Saturday, October 5, 2019

Serial Saturday: "Red, The Wolf" Part 2


<<<<<<< PART 1

Part 2

*This part and the next are somewhat similar (with some key details added in) to the section I abridged for inclusion into the charity anthology Dreamtime Damsels And Fatal Femmes. I highly recommend supporting our cause and procuring your own copy for the sake of all the fantastic stories you are sure to enjoy as much as following this serial!

Red hesitated as she listened to the townspeople chatter excitedly amongst themselves.
"Is it the Schoolmaster already?" one woman asked her husband.
"I hope not! The cakes aren't quite finished yet, and the musicians are still tuning their instruments!" responded another.

Gradually the noise ceased as everyone caught the rattle and creak of a wagon echoing off the cliffs of the mountainside, and over it all, a clear, ringing voice.

"...and the maiden fair danced light and free, and the maiden fair danced free!"

Red rolled her eyes and slipped her cowl into place as the horse trotted into view, pulling a large wagon. It wasn't Schoolmaster Remani after all, but one of the regular peddlers who trekked up the mountain, a rover by the name of Justin. Though he only passed through the mountain villages a handful of times per year, Old Justin was as much a staple among the people of Queston as the swarthy band of shepherds. He kept his beard only a small patch of hair at his chin, and an impressive, slender mustache that spread straight out over his lip, and his twinkling eyes betrayed no guile as he politely nodded to everyone he passed.

His presence never failed to excite the children. They came running as he pulled his wagon to a halt.
"The Peddler! The Peddler!" they cried as they danced around. 
The horse came to a willing stop as it became too crowded to progress any further. Small hands reached up to pull at the tall wagon cover bulging with tantalizing shapes, and small feet danced around at the promise of fascinating new delights.
"Have you brought us new toys?" one eager boy asked.

Justin chuckled as he climbed down from his seat. He held out his hands to greet the children. 
"Have I?" He answered the little boy. "Let me tell you, the whirligigs I've collected in my wagon are guaranteed to give you hours of fun!" He pulled an object out of the back of his wagon. "Let me show you," he said, kneeling in the dirt. 

He placed the thing on the ground before them, a metal object shaped like some four-legged monster with a key in its back. Justin gave the key a few twists, and something rattled inside the monster. With a series of stiff jerks, the monster began to move by itself, waving its claws in the air. It pinged and crackled as tiny sparks burst from its jaws.

"A dragon!" Squealed a young boy, and all the children laughed and clapped.

Justin allowed the children to sample his array of whirligigs and colorful knickknacks. True to form, the young ones ran to show their parents and beg to buy the trinkets. The old peddler rocked on his heels and gestured to the decorations.

"This looks mighty auspicious!" he declared. "What's the occasion? You weren't expecting this much of me, I hope!" He laughed and winked at the lass standing near him.
"Oh no," she said with a blushing smile. "Our Schoolmaster is returning from his time in the city, and we're getting things ready for him."
Justin smiled. "Lucky sort, that is! What I wouldn't give to have a place of my own in every village I pass through!" He sighed, still staring at the maiden. "And whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"
The young woman gave a curtsey. "They call me Wendy, if you please, sir."
Justin nodded. "Well, Miss Wendy, can I interest you in the latest beauty trend, straight from the King's court?" He reached into his wagon and pulled out another set of cases.
Wendy leaned over, eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Oh? What is it?"

Justin flung the lid back, aware now that he had the attention of several young women. "I have combs," he said, lifting them up and letting their shiny surfaces catch the light. "Beautiful combs that are all the rage in the king's palace! And dresses! Just look at these," he opened a chest and brought out garments of fine, brilliantly-hued cloth. "I went to a party at the Duke's palais," he said the word with a refined accent, "and I swear every high-born lady there was wearing this very style, along with these shoes," more boxes open, "and if I could have the attention of you men--long coats and baggy sleeves are out, don't you know! That's peasant-wear; you want to look like a classy gentleman, you wear this!" he pulled out a puppet decked in a sleek waistcoat and a shirt with close-fitting sleeves. 

Handing it to the nearest villager for a closer look, Justin pulled out a few items to demonstrate that he had normal-sized versions of everything the doll wore. "Doesn't that look a treat?" Justin asked the growing crowd with a wink. "No more catching your sleeve on anything or dragging it through the dirt and dust of your everyday life. Your wife will thank you when you don't smell like you've been in the trough all day!" He winked, and a few of the villagers laughed at the joke. He brought out a small stool and stood upon it, so that his voice could carry over the heads of the gathering crowd. "Step right up, folks! I have plenty of items for bartering! Bring your things, and let's strike a deal!"

From the far side of the Town Square, Red watched with folded arms as the villagers brought out their food preserves and hand-made items to trade for Justin's "new and very popular" trinkets.
Two small pots of soup and a skein of wool netted a set of dresses for the whole family. Half a cow of dried and cured meat got a set of pans that looked like tin, but Justin promised they would last far longer and hold up longer against the flames than their usual hammered steel dishes. Red observed every transaction, as farmers traded gardening tools to buy their children one of those new, key-wound toys; she listened as Justin presented a new kind of seed that produced an unheard-of plant bountiful enough to keep a family of five fed and happy through the winter months, grew in any kind of soil, and needed very little care. She saw beautifully-embroidered pillows and garments delivered to Justin, who barely glanced at them with a shrug. "Well, I hate to say this, Mrs. Haben," he told the woman, "but with the advent of machine sewing in the big cities, there just isn't much of a market for this kind of novelty needlework anymore."
The woman's chin trembled, and her eager eyes dimmed a little. "Oh," she murmured, "but I would dearly love to have a set of those combs! And this is all I have to barter with!"
Justin patted the woman's shoulder. "What can I say? You've won me over. I suppose I can let you have the combs, and I'll take these," he deftly removed the whole pile of cloth from her hands, "and see what I can do with them, how does that sound?"
Mrs. Haben squealed as much as the children as she picked up a set of the combs. She set one in her hair and admired her reflection in the tiny mirror built into the lid of the box. "My!" She gushed. "Don't I look fine!"
Red snorted. The woman's hair was already too thin--the comb looked as if it would fall out at the first sign of a breeze, but Justin replied, "I declare! You look as much like a courtesan as I've ever seen!" He extended a hand and raised his voice to the women whispering behind her. "This goes for anybody who wants to trade for me, as well: I'll take what you're willing to barter with--it might not have much of a market, but I didn't get to be a traveling peddler by being choosy!"

Red rolled her eyes. She'd seen enough. No one was working on the party preparations anymore; Justin had their full attention--and Red didn't think he deserved hers. Besides, she was rapidly developing a headache from the vast array of spices, perfumes, and colognes Justin stored in his wagon, and her back was aching even worse than before. Red turned heel and set off down the road. She could feel the Wolf just itching to leap out, to leave this funny little town, so easily amused, far behind much faster than her human legs could. The further she got from Justin and his smells, the more she detected something else--something that stoked the Wolf's ire inside her. Change now! Follow it! cried her instincts, but Red didn't want to make a move until she knew what prompted this feeling. She trailed the scent, until it led her down the alleyway beside the dressmaker's store--and so distracted was the young huntress that she nearly pitched head-first over a body laying there.

"Oh my!"
"Watch out!"

Make that two bodies. Red sprawled on the ground for the space of a breath, but her reflexes allowed her to gather her feet under her even as she fell. Only her wrists smarted from where she had banged them on the rough corner of an empty cloth crate.
She gathered herself and turned to face the two people in the alley as a young man helped a young lady to her feet.
"Henny!" Red gasped, recognizing the woman.  
Henny Garrity--Deborah's absent daughter--ducked her blonde head and bit her lip. 
"Hullo, Lady Red," she murmured softly.
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