Rain Glade (10 page)

Fancy frowned. “So you have no one to care
for you?”

Rain shook her head.

“I don’t know whether to feel sorry for you,
or jealous of your freedom.” Fancy rubbed her chin in thought.

Rain shrugged. She didn’t know either.

“Let me take that chime. I know exactly where
to hang it.” She plucked the feathered chime out of Rain’s hand and
moved to the front of the store. “You put the other one away and
then we’ll put you in the dress.”

Rain put the chime back and then grabbed the
three coppers from her pouch. When Fancy came back, Rain handed the
coppers to her.

“I feel bad for taking these, but I
have
to.” Fancy clenched them in her fist, a rueful
expression on her face.

“I don’t mind.” Rain really didn’t. She had
been staring at the coppers nearly every day, but they did nothing
for her. They were worn bits of metal a peasant girl shouldn’t
have.

Fancy put the coppers in a pouch on her belt,
and then she grabbed a candle and Rain’s hand, leading her into a
back room. More clothes were on racks and cloth on shelves in the
dark, musty room. “This is where we keep extra supplies.” Fancy set
the candle on a small table in the middle of the room and grabbed a
dress off the rack.

Rain gasped. Even in the candlelight, she
could see the colors dyed into the white cloth. Blues, greens and
yellows swirled throughout the simple material. “It’s so
beautiful.”

Fancy smiled. “I think so too, but Lady
Greffen didn’t like it for her daughter Relya. They said it was
messy and much too colorful for a proper lady.” Fancy made a
disgusted noise. “They told everyone in town and now I’m laughed at
for it. The only reason anyone still comes to me for clothing is
because there is no one else capable of making the quality that I
can.”

“I’m sorry they were mean to you. The dress
is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.” Rain traced one of the
swirls with her fingertips. “Do I
really
get to keep
it?”

Fancy beamed at the compliment. “You are now
my best friend ever. Yes, you
really
get to keep it. Now get
out of those rags so I can put this on you.” Rain stripped, only to
hear Fancy gasp. “You have a tattoo!” Fancy leaned down and ran
fingers over the butterfly.

Rain took a step back as the fingers tickled
her. “Verna did it for me. It’s a butterfly.”

“Well I can
see
that it’s a
butterfly.” Fancy straightened. “I’d never be so brave as to get
one. Do you have any others?”

Rain reached down and took off the oiled
bandage covering the flower on her calf. “Verna did this one
yesterday. It’s not healed yet and I need to keep the bandage on so
no one sees it.”

“Wow! I’m so jealous. You said her name is
Verna? Does she live in Cothbern too?” Fancy studied the flower
thoughtfully.

“Outside of it. She doesn’t like people
normally, but I think she’ll do a tattoo for you.”

“I could never be so brave.” Fancy nibbled on
her fingernail. “How much does she charge?”

“I don’t know. We’re friends, and she
insisted on doing these. I didn’t think to ask if she charged
normally.” Rain had never considered whether Verna charged anything
and suddenly felt guilty for not asking.

“Let’s put this dress on. I think it’s long
enough to cover the flower on your calf.” Fancy slipped the dress
over Rain’s head.

Rain inhaled slowly as the feel of the cloth
slid down her body. It was divine, like being touched by a cloud.
The dress settled around her feet, being the perfect length.

“I need to gather it around your waist and
tighten a few of the seams. Come into the main room.” Fancy grabbed
the candle and led the way to her table where she threaded a bone
needle with white thread. “Hold still now. This won’t take
long.”

Rain held her arms out, enjoying the feel of
the cloth and the tugging of the material as Fancy sewed. The
colors spread down sleeves that reached past her wrists.

“You’re crying!” Fancy stood and took Rain’s
cheeks in her hands. “Did I poke you with the needle?”

“No,” Rain whispered. She could feel the
tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m just happy. It feels wonderful
and the colors are so pretty.”

“Then I’m glad I made it.” Fancy smiled and
used her thumbs to wipe away Rain’s tears.

A young boy, soaked from the downpour, rushed
in the door. “They’re back!”

“Who’s back, Devin?” Fancy asked. “And don’t
touch any of those clothes with your wet, grubby hands.”

“Lord Greffen! And some of the soldiers are
dead, I think. I saw them draped over the horses. They headed to
the castle.”

“NO!” Rain screamed as she ran past Devin and
out the door.

***

The dress was instantly soaked, but Rain
didn’t care. She lifted it around her thighs and ran through the
streets. The gate at the wall was untended. Rain passed others who
were headed to see what had happened. It wasn’t hard to figure out
which way to go because the castle rose above the town.

The cobbled streets inside the wall hurt
Rain’s feet, but didn’t slow her down. She
had
to know
Jacob’s fate. At the castle gate, she had to slow down because of
all the people packing in. People cursed her as she pushed through
the crowd in the yard. A few pushed back, but she ignored them.
Finally, she was in front. A man behind her called her a name she
didn’t understand, but Rain ignored that as well.

A grizzled soldier stepped on a covered,
wooden platform. His red leather uniform was muddy and spotted. He
had touches of grey in his black hair and beard. He held up his
hands to quiet the crowd. “You all want to know what happened. I’ll
keep it short so you don’t have to stay in this miserable weather.
Lord Greffen met with Lord Bullot two days ago. Words were
exchanged and Lord Bullot stabbed Lord Greffen with a dagger.”

Gasps of shock and horror rang out from the
crowded courtyard.

The soldier held a hand up for silence.
“While Lord Greffen
will
recover, it was a cowardly act. In
an attempt to get Lord Greffen out, three of our men died.”

“Who?” yelled voices from the crowd.

The soldier listed the names, using their
father’s profession as a last name. “The men killed were Herm
Farmer, Albin Smith and Jacob Miner.”

Rain fell to her knees, dirtying her new
dress. “No, Jacob. You promised,” she whispered.

The soldier held his hand up again at the
cries from the people who knew other deceased. “Rest assured that
our lord will have his vengeance. The bodies of the men will be
available in the morning for proper burial. Until then, get you to
your homes and be safe.” With that, the soldier left the platform
and headed inside.

The crowd filtered out of the yard. A few
people noticed the crying woman who wore a pretty, if drenched, new
dress. They touched her shoulder sympathetically before going on
their way.

Rain didn’t notice the contact or the people.
All she could think about was Jacob: his smile, his touch, his
voice and the absolute emptiness of her life without him in it.

***

When Rain looked up, she didn’t know how much
time had passed. The courtyard was empty and the only light was
from torches by the main door and inside the entry into the yard.
The moons barely made the clouds glow and provided no real light to
see by. Rain’s tears mingled with her namesake. Brushing arms
across her cheek to wipe them away was a futile gesture.

She stood and looked around. Her dress clung
to her body in a wet mess and she couldn’t stop shivering. Wrapping
her arms around herself, she headed toward the castle.

The main doors were shut against the weather.
Rain didn’t think they’d let her in anyway. She walked around the
side, hoping for another entrance. The building and the wall came
close to each other, making an alley along the side. Then it opened
into the stables.

A few torches lit the stable yard, but there
were no people. One of the torches was by a castle door with rusted
iron brackets and an awning to keep the steps dry. Rain climbed the
five steps and tried the handle. To her surprise, it opened. With
another glance around the yard, she slipped through the
doorway.

More torches lit the cold hall, but they were
far enough apart that shadows covered most of the space. Rain tried
to wipe away the tears once more, but her sleeve was soaked and
they weren’t stopping anyway. A shadow reached out and tried to
help, but Rain realized it was probably just her imagination.

She moved down the hall until she heard
voices. The aroma of cooking food wafted through the air. Rain
wasn’t hungry, though her stomach rumbled in disagreement. She
stopped at the open door and listened.

The words were faint but she could hear women
talking. A high-pitched voice said, “If Lord Greffen doesn’t
recover from the injury, his son will take over. I can’t imagine
what it will be like around here with his sniveling.”

A lower voice with a crack of age to it said,
“Don’t you be talking like that. You can be hung for criticizing
their lordships and I’ll not have any of that in my kitchen.”

“Yes, Cook,” the first woman said in contrite
tones. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Just you watch your mouth. That’s all. Now
get back to work.”

“Yes, Cook.”

Rain heard footsteps coming her way, so she
hid behind a tall table with a statue on it. No one came out of the
door after a moment, so she snuck past and continued exploring.
Tears continued to flow uncontrollably down her cheeks.

The hall ended in an open chamber. The air
was even colder and Rain shivered. She peeked from the shadows and
saw a soldier standing with his arms crossed in front of him and
his head hanging. On the floor at his feet lay three cloth-covered
figures. Rain bit down on her fist to keep from screaming in
despair, but a whimper escaped her lips.

The soldier’s head rose and a hand went to
the hilt of his sword. “Who’s there? Show yourself.”

Rain froze as the soldier began turning in
her direction.

“Sarge?” another voice said, coming from the
hallway opposite Rain.

The sergeant straightened and took his hand
off his hilt. “Oh. It’s only you, Tom. You startled me.”

“We’re all a bit jumpy, Sarge. The captain
wants to see you right away.” The new soldier thumped a fist to his
chest in salute.

“Alright, Tom. Let’s go.” The sergeant put a
hand on the other soldier’s back and they walked away.

Rain moved toward the figure she thought was
Jacob. She was terrified to move the cloth to find out, but had to
know. Rain crouched and lifted the canvas. A sob burst forth at the
sight of Jacob’s peaceful face. She dropped the canvas and covered
her mouth while looking to see if anyone noticed.

Double doors were set into the exterior wall,
likely leading outside. She didn’t want to be found, so Rain lifted
the canvas and kissed Jacob’s cold cheek, leaving tears behind.
Then she went to the doors. Again, she was surprised that they
opened. Rain slipped through one and studied the surroundings. She
was on the other side of the stables from the door she had used to
enter the castle. The yard was still empty of people.

An untended horse nickered nearby. It was
miserable standing in the downpour next to the steps. An idea
occurred to Rain. In the past, she had helped care for Farmer
Tann’s horse in Cothbern, so she knew how to handle one. The horse
pushed its head against her when she came near. She petted it for a
moment.

Looking around, Rain saw that no one was
near. She guided the horse so that it was sideways next to the
steps, then she told it to stay, not caring that her plan would get
her executed if anyone caught her. Rain opened one of the doors and
went to Jacob’s body. With all her strength, she rolled him over
and got a shoulder underneath him. It took everything she had to
stand with his weight, but desperation coupled with a lifetime of
toil carried her through the door and to the horse.

Somehow, she slung Jacob’s body in front of
the saddle. A rope was attached to the saddlebags and she used it
to secure him as best she could. Rain whispered apologies between
sobs. When she thought he would stay on, she pulled herself into
the saddle.

Rain didn’t want to go through the front
gate, so she rode the horse around the yard until she found another
entrance behind the stables. The gate was up and it was unguarded,
allowing her to slip through without notice.

Once she reached the outskirts of town, Rain
kicked the sides of the horse. She took one last look over her
shoulder at the town of Seyten. Its dim lights disappeared into the
gloomy storm as she galloped away.

***

Rain rode with her lover in front of her. For
the first time in her life, she understood the appeal of her
namesake hiding tears, for they never stopped flowing. Rain
wanted
them to stop, but they refused.

The journey was surprisingly fast. Rain rode
through the hills behind the village and turned when she reached
the creek. She was sore from riding, but didn’t take notice. Before
long, she reached the pool where she bathed. A strangled sob burst
from her chest as she remembered the first time Jacob had talked to
her.

The rest of the ride was a blur. When she
came to the tunnel, Rain dismounted and led the horse to the tree
where she and Jacob always sat. Searching through the saddlebags,
she found a small shovel. It took a long time to dig a hole large
enough, but Rain was determined Jacob should receive a proper
burial. By the time she finished digging, her beautiful dress was
covered in mud and grass stains.

The ropes were waterlogged and difficult to
undo. Rain persisted and eventually pulled Jacob down into the
grave as gently as possible. When he was down, she took off his
sword and attached it to the saddlebags. Then she smacked the horse
on the rump and watched as it ran out of the glade.