Zypheria's Call (A Tanyth Fairport Adventure) Page 6

  “You got a hat?” Tanyth asked.

  “Yes’m, a wide brimmed one and a kerchief to hide my neck.”

  Tanyth made a little twirling motion with her fingers and Rebecca twirled slowly around again.

  “That vest does a good job hiding your chest,” Tanyth said.

  “Well, I learned that from you, mum.”

  Tanyth’s eyes widened in surprise. “From me?”

  “Yes’m. You wrap your chest when you’re travelin’, don’t ya?” Rebecca cast her eyes down and gave a little shrug. “I noticed when you were cut up.”

  Tanyth nodded her head slowly in approval. It was a habit she’d fallen out of since the run in with Birchwood, but it was one she’d need to start again.

  “The vest hides her hips,” Amber said with a smile.

  Tanyth blinked and looked again.

  “Slip your vest off, Becca,” Sarah said.

  With a grin, Rebecca slid the deer hide off her shoulders and did another little twirl. Even the bulky shirt and homespun trousers couldn’t disguise the very feminine roundness of the young woman’s hips and backside. Rebecca put the vest back on and Tanyth noticed that it fell just far enough to mask the top edge of the curve and making her seem much more masculine.

  “My face is still too clean, but a little soot and dirt on the sides...” Rebecca scrubbed at the edges of her cheeks, “and it’ll look more realistic.”

  Tanyth squinted her eyes a bit and nodded again. “Yeah. A few days on the road and you’ll look grubby enough. You’re still lookin’ too young to be my son, but you could be my grandson.” She smiled. “You still lookin’ forward to the trip?”

  “More’n ever, mum.” Rebecca’s face brightened. “I’ve packed up what I’ve got that nobody else wants and I’ll leave a trunk with my auntie in Kleesport. I’ve got a rucksack and bedroll and all my gear fits in it.”

  Tanyth grinned. “Yeah, I heard you were practicin’ with Thomas...” she said.

  Rebecca shot an angry look at Amber.

  “Yep,” Amber put in quickly. “We happened to mention you were practicing your fire makin’ and such so you’d be ready for the road.”

  Rebecca nodded. “Oh, yeah. Right. He’s real helpful on packin’ and unpackin’. What to put on the bottom of the pack and all.”

  Tanyth hid the grin behind her mug and sipped the cooling tea. “Per’aps you’d like to come help me pack, then,” she said. “Might be you learned a trick or two I haven’t stumbled on.”

  Rebecca blinked a couple of times but surprised Tanyth by nodding agreement. “I’d be happy to, mum, if you think I can help.”

  “Dinner’s still a couple hours away, mum,” Amber said. “There’s time if you wanna. Save some time in the morning.”

  Sadie gave her a knowing smirk. “And you’ll prob’ly be too busy after dinner to do much. Now’d be a good time.”

  Her curiosity piqued, Tanyth finished off the last of her tea and stood. “All right. Let’s do that.”

  Rebecca led the way out of the kitchen, back through the common room, and out of the inn.

  “You’ll be fine as long as you’re standin’ still, I think,” Tanyth said following the younger woman down the steps.

  Rebecca glanced over her shoulder. “Standin’ still?”

  Tanyth smiled. “You’ll need to practice walkin’ without the wiggle.”

  Rebecca colored. “Oh, mum,...”

  Tanyth laughed. “It’s all right, my dear. We’ll have plenty of time to practice and after the first twenty miles, you’ll have it under control, I’m sure.”

  “True enough,” Rebecca said.

  Tanyth nodded to herself. The threat of miles hadn’t bothered the woman. Perhaps it would work out after all. A lot would get settled by the time they got to Kleesport.

  “What’ll I call you on the road, mum?” Rebecca asked as they crunched their way across the newly laid gravel.

  “Call me?” Tanyth’s mind went blank.

  “Yes’m. I can’t call you ‘mum’ or people will know.”

  Tanyth snorted. “You don’t think people will know as soon as you speak?”

  Rebecca grinned and shook her head. “No, mum. I’m pretty sure they won’t.” The husky tenor voice that came so naturally from Rebecca’s mouth could have come from any young man. “I’ve been practicin’.”

  Tanyth laughed then from the sheer surprise of it. “You’ll have to do the talkin’ for us both then,” she said. “I’ve never been able to do much with my voice.”

  Rebecca grinned. “The boys from the quarry think it’s pretty funny. I just mimic Jakey. It comes out like this.”

  Tanyth caught a hint of the gruff supervisor’s tone in her voice. “But you don’t sound that much like him. You sound like one of the quarrymen trying to imitate him, and badly.”

  Rebecca’s eyes twinkled. “Yes, mum. One of the quarrymen.”

  Tanyth lifted her face to the sky and her laughter echoed around the huts. “Indeed you do, my dear. Indeed, you do.”

  Tanyth slipped the latch and led the way out of the fading afternoon sun and into the cool dimness of the hut. She had arrayed her traveling gear on the table and around the hearth. Clothing lay folded on the bed. She turned to Rebecca. “Well? What did you learn about packin’?”

  “Heavy on the bottom,” she said. “Light on the top. Stuff you need fast on the outside.” Rebecca cast her eyes over the array of goods scattered about the hut. “You’re going to carry all that, mum?”

  Tanyth shook her head. “Not all of it. Some is staying here in the storage room for others to use.” She waved a hand at the table. “All that, and everything that’s set along the edge of the hearth. That pile of small clothes, and this pile of outer wear,” she said, pointing out the goods. “The rest I’ll leave.”

  Rebecca’s eyes narrowed as she looked around the hut. “You’re leavin’ the teapot?”

  “Yeah. China is heavy and it can break. On the road we’ll just brew tea in the kettle.” Tanyth pulled her battered rucksack off its peg and held it up for Rebecca to see. “What do I put in first?”

  “What’s heaviest, mum?”

  Tanyth gave a little nod of approval and crossed to the table. “This.” She hefted a canvas wrapped bundle about a foot long, half a foot wide, and nearly four inches tall.

  “What’s that, mum?”

  “Notes. Pressed leaves. All the things I’ve collected over the last twenty odd winters on the road.”

  Rebecca frowned. “Twenty winters, mum? In that?”

  Tanyth held it out in one hand and Rebecca took it, her two hands drooping from the weight. “Lord and Lady, mum, you’re gonna lug that around with you?”

  Tanyth grinned. “Been carryin’ it all this way. Can’t see any good reason to stop now.”

  “Can I look?” Rebecca asked.

  Tanyth held out her hand. “Not much to see, but sure. A quick peek before it goes into the bag won’t hurt.”

  Rebecca handed the bundle back and, with the younger woman’s help, Tanyth gently unfolded the canvas wrapping. As the stained covering opened, it revealed bundles of papers bound in leather thongs. Each individual bundle looked much like the next. Small, neat lettering covered each page. As she flipped through the bundles, Tanyth displayed small sketches, the occasional pressed sample, and even pages written in an obviously different hand.

  “I suppose I should sort through this and see what’s there,” Tanyth said, “but there’ll be plenty of time for that when I get where I’m goin’.”

  Rebecca shook her head. “That’s a lot of stuff, mum.”

  Tanyth nodded. “When I get done travelin’, I’m gonna write a book. Fill in all the stuff I learned about herbs and medicinals. Make it so other people can learn without havin’ to spend twenty-odd winters to find out.”

  “When’ll that be, mum?”

  “Gertie Pinecrest is the last. I’ve visited all the others.”

  Outside the raven called rauc
ously.

  “If I don’t go mad first,” Tanyth added.

  Rebecca gave her a quick hug. “You’re not goin’ mad, mum. You’ve gotta be one of the sanest people I know.”

  Tanyth pressed her cheek against the younger woman’s hair. “I hope so,” she said. “I surely do.”

  Rebecca pulled back. “All right, then. Let’s see. Pack that bundle on the bottom?”

  Tanyth nodded, immersing herself in the mundane tasks of getting ready for the road after months of habitation. The activity didn’t completely distract her from the raven’s intermittent calling, but it helped.

  Chapter Seven:

  Departure

  Tanyth stood at the foot of the short stair and opened the door to let in the morning light. The cot stood naked along the back wall, the bedroll lashed to the bottom of her pack once more. The hearth wasn’t cold yet, but the ashes had been brushed back against the stonework and only a few glowing coals continued to smolder. The china rested on the mantel board along with the single oil lamp, its glass chimney finding the gray dawn and reflecting it. Beside it, a small white china teapot glowed against the dark stone of the fireplace. The table stood cleared. All her worldly possessions had gone into the pack or been scattered around the many pockets of her trousers.

  In spite of herself, she sighed. She pulled her coat on, draping it over her left shoulder and slipping her free arm down the right sleeve before shrugging it into place. “You’re lucky your shirts are cut so full in the sleeve, old woman,” she muttered. A couple of tugs settled the coat around her. With a single smooth movement and a small grunt, she heaved the pack up onto the door-sill one-handed. Her hat came off its peg for the last time and onto her head. Grabbing the staff in her free hand, she levered herself up and out of the hut.

  As she was trying to work out the mechanics of carrying pack and staff at once with only one hand, a man’s voice said, “I’ll get that, mum.” Thomas leaned down to grab her pack and hooked it over one shoulder. “You’ll have plenty of time to carry it when you get on the road.”

  “Thank you, Thomas, but you didn’t need to worry about that.”

  He started walking toward the inn and simply shook his head. “No, mum, but I want to.” He cast a glance at her and stopped. “You comin’? Sadie and Amber got breakfast ready. You got time to eat before Frank finishes with the team.”

  She latched the door and nodded. “I hope they made enough. I’m hungry as a bear in springtime this morning.”

  Thomas’ peal of laughter echoed off the front of the inn. “I think you’ll be able to find a stray crust or two if you ask nicely,” he said. “Per’aps a half a mug ’o tea as well.”

  Tanyth huffed a quiet laugh of her own. “Well, we’ll just have to make do.”

  When they stepped into the common room, Tanyth wasn’t at all surprised to find the whole village, except Frank and William, gathered around the long table. Tanyth found a place near the hearth and was soon elbow deep in hot tea, honeyed bread, and a bowl of oatmeal flavored with apples, currants and raisins.

  The village had started eating a communal breakfast as soon as the inn’s dining room had been completed. Amber and Sadie found themselves surrounded by plenty of help in the kitchen and seemed to enjoy the hubbub that nearly twenty adults and children could make while still waking up in the morning.

  Tanyth found herself sitting a bit back from the festivities, watching the homey meal unfold. Rough quarrymen helping young children with over-sized utensils. Some of the older children with their heads together at one corner of the wide table, furtive glances toward adults hinting at mischief in the making. Amber and William’s boy, Riley, appeared to be the ringleader, as always. Jakey’s dog snaked through under the table, looking for scraps, drops, and hand-outs—all readily available.

  Amber took a break from hostess duty to pull up a stool. She did a quick survey of her own before turning a sad smile toward Tanyth. “Not gonna be the same without you, mum.”

  Tanyth sniffed and leaned over to the younger woman. “Don’t you start on me. You know I can’t stay, much as I’d like to.” She tried to sound gruff.

  Amber tapped a fingernail against Tanyth’s cast. “You can bluster all you want, mum. And I know you can’t stay.” She slipped an arm around Tanyth’s shoulders and pressed their cheeks together. “There’ll always be a place for you here, mum,” she whispered.

  Tanyth returned the hug as best she could with only one arm and while seated. “Thank you, my dear,” she murmured. “Thank you.” Her throat closed up then and she couldn’t say anything more.

  Amber released her grip and sat back, her smile no happier, but a look of understanding on her face. Without another word she stood and headed for the kitchen again.

  Before she could reach the door, Frank opened it from the other side and stepped into the common room. His eyes found hers almost immediately and he gave a quick nod.

  “You still here, Frank?” Jakey shouted. “I thought you’d be halfway to Foxrun by now.”

  “Daylight’s burnin’ right enough, but I’m not leavin’ without a full load.”

  With much good natured jeering and cat-calling, Tanyth soon found herself clambering up on the wagon seat, her pack and staff stowed close at hand in the bed of the lorry. She turned to look at the sea of faces smiling up at her, some with tears coursing down suntanned cheeks. She scanned the crowd and smiled back, feeling self-conscious with all the attention. Her free hand tugged at the sling as if to assure her that it was still there.

  She twisted around in the seat looking for Frank and found him working his way through the small gathering with William, Amber, Sadie, and Thomas in tow.

  Jakey grabbed Frank’s arm and they put their heads together. William stepped up beside the big wheel and leaned over toward her, Amber and Sadie right behind.

  “So, you’re ready to go?” he asked. “We haven’t convinced you to stay?”

  She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

  He gave her a wistful looking smile. “I understand, mum. You’re on a strange road, to be sure, but it’s your road to walk, right enough.”

  Tanyth felt touched by the understanding look in his eyes. She knew he’d had to make some of those decisions himself when they started the village that would become Ravenwood. It couldn’t have been easy to leave friends and family behind and strike off to carve a life out of wilderness.

  He shared a look with his wife before reaching into his pocket and pulling out an envelope. “Here, mum. This is for you.” He held the envelope out to her. A bit of red wax and an ornate seal featuring a sailing ship and a tree sealed the flap.

  She took it and saw it was addressed to a “George Pendelton, Esq.” She looked down at him with a question on her lips.

  “George is our factor. He’s at the Royal Bank in Kleesport. Frank knows him and can show you the way,” William offered by way of explanation.

  “But what is it?” Tanyth asked.

  “It’s a draft on the village account, mum. Should be enough to get you a ticket to North Haven with a bit left over for some supplies and such,” he said.

  She started to give it back, but Amber reached up and blocked her hand. “No, mum. This is something from the whole village. We all want you to have it.”

  “But you can’t—” she started to say.

  “Mother Fairport?” William interrupted. “You gave us this.” He spread his arms out to encompass the inn. “You and your visions saved us from Dandy Andy and his gang.”

  She started to protest but he cut her off again.

  “You did, mum, much as you try to deny it.” His eyes dropped to her chest for a moment before looking back at her face. “You bled for us, mum, and you nearly died protectin’ us. That’s just a bit of something to help you along the road. It’s not a lot and we have it to spare. Please, mum. Take it along with our thanks and the promise that you always got a home here.”

  Tanyth looked from face to face, eac
h earnest smile telling her volumes. She looked at the envelope once more and pulled her hand back. “Thank you, all,” she said before her throat closed up again.

  William gave a small cough and nodded. “I’ll just go give Frank a hand with the team.” He gave Amber another peck on the cheek before joining Frank and Jakey.

  Tanyth looked at the envelope and at the earnest faces peering up at her.

  “Please, mum,” Amber said. “Take it. The village can certainly afford it and you’ve given us so much.”

  Tanyth tucked the envelope into her tunic. “Thank you,” she said. She swallowed and looked around at all the faces smiling up at her. “All of you.”

  Leaving Jakey, Frank walked around the team—up one side and down the other, speaking softly to each animal in turn, giving each a pat on the neck or a smoothing stroke down the croup, checking each buckle and shackle of the harness as he passed.

  When he made it all the way around he turned to William. “Looks like we’re ready, bossman.” He stuck out his hand.

  William shook it. “Take it easy, ole timer. We need them horses back safe and sound.”

  Amber handed Frank a folded pack of paper. “Shoppin’ list. No gingerbread this time,” she said and leaned in to give Frank a peck on the cheek. “Come back safe.”

  He smiled and nodded. “I’ll do my best,” he said. He nodded at Tanyth, “She’ll protect me at least on the ride into town.”

  Tanyth couldn’t think of anybody who needed less protecting than Frank Crane, but she laughed along with the villagers.

  With a heave and grunt, Frank climbed up beside her and took his seat, a foot on the brake lever and gathering the broad leather ribbons that guided the team. He looked to her with a boyish grin. “You finally ready?”

  She laughed in spite of the weight in her heart and looked around. “Where’s Rebecca?”

  “You mean Robert?” Frank asked, a quizzical expression on his face.

  “Robert? No, Re—”

  Her words cut off as a figure carved through the small group gathered around the wagon. Rebecca in her full kit strode around the side of the wagon and slung her pack over the low sideboards before vaulting aboard. She stood there, leaning against one of the clay barrels, hip-shot and grinning. Tanyth saw the pommel of a dagger gleaming under the edge of the woman’s vest. A quiver full of arrows hung on her back and she carried a bow slung over her shoulder.