Sisters Three (Completed)

6. Adair (1/2)

The shepherd pointed out the boundaries of his land to Adair as they passed through them. It was a low stone wall that separated some arable land from the grazing fields he kept his herd of sheep on. A narrow track cut alongside the wall, running parallel to a sheer cliff-face that lead up to the mountains. They'd been on this dirt path for a few days now and Adair was more than ready to put the constant jostling behind her. The brief times the shepherd had pulled over for the night or for a break to eat a bit of bread and find a bush to relieve themselves, Adair had felt the rumble of the road in her limbs even when she stood still. She wondered if that would ever leave. If she'd go through her life with bones that felt like they shifted in her limbs.

She sighed deeply and leaned forward in her seat to stretch her back. The shepherd flicked his eyes to her before returning them to the road. The lowering sun made the track hard to follow in some places.

"Only a few more minutes a'for the house comes into view," he said, his accent rough and clipped. The sound of people that were far away from her home and the sparkling guests her father had invited to dance and play cards.

"Is there anyone who could take letters?" she asked. She thought Morna might like to know where she'd been placed after she left Nurse's. Brenna most likely was already moved on to new friends in Ittal, but Adair knew Morna well enough to guess at a shy introduction into their aunts' social circles.

The shepherd laughed and shook his head. "No, none of that here. Don't think most these folk know how to read, much less write their kin a whole letter. You'd have to wait until someone went that way and pay them to take it with them. Might not make it to its destination even then."

Adair frowned and rested her chin in her palm. The sun finally dipped behind the hills and the sky deepened into the blue and gray of winter's twilight. The shepherd flicked the reins on his donkeys and they picked up a little speed. The temperature already began its dip, and the sooner they were in front of a nice hearth fire the better. The cart wasn't meant for high-speeds or even brisk speeds. They were going at about the pace a person could jog. It meant a slow arrival, but it also meant no bitten through tongues or brains smashed into pulp against their skulls.

When the small house finally came into view over a small crest, Adair sighed in relief. The windows were glowing faintly with firelight and the barking of a dog echoed in the distance as it spotted its master. Around a minute more and she'd be off the cursed cart and onto solid ground. They pulled onto the muddy path that broke off from the main road and lead to the house.

The front door opened and a brood of four children spilled out in a tumble of cussing and shouting and snot and sticky fingers. Adair made an effort not to curl her lip as one of the little ones stared up at her with watery eyes and a dripping nose. The shepherd shouted at the youngest boy to leave off smacking the dog with a stick, and the eldest boy gave her a nasty little once-over with his eyes. She did snarl at him, dwarfing what little height he'd gained in ten years with her impressive excess for her own age. He backed off, skittering to one side and grabbing hold of the dog's scruff as if that might somehow keep her away.

While the shepherd unloaded the supplies he'd bought up from Nurse's home, Adair gathered her one tiny bag and stood to one side while the family milled about and asked questions about the trip. The shepherd answered his children calmly, though Adair could see his patience wouldn't last for very long. His loved his children, but only in small doses. Adair was used to that.

From the inside of the home the heat from the fire leaked through the open door, and a faint voice called out. Adair looked around, but no one else seemed inclined to answer it, so she stuck her head through the doorframe.

"Hello?" she asked.

There were only three rooms she could see. A massive one that held the fire and table and such, one with a door that must have been the bedroom, and a ladder leading up to where she presumed the children slept. It was from the main room that the voice answered her, wavering and thin.

"You the girl come to help us?" it asked. Adair had to squint to make out the faded woman sitting in a rocking chair. She was the same color as the sallow tinted blanket she was wrapped in. It was mostly the toddler on her knee and the sleeping baby in the crook of her arm that brought Adair's attention to her. She seemed almost like a puff of smoke, ready to dissipate at any moment.

"I'm Adair."

"I think you've met the rest of my children," the shepherd's wife said, smiling softly and patting the long, curling hair of the boy on her lap.

Adair made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat and retreated back into the night air. The shepherd and his brood pushed past her into the house, their noise filling the room and threatening a headache for Adair. She rubbed the side of her neck, letting out a cloud of breath and staring up at the starry sky. She hadn't thought she'd miss Nurse's cottage very much, but now she couldn't think of anywhere more luxurious. She'd had her own room there, even if it hadn't been for very long. And there hadn't been many chores beyond helping Nurse with the meal preparations. With the shepherd, it'd been made very clear from the start that his wife was very sickly and that Adair would be the woman of the house until she was back on her feet. Adair didn't quite know all that went into running a household, but she imagined it involved a lot of those runny noses.

The shepherd called from the main room for Adair to quit dawdling outside and letting in the cold air. She ignored him for a moment more, imagining that she was back at home, sneaking out of a party and catching a breath before diving back into a thrilling dance.

As her eyes slowly lowered from the stars she caught sight of a glimmer of movement up by the gate. She knew what it was before it got close. Nurse had been very putout that Silver had been hiding in her barn for days, and the shepherd had refused to take another mouth to feed along with Adair. He had enough boys to help him in the field. Silver was a surplus that wasn't needed. He could fend for himself.

Adair had sneaked out the night before she was to leave and made sure Silver knew in what direction they would be travelling. The shepherd's cart couldn't go very fast and Silver would be able to track the wheel ruts if he knew in the general direction they were to travel. And now here he was, up by the shepherd's gate.

She waited until he crept near and then stepped into the shadows to take his hand. The family wouldn't be able to see them from the doorway, but if they came out it wouldn't be long before Silver was discovered.

"Stay close tonight," she whispered. "I'll try and bring you something for breakfast tomorrow."

Silver nodded, his breathing ragged and labored. His legs shook a little and she felt their tremors through his hands. He hadn't eaten properly since her parents... she shook her head before she went any further. The shepherd had to have bread that she could stuff in a pocket tomorrow morning. Silver would only have one more night of hunger.

Really, she should have gone in as soon as she'd given him his instructions, but something kept her pinned there. The longer she stayed here in the darkness with his hands in hers, the longer she could just hope that this was a regular night in Nurse's barn.

"Do you think they'll be nice to you?" Silver asked, his eyes flicking to the house. He looked so pale that Adair couldn't help but rub her thumb over his cheek to try and raise his color.

"It doesn't really matter," she replied. "I haven't anywhere else to go. It's here or the road, and I'm not quite that naïve to think I've had a life that would prepare me for that."

"I could help you," he said, stepping closer. She smiled and ran her hands through his hair.

"I know you can. But I'd rather be warm and fed at this point."

She was about to say more when the shepherd made a move toward the door, his eyebrows drawn. He couldn't see them from his position, but they could see him. Adair hastily kissed Silver's forehead and jumped into the small square of light.

"There you are," the shepherd said. "I thought I said to close the door."

"Sorry. I'm coming," she said, grabbing the piece of string used as a handle on the door, and stepping into the house. She looked over her shoulder as she slowly pulled the door closed behind her, and saw Silver creeping through the darkness toward the chicken coop. She let out a whoosh of breath as the door blocked him from her vision and the sounds of children engulfed him. She wondered if the chicken coop wasn't the better idea.