Sunbeam

10) The Fire

Kezia was working late at the shop, it was peaceful at night. No customers. It was dark out, the shop was lit up by the burning hearth, and the light fixture hanging from the ceiling. The fire kept her warm during the cold nights, she had no need to wear her jacket.

She hummed to herself as used her chisel to carve into a piece of wood to refine the custom handle she was making for an axe. She'd already made the head, she just needed to finish to the handle so she could combine them before the lumberjack came to collect it the following afternoon.

Her solitude was disturbed by her youngest brother rapidly knocking against the door to the shop, shouting her name.

"Come through the back, Finn, front door is locked," Kezia responds, and moments later Finn emerged through the side of the building, "can I have some wood?"

"Why'd you need some wood?" Kezia queries, "placing her tools down."

"Tommy needs it for a fire," Finn answers, "he says the fire is in response to the raid the new copper carried out."

"Yeah, I heard about that, had quite a few shaken old ladies coming in to request daggers," Kezia says.

"He found Pol at church, they couldn't find Ada though, Tommy wants to know where she is," Finn says, "people never realise I'm there, it's fine by me though, it means I get to eavesdrop in peace."

"Tommys head would explode if he knew where Ada was," Kez laughs, "did Tommy say what kind of wood he needed?"

"Wood for a fire?" Finn responds, "the easiest to burn I'd guess."

"What happened with the Lee's?" Kezia asks, as Finn follows her into the back room where she kept her materials.

"How'd you know we saw the Lee's?" Finn remarks.

"I know a lot more than you think I do, Finn," Kezia replies.

"Arthur and John didn't even know we were stopping before the fair," Finn says, "there was a fight. The boys won."

"They tend to," Kezia nods.

"There was a guy, Johnny, he was trying to break it up, saying there'd be a war, but then one of them called Mum a diddicoy whore, Tommy lost it, slashed him with his cap," Finn explains, "will there be a war? They've only just come home from one."

"Not the same sort of war," Kezia responds, grabbing blocks of Ash wood and chucking them in a sack, "there will be some hostility between the families, so be careful running around the town, eh?"

"Can I have a knife to protect myself?" Finn smirks.

"I'm not making you a knife, Finn," Kezia states.

"What good is having a blacksmith for a sister if she won't even make me a pretty little dagger?" Finn complains, "you'll feel real bad about this decision if I get attacked and have no way to protect myself."

"Sure I will," Kez teases.

"You will, you love me," Finn smiles.

"You're not going to let that go, are you?" Kez replies, "that's going to be your reason for me to do anything for you."

"Well you wouldn't do anything for me, I know that now, you're refusing to make me a knife," Finn huffs, "I'm about to walk through these dark, dangerous streets alone, and I have no way to protect myself from the bad people out to get my innocent self."

"Still not making you a knife," Kezia says, "let me shut off the furnace, then we can go."

"You're coming?" Finn replies.