by Lisa Daniels
His eyes looked at her expectantly. Taja could not keep the smile on her face as she shook her head, “I’m so sorry, Stanglen, but I really don’t wish to leave my mother alone much longer. She was not well when I left and I had so many errands to run.”
The man leaned back away from her. “Well, I tried to help. If you want all of that, it’ll cost you 200 gold.”
Taja’s mouth open and closed, “But, but that’s more than twice what-”
“Oh no, darling, it isn’t.” There were chuckles from some of the men at the bar. “It has been too long since you have been here. I am still willing to give you my special deal.” His thin lips were in a nasty grin.
Before she could answer, a gentle voice spoke from behind her, “Here you go.” Money was tossed on the counter in a little bag. “That should cover this round, the next one, the next one, well, you get the idea.”
Taja’s eyes watched as Stanglen’s gaze moved between the bag and the man standing behind her. He was clearly torn, but not for long. His hands whipped the bag off the counter and tipped the contents into his hand. As the gold covered his hand and poured onto the counter, all the barman could manage was to nod at the stranger. “I understand. Yes. That is plenty.”
“A promissory note.”
Stanglen shook his head, clearly missing the man’s meaning.
The stranger stepped up beside Taja, who was too afraid to see who the stranger was. “You are to give a note to this lady saying that she is free to come in and pick up the purchase without having to listen to your solicitations or harassment.”
The fact that Stanglen didn’t have anything to say to the last part of the man’s statement told her that she already knew who he was. She had seen a similar look earlier that day.
“But, sir, I do not know how to write,” the barkeep stammered.
“Ah, I should have realized. Here.” The man had a piece of paper and tool in his hand before anyone could offer. He quickly scrawled on the paper and held it for Stanglen to sign. “Just an X is fine. And just in case,” the man pulled himself up on the bar, “may I have your attention, please. Yes, that’s right, this way. I want to make sure you are all aware of this deal. This lady,” he gestured toward Taja who was frozen in terror, “has … ah, for lack of an easier term for your small minds, a reverse tab. Our dear barkeep is now indebted to her, and she shall be able to come and go with as much booze as she sees fit. Nod if you understand.”
As if hypnotized, the patrons nodded. Taja couldn’t look.
“Very good. I bid you all happy drinking in this fine establishment.” With that, he stepped down.
Taja’s tiny hand grabbed his sleeve. “I can’t let you do this.”
Stanglen’s hands were running through the money under the counter. “I’m not giving this back.” He shoved several bottles at her. “Take this and go before he changes his mind.” His eyes never left the gold.
Her heart pounding, Taja collected the bottles and placed them in the basket with the other items she had picked up. Her body was shaking as she turned to leave. Tears were forming in her eyes as she stepped out of the tavern. She took a few steps from the door, and she was not surprised to hear steps following her out of the establishment.
Spinning around, she couldn’t keep the tears from falling as she turned to face the stranger. Her hand automatically went to his collar. “Let me guess how you want me to pay you back.” Despite her best effort, she couldn’t stop her hand from shaking.
She felt a warm hand take hers. Instead of a kiss or other romantic gesture, the man removed her hand from his clothing and released it gently. Taja’s eyes went up to his face. The man was exquisite. His face was like the pictures of angels with the gentle angles that formed his features. His jaw was firm, but a smile made it look friendly. The man’s eyes were large and green. Except for her own, she had never seen anyone with eyes so large. The way his hair swayed in the evening breeze reminded her of the gentle way the ocean moved on a sunny day.
“Are you alright?” His question took her by surprise.
“What?”
He smiled, and she couldn’t help but smile in response. “Are you alright?”
The man’s voice was soft, nothing like the sarcastic or firm voice she had heard with the noble or the barman.
She smiled again and gave a little nod. “I think I am fine now.” The young woman noticed the man’s hand move, but only slightly.
Suddenly, he bowed. “Knowing that and seeing your sincere smile is enough.” He turned to leave, then stopped. His face turned just a little so she could see his profile. “Please be a little more careful. I’m afraid my time here is fairly limited, and I would hate to leave knowing that you may need a savior.” With that he started walking away from her.
Taja stood there watching the man leave, her mind completely at a loss. Except for Braylon, men always wanted something more. Braylon had already confessed that she reminded him of his daughter, a young woman whom he had lost in the war a few years ago. She had fallen in love with a soldier and had insisted on going with him when he went to war. Neither returned. There was no doubt about Braylon’s intentions, and so she felt comforted when he was near. But this man confused her. Twice he had been there for her. She had run the first time not wanting to hear what his request was. Now she felt shame. Even if she wanted to pay him back, there was nothing she could do that would be worth what he had given her.
For the first time in years, her heart beat faster as she thought about a man. Taja had promised herself that she would never fall prey to such easy tricks, but now that someone actually showed compassion for no reason at all, the young woman found that she was just as weak as the women she had loathed.
Her hand went to her mouth as she turned to head home, her mind full of an insane hope.
Chapter 3
In Hope, Despair
Taja reached home to find things exactly as she had left them. Pulling a blanket over her mother, the woman began to straighten up the mess made since she had left for work that morning. She took care of the dishes, cleaned up the remains of the breakfast she had made, and sat down to a small meal. The basket of things she had brought home sat on the counter beside her. Taja realized that she was smiling at the bottles as she finished a small sandwich. Shaking her head, the young woman frowned. Hope was a very dangerous thing. It had gotten the better of her enough times to know that it had no place in her life.
So one man was kind without apparently wanting anything in return. If what he said was true and he was leaving the town soon, there must have been some reason for what he did. Perhaps he was marking her for future use. It was not unheard of that wizards and witches could stake out a person and demand a favor later.
If that is all he wants, I won’t want to deny him. Almost as soon as she thought it, Taja was embarrassed. If that was his intention, what he may want could be far worse than what Stanglen wanted or what would have happened if she had been run over. Taja looked at the bottles and knew that it really wouldn’t matter. Her life had never been her own, and if there was someone willing to look after her for his own ends, that would be no different than what she had been through so many times before today. Her heart sank a little as she began to assign other designs on the man who had saved her twice that day. As much as she wanted to believe his words and the sincerity on his face, experience had taught her everything she needed to know about where that would get her. Best to forget it until the man decided to call in the favors.
She set about putting things away and got ready for bed. As Taja finished putting on her nightgown, she looked out of the window and her mind immediately wondered where the young man was staying and what his story was. His large eyes were beautiful, but as she remembered them, there was definitely something she recognized in them – pain. His smile was beautiful, but it did not reflect in his eyes. Perhaps that was why he had not stayed to talk to her. Perhaps he felt sorry about what he was going to have to do to her later.
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“If that’s why your eyes don’t smile, you shouldn’t worry,” she whispered into the night. “It can’t possibly be worse than what I’ve already seen.”
Shaking her head, Taja felt silly talking to someone who wasn’t there. As she lay down, her mind continued to focus on the man. Before she drifted off to sleep, the young woman had already analyzed his age (between 24 and 26) and developed a backstory for his sad eyes. She hugged her pillow as she imagined him looking at her and thinking of a lost lover.
As the morning dawned, Taja was already up and getting breakfast ready. Her mother still had not woken up, but a quick check showed that the woman was still alive. Taja smiled down at her and adjusted the blanket.
The events of the previous day were almost erased from her memory as Taja headed to work. With only a couple more weeks of suffering to go, she was determined to stay focused so that the stables would be in excellent condition when Braylon returned. The walk was pleasant and the sun was bright as she went to work. It was only after she arrived that Taja realized just how early she was. A few servants were bustling in front of the mansion, indicating that someone was about to leave, but there were no other indications that the rest of the servants were up and about yet.
Taja headed toward the stables thinking she would get to work cleaning up the stalls of the horses currently being prepared to go out. It was the best time to make sure things were done properly. To her surprise, the horses being taken were ones who did not get to see as much travel, which meant that the young master was going out that day.
With a smile on her face, she immediately began to clean out the stalls. It was very likely she would be able to wrap the whole thing up before Damaris got up, and that meant he would be put in a very good mood. Of course, he loved to be the one to give orders, but any time he didn’t have to work meant he could get additional sleep or play cards with some of the guards. It also meant that he would probably pay her back by putting others on the worst jobs. Not that she minded them, but the other stable hands were never kind to her. If she could avoid them, it was certainly her preference.
Taja was finishing up cleaning the last stable when she heard the gate close. Her head immediately turned to see Semaj walking toward her.
“Ah, a little alone time.” The boy was grinning wickedly at her.
Hoping she would be able to keep the situation from escalating, the young woman tried to act like he was there to help. “Oh, good morning, Semaj. I was hoping to get a little help. See? I can’t quite reach this.” She stood on her toes and stretched out her hand toward one of the hooks with riding tools. “Could you please-”
His hand closed around hers and brought it down as he pushed his body against her back. Semaj moaned. He lowered his face so it was beside her ear. “Now, isn’t this better?”
Trying to laugh it off, Taja pulled away, “Oh Semaj, the young women must love you. Come on and help me finish so that you can go find-”
He grabbed her wrists and pressed her against the barn wall. “I’ve found the one I want.” Semaj lowered his face to kiss her. Taja turned her face away and easily slipped out of his clumsy grasp. Moving as quickly as she could, the young woman was almost to the gate when he grabbed her waist. She let out a gasp as his fingers dug into her skin.
Suddenly, Damaris appeared at the gate. His eyes took in the scene in front of him. “Are you two messing around on my time?”
Taja shook her head and opened her mouth to talk, but Semaj was quicker. “No, sir. We just finished cleaning the stalls and thought it was time for a quick reward.”
Taja began to shake her head violently, but Damaris took that as a sign that she was too shy. “Well, make it quick. There are plenty of other things that need doing.” His eyes looked around the stable, back at them, then he left.
“Sir! Dama-” Taja tried to call out, but a grimy hand went over her mouth. Semaj’s other hand pulled her against him.
“There, there, now. You heard the man. Let’s make this fast.”
Taja’s hands went out to the only thing within reach. Taking hold of the shovel she had been using to muck out the stall, she brought it up and hit the man in the face. He immediately released her and yelped in pain.
Dropping the shovel, Taja darted out of the stall and ran out of the barn as Semaj began to yell. Damaris appeared in front of her as she ran. His massive hand reached out and grabbed her. “And just what do you think you are doing? The work isn’t done, but you think you can turn your quickie into something more?” His face leered at her. “And what is all of this howling about?”
The large man pulled the young woman behind him as he went to see what had happened.
Blood was pouring from Semaj’s nose as he yowled in the stall.
“What is going on here?” He demanded, looking between them. “I will not have lovers’ tiffs on my time.”
Semaj pointed a finger at Taja. “She hit me with a shovel! That bitch just reached up and smacked me with it. Then she tried to run off with my money. But I held onto it!” He picked up money that had fallen out of her pocket – the money that she had left over after her chores the day before. She had planned to use that this evening to buy dinner for her and her mother.
“I told you not to, but you wouldn’t listen! And that is my money! It was left over after-”
“It was not! You were trying to make me pay for it, and then when I refused, you grabbed it and hit me!”
Damaris grabbed her by the back of her shirt, not even caring that Semaj wasn’t giving a consistent story. “Oh, ho ho! So you finally show your true colors, eh? Trying to get it where you can? Well, the law is going to hear about this.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” She tried to get out of his grasp as men came running into the barn.
“You hit me in the face with a shovel!” Semaj cried. “That’s something very wrong!”
It didn’t take long before the police arrived. By then Damaris had clearly sided with Semaj, saying he saw the whole thing and that she had tried to steal from the poor boy. Given her history, the cops did not even wait to listen as she pleaded with them. They asked the stable hand and the acting master to come with them to get statements while they put the dangerous woman someplace where she could not harm anyone.
“I can’t go with you!” Damaris responded. “Someone has to take care of the stable, and there ain’t no one I can leave to do it.”
“Sir,” one of the officers said, “we need you to come with us to make sure she is properly charged. I understand you are concerned, but we will keep it as short as possible.”
Damaris stepped toward Taja and struck her hard across the face. “Look at what you are doing to me! First you distract my boy from his cleaning. Then you get the law in here. I should have fired you as soon as I took over.”
The officers took Taja, each holding onto one of her arms.
As he followed behind them, Semaj spoke up, “You had better hold her good. That girl is slippery and will hurt you as soon as look at you.”
There was no response from the officers or Taja. She wanted to run away, to go to the mansion and ask for one of the men. They knew about what she had been through. One had even offered to help if she had trouble with Semaj.
“We need to talk to the staff. They can tell you,” her face turned toward one of the officers. “Semaj has been after me for a while. One of them said to come to him if the boy didn’t stop. He can tell you.” Her eyes were pleading.
The officer looking at her seemed inclined to do as she asked, but the other tightened his hold on her. “I’ve no doubt you’ve found a way to charm him into doing what you want. Get the men on the inside to take care of you so that you can do whatever you like.” He looked down at her as she turned her eyes on him. “No, I think we have everything we need right here. Not only is it obvious you hit the poor kid, we have someone who saw you do it. No one inside saw what happened, as the two gentlemen who were here a bit ago said. We don’t need any o
f your protectors to muddle this with fake alibis. No, we don’t.” He pulled her along. “Now let’s get you where you belong.”
Chapter 4
In Despair, Hope
Taja looked through the bars of the cells. She had placed her body in the only place where the water dripping from the ceiling and walls wouldn’t reach her. The puddle on the other side of the cell took up nearly half of the space, making it difficult to get on the bed. Not that she would have slept, even if the bed had been dry.
Her eyes stared out of the window into the cloudy sky. It was night now, two days before her birthday, and she had no idea what was in her future. A tear ran down her cheek as she remembered what had happened just the day before. How the stranger had taken care of her and asked for nothing in return. How she had hoped that things may turn out alright in the end. It had been nothing more than that. Hope.
Her eyes followed a dark figure as it moved across the courtyard and headed toward the palace. Something looked familiar about it. Standing up and focusing on the figure, Taja realized it was the stranger from yesterday. She moved to the bars leading outside and watched his movements. His steps were certain as he headed to the palace door. It was dark, but there was no doubt about who it was. She had never seen anyone with such a gait before, more like a tame animal than a noble man. The way he moved was too graceful and effortless to be that of a normal person.
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