Gentle Green

Chapter Eleven

Sua's hand shook as she snatched the burned rose from her sister. Her grip had tightened so intensely that she almost snapped the flower's stem in two. She was filled with so much fear that she could barely feel the remaining thorns that poked against her fingers.

"Go back to the house, Ubi," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Po clung to her neck, making it harder to speak.

Her sister blinked, unaware of the danger she had just encountered.

"Huh?" Ubi tilted her head. "But you promised we'd play whack-a-pinnip when I got back. I wanted to win the prize."

"We'll go some other time." Sua straightened, picked up Gin's blade, and led her sister away from the direction of the caravan trail. She hurried Ubi to the town square's archway, determined to get the child as far away from the crowded venue as possible. "I need you to go home and check on Mama."

"But today's the last day!"

"UBI!"

Her sister's lips quivered at hearing her sharp tone. Her scolding distracted some of the fairgoers standing nearby. Sua felt slightly embarrassed, but the fear of exposing Ubi to further danger overshadowed that emotion.

"Do I really have to go home?" her sister asked. At her despondent tone, Sua kneeled down.

She pulled her sister close and rubbed the child's back. Although Sua wanted to say something about the man who had given her the rose, she knew that she had to keep his identity a secret. Her mother would kill her if she involved Ubi in something the child wasn't ready for, let alone capable of fighting against.

Her sister sniffled but didn't pull away.

"Yes," she replied. "It's very, very important that you get back to the inn right now."

"Why?" Ubi wiped away some of the tears that had slipped from her eyes. Taking pity, Sua got out her handkerchief and helped the child clean her face.

"Because Mama might be missing you. She's all alone at the inn, after all. And nobody else will be coming for the rest of the afternoon," she reasoned, hoping that the lie would suffice. Po seconded her reply through his high-pitched chirping. "You bought some treats, right? Maybe you'd like to share them with her."

"Yeah." Her sister hiccuped and finally drew away. "We got a lot of cookies and candies and stuff from the stalls. Do you think she'll like 'em?"

"She will," Sua said, "but you have to hurry home. You know she doesn't want us eating sweets at dinner time, so you'll have to eat them together before then."

Thankfully, the prospect of sharing food with their mother convinced Ubi to skedaddle out of the square. That left Sua standing at the entrance, Gin's blade still in her hand. Po chirruped on her shoulder as she looked down to take in the leather scabbard's elaborate design.

Her right palm barely wrapped around the blade's thick handle. However, the weapon looked newer and sturdier than the old one her father had left them with. It would be difficult to wield, but it might be strong enough to deal three times as much damage as anything she'd used before.

Po chirped in a questioning tone.

Her late father would be disappointed with her actions, and her mother would probably disown her. She would bring shame to Tamisna Inn if someone spotted her and word got out. And of course, she'd lose any and all chances of getting together with Gin the next time they faced each other.

But this was probably her only chance of using his finely crafted blade against Binasa.

So without telling anyone, she snuck out of the town square and headed for the clearing she always dreaded.