UNGLOVED

Chapter Eleven Part two - A New Home

One morning a week later, Liriel woke late, feeling much revived from a long and restful night. She hadn't realized how stressful keeping her secrets and living in the war camp had been. The break from healing was welcome as well. She decided she wouldn't share her status as Marulan with Adina for the moment. That would connect her with the healers at the camp. Let her think instead that she lived in a town near the border.

She felt bad about not sharing the truth, for her hosts would be treated badly if Liriel was discovered here. She calculated the chance of that happening was slight. It was a hidden village. For the moment, she was safe, had friends and a place to stay. She wouldn't have any issues until it was time to give birth. She wasn't sure how she was going to manage that yet, but there was still time, and she still had one more chance to find Lorenzo on the day they had originally arranged to meet. It was in a month's time, so she would have to remain here for a while yet.

She would do whatever she could around the house to help. She had no skills to speak of as a homemaker, having lived with dozens of servants around all of her life. She grabbed a broom and began to sweep. A cloud of dust swirled around her feet as she went. Adina, who was cooking, looked over at her and pressed her lips together to hold back laughter.

"Am I doing something wrong?"

Adina covered her mouth with her hand. "No."

"Well you seem to think it's terribly funny."

She took the broom from Liriel and stroked the floor in long smooth brushing movements. The dust stayed low to the ground and collected into a pile. Liriel nodded.

"I'm not much good at cleaning or cooking, I'm afraid."

Adina handed her back the broom and she continued, this time keeping the movement slight and the dust gathered up nicely.

"Do you have training in something? A guild affiliation?" Adina asked.

Liriel hesitated, not wanting to say.

Adina must have understood. "It's okay. I just wondered if you had a skill that would be more helpful than cleaning." She smiled. She reached for Liriel's hand, gloved out of caution, and held it. "We won't judge you, whatever your predicament is. I hope you can become comfortable with our philosophy."

Actually, it sounded like the best place in the world. Liriel could hardly believe her luck to have found it. What could be better? Other than finding Lorenzo and staying with him.

"Do you know what happened to your man? Was he in danger?" Adina watched Liriel's expression. "Again, don't feel you have to answer if it's awkward."

Liriel was so relieved to hear those words her eyes began to tear. Adina dropped her chopping knife and wrapped her arms around her.

"You're safe here, Nia."

Liriel could hardly believe such affection from a total stranger. Her own family would scarcely deign to touch her. She accepted the embrace and slid her arms around Adina in return. A lump caught in her throat and she sobbed a little. After a time, Adina released her.

"I know what you need...an apple pie!" She grinned.

Liriel liked pie. "I think I could manage to chop up some apples without making a mess of it. Please let me help. You've done some much for me already."

She showed Liriel the basket of apples and the cutting board and sharp knife. "I hope you won't hurt yourself with it, though I suppose if you did, I could fix it."

Liriel laughed. "My own personal Marulan."

Adina gave her a sideways glance. Somehow Adina had figured out that Liriel was a Marulan too.

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After dinner, Liriel joined Ergin and Adina as they walked to the village common. All of the houses were hidden, painted in colours that blended with the forest. The common was small, sufficing for the few families living in the area. Ergin said there were about twenty groups here. Goats and sheep grazed, chickens pecking the ground by their feet. Liriel was inexperienced with livestock, so she kept her distance.

A crowd gathered at the twilight hour. Oil lamps were hung on posts around the area to give light. After several families joined them Liriel realized no one wore guild colours. Instead they wore subtle shades of fine homespun, crafted with decorative needlework. Everyone looked different, remarkably individual. They wore their hair in a variety of styles too. All of this, she realized, was intentional, to distinguish themselves from the people of Kalad, and from each other.

Ergin, the apparent leader, called everyone to order. They stood in a circle in the middle of the common with him in the middle. He introduced Liriel as Nia, and people called out to welcome her.

"You understand that you must protect the secrecy of this village. We depend on each other to keep from being detected by the Castillonians."

Liriel nodded. "I understand. Thank you for sheltering me."

"We come together to remind ourselves of the reason for our exile, to recall what we have left behind and what we have acquired here in exchange."

A young girl stepped forward. "I left behind an inflexible school. Instead I now learn all of the time in everything I do."

A woman stepped forward as the girl returned. "I could never express my feelings, it wasn't acceptable. Now I speak of all my joys and fears and people listen."

It went on like this until everyone had taken a turn. Increasingly, Liriel liked what Alterra stood for. It felt right to her too, and she wondered if she was meant to find this place and to stay here. Again she wondered if their openness would persist once they knew who the father of her baby was.

When it was over, Ergin walked arm in arm with Adina towards their home. Liriel kept a little distance. She didn't want to be an ever present bother to the nice couple who had taken her in.

Back in the house, Ergin asked Liriel what she thought so far of their village.

"I agree with you that society in Kalad is a rigid place. I found it so myself. I like that you've tried to do better, to make a society that allows people to be what they want. Too much is imposed on us in Kalad." She thought of her own circumstance. While she had to accept the impact of her actions in freeing a prisoner, the penalty seemed harsh. Working as a Marulan with the army during war was not for the faint of heart. The College only allowed those who volunteered to do this work. In fact, they actively discouraged it.

She thought that the villagers reminded her more of her Lorenzo than of anyone she knew back home. He would do whatever he felt was right, not follow suffocating social rules developed in centuries past. The Hilliri were burdened by their gifts. Their abilities, their long lives, and their extraordinary sensitivity all conspired to make them afraid of connecting with each other.

"When do you paint, Ergin?"

"When the mood strikes me. Sometimes I have to work on it for hours, forgetting meals and ignoring my body's needs. That's when it's the best." He grinned.

Liriel thought her host had a particular quality about him, something she had never seen before. He seemed more alive, alert to every stimulus, in tune with people, time and the world. He was quite remarkable.

"You don't look like you miss your home at all, Nia," he said.

Liriel looked up at the stars through the canopy of trees. Out here in the barren wilds there were no city lights to dim her view. The sky was full to overflowing.

"No, I think I have come to the place where I should be."

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I hope you enjoyed this instalment of Ungloved. If you did, please consider voting so that it has a chance to receive some more attention by rising up the ranks in the (rather large) Fantasy category. I also enjoy comments, so please feel free to let me know what you thought.

Cheers!

Rebecca