Chapter Six
"I don't think we should be using him like this," Kane complained sullenly.
"He really doesn't seem to mind," Vevila assured her. "Look at him, he's smiling."
Kane looked up at Kingdom. She relaxed and laughed as she realized his fidgeting was due to wanting to be going, not because of being harnessed to the wagon. She grinned affectionately.
"AW-EE, AW-EE," he bellowed. "AW-EE."
"He's really noisy," Dara mentioned with concern, "maybe we should leave him here after all."
"And walk the length," Alana scoffed. "I don't think so.
"Besides," Kellan added, "they can't hear us on the other side of the wall."
"This wagons too small to be pulled by a pair," Vevila commented. "It's almost too small to be pulled by Kingdom. He's so big."
Indeed, Kingdom looked a little squeezed between the poles, and the harnesses and leathers had to be lengthened.
"It was very nice of Meifen to offer to take care of Button and her baby." Kane mentioned.
"I think he is anxious for us to be going," Kellan frowned. "He knows things."
Vevila layered the bottom of the wagon with all the blankets. It would not only make the ride softer, but would also save space for the otherwise rolled up sleeping gear. Rhoswen loaded up the lunch basket. It was a tight fit when they all sat in the bed of the wagon. There was no way they could all sleep in there.
"I remember when we were all little enough to ride in here—comfortably," Kellan said nostalgically.
"That was a long time ago," Alana commented, looking at the faded red and green paint.
She remembered when papa laughingly brought out the buckboard wagon. He had been building it since the beginning of fall, hoping to have it done by Christmas. He hadn't allowed them anywhere near his workshop.
"Was it a lot smoother then?" Kellan asked. "Or did we just have tougher butts?"
"I think we just had tougher butts," Alana laughed. "It always creaked and groaned when we piled into it. It always jerked us around."
"Yes," Kellan laughed, "it was a lot of fun."
"It's been years since we last took it out," Dara said as she put sweaters and capes into the bed. "Time is a really strange thing."
They had decided to plan for a night out. They didn't have any idea how long this was going to take.
"Did you bring your shoes," Kellan asked staring at Vevila's bare feet.
"Maybe not," Vevila told her with a grim expression.
"You don't have to wear them, but you have to take them," Kellan insisted. "There's no telling what we may run into."
Vevila gave her a scathing look. Kellan returned the look with calm dignity. Vevila sighed and trudged off to get her shoes.
"Do you think the wagon will make it?" Rhoswen asked. "It's been awhile since we were all in it at the same time."
"I think so," Kellan answered. "Mama uses it regularly. Besides it's this or nothing. Aunt Caryn has the good wagon. I personally don't want to wait for her to return, before checking out our situation. Mama and papa would already have checked out the damage."
"I miss Heidi," Kane said softly.
Heidi was her own precious donkey, a special gift when she was six. Her childhood friend Maya, had died that winter of pneumonia, Kane's papa had bought the donkey special for Kane to help her get through that sad time. Heidi wasn't just a donkey, she was a friend. Heidi was the name the girls used to call one of Maya's dolls. The donkey and the doll were nothing alike, but the name Heidi, had comforted the lonely, little six year old.
"She'll be home soon," Kellan assured her.
"Aunt Caryn didn't even ask to use her," Kane said bitterly.
"I know," Kellan told her. "When she gets back we'll make sure she understands that Heidi isn't just a stable mount, that she is special to you."
"What are you doing?" Terah asked fretfully.
"We need to see the affects of the wall and determine our situation," Kellan told her.
"You bunch look like peasant folk—running around in those old clothes, and besides—that's for Caryn and Arlen to decide about," she informed them. "She told you to decipher that mess under the bed. Is it done yet?"
They all stared at her, surprised by her aggressiveness.
"Terah," Kellan said quietly, "the sooner you learn that you are not the boss of us—and never will be—the sooner you'll find some peace here. Caryn is not our mother! She is also not the boss of us!" Kellan looked straight into her eyes. "Understand!"
Terah looked into Kellan's purple flashing eyes and remembered just whom she was talking to. She nodded nervously, and walked back inside the house. Maybe, she wouldn't mention last night's events to Caryn. What had she been thinking! These cousins were those cousins. It had been difficult to realize that these girls were not the same girls who she had played with when they were all children. She got it now, and who could blame them with both their mama and papa dead. She missed Aine, too. She wandered to her room, letting her tears fall.
"Do you think you may have been a little harsh," Alana asked. "She's lonely."
"I know," Kellan said, "but we have a lot of work to do, work that she and Aunt Caryn will not understand. Aunt Caryn is nervous about magic. She is going to try to block it at every opportunity."
"How can she be nervous about something which has been around all her life?" Kane asked scornfully.
"Grandmother Saidie," Dara said sympathetically.
"Oh yeah, there is that," Kane had been six when Grandmother Saidie died, but she could remember feeling fear and uncertainty when in her care. She shivered, imagining being raised by her.
"After that one summer," Dara commented. "Mama never left us alone with her again."
"She wouldn't have then," Alana commented, "if not for the cholera epidemic in the village."
"One time when mama got angry with me," Kellan told them, "she just walked out of the room muttering, not like her—never like her, over and over."
"Grandmother Saidie was mean and cruel," Dara remembered. "I did not cry at her internment."
"No one did," Kellan added.
They hadn't yet settled inside the wagon when Kingdom lost patience and stomped out of the yard.
"Hey!" Alana exclaimed as she was jerked forward.
They started just in front of the house where they had originally discovered the earth rift and headed toward the manor and the village, staying alongside the rift. The ground was mainly rocky with some grassy patches which occasionally pulled against the wheels. Kingdom didn't even seem to notice as he joyfully pulled onward. The wagon bounced along, Rhoswen holding the reins.
Vevila started singing…
"The sisters and I all riding a wild ride,"
"With this beastie of a donkey," Alana sang out,
"all shaggy and high."
"The weirdest eggs I ever did eat," Vevila sang out,
"seem to stay in my stomach, which surprises me much."
"She ate his food without a thought," Alana sang,
"to the little chickadee's that would never get out."
"I left my shoes at home," Vevila sang,
"though my sister warned me not."
"I saw what you had done," Kellan sang,
"you threw the offenders down in the well."
"We will buy you some more," Rhoswen sang and laughed,
"in the village fair."
"Maybe some bright pink pretty's," Kellan added,
"some that sparkle and shine."
"So all the village boys," Dara continued,
"will whisper in awe and swoon."
"For just a smile," Alana sang.
"a smile from the sweet Vevila."
"And the village girls," Rhoswen added,
"who are envious and green."
"Will pull out your old shoes," Kellan sang,
"too mucky to be seen."
"To parade them around," Dara sang,
"like it's some kind of sin."
r /> "To have crappie old shoes," Vevila finished.
"no one would ever justly wear."
"AW-EE, Aw-ee," Kingdom bellowed.
"I wonder what he sang?" Rhoswen pondered.
"Probably how happy he feels," Alana smiled, "The sun is shining, the grass is green, and he's pulling six pretty ladies who can actually sing."
"AW-EEE, AW-EE," he nodded. Kane stood up in the bouncing wagon.
"Hey," Vevila complained when Kane pulled her hair to catch her balance.
"I can see the Manor," Kane told them. "There's not much land between it and the rift."
The rift had lifted the wall higher had given over to a wide gully many fields ago. The gully in back of the manor was even wider yet.
"It will be harder for us to reach the Manor from over here," Kellan observed.
"And harder for anyone there, to get over to here," Alana added.
"Look, it's the Missus McPherson," Vevila said surprised. "I think she can see us."
Indeed Molly McPherson was waving at them from an upstairs window. She then motioned for them to move on and disappeared from view.
Puzzled, they moved on. They had moved to the other side of the Manor when Kingdom suddenly halted. They looked around confused. Kellan clicked for him to move on, but he held fast, his ears cocked forward.
"What's he doing?" Kane asked.
"Waiting for something," Alana explained.
Just then Molly came around the corner and sat down on the edge of the cliff. If anyone was looking, it would appear as if she was just taking a break, looking off toward the ocean.
They climbed out of the wagon to stand in front of her. She was singing. She looked directly at Kellan.
Hark, hark the dogs do bark
The beggars are coming to town
Some in rags and some in jags
And one in a velvet gown.
She trailed off with one song and started another.
Goosey Goosey Gander where shall I wander,
Upstairs, downstairs and in my lady's chamber
There I met an old man who wouldn't say his prayers,
I took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs.
"She's singing about spies," Vevila said startled.
Horsey horsey don't you stop
Just let your feet go clippetty clop
The tail goes swish and the wheels go round
Giddy up, you're homeward bound.
"There's crab traps down there," Kane pointed out, seeing the ropes swinging down from the Manor into the water below.
"We will figure something out," Kellan told Molly. "We will return after we finish checking out the damage."
Molly pulled up the sleeve of her blouse to rub at the scar on her forearm. Rhoswen was surprised to see it had healed—just like Meifen's.
They were about to move on when they saw a finely dressed stranger walk around the corner to stare out at the ocean. He frowned and shook his head. He stopped to pull up a crab trap and shuddered, looking at the skinned out rat. He threw it back with disgust. Without a word, he marched back the way he had come, totally ignoring Molly—the proprietor of the Manor.
Molly continued to sing.
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more she saw the less she spoke
The less she spoke the more she heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
The girls continued on their way, thoughtfully silent. They continued along the path of the widened gully.
"I found it," Alana called, "finally!"
"Found what?" Kane asked.
"The description of the symbols I found by our wall," she frowned. "I still don't understand it though."
"Let me see," Kellan asked holding out her hand.
Alana gladly handed over the book. Reading Gaelic wasn't one of her strong skills. She grew concerned when Kellan's frown deepened as she read.
"Our land has been separated into possibilities," Kellan scratched her head. "These marks, according to mama's book, mean that the land sections with these symbols are from a possible reality which she could foresee from the future. She didn't just create an illusion. She trapped a possible reality for this specific area of land."
"There's going to be a time when Ireland will be submerged into the ocean?" Kane asked startled.
"Apparently so," Kellan answered with concern.
"That's much worse than a simple famine," Dara shivered.
"That's way into the future," Rhoswen said from the front. "Our world is warming, and the ice melting. Has been for a long time, otherwise we would still be incased in ice."
"Oh," Kane said thinking on the matter.
"This workbook just has things jotted down for reference," Kellan mentioned thumbing through the book. "It's just mama's personal notes. She doesn't write what exactly she did, just what she was thinking about."
"Still," Alana considered. "That's deep."
"I wonder if she knew the results of her meddling," Rhoswen wondered.
"Except for this new fracture," Dara mentioned, "there doesn't seem to be much change. The land on this side looks the same."
"Thank goodness for that," Rhoswen said thankfully, "can you image the state we would be in if the land turned back to bog, or something just as bad?"
"I guess were just lucky that mama's spells worked out okay," Kane said.
"We hope anyway," Alana said skeptically. "We haven't even begun to see what all has changed."
There was a strip of land between the manor and the village. To Kellan's knowledge, this land wasn't owned by anyone and was used as common land and open range. It wasn't the best of lands, being pretty rocky, but the cows and goats didn't seem to mind. The gully split this a little, but Kellan thought there should still be enough grazing land. The gully mainly split off the more rocky section anyway.
"I don't see any of the village cows," Vevila pointed out.
"I don't either," Dara frowned, "or any of the goats."
"Whoa," Rhoswen called to Kingdom and looked around.
From their view, they couldn't see why the field would be empty.
"Can you see to the other side?" Kellan asked Dara.
"I can try," Dara answered, "We should all try. Who's to say, I'm the only one who has a touch of sight?"
"What about Meifen warning us against using magic?" Alana said with concern.
"Since when do you care about doing as you're told?" Dara laughed. They all looked at Dara expectantly, "fine." She cleared her mind, and then floated to the other side of the village.
"I don't get it," Dara told them. "There's nothing in the field at all. I don't see anything from preventing them using it—it's just empty."
"What about the village?" Alana asked frowning, "is anything going on there?"
Dara let her mind wander to the village. "The gully goes across the back of the village. The only part of the village on our side, is the back edge of Celeste's barn. It looks different from our area, or the village. It looks like a common ditch. The barn sticks out over that. Anyone looking out from the other side would think that Celeste's barn is sticking out over the ocean, ready to topple into the sea at any minute." Dara answered frowning with concentration. "Everyone seems to be in the streets. There's so much commotion, it doesn't make any sense."
"There are tax collectors in town!" Rhoswen said angrily. "They sure are early this year."
"Onward Kingdom," Kellan called and clicked.
"AW-EEE, Aw-ee," he responded as he pulled the wagon.
"Stop!" Kane called out.
"Whoa, Kingdom," Kellan pulled back on the reins.
"AW-EE, AW-ee," he bellowed annoyed.
"EE-aw, EE-aw," They heard in the distance.
"That's Heidi," Kane shouted.
"How do you know?" Vevila asked.
Kane answered by letting out a high shrill screech. The others held their ears.
"EE-aww, EE-aww." They heard the excited response.
Without a word, Kingdom took the bit and ran with it. The wagon jarred and bounced. Kellan held tight to the reins, but with little effect. The girls were all screaming as the wagon threatened to bounce over. Alana reached over and grabbed the rein with Kellan. Kingdom instantly settled into his normal cantor.
"What happened?" Vevila asked.
"I think he got excited when he heard Heidi," Kane stated.
"What did you do?" Dara asked Alana.
"I don't know," she said confused, "I just grabbed the strap and wished for him to calm himself."
"Seems to have worked," Kellan said, relieved that Kingdom was no longer racing along the rutted grass path.
Kellan pulled the wagon to the side just outside the village. Dara was correct—the rift had meandered around the back of the village. Celeste's barn was sticking out over a wide, deep ditch. There was a large, brand new barn door.
"See the differences?" Dara pointed at the ditch. "Our place has the earth raised, hers has this ditch thing, and the village has that huge gully. I don't think anyone can cross the gully. It's too wide."
"Celeste's land extends past here," Dara mentioned, pointing away from the barn, "so most of her land would also appear to have been lost to the sea."
They wandered closer to look out over the village.
They stared in shocked disbelief at the shambled, damaged houses in the village. Because they hadn't felt the earth move, except for Kane and Alana, they assumed there wasn't any actual damage.
"I hope no one was hurt!" Kellan said concerned.
"It's not as bad as it looks."
They started with surprise. Sitting up in a tree just ahead of them was Celeste. She looked like one of the fine dolls she crafted. Her white hair flittered in the breeze threatening to get tangled in the branches. Her lips held a hint of humor. Kellan wondered if she was afraid of getting sun burned. It was an exceptionally hot day and her skin was porcelain fine, much of it exposed due to her fine lady's dress. It was a light blue and delicately ruffled, at odds with her sitting up in the tree.
It didn't matter that Celeste's couldn't see, she was one of the best potters of the time. Her specialty was fine tea pots, cups, and doll faces. Her doll like appearance made others think she was a little dim, but the sisters knew she was very smart.
:She's actually very pretty, when seen from this profile,: Dara sent to Alana.
:Shhh!: Vevila turned and chastised her.
"Why, thank you," Celeste said and laughed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize…" Dara floundered, deeply embarrassed.
"There are others who can mind speak as well," Celeste replied. "You are too used to only talking to your twin. You, all of you, will need to learn how to whisper, or to direct your speech."
"We have a lot to learn," Dara said chagrinned.
"As do all young people," Celeste said unsympathetically.
"So what happened over there?" Alana asked. "Our place did not receive that kind of damage."
"Let me get out of this tree first," Celeste requested.
"Of course," Alana said, "Why are you up there anyway?"
"Burley, the burly one, collected me up and plunked me up here." Celeste answered chagrinned. "He means well, but you know…"
"Why would he do that?" Kellan asked her.
"We have visitors of whom Burley thought to protect me from," she answered scathingly. "I guess he thought I wouldn't find a way down from the tree. That was silly of him."
Celeste nimbly climbed through the tree branches and dropped lightly to the ground.
Kellan pulled some twigs and leaves from her hair, realizing for the first time that she was taller than Celeste.
"So what went wrong over there?" Vevila asked.
"Can any of you tell me?" Celeste quizzed them.
They stared at her strangely and thought about it.
"They did it themselves to throw off the collectors," Rhoswen told them. "I don't know why I know that, but I do."
"You are correct," Celeste told her. "They needed a plausible story to tell the authorities for what happened. They did that damage themselves. It looks really bad, but it was carefully staged. Nothing was really lost. Some of the villagers though, believe that Aine outdid herself, and killed all of you. Seeing you all here together is going to be a shock for them."
"It was a shock for us," Alana told her looking into her glazed eyes. "This happened when she died. We don't know exactly what she did."
"Death magic, birth magic, and nature magic," Celeste told them. "Only those circumstances could have done such as this."
"Nature magic?" Kane asked.
Celeste smiled. "Which is why only Alana and yourself felt the blow. You take after your father that way. He must have helped her set it up."
"How do you know that?" Kane asked.
"How do you think I find the best clay to make my pots?" She asked her.
"I hadn't given it much thought," Alana confessed, "I just assumed you found the clay, and started messing around with it, until you had learned to make some really nice stuff."
"So why the collectors?" Kellan asked as she unharnessed Kingdom and put him on a long lead rope which she tied to the tree.
"When Aine separated the land, there were strangers in the larger village looking for the Earl's son. They immediately sent word of the earthquake, and then the wave which swallowed up all the land and people—that's our story."
"And they believed that?" Alana asked.
"They seem to," Celeste answered, "What other explanation could there be? Everyone and anyone owed money, or those who think they were owed money, descended like a bunch of vultures. Tread carefully if you cross over." She pulled up her sleeve to show the raven. She touched it with her fingers. "Everyone in the village was marked thus. Some—the dumb—are angry about it. You—Dara, can remove them if need be. That will also remove the promise of protection."
"I can?" Dara said surprised. "How?"
"Heal the flesh and remove the scar," she instructed. "Only a healing O'Byrne can remove the Raven's bond."
Dara looked at her blankly.
"Give me your hand." Celeste commanded.
Dara moved toward her and held out her hand. She felt silly as she realized that Celeste could not see her outstretched hand. She was about to withdraw it, and was startled when Celeste reached up and grabbed it—without groping around.
"I will link with you and show you what you must do," Celeste linked with Dara. The other sisters looked on disappointedly—seeing nothing but Celeste holding Dara's hand.
Dara could suddenly see through Celeste's eyes and stared around with wonder. She could see all the energy patterns of every living thing, even the littlest of the mold spores.
"Pay attention," Celeste reprimanded.
Celeste drew her to the scratches on Dara's own arm and carefully showed her how to heal them from the inside out. She did this again with her scraped knee. She pulled Kane over and they healed the scrap she had received from the wagon seat just that day.
"Now you do it," Celeste held out her own arm where Burley had bruised her earlier, in his haste to remove her to safer ground.
Dara carefully and hesitantly looked at the damaged flesh and stopped the bleeding.
"Good," Celeste instructed, "now let the damaged cells flow away with the blood, and then send the white blood to heal the area, nudge it with a little energy, just a little though."
Dara did as she was instructed. She was sweating, and felt a little shaky when she was done.
"Drink some cider," Celeste instructed, "and don't do any more of that today. It will get easier, but you have to learn how to draw energy outside of yourself. Come to me for more instruction. I will either be in my home across the street, or at the Manor."
"I'm still seeing like you do!" Dara said fearfully, "How long will this last?"
"That's inner sight," Celeste laughed. "It lasts forever. You turn it off by focusing on the surface of
things."
"Oh," Dara said relieved. "I didn't know about such things,"
"I know," Celeste told her. "Your mother would have sent you to me for training, but for the baby's selfish behavior which prevented her from seeing that you are a sighted healer. If she had lived, she would have initiated your training with me."
In a flash of insight, the sisters saw her for who she was—another daughter of Druantia. She smiled widely. Her blind eyes were seeing nothing, but her heart and her mind were seeing the whole world in its total glory.
"How come mama and papa didn't tell us about you being another daughter?" Dara asked irritably.
"I don't know," Celeste said sadly. "It may have been something Aine saw, or didn't see, which made her keep the truth to herself."
"Are you going to cross over?" Vevila asked her.
"No," she answered, "Burley would just toss me over his shoulder again, and bring me back. He may even try sitting on me the next time. He can be so overprotective. He's a little—slow."
"Can we get you anything?" Alana asked.
"A cold drink would be appreciated," she requested, "and something for my hands to do. I get positively edgy with nothing to do."
"We only brought the drawing pads," Dara said doubtfully.
"Excellent," Celeste told them.
Vevila put some chipped ice and apple cider into a large mug and placed it into her hand. Dara placed her own pad and pencil set down beside her.
"This is very good," she said after sipping the drink. "Thank you."
She picked up the pad and began to draw. They watched with fascination as she outlined their own house and garden.
"I see it here," she told them, pointing at her head. "I'm not really blind you know. I just see differently—clearer I think."
"I'm going to check out the village," Kellan told them. "You stay here." She started toward the village and then paused.
"You have to enter through my barn door," Celeste said helpfully.
"I'm going with you," Dara told her.
Celeste watched them thoughtfully, wondering if they would figure out the magic. She noticed that Kane and Vevila had already wandered off and found the stick.
"Ouch!" Kane complained dropping the large branch. She checked her hand for slivers.
"It's magic!" Vevila said awed.
"What do you mean?" Kane asked her.
"It glows," Vevila told her, "and it has symbols—look!"
Kane had to focus on the magic in order to see the wards. They grinned at each other. Neither could read them, but it was fun finding magic! They watched as Kellan and Dara wandered back and forth across the back of the barn.
"I guess we could jump," Dara said doubtfully.
"And then what?" Kellan asked scathingly, "hang onto the door and dangle as we try to swing it open?"
"We found something!" Vevila called to them.
"Over here!" Kane called.
They ignored Kane and Vevila as they continued to haggle over how to open the door. Vevila saw the flash of grin from Celeste's lips and knew that the branch had something to do with opening the door. She pulled on Kane's dress to sit down. They smirked to themselves as they watched Dara jump, and indeed, dangle from the barn door. She dropped off to land in the ditch.
Dara glared at Kane and Vevila when she heard them giggling.
"You might want to help," Kellan informed them, "not just sit there giggling at our blunders!"
"We called you," Kane said defensively, "but you just ignored us. Don't get all preachy now!"
"We found a magical branch!" Vevila told them. "I wouldn't pick it up if I was you. It doesn't want to be picked up."
Dara and Kellan walked over eagerly. They stared down in disappointment upon seeing the branch.
"It's just an old stick," Kellan said as she grabbed it.
Kane snorted as Kellan dropped it quickly enough.
"It has magical writing on it," Vevila told them.
"What does it mean?" Dara asked Celeste.
Celeste ignored them, her attention fully focused on her drawing.
"There's a hand print on that end of the stick," Kellan told them as she handled her amulet.
"You need to stop doing that," Dara told her.
"Doing what?" Kellan asked surprised.
"Touching your amulet every time you do magic," Dara told her. "It draws attention and tells everyone around what you are doing. It could be a very bad habit."
"She's right you know," Celeste told them. "Most of the time, you will not want people to know you are doing anything!"
"Oh!" Kellan said dropping the amulet. "I think we can pick this up if we use the hand print."
Kellan put words to practice and picked up the stick. A rune flashed as she lifted it up.
"Knock twice," Dara read.
They looked at each other and shrugged. Kellan walked over to the barn door and used the stick to knock twice. The stick jumped from her hand to lie nonchalantly back on the ground. The barn door opened, they grinned to each other and started forward. They stopped abruptly when a platform folded down from a hinge on the bottom of the door to comfortably fit across the ditch.
"That is so neat!" Kellan told Celeste.
"Your father created the door before he passed," Celeste told them. "When I asked him what the heck he was doing, he just grinned and threw that stick over in the grass. It's simple and very clever."
"Is this the only way to get to the village from around here?" Alana asked her.
"Unfortunately," she answered with a scowl. "It would have been nice if Keegan had asked me for the use my barn as such. Now, everyone who wants to cross will have to go through my barn."
"That could be rather—odd," Alana frowned.
"But very controllable," Rhoswen told them and turned to Celeste. "You can always lock it up."
"I can," she agreed. "I'm assuming that there is also a way across by your house?"
"There is," Dara answered with a grin, "but nothing as grand as this. Aunt Caryn had us hauling rocks to make an embankment to drive the wagon over."
"How's that working?" Celeste asked them, "with your aunt and all?"
"It's a little early to tell," Alana told her quickly.
"Yes," Celeste's eyes glowed strangely. She continued to draw, "It's early yet."
Kellan and Dara walked through the barn and looked out. The village was a half pasture away. They walked the dirt path to the edge of the village.
"There they are!" One old woman screeched. "Devils spawn I say!"
"I had no say in being marked so," another yelled and pulled up his sleeve to show the mark of the raven.
Kellan stared around. The angry muttering turned silent as she laid purple eyes upon them. The old woman's screech brought on the attention of some of the other villagers. A handful of villagers gathered around them.
Unlike most country people living in small rural villages, these villagers looked healthy and spry. They wore good, comfortable clothes and lead a decent life—without the hardship of working only to feed themselves—and then feeding themselves only enough to work. They had always benefited from the O'Byrne resources.
"Our mother did this for your protection!" Kellan informed them talking softly. "This was the last act she did before she died. How dare you speak such trash!"
"Our pardon miss," an older gentleman spoke up. "It was a frightful thing that happened."
He was wearing an old brown suit complete with a top hat. Kellan identified him as the village elder, Mister Buckley.
"To us as well," Dara told them. "We had no idea of what our mother and father had planned. It was both of them who wrote the magic which caused this."
"We are here to figure this out," Kellan told them. "You can be sure that our aunt will do no such thing for you. You must be resilient and make this thing work for you. If you decide that you cannot cope. Dara will remove the mark, but be warned—you will have to leave the village and will lose all O'Byrne prot
ections."
Kellan looked around at all the stone-faced, silent villagers.
"No harm is what I've been telling them," a middle aged man told them, "as long as the Lady Celeste lets us out the back."
The villagers looked around confused. The angry vigor was gone— apprehension was left in its place.
"We don't know yet what this is all about," Kellan reemphasized. "When we do, we will get back to you."
"What can we do?" The elder asked leading Kellan and Dara away from the others, down the road toward the market.
Kellan had decided to tell the elder everything that they knew and to give him instructions to notify the rest of the villagers. Telling every individual was not only tiring, but also a waste of time. Often when one thought they were finished, the questions would repeat again. She didn't have the patience to deal with it.
Kane was annoyed as she watched Kellan and Dara walking away. She could hear Heidi calling out in the distance. Kane pulled Vevila's arm to get her attention.
"What is it?" Vevila asked, seeing Kane's stubborn expression.
"I'm going to get Heidi back!" She said determinedly and walked up into Celeste's barn.
"I can see I'm going to be getting a lot of company," Celeste remarked. "Maybe Burley wouldn't mind putting up a hallway. That way I can still have the use of my barn."
"You will probably want to do that," Rhoswen agreed. "It will need to be wide enough to pull a wagon through."
Rhoswen and Alana continued to visit with Celeste. They were amazed by her pictures and she encouraged them to begin ones of their own.
Vevila and Kane came out of the barn and wandered around the side.
"It really does look like it's going to fall into the ocean." Vevila mentioned. "I can barely see the other side from here. Can you see Celeste back there?"
"Barely," Kane squinted, "It looks twisted somehow. I can't quite explain it."
"The gully looks different from the ditch." Vevila pulled Kane over to peer between the two different types of rifts.
Kane stared with raised eyebrows. Vevila felt goose bumps rise up on her arms.
:I think if we were to cross back right here where the gully is,: Vevila mind sent to Kane, :we would find ourselves flung out to sea.:
:I agree,: Kane sent undaunted, :so we just won't cross here, will we?:
"So…" Vevila asked her. "What do you want to do?"
"Find Heidi and find out why she's even here," Kane answered.
With bowed heads, they walked into the chaos of the market.
:Rhoswen was right,: Vevila mind sent to Kane. :There are collectors here.:
:Heidi is just up ahead,: Kane sent back and pulled ahead.
:Wait—listen first,: Vevila pulled her back.
They walked more cautiously, listening to the commotion around. There weren't as many collectors as they had at first thought. In fact, there was only one, he had one secretary, and was surrounded by bull-boys. They were guarding the make shift kennel which held all the village beasts. They stared around
:He looks like a goat,: Vevila nicknamed the collected, :and he stinks.:
:No wonder there's no animals grazing,: Kane said appalled. :They are all here.:
"Name!" The collector snarled.
"Arnold the weaver," he answered.
"Declaration?" The man asked.
"What?" Arnold asked confused.
"Which beast is yours," the man sighed. "The tax ledger says that you have only the one, so don't be clever."
"Elmer over there," he pointed.
The collector nodded and one of his men pulled the cow out of the pen.
"Next," he shouted.
"Merle Thatcher, I own that milk cow," she said angrily pointing at the cow.
The secretary nodded. The collector nodded at the boy who pulled the cow aside. She took her cow and stalked out of the square.
"Armand Tess," the next nervously announced.
The secretary handed the collector a note.
"It says here that you owe money to the Queen," he stated. "Now you wouldn't like to be arrested for tax evasion would you, or worse treason?"
"How much am I owing?" He asked despairingly.
"Can't say for sure," the collector said. "It just says to confiscate the goat."
Armand blinked repeatedly. Without the goat there would be no milk for his son, no cheese, no extra money to buy his mother her medicines from the healer.
"I have my father's watch," he swallowed convulsively. "He's dead now. I truly wished to give it to my son when he's older."
"Bring it!" the collector told him sternly. "Your son won't be needing no old watch!"
Armand nodded and slowly withdrew from the lineup.
Kane felt a hand grab her arm and pull her back. Vevila turned to see what was going on. It was Mandy, the head weaver. They turned to follow her out of the crowd.
"They came in early this morning," she told them quietly, "rounded up all our animals before we were even awake. That's Oliver Monk. He says he has crown authority to enforce collection. I'm not so sure, but they already beat up poor Mickay. Who's going to stop them?"
"Why are our donkeys with the rest of the village animals?" Kane asked.
"Why, your aunt sold them to Jeffers just yesterday," Mandy said surprised. "She said you needed a real horse, and traded the donkeys for a gelding."
"She didn't know Heidi was yours," Vevila told Kane quickly.
"But she did," Mandy told them. "She specifically said that Kane would need a ladies horse someday anyway, not a silly donkey. She said it was unfashionable, the way you talked with Heidi and such."
"How do we get her back?" Kane asked.
"I don't think you do," Mandy said sympathetically, "Jeffers already gone up and tried. He said Jeffers owed too many taxes and only let him take one cow—after he offered up his wife's silver necklace. I'm sorry—you be careful in there."
Mandy walked back towards her house.
"You can bet the collector has noted that the people in this village eat well, and aren't all raggedly." Kane noted. "He's going to bleed them."
"I think you're going to have to plead for Heidi," Vevila told her, "play the poor little orphan—it's true you know."
"I guess," Kane sighed.
They walked back toward the proceedings and carefully watched the collector and his bullies.
Some of the villagers lost their animals—some bartered them back by other means. Kane touched her amulet for courage, she would not fail Heidi. Vevila watched as Kane approached the collector.
"Name," he shouted.
"Kane O'Byrne," Kane announced with her chin high.
The collector stared at her. Kane could hear the mutterings around the market.
"The ledger says your people are perished," he squinted at her.
"I and my sister were staying with friends," she told him, "when it happened."
"Just what do you think is yours?" He asked.
"The two donkeys," she faced him.
"I thought they seemed a little odd for a village such as this," the collector muttered.
"They were presented by Jeffers as tax," the secretary reminded him.
"Jeffers was cheated," Kane told him, "by one who did not own the donkeys. He lost a gelding on the deal."
"Well," the collector rubbed his chin. "He can't pay with the gelding then can he? Nope, the donkeys have to stay. Unless you have some barter."
"What would we have," Kane let tears fill her eyes. "I am now an orphan. With nothing but the clothes I wear."
"Her hair," the secretary whispered into the collector's ear, "worth its weight in gold—plus court appreciation. The Queen's ladies would pay dearly for hair such as that."
He studied the girl. She did indeed have long, golden hair. By the looks of it, well maintained hair, not like these others.
"Your hair," he announced.
"What?" Kane asked shocked.
"The donkey for your hair,"
he stated. "That is as long as I like what is presented."
The more he looked at her hair, the more he coveted it. Sanders was right, hair like that would be a treasure in the Queens house.
"One braid, one donkey." He told her.
The village was strangely quiet. He looked around at the villagers nervously, but was reassured by his boys standing straight and strong.
"One braid," Kane said courageously, "both donkeys—and my saddle. I doubt anyone else could fit it anyway."
She was a stubborn one, he realized.
"Maybe we should just bring you in," he announced. "Place you in one of the work houses—orphan that you are."
"That wouldn't be very smart," a voice said from the rear of the group. "Her Uncle will be here soon to collect her and her sister, Stefan O'Byrne, the Stefan O'Byrne. She is claimed. I suggest you just give her the donkeys and be done with it."
"Who is that?" the collector demanded.
The crowd parted and a lady stepped forward. Kane had never seen her before. Her maroon, silken dress was a little faded, but she had an air about her which spoke of culture and refinement. She was rather tall and wore a rather stiff brown wig which added to her height. Her brown eyes flashed with disdain, her wide lips pulled downward. It was obvious to anyone watching, that this collector disgusted her.
"Lady Roswiold!" He said surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Watching the ocean of course," she frowned at him. "I was quite serious about Stefan. He'll hunt you down, and skin you alive if you mess with his nieces."
"We are bartering here," he said stiffly.
She just looked on.
"Okay, one braid for both donkeys—and the saddle," he said nervously.
"You're getting a bargain," Lady Roswiold informed him.
"Come here girl," he called out.
"Oh let me!" Lady Roswiold said exasperated, "as though you know how to cut hair. You'll just ruin it and then it will be worthless. Someone bring me some scissors."
Kane stood firmly as Lady Roswiold unwound her fair hair, re-bound it—and cut it off. Kane was startled when she glimpsed the raven burned into her arm. The crowd was awed as a five foot plus braid of hair went into the anxious secretary's hands. Her braid was longer than she was tall, and glistened like pure gold.
"Best to guard that well," Lady Roswiold told him.
"Bring the beasts," the collected called out.
No one moved to do as he bid. The villagers snickered. Kane looked on with surprise.
"What's the matter with you, Chad?" he glared at the boy. "Bring the bloody donkey."
"That's a fierce beastie," the boy complained. "Kicked Earl in the head and he's been out since. I'm not looking to get my brains scrambled like his."
"Oh, for crying out loud," the collected shouted.
Kane relaxed and watched as the collector tried to pull Heidi from the pen. Heidi pulled sharply back on the rope, sending the man stumbling into the pen. A nearby goat slammed him with his horns. Kane could hear the villagers snickering when he stepped into a pile of cow dung. She quickly grabbed both Heidi's and Rosy's leads. They didn't need any more problems. The villagers laughed to see the little girl calmly lead to two ferocious beasts out of the pen.
"I'm sorry," Chad said sympathetically as he handed her the saddle and then hurried back to the collector.
Kane saddled Heidi, mounted her proudly, and led the donkeys out of the village. She noticed the villagers watching them silently as they made their way out of the village square.
"EE-Aw, EE-Aw," Heidi yelled, happy to see her.
"EE-Aw, ee-aw," Rosy agreed.
"You're worth it," Kane informed her rubbing her firmly along the side of her neck.
Vevila took hold of Rosy's rope and walked with her. Neither spoke. They came onto Celeste's property and on through the barn. They didn't stop until they reached the wagon. Once there, Kane dismounted, leaned into her pony's neck and cried. Vevila pulled her down and cried with her. Heidi nuzzled her hair distressed. Alana stared after them shocked.
"I'm so sorry," Vevila cried touching Kane's shortened hair.
"It's not just the hair," Kane cried. "It's the betrayal. How could Aunt Caryn have done such a thing? She knew that Heidi was mine!"
Alana hugged them both close, the time for explanations would wait.
"I think she's bitter about her gift," Celeste told them. "Caryn—she was very good at it—not anymore though. The animals stopped trusting her."
"What happened?" Alana asked.
"Her mother," was all that Celeste needed to say.
"He took my braid in barter for the donkeys," Kane cried to Alana. "Aunt Caryn sold my little Heidi—knowing she was mine—and special to me."
Kellan and Dara stomped over to the wagon. Kellan was furious when she realized that they had crossed the rift without asking her. She stopped abruptly when she caught site of her sisters. Alana, Vevila, and Kane had obviously been crying. Dara gasped when she caught site of Kane's missing braid. Kane was very vain about her hair.
"What happened?" Dara demanded.
"The collector made Kane trade her hair to get Heidi back." Alana told them.
"One braid, two donkeys," Kane told them. "I actually traded very well."
"Worse," Alana continued, "Aunt Caryn deliberately sold Heidi knowing she was Kane's special donkey."
"Are you sure about that?" Kellan asked.
"It's true," Celeste told her.
She presented Kellan with a picture of Caryn handing over Kane's saddle to the stable hand. Caryn's face was smug and self important.
"Where's Rhoswen?" Kellan demanded.
"Oh no!" Dara searched for her and found her at the collectors table. "She's bartering for a milk cow."
"You lasses need to stop doing this!" Kellan said frustrated.
Kane fingered her lone braid. She thought about the collector's greed and the fact that the villagers would go hungry without their livestock to supplement their food. She sighed, it was already starting—preparing for the future—preparing the village for survival.
"I may as well barter this one too," Kane told them. "It really doesn't do me any good like this."
Kane stood to leave. Vevila stood to go with her.
"Wait a minute," Vevila was stopped when Kellan grabbed her arm. Vevila stared angrily at Kellan's hand, shrugged it off, and then turned to walk away with Kane.
"Let her do this," Celeste pulled Kellan to sit back down. "You must stay here. The collector's men must not see you. You cannot hide your eyes—and they will take you."
"Rhoswen…" Kellan started.
"Is hiding her eyes," Celeste told her. "Alana and Dara should stay here, too. The collector and his men don't need to see all the living O'Byrne's."
Kane and Vevila made their way back to the collector.
The collector was haggling poor Missus Heather for her five chickens.
"I will pledge my other braid if you will stop this nonsense," Kane spoke clearly—interrupting the barter. "Leave with what you have already bartered." She nodded toward the pen. "Leave the animals. These people need their animals to survive. They have done nothing to you."
"Such words from the little warrior," the collector scoffed.
"That braid is worth much more than anything else we'll squeeze out of these peasants," Sanders whispered, "and who wants to march a bunch of half dead animals back to market."
Oliver Monk looked around at all the pathetic faces. He was very disappointed. He had been sure he could get more out of them. He wasn't sympathetic to them and didn't pity them. They were just a means to an end. He looked at the animals in the pen and agreed with Sanders. He did not want to mess with taking those beasts back with them—and the chickens. What would he do with chickens? Sanders opened the box to show him the original braid. It looked like silken gold, wound around and around into a tight coil.
"Done," he declared, "get those animals out of here." He then approached Kane
greedily. She took a step back surprised.
"Back-off—Mr. Monk!" Lady Roswiold stepped up.
"I thought you'd left!" He said quite put out.
"And miss the show," she growled at him, "hardly."
She again, unwound Kane's braid—rebound it—and cut it off. "You are very brave. Your mother would be very proud. I'd rather be doing this to his pecker," she whispered. Kane couldn't help but giggle.
The secretary waited impatiently while Lady Roswiold wound up the braid. She handed it to him regrettably.
The villagers quickly reclaimed their animals and left the area. The make shift kennel stood empty. The elder approached Lady Roswiold.
"I would have a word with you, please," he asked.
Lady Roswiold looked at him surprised.
"Did you want something?" She asked as she smoothed Kane's hair.
He hesitated, "Her gift might be for naught. The county has banned the field we use against grazing. It seems that someone has a claim on it and will be planting it this fall. Our animals will starve—we have no other place for them to graze."
"And what is that to me?" She asked.
"We just thought that maybe you could influence someone to let it remain the way it is." He shuffled his feet.
"I have nothing to do with any of that, dear man," she said appalled.
"Why don't you just let them graze in the forest?" Vevila asked him. Kane nodded. "No one will bother them in there."
He looked at them appalled.
"There are beasts and things in there," he told them.
"I know," Vevila told him, "which's why no one will bother your animals. You sure won't have someone collecting them up to use against you again."
Lady Roswiold watched him speculatively to see if he would do anything to help himself. He stuttered around and walked away.
"Tell me about this forest." Lady Roswiold requested as they walked toward the edge of the village.
"Mostly, it's filled with unicorns," Vevila mentioned. "They don't bother us. They do get pretty aggrieved when men enter their domain, not such a good idea, but they do love to play with the young girls."
"The animals would be safe enough in there—maybe not the bulls though." Kane added. "There are the faerie circles, but if you know what to avoid, that's okay, too."
"And don't suck any of the honey suckle in there," Vevila mentioned. "You'll sleep for a hundred years, unless you know a witch who will awaken you."
"Could I see this forest?" She asked fascinated.
"Not a good idea," Vevila frowned, "you would smell wrong to them. They might not attack you, but then…"
"Wrong?" She asked.
"You know," Vevila looked at her and saw the puzzled expression, "wrong!"
"Like having been with a man," Kane told her. "They don't like that."
"We could get you in," Vevila told her, "but we would have to make arrangements, not at all fun for you I'm sure."
"What arrangements would have to be made?" She asked curiously, desiring to see this forbidden place.
"You would have to be private for a month," Kane began, "and every morning and every night you would have to take a bath in a special concoction of dandelion dew and mountain rain berries."
"She would also have to take glory-mint powder to stop her flows." Vevila added, "and wait to make sure that works right."
"She doesn't already do that?" Kane said surprised. "I thought all women took that?"
"Most do not," Vevila said with certainty. Kane looked at Lady Roswiold expectantly.
"She must be right," she told Kane, "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"There you are," Rhoswen walked in with her shortened hair. "I was helping Widow Lavender get her cow home… holy aspen! What did you do to your hair?"
"We could ask you the same question," Kane stared at her.
"Kane bartered her last braid for all the animals," Vevila said proudly.
They were surprised to hear Rhoswen laugh. She laughed harder on seeing their stunned expressions.
"I always hated my hair," Rhoswen laughed. "I would have cut it off long ago—but mama stopped me and said I'd be glad enough for it when the time came that I could trade it off for a cow. That was one of the strangest things I'd ever heard her say. Trade it off for a cow—indeed."
They all started laughing. The villagers looked on with concern. Rhoswen felt wonderful for the gift she had been able to bestow to the Widow Lavender. It's possible that Kane's barter would have covered the widow's cow, but this was her personal gift to the kind widow—and it felt extraordinarily good.
"We better get back," Vevila whispered.
Kane watched curiously to see if Lady Roswiold would enter the barn with them. She was a little disappointed when the lady stopped.
"I know of the barrier, but will not cross it," Lady Roswiold told them. "I have work to do over here. The county is trying to take over the Manor, they are saying it is too impressive to be a workhouse and want to convert it to an inn. My husband and I have to convince them otherwise. There is a will from your father, but it is tied up in litigations. It is surprising—or maybe suspicious—just how fast the vultures moved in. Trust no one without the mark." She gave Kane a firm hug—and then just walked away.
They walked silently through the barn. Vevila observed that Celeste would be needing hay this year. Her stacks were getting a little thin. Maybe she moved them, Vevila thought, not wanting the villagers to see all her goods.
They walked out of the barn and across the platform. Kane noted that it was well made, very firm. She smiled sadly to realize that it was one of the last things that papa had worked on.
Kellan, Dara, and Alana were all sitting in front of the barn. Looking from Kellan's stony face to Rhoswen's smiley face, Alana couldn't help but laugh. They had sure gotten into it this time. Then she felt very sad as she realized that mama and papa wouldn't be home to scold them.
"Can we cross anywhere along our side to reach the other side? That is if we had a long enough rope, or maybe a wooden plank." Kane asked Kellan.
"I don't know," Kellan frowned at her. "Maybe we should tie a rope on you and let you jump. Then we would know, wouldn't we?"
"Oh Kellan," Kane complained, "you're just being pissy."
Kellan just grunted and walked away. She did feel pissy. She felt responsible for her sisters. She felt bad about Kane losing Heidi and felt even worse about her losing her hair. She didn't understand Rhoswen's sunny smile at the loss of her own hair.
"Celeste has invited us to stay the night with her," Dara told them as they approached the wagon.
"You should have seen that old goat faced collector circling the house earlier," Celeste told them with a wide smile "It is the grandest house in the village. I should have let the cats out," she laughed, "I could just see them chasing thirty-six cats around to hold for ransom."
"Tonight might also be a good opportunity to talk with the whole village without any outsiders around," Rhoswen suggested.
"Sounds fine," Kellan said abruptly and walked away.
Dara squinted up her eyes at Kellan, and then marched off after her. She caught up to her by the old oak tree.
"You are no more the boss of us than Aunt Caryn is," Dara told her aggressively.
Kellan was taken aback by Dara's sharp words.
"You need to re-think yourself," Dara said scathingly. "Stop treating us like we're poor little bumpkins. You are barely a year older than Alana and I, and we all step downward from there. I think Kane—our littlest—is actually smarter than you are. So where do you get off making decisions for the rest of us. Even mama and papa didn't do that! Freedom of Choice—remember!"
Kellan stared at Dara dumbfounded. Dara gave her an exasperated look and stalked off. Kellan sat down to think things through. Why did she feel so responsible for them? Dara was right. So why did she feel this way? When she felt she had her true answer, she returned to her sisters. They were sitting in the wagon, wa
iting expectantly. They all climbed out to sit with Celeste, Kellan sat down.
"I expected Aunt Caryn to step in for mama," she started, "when that didn't happen—and wasn't going to happen—because I was afraid, I started trying to step into mamas shoes myself. I didn't realize. I just suddenly felt responsible, and started reacting. I am truly sorry. I know that you are all very capable."
"Good!" Dara congratulated her. "Now you can stop behaving like such a twit."
"Hey!" Kellan responded defensively.
"You needed to face your fear," Alana told her, "before we could move on as sisters, and do what needs doing."
"I'm also afraid that I don't have any magic to offer," Kellan said uneasily, "that I'll be the weakest link."
They stared at her surprised.
"Why do you say that?" Celeste asked just as surprised.
"Kane there threw Aunt Caryn across the floor," Kellan said awkwardly, "Dara is a healer, and Alana seems to have a special bond with animals. Vevila can sing for anything she wants. Rhoswen seems to be very intuitive, and I don't seem to do anything—magically. Maybe I'm a dud."
"I do?" Alana and Vevila said at the same time.
Kellan nodded.
"You have something," Celeste assured her, "something very strong. When it reveals itself to you, there will be no doubt. I can see the magic building within you. Your Uncle Stefan was the same way."
"Uncle Stefan?" Kellan asked curiously. "We don't know very much about him, just that he left a long time ago and now he's back."
"He's a Fire Knight," Celeste told them, "a very powerful Fire Knight. He left because of the Lady Roswiold. He wanted her, but she was already married. There was a fight, somebody died, blah, blah, blah—he left."
"Blah, blah, blah," Alana laughed, "you can't just only tell us that. Tell us more please?"
"Maybe tonight," she said mysteriously, "with the lamp turned low as the wind howls through the trees."
They all laughed at her.
"Have you heard of some of the druid practices of rule?" Celeste asked them turning serious.
"Didn't they have a high priest or priestess organize the people?" Vevila frowned.
"Sometimes," Celeste told them, "but many times there wasn't any one person with more magic or anyone with more regard than the next person. So they had to manage in a different way. I think this way may work well for you girls. It is obvious that you will not allow one sister to boss you all around." She laughed at their sour expressions.
"You might be right with that," Dara mumbled.
"One way to achieve harmony is an understanding within a group that decisions will be made with the agreement of every person. That doesn't mean they have to totally agree, it means that by supporting an idea they are saying they can abide, or live by it, and every member has to agree to it."
"How is that?" Kane asked.
"That sounds hard," Dara stated, "I can't remember all of us agreeing on anything."
"Let's say Kane wants chicken for dinner," Celeste demonstrated, "Vevila there wants rat guts. She positively hates chicken."
"I do?" Vevila frowned, "sick!"
"The group agrees on pork," Celeste continued. "Maybe Kane will be disappointed that she doesn't get to have chicken, but is very thankful she doesn't have to eat rat guts. Vevila is glad she doesn't have to eat chicken."
"Isn't that a compromise," Dara asked.
"Sometimes," Celeste told them, "but when the group agrees to something and supports it, there is usually more value than a simple compromise. A compromise might mean that Vevila has to eat chicken tonight, and Kane may have to eat rat guts tomorrow, neither will be happy with that. Usually a group of people will see more alternatives to a problem."
"So what happens when someone just will not agree?" Kellan asked doubtfully.
"It may take longer and may take more work," Celeste told her, "but if it's important enough, you'll get agreement. More idea's thrown into the pot, usually ends up with a better soup. You should all give it a try. You're all smart and very capable."
"So you're saying we need to start thinking of a way to all agree when making decisions which affect all of us," Dara got it, "there won't really be someone who is the boss—or replacing mama and papa."
"That's right, start with something simple." Celeste agreed, "Kellan is old enough for them to marry off, and you twins are right behind her. There is no reason why you can't start making your own decisions. By standing together in choice, others will have very little ability to force you to some other way. It may be beneficial to think about your situation before returning home. You are right Kellan. Caryn will not be capable of filling in for your mother—or even understanding your needs. She will try to blindside you. You all have a lot to learn. Hopefully, Caryn will learn to manage, or our area will be solely damaged when hard times come."
"It's going to rain," Kellan looked up at the sky, "should we be going in?"
"That would be best," Celeste picked up the drawing pad and set it in the wagon. "The cider was excellent. Did Aine make it?"
"How did you know?" Vevila asked.
"It was very sweet," Celeste told her, "her type of sweet. It would be best to leave the donkeys in the front pasture. The neighbors will talk, but that's better than your Kingdom straying into the forest, or into the public lands."
"What about leaving him in the barn?" Vevila asked.
"I'd rather not," Celeste told them.
Rather than hitching Kingdom back to the wagon, they just pulled out there gear and led the donkeys through the barn. Kane looked around curiously, wondering why Celeste didn't want the donkey's left in the barn. Maybe Celeste was afraid the donkeys would make a mess, and then she would have to clean it up. No, that wasn't it. Celeste was very capable of making them clean up after their own donkeys.
They took the harnesses off the donkeys and let them have the run of the field. They made a racket with enthusiastic bellows, and frolicked around in the grass. Kane watched them with fondness. She touched her shorn hair. It was worth it to have Heidi back again. From now on, Aunt Caryn wasn't going to touch her. She'd ask Celeste if there was a way to magically protect Heidi, or better she thought determinedly, she'd figure it out for herself!
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