us that King Urlifec knows we are here.”
All of the others nodded at the ultimate conclusion. However, Blaze was not convinced. She looked straight to Jonathan, who faced her and the group. He must have been leading the group in some sort of Traitor meeting. The healer stood there with a sympathetic and caring look she knew all too well. It was the look he gave her every time she refused to come to the Dinner. Glancing around the group, she saw the same look. Anger at their naivity caused her to pace.
“Jonathan, are you truly going to throw all caution to the wind? Are you going to let these people risk their lives? You have all trapped yourselves into this small cabin. The Urlificans couldn’t have rounded you up any better!”
The Traitors’s faces began to show annoyance, as if she was a child who kept insisting that water ran uphill.
“Blaze, if we are found out, then there is nothing that we can do. If the Urlificans know what we are, then nothing can stop them from arresting us here or in our homes,” Jonathan answered.
“You can run! Go hide
in the woods for some time! Do something besides waiting to be arrested. I don’t think your True King would blame you for trying to protect yourselves. If that were the case, why would you live secretive lives in the first place?!”
Pity marked all of their faces. Blaze’s chest threatened to burst with her dread and frustration. Did they not realize what happened when Urlificans caught them? The Traitors seemed moved by her words, but the response she wanted was not there.
“Theo will be with us,” came Tawnya’s soft voice. She sat with confidence next to Mark near the window. The image of her being broken by Urlificans flashed through Blaze’s mind, and she felt sick. Now was not the time for her friend, for any of them, to be so enthralled with their King.
“How do you know he isn’t one of them?!” Blaze exclaimed, more anger coming out than she intended. Sunlight magnified tears welling in Tawnya’s eyes. Blaze tried to stop her accusations, but her unease of the man flooded out. “He came at the same time as the Urlificans. How do you know that he isn’t a spy? Is it too much to think that Urlificans would stoop so low as to lure the Traitors out with a fake?”
The tears started running down Tawnya’s face as Mark jumped up and stabbed his finger towards Blaze, raging passion radiating from him. “Don’t you dare say those things about Theoverus. You don’t know him and have no right to accuse him in such a way. You...”
“Mark, sit down,” Rick ordered. The young man fumed for a bit longer and then sat down in silence.
“Fine,” Blaze stabbed at them, hands held up in surrender. “Fine. I’ve done all that I can. If you want to risk your lives for a stranger and a lost cause, I can do nothing else.” She backed away and exited through the open door, slamming it behind her. She fumed all the way around the cabin, finding Lily grazing in Jonathan’s flower garden. “Lily!” she barked. The horse jerked her head up with a start. “Get over here.”
Lily flattened her ears while looking back down for the soft grass. A shiver of frustration ran through Blaze as she tried to check her anger. Stomping to the mare, she tried to mount, but Lily side stepped and whinnied in warning. Ears so flat that they seemed nonexistant, she backed away from Blaze. “You too, huh?” Blaze growled. “Well, fine, you can stay here for all I care. I’ll walk back.”
Her tears burned as she turned away to walk back to town. Once she reached the edge of Jonathan’s cleared land, she heard her name shouted from behind her. “Blaze!” Tawnya was running toward her, arms and voice waving. “Blaze! Wait!”
She couldn’t face her friend, not now. As fast as she could, Blaze bolted down the path, knowing she was faster than the Traitor. Tawnya’s call faded as the distance between them lengthened.
Gasping for air, Blaze went straight for the well in the courtyard separating the pub from inn. The run helped some, but her anger still sizzled. After drinking her fill, she grabbed the wash bucket from beside the pump and filled it with the cold liquid. Activity would save her.
“What in the land of Lesira are you doin’, Blaze?” Evan asked while she walked into the pub. He stood up from stacking mugs under the bar. She grabbed the rag on the bar and started wiping down the tables, half not listening, half ignoring his question. “Blaze, what’d I tell you ‘bout cleanin’? What happened?” He walked around the bar as she continued to wipe in vigorous, broad circles. “Blaze!” He grabbed her shoulders.
“Evan, please,” she jerked away, and he let her go. He waited in silence. Guilt softened her morose mood. For five cycles, she had run to The Bear and its owner for sanctuary. Evan helped keep her away from Jonathan’s cabin during his Traitor meetings and Dinners. He taught her the ways of running a pub and inn, and he prevented her from getting into fights with Bark. He tried to protect her when the Urlificans came by playing along with her lie. Blaze sighed as her anger died down. “So, where did Theoverus go?”
Evan was cautious with his answer. “He stayed jus a little longer after you left, but finished his breakfast and decided ta walk back.”
“That’s odd, I didn’t see him on my way in...” she thought out loud. Blaze’s paranoia started to grow again as suspicions of the stranger’s allegiance plagued her thoughts.
Evan took a deep breath a pulled out a chair. “Blaze, why don’ you sit and talk with me.”
She bristled. “What is there to talk about?”
“About you and the Traitors.”
Blaze bent down to start wiping another table. “I don’t see why that would need to be discussed...”
“Blaze! Please lisen ta me.” Evan’s intense tone stopped her. “Their safety is eatin’ you alive. I know probably more than you think about how you’re feelin’. You’re frustrated with ‘em fer stickin’ with their loyalty, even though their lives are on the line. You don’ understand how they could be so stubborn an’ seemingly oblivious ta the danger...”
She walked over to sit with him as he continued. “How can they stay so true ta this True King when so much trouble an’ filth surrounds ‘em? These are questions that have gone through my mind o’er and o’er again after cycles of bein’ friends with ‘em. Before I moved here from Krute, my very best mate was found out ta be a Traitor, an’ he died fer it.
“But, Blaze, stubborn girl, you can’t change ‘em, not if they are the real thing. They truly believe in the promise of the True King, that he will return, that all will be set right. They wan’ ta be a part of that kingdom. He was so good ta our people before he was sent away. Urlifec has brought nothin’ but pain, sorrow, an’ the turnin’ of people back inta beasts.”
Blaze gaped at him in disbelief. “Are you a Traitor?”
Evan looked down from her gaze and picked at his fingers while struggling with the answer. “No...well...maybe...”
She stared at the man she thought she knew.
“I...well...I’ve gotten so tired of all the misery. People’re so oblivious ta others an’ life jus’ doesn’ seem ta have a happy endin’. My friend tried fer so long ta convince me ta change my loyalty, but fer a long time I could only see wha that loyalty got him. But now...heh, now I can see and appreciate the kind of people they really are. They have such hope! Fer people, fer themselves, fer this land. Despite the threat of death upon ‘em, they’re still devoted ta their beliefs and ta each other. Is it really a bad thing fer a man ta desire that? Ta desire hope?”
Blaze wished the day of surprises would end. Evan had always been kind to the Traitors, but she never guessed that he would become one. Her exhausted mind simply didn’t comprehend the fact.
The appeal of the Traitor belief couldn’t be denied. She hadn’t met a happier and overall loving person than Tawnya. And, while Srift had its share of friendship, none compared to the depth and community of the Traitors. However, it only ended in an early death. Evan’s friend, her parents, Tray, all lost because of their faith, and she would have been, too, if it wasn’t for Obrae. How can anything like that be worth family and friend’s lives?
The silence lingered like summer heat. Evan resorted to outlining the grain of wood with his finger, and Blaze watched it. Did she hate him for turning into a Traitor? She looked at the bear of a man. He was always so sincere, and while he sometimes panicked, he was a reliable friend. This talk was for her, to help her with the situation, and he meant it honestly. She could never hate him. Should she act like nothing changed? His was a momentous confession, something that not easily ignored. She needed to do something.
Blaze scooted the chair back. The grinding noise broke the reflective silence. Evan looked up at her uncertainly asking the question with his eyes. She had to say something, and half laughed, “Ha, Evan. I...this is just such a new idea. I honestly don’t know how to respond to it. Nothing about you has changed, and yet, you aren’t the same any more...”
“Well.” He hoisted himself up by the table. “I don’ know how I expect you ta react either. I really didn’ even mean ta talk about it; jus kinda came out.”
Blaze glanced outside and was shocke
d that the sun was already resting his light behind Bear Mountain. She turned and smiled at Evan. “I’ve got to go check on those smackers and see what kind of a job they’ve done.”
Evan chucked, happy for a topic and mood change. “I checked on ‘em earlier and whatever you told ‘em really got ‘em workin’. Never have I seen those girls work so hard in my life. An’ I mean ever.” He laughed at the idea of the bimbo trio working. “But, Blaze, take the night off. I’m not even plannin’ on openin’ the pub tonight, as is apparent with the time. An’ don’ plan on workin’ for the next few days either. You deserve a break.”
“Thanks, Evan,” and she smiled at him gratefully. “I would like that, but I first want to see the unbelievable myself.” She walked towards the inn with Evan chuckling in the background. Sure enough, the candle she held revealed a clean inn; the smell was even gone. All of the linens were washed and put away, the rooms scrubbed clean, and Sue, Martha, and Ezel were found collapsed on the beds in the second common room.
“I must say it; I’m very impressed,” Blaze declared while entering the room. All three moaned, Ezel sleepily waving her hand as if Blaze was a bad dream that could be wiped away. The tired girls shifted positions in the beds and fell back to sleep.
Locking the inn behind her, she headed back to the pub to give Evan the key. “I’m wondering if the candle light was playing tricks on me. The place was cleaner than usual.”
“I’m tellin’ you, whatever you told ‘em worked. Please give me your secret.”
“Oh, but it probably wouldn’t be as powerful if we abused it,” she grinned. “I think I’ll save it for those special times.”
Evan laughed and started motioning for her to get out. “Now you get outa here, you selfish fox. I don’ want ta see you fer a few days.”
Traitors (The Traitor King Saga Book 1) Page 6