Dog Days of Summer (Damned of the 2/19th Book Four) - Finished

Blood Peach Cobbler

McDaurn Family Farm

Lewis County, WA, USA

TIME/DATE STAMP ERROR

WARNING: SYSTEM DAMAGE

Colors danced in ribbons here and there in my vision as I was led into the dining room. My vision shimmered slightly as I looked at the table where over fifty sat to eat. The candles on the tables were surrounded by halos of light, and the chandelier, electric but with bulbs designed to look like flames, lit the whole room brightly. Silver dishes, chased with gold, covered the meal, but I could tell by the smell it was roast beef.

John and I were dressed in light cotton pants, with a homespun button up shirt of cotton. Black with red, the McDaurn colors. Our dogtags were outside of our shirts, gleaming silver after being polished by little girls who giggled to one another and spoke Gaelic to one another. Our faces had been washed, the same with our bodies, and our wounds treated. Our faces were bruised, cut and closed with butterfly bandages, but we looked a far sight better than we had any right too.

We docilely let ourselves be led over to the chairs on either side of an empty girl's chair. The chair between us was far more ornate than ours, with cushions on it. A circle at the top of the back held a carving of the V Corps patch, painted so that it was bright and new, in full color, the red looking like blood.

The boys, like us, kept our heads down, staring at our hands, which were in our laps. We were silent as the girls spoke of the day. The biggest news was that not only had I been returned to the fold, but our family would be providing Bomber a bride.

The main topic, however, was Nancy.

There was a chime an I looked up. The man next to Bomber, my cousin Ferrel, nudged Bomber with his elbow so that Bomber looked where we all we all were.

Nancy entered through the big double-door at the far end of the dining room. She was wearing Levi's, combat boots, a black T-shirt with the McDaurn family sigil silk-screened onto it, and a blue and black flannel that I recognized as being one of mine. She was flanked by two of the Matrons, Rionoch and Liadan, two of the most powerful sitting Matrons, second only to the Grand Matron, and that was debatable. One either side of the Matrons were two girls, one of which I recognized by her swollen mouth and split lip.

"Kelly Nancy Nagle, the McDaurn family recognizes you as one of our own, whether or not you choose Aodan as your boy." Aunt Liadan said, her voice filling the dining hall. "You have shown great wisdom, and your advice on how to bend both of these boys to our will has shown your loyalty to the McDaurn family and mercy toward your boys." She chuckled. "You have a seat at this table, now and forever."

"Does anyone here object?" Matron Rionoch asked, her eyes sweeping the table. I put my head down and Bomber did the same. There was silence for a long moment before Matron Rionoch spoke something I had not expected. "Matron Regina? Any complaints?" There was silence. "No? You were so vocal behind her back, do you not have something to say to her face? About her? About her boys?" Silence. "So nothing you want to say to her, how did you put it? Ah, yes, to 'her scarred up face'?"

There was silence for a moment.

"Yeah, didn't think so, you sour bellied, shallow pussied, dry titted old plotter." Nancy sneered. "Any time you want to face me, Regina, I'll be glad to carve out your dusty womb and make your daughters eat it."

Nancy moved over and sat down between John and I, young boys pulling out her chair for her and then pushing her up to the table. She wiggled slightly and then relaxed in the chair, reaching down to pet one of the dogs that came up and bumped her hand with its nose.