laneys.info Beware of Yankees, drunks, and loose women.

Kailee awoke the next morning to the sounds of cooing pigeons on the window sill, activity downstairs and Tia's gentle breathing. She had noticed how inundated her senses had become since being freed from her cell and enjoyed the discoveries. As she concentrated, her nose followed the familiar cooking fire from the hearth which took her back to Anush's cave each day. She never understood why he wasted meat the way he did but, he always stated that normal people ate that way.

Quietly, she rose and tried not to wake her new sister who had stayed up late the previous night getting caught up with her mother who she apparently hadn't seen in some months. Kailee just admired that Tia knew her mother as she pulled the quilt back up over the now empty space and got dressed. She padded to the laquered oak door and slowly pulled it open and crept out into the hallway lit by a high, narrow window at the end of the short corridor.

"Where are you sneaking off to," Avion asked from the stairway as she approached.

"I didn't want to wake Tia," she explained as she closed the door.

Avion nodded and glanced towards their friends bedroom. "How did you know about the leather piece?" She asked, motioning to her breast.

"I could smell it."

"Smell? I guess all that time in the forest attuned your senses quite well." Her eyes sank.

"I'm sorry if I revealed something you didn't want anyone else to know."

Dimly glinting in the morning light, Avion's short auburn hair framed her olive complexion and blue eyes quite well. Had Kailee not known better, she would've mistaken the gypsy for a young boy.

"What else has your senses told you?" Avion quietly asked. "About me, I mean."

"I know that your diet has changed within the past few months and that you're in the time of women right now."

Avion's eyes went wide as she backed. "How's that possible? I'm not a girl."

Kailee's brow furrowed as she studied her subject. "Boys don't go through that, Anush said so." Kailee knew that Avion wasn't as she was and therefore couldn't be exempt from nature. "You haven't told them, have you? Don't worry, I won't say anything." Her list of secrets was growing.

"While we're on the subject, why don't you eat Lericanin's cooking?"

"I feed from deer when I first kill them. Anush said that fresh was best and that he knew many people who got diseases from allowing meat to sit too long. When I hunted once a week the kill usually went to Anush and the wolves."

"Why's that? No one can survive on only one meal a week," Avion became more defensive.

Kailee smiled. "Avion, have I given you any reason not to trust me? All of you saved me from that mob and I owe you my life. I wouldn't dream of hurting any of you."

Avion nodded but she could tell that it would take a while for them to trust her. "How's Elsea feeling," Kailee asked.

"She's not doing well right now. She's burning up and has complained of stomach cramps. I thought that we could go into town and get some herbs to help."

"Should I get Tia up?"

Avion bit her lip," We probably should wake everyone."

Soon the group congregated in the barn as Alister prepared the wagon for departure. During the short ride into the town, Kailee gathered up all she could of the surroundings as they passed: cooking fires, flowers growing in the spring morning along the road and near the farms, fresh bread, soups and molasses cooking in hearths, people working in the fields and their pets and children playing in the neighboring woods as they shirked their chores as birds sang praises to a new day.

"Can you feel that," she asked Tia as they approached the western gate.

"What?"

Kailee motioned to the surrounding blue sky, green forest and the cacophany of life as a perpetual smile creased her young face.

Tia chuckled. "No, but it seems you're doing enough for all of us."

Kailee turned and sat on the bench seat and faced Avion. "It's a shame that I can't share this with you." Her enthusiasm quickly waned as they entered the town and her eyes caught sight of Vicar Bakur as he picked through a woman's basket, then sent her on her way with an arrogant wave.
They turned left to traverse one of the main thoroughfares until stopping in front of a boisterous tavern. Garbage, sewage and body odor was now accented with alcohol and tobacco smoke which nearly made her sick.

"Welcome to the joys of civilization," Tia joked as they unloaded out of the back of the wagon and headed inside. Kailee renewed her grip on her friends hand as they entered the darkened room filled with armed men in uniform colors who now appreciated the scenery as the girls passed.

"I wonder what's going on," Alister, the usually silent fighter asked as they finally found a place to sit.

"Probably mustering for the march south," Lericanin mused as he studied their surroundings. "I've heard that Zariva is calling for reinforcements."

"What's going on there," Kailee queried.

"Orc raids on farms and mills on the frontier is making everyone nervous. I was talking to one of the guards at your mother's estate last night and he mentioned that the king is mobilizing all of the duchies," he informed as he eyed Tia.

"You feeling left out," Avion asked the veteran of the army of Kecel, another southern duchy.

"A bit, yes. But, I swore my life to Elsea's quest and I'm going to see that through."

"Speaking of which," Tia began. "We need to get to the apothecary for those components I need."

Suddenly, an older soldier in platemail entered the front door. "To horse! We are to Zariva, men," he announced and faded back into the daylight as the whole room seemed to rise and filter out into the street, quickly leaving them alone with the innkeeper.

"Alright," Lericanin straightened. "Alister and I are going to hit the market and try to sell the hafts I've made and we'll meet you here after."

Kailee rose with Tia and Avion and they strolled back out into the daylight to see the rear of the column marching through the market and heading to the southern gate. As they neared an alleyway, Tia suddenly was jerked aside by a disheveled thug as his three friends reached for Kailee and Avion. Reacting, she punched the first in the face as she moved to help Tia. Avion wrestled with the other two and kicked one in the groin as she produced a knife from her right sleeve and slashed at the dodging assailant. Anger quickly fueled Kailee's movements as she punched at Tia's kidnapper as her friend tried to free herself, sending him backwards, giving Tia the opportunity to reach for his knife. Kailee turned back to her first target and noticed his eyes go wide. He turned and tried to flee as she reached down, grabbed a broken piece of wood and hurled it at his back, peircing him between the shoulder blades with enough force to send him sprawling into the mud face first. She turned as Avion cut one of the boys across the chest and turn on the second with a spin move as she caught him in the thigh. Screaming, they both hit the ground as Kailee noticed Tia's adversary run for his life.
Her heart pumped and she could feel the urge to tear them limb from limb as the tans and browns turned to red with each breath.

"Are you alright," Tia asked as she neared and stopped. Kailee quickly calmed herself as she noticed wide eyes as both girls went from shades of red and maroon to colorize back to normal.

"I'm fine, are you injured?" Anger quickly turned to concern as she could feel her face flush.

"No," Tia shook her head as they both eyed Avion. "That was some display."

"They shouldn't have jumped us. Next time they'll know better," she eyed the pair that she had fought stumble off into the crowd and disappear.

"We should go, Tia began as three armed men approached and stopped them.

"What goes on here," the sergeant asked as he peered over Kailee's shoulder to the body still lying in the road.

"We were attacked and were forced to defend ourselves," Tia explained.

The older man smirked as he studied them. "You're trying to tell me that two girls and this young man fought off a gang? You sure this wasn't a jealous boyfriend that's now counting on your word to keep him out of the dungeon?"

A worn man stepped out of the crowd and approached, gaining the sergeants attention. "What can I do for you, Adam?"

"I saw the whole thing, sergeant. These three were attacked and fought off Devlin and his brothers who all had knives drawn. They had no choice."

Steel grey eyes studied the witness, then glanced to the body. "And what of him?"

"I did that to defend these children from certain death. This young lady is Tiaonna, daughter of Lady Alysia. I know her ladyship will appreciate your quick responsiveness to this near-tragedy."

"Alright," he eyed Tia and half bowed. "You shouldn't be traveling without some type of escort, milady. These streets can be dangerous."

"Thank you, sir." They watched the militia head to the downed thug as Kailee noticed the witness wink at Tia and then disappear into the crowd.