In Your Eyes

In Your Eyes

ANGELA SCANNELL

Copyright © 2011 by Angela Scannell

Smashwords Edition

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ISBN 978-1-4661-5207-6

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book couldn't have been written without the steadfast and constant support of my dearest partner, Mel Green. In addition to Mel's highlighter and big red pen, my friends Geneva Green, Kristina Cole and Shannon Mauldin also deserve a big thank you for editing the proof copy. Without their editorial comments I never would have gotten this book to publication.

1

I could feel the electricity dancing on my tongue. I opened the window wide to let the sweet air blow in on my skin and hair. There was a smile on my face for the first time in a long time. Lightning lit the sky in the distance. It would be a big storm, and a good one.

It hadn't stormed like this in months and the people of the town were rushing to put out their rain barrels, buckets, and even empty water jars and pitchers to catch every bit of that life-giving elixir. I could hear them bustling around beneath my window, but I just stood there enjoying the ions in the air. I had done my part.

I was a weather witch. To say that I had created this storm would be too much to declare. I had more encouraged it. When I saw that the elements were right, I told the townsfolk well in advance that the storm would come so that they would be prepared to take as much advantage of it as they could.

Usually I was a burden to the village. They kept me hidden the way a small child hides a kitten it wants to keep. But the past few days had been different. I'd been able to be out and about in the town, telling people what I knew about the timing of the storm and how much rain we should expect. I got to interact with people which was a bit scary, but it all turned out all right.

I took another deep breath of the charged air and turned from the window to look into the full length mirror that my mother had left me at her death. She died when I was just thirteen. Just when I needed her, I thought to myself. The mirror was dusty and my reflection dim in the odd natural light of the oncoming storm, but I could make out my odd face, my damned dark eyes shining brightly for once. It was those eyes that revealed me as a witch. Everyone else in the town had blue, green, hazel, or violet eyes. Mine were almost black, and it scared most people to look into them.

I was somewhat normal otherwise. I had sandy blond hair like most of the townsfolk, long down below my shoulders as any woman would wear hers. It blew around my face in a whirlwind, barely kept back by the kerchief tied there. My body was average for a girl of eighteen, thought I was probably a bit more muscular than most because of the work I did around the Inn and Tavern.

As I turned to look at my backside, my attention was drawn away to sounds coming from the window and I turned back to it with a frown instead of a smile. It sounded like horses. And could it be horse-drawn carriages -- more than one even? My questions were almost immediately answered by a banging on my bedroom door.

''Renna! We need you downstairs now! We're going to have a big night tonight! Forget your storm!" It was my older brother, Rulin. He didn't wait for my response, I could hear his stomping retreat down the hall and away.

I swallowed hard and let out the breath I didn't know I'd been holding. A big night? Tonight? With horses and carriages?

Then I started moving without thinking, pulling a comb through my windblown hair and racing from my room down to the kitchen. Cook would know what was going on and could tell me as I started prepping for the coming visitors.

''An army! she pronounced brightly to me before I even had a chance to ask. I picked up a tray loaded with silverware that we kept for special visitors (non-townsfolk, that is) and heaved it on my shoulder. ''A small force, I hope! They're stopping here for the night to wait out the storm. The officers will stay under our roof, and the foot soldiers are setting up tents. Could you have believed it? She seemed ecstatic at the thought of having such a large number of guests. ''Now remember to keep your eyes down. No need to be causing any trouble, especially with this bunch. We don't know whose army this is."

I nodded and went out into the dining area where the lights had been brightened but nothing else had been prepared. I went from table to table and set out the silverware as quickly as I could. I wondered how many there would be and how soon they would be arriving.

My father was nowhere to be seen, which meant that he was out talking to the officers. He'd be setting up their rooms while my brother took care of housing the horses in our small stables. I hoped that our space was large enough to satisfy this army. A voice nudged me to also hope that the army was friendly enough to be satisfied with our Tavern's fare and our Inn's rooms. Cook was happy, which meant that she wasn't worried about the food, she would have enough available for them all to eat their fill. But how many officers were there? The rooms were all clean and ready, but would there be enough of them? What kind of army was this anyway? If it had been the King's Army they would have sent word ahead, surely. And I wouldn't be allowed anywhere near them. Not even Rulin would risk me to such a fate as being discovered by a King's minion.

Did we have enough ale? I went running into the stockroom after I'd finished putting out the silverware to check. There were three full barrels and one opened one. Surely that would be enough. I took another deep breath and let it out. My father appeared behind me.

''Enough ale?" he asked bluntly.

''Three plus," I said and raised my eyebrows while keeping my eyes on the floor.

I could see his figure move as he nodded his head. ''That should be plenty. And he walked out again. ''Keep your eyes down tonight, he mumbled as he was walking away.

I sighed. I knew the floor of the Tavern like the back of my hand. I knew where every table and chair were (when the night started at least), every scratch in the wood, every hole and gouge in the tables. That's what happens when you can't meet people's eyes for fear that they'll recognize you for what you are.

I went back into the kitchen and began gathering mugs for the ale - that's what the officers would be wanting before anything else if they were like most customers. Platters of full mugs of ale were heavier than I could carry, so I'd learned to carry three filled mugs in each hand and started distributing them to the soldiers as they began to fill the Tavern. I worked as quickly as I could, handing out ale and rushing back to fill more.

Officers had begun wandering in, shaking the water off their coats as they came and folding their coats neatly over the back of their chairs before they sat. The rain had obviously begun, but they talked of other things - I could hardly catch the word ''rain" in their voices.

My hands ached but there was no time to rest because the platters of food would be next and they wouldn't want to wait for that, as the smells coming from the kitchen were even making my mouth water and I'd had a good lunch that day.

At one table I stopped to slide the mugs in front of the officers and one touched my hand. It was a woman's touch and it stopped me short. Still, I didn't look up. I stared down into the ale in front of her. ''Ma'am?" I asked and swallowed hard.

''Would it be possible for me to get something that hasn't been fermented? Some water, if it isn't too much trouble?" she asked in a gentle voice that was somehow easy to hear above the roar of the crowd that had gathered.

''No problem at all," I said and slid her ale to another customer, did a slight bow to show my respect, and backed away and rushed back into the kitchen.

''Cook, I said. ''Is there a water pitcher? My voice must have sounded panicked because she looked up at me and waited. I swallowed again. ''One of the officers has requested to drink water or something besides ale."

Cook wasted no time in getting me the mug of water, and I was back at the woman's table. I was shocked, not just by the fact that there was a female officer in this army, but by her touch and her voice. Both were crystal clear. Her touch felt like cool water caressing my skin, and it seemed to travel all the way up my arm. Her voice was brilliant and cool as well, and drowned out any other sound that might have gotten in its way. I was both excited and anxious about returning to her.

''Ma'am," I said gently and set the water in front of her.

''Thank you," she said in her crystal voice, and that was all. So I bowed again and went back to the kitchen to start with the food.

There was no problem having enough stew to go around, Cook always made sure there was enough of that to go around for days. But there wasn't enough bread. The baker hadn't foreseen this. So we quickly broke the loaves in half so that each table would have half a loaf. This was the best we had to offer.

The night was long and exhausting, refilling mugs of ale and bowls of stew, but at last the requests for refills slowed down and I was able to take a breath and go outside around back of the Tavern to rest my shaky limbs. The rain was coming down in a steady force and I was instantly drenched without a jacket or hat, but the cleansing was what I was after and it felt good.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them again I was shocked to find the crystal woman leaning on the Tavern wall waiting for me.

''You're being kept here against your will?" it was really more of a statement than a question. She had on a coat with a hood so the water wasn't soaking her to the skin as it had me.

''I, I don't know what you mean," I stammered and shook my aching hands.

''Look at me," she demanded in a somehow gentle voice.

I shook my head and felt the water on the loose strands of hair slap against my skin; stared at the oddly damp ground. I felt her hand under my chin and she lifted my head, but I kept my eyes glued to the puddle growing at my feet. But that chill of her touch spread and finally I lifted my eyes to her, and I was met by eyes just like mine, only hers shone with a brightness mine had never had. Even in the darkness of her hood they almost had a glow about them.

I gasped and looked away, this time to the side, at the old willow beside the barn.

''I could tell already, you see, it was no secret, she said softly. ''I can help you. What is your name?

''Renna!" my father's voice rang out from the back door and he was suddenly standing between us.

''What goes on here? his voice was so loud that she must have been whispering all along. From his anger I could tell he already knew that she held my secret. And he did. ''Off to the cellar with you. You'll stay there tonight. We need your room for the officers. And he smacked me hard on the side of the head for good measure.

I curtsied on wobbly knees and walked quickly to the cellar, the underground storage shed beside the house, without looking back. But I could hear a heated argument coming from behind me. She was confronting him about my magic? She must truly be crazy, I thought to myself. And then I was facing the cellar door. It would be dark and dusty inside, and probably littered with new mud puddles. I sighed heavily and heaved the door open, stepped inside, went down a few steps, and let the door slam shut behind me.

I began shivering almost immediately and found the lantern hanging on the wall next to the door and lit it, then I picked out the little corner where I could cuddle down for the night. It was ridiculous. There was no reason for me to be here, there were plenty of other places I could spend the night, but my father wanted me to know how bad I was. It wasn't the first time I'd spent the night in the cellar but usually it was because I'd spent too much time outside with a friend or too much time alone in my room when I should have been cleaning up the Tavern. He liked to show how powerful he was, and he liked to scare me. He knew how much I hated that cellar.

A few seconds later I heard the scraping of a lock on the door and the clunk of it being dropped on the door. I was locked in. He was really worried about the crystal woman then. It was unusual to be locked in. I started to shiver harder. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself and tried to breathe deeply and relax my muscles or I'd be really sore tomorrow when he let me out.

Strangely, my mind immediately turned to worries about the Tavern. Who would do all the cleaning up after so many people dirtied so many dishes? Father would have to hire one, or two, of the girls in the town, to take care of that mess. That would make him even angrier to pay out coin for work I could have done, but he'd pay them little and they'd do the work because there wasn't much work out there for the taking.

That worry gone, I started to relax into my wet clothes. I should have been chilled by the cellar, but oddly I wasn't. My shivering had stopped once the voice of my father, the smack to the side of my head, and the sound of the lock scraping closed had faded away. I closed my eyes and started focusing my thoughts on the patter of the rain on the door, the drips of water that were splashing here and there around me, but mainly around the door. Then I took my thoughts outward and I was outside, sitting under the tree by the well.

The rain fell harder there, and there was a wind that blew from what seemed like all directions but came mainly from the east. When there was a gust that hit my face I had to blink my eyes harder and wipe the water from my face. Then it occurred to me to wash, so I started scrubbing with my hands on my face and rubbing my hands together to clean them with water from the Source instead of from the well. It felt so much cleaner and fresher when it was from the Source. That's why a storm was such a big deal, aside from filling everyone's wells again, it also gave them water from the Source to wash with and do more ''special" things like washing clothes and bathing.

My musings were interrupted by the scraping of metal on metal and I opened my eyes with a start. It sounded like someone was working on the lock that held me hostage. How very strange. I sat very still and waited. In just a few seconds the lock popped free and the door swung open, to show one officer that I didn't recognize and the crystal woman who'd confronted my father. I didn't bother looking down. I sat there and stared at them.

''Get up, Renna. If you want to be free," she said in a whisper and I hopped to my feet without even thinking it through.

She held out her hand and I took it, dousing the light as I went. ''Quickly, now, Lieutenant Fargo is going to take you into the camps to spend the night, and then you'll leave with them when we go. I'll catch up with you sometime tomorrow and we can talk. For now our aim is to sneak you out as one of our own."

She dropped my hand then and turned and disappeared up the steps and into the darkness. Lieutenant Fargo held out a coat exactly like the one he wore and offered it to me. I took it and slipped it on, a perfect fit. I put on the hood to hide my identity, though Lieutenant Fargo wore his up because of the rain protection.

Lieutenant Fargo offered his arm to me as a Lord offers to a Lady. I was a little stunned, but took the offered arm, which was dropped as soon as we were up the steps. He turned to close the cellar door and re-lock it so that our escape might not be discovered until I was sought in the morning. He tested the lock once and then we were off, walking briskly through the rain toward the army's encampment in the meadow next to the Tavern and Inn. We fit right in, as there were plenty of other army men milling around between the tents.

The rain was coming down harder now though I had no trouble seeing through it. One of my talents, I supposed. It seemed clear and the only problem I had was the big drops that fell occasionally from my hood.

The encampment consisted of fifteen or so medium sized tents and then a few small tents scattered about them. We headed straight into a small tent and Lieutenant Fargo immediately shook off his coat and hung it carefully in an empty corner, revealing in the process that he was a she. She turned to me with a smile and held out her hand to take my coat.

''Lieutenant Cassandra Fargo, at your service, Madam," she said in a low, sweet but almost chiming voice like that of the witch who had planned my escape. I realized that I didn't know the crystal woman's name, and I stood stunned by the whole exhibition of trust. Lieutenant Cassandra Fargo took my coat off my shoulders as I stood with my mouth slightly open. She hung it up to dry next to her coat and waited for me to say something. I could only stand there watching her in my damp dress and hair kerchief which was dangling next to my shoulder.

She wore an officer's uniform, of course, with badges of honor and pins on the lapel. She was pretty, but her hair was cut short to her jawline so that it hung straight and framed her face. She had soft features, not the sharp, chiseled look I would expect from someone who had seen a lot of battle. I didn't know why I had that expectation, but she didn't look like a foot soldier, or like she had ever been one. Sure, she looked like she had a lot of muscle under her clothes and her movements were sure and swift, but it hadn't hardened her.

She had a saber at her side, and I watched her take it off and put it in its place next to her cot. And I realized there was only one cot. I had the fleeting thought that I'd be sleeping on the floor, and the thought was gone. She also had a gun, which she took off, made sure the safety was on, and put it under the bed right under where her head would be. There were no other weapons that I could see.

''Thank you," I said finally and crossed my arms in front of me.

Satisfied, it seemed, she looked around her tent and saw that there was a small box next to the doorway and she grinned. ''It seems the supply fairy paid us a visit while we were out. I'll have to thank the Quartermaster when I see him next."

She squatted next to the box and started rummaging through it, first tossing to me some long underwear, then a general surplus shirt and pants. She took out boots and set them on the floor, and I smiled when she didn't throw them at me, too. ''What, did you think I'd throw them at you, too?" she echoed my thoughts, but her words were light. She chuckled to herself again.

''You can go ahead and put on the long johns, they'll help keep you warm through the night. I will too." And that mischievous grin again.

I looked down at the clothes I was holding against my body and realized I was probably getting them wet. I dropped some of them onto the bed and turned away from her and stripped off the wet dress and pulled on the long johns, which fit perfectly and were perfectly warm. When I turned back to her, I found her watching me, so I lifted my arms to the sides and then dropped them. ''Fits," I said.

''You'll stay with me tonight, and then tomorrow we'll immerse you with the rest of the regulars. You'll start your training as soon as we can get organized. Maybe even tomorrow."

''Training?" I asked with a furrowed brow.

''To be a weather witch. You'll need training. I'm sure you haven't received any here?" she asked.

I shook my head, but my brow remained wrinkled.

''You do want to go with us, don't you?" she asked.

I nodded. ''Of course. I cleared my throat because my voice seemed to be leaving me. ''I just didn't know what to expect.

''Well, for now, let's get some rest. The rest of the camp is quiet so it must be pretty late, and we'll be getting an early start in the morning." She motioned for me to get into the cot, and I shook my head.

''We can share the cot. We'll be warmer that way. I