Red Moon (2 page)

Tristan stared at him with disgust, and then back down at
Sophia as she took his hand in her small one.  She was staring up at him,
her dark eyes large and wet with unshed tears.  “Please, papa.  I
want her.”  She whispered.

Tristan could feel himself softening.  Sophia never
called him papa.  She kept her distance and referred to him as “my lord”
or “Tristan” when prompted to interact with him.  He was finding it
difficult to resist her.

Maya, sensing his weakness, chimed in eagerly.  “Avery
is also very good with children, my lord.  And she is excellent with
plants.  Your garden will thrive and provide plenty of food for your
children’s bellies.”

Tristan scrubbed his hand across his face. 
“Fine.  I’ll take her as well.”

Maya gasped with happiness, and Sophia grinned triumphantly
as Avery joined them.  Maya hugged her tightly and Avery kissed her cheek
before taking her hand.  The four of them joined the others and as they
filed out the door, the man grabbed Tristan’s arm.

“Perhaps you would care for one more m’lord.”  He
looked down at Tristan’s bare left hand.  “Perhaps a fine wench to warm
your bed?”  He pointed to a dark haired woman who was wearing a dress that
left little to the imagination.  She smiled slowly and invitingly at him.

Tristan shook his head.  “I have no need for a bed
warmer.”  He pulled his arm free.  “Let us agree over the price so I
can leave this wretched place.”

“What on the gods’ earth were you thinking, Tristan?”
 Marshall frowned at him as he clucked loudly to the horses.  The
wagon started with a jolt and Marshall slapped the reins gently on the horses’
backs, encouraging them to move faster.

They pulled on to the dusty road, the wagon creaking and
groaning as they drove towards their camp.

“What do you mean?”  Tristan asked.

“The Red?  Are you deliberately trying to curse us?”

“That’s nothing more than an old wives tale, Marshall.”
 Tristan scoffed derisively.  “I didn’t know you spooked so easily.”

“I don’t!”  He protested hotly.  “But it’s bad
enough you’re bringing more humans into the household.  Did you have to
bring a Red as well?”

Tristan rolled his eyes.  “Afraid she’ll cast a spell
on you?”

“You laugh, but my mother used to tell me tales of the
witches when I was still a small pup.  Terrible tales they were. 
Women with flaming red hair, chanting and casting spells as they danced naked
around their fires.  Humans and supernaturals alike have been destroyed by
them, Tristan.”

Tristan snorted with disdain.  “You sound like a
dithering old woman, Marshall.  Tales of the witches are a human thing.”

“You forget my mother was human.”

“I haven’t forgotten.  Human blood runs within your
veins, and yet you seem to loathe them.”

Marshall refused to answer, staring forward moodily as
Tristan glanced behind him at the back of the wagon.  Sophia had insisted
on joining Avery and Maya in the back of the wagon and she was sitting on
Avery’s lap, her small hand stroking Avery’s hair repeatedly.

“Besides, Sophia has taken a liking to her.”

“You don’t need two nannies, Tristan.  It’s just
another mouth to feed.”  Marshall argued in a low voice.  “Tonight,
after Sophia falls asleep, I’ll take her to the outskirts and abandon
her.  We can tell Sophia in the morning that the Red ran away.”

“That’s a death sentence and you know it.”, Tristan said
harshly.  “If the faeries don’t capture her, the leeches definitely will.”

Marshall shook his head.  “I’ve never seen you bend so
easily to a woman’s will before.”

“Sophia is my child.  She has just lost her mother and
is with a father she barely knows, who is taking her to a home she does not
remember.  I will do whatever it takes to make her feel comfortable.”

He paused and gave Marshall a hard look.  “I value your
opinion brother, but the woman stays.  Do you understand me?”

“Of course I do.  But when she’s murdering our chickens
and using their blood to write spells on our bedroom walls, you’ll owe me an
apology.”

Tristan laughed.  “Fine.  When that happens, I’ll
apologize.”

* * *

Maya smiled at Sophia.  “How old are you, Sophia?”

Sophia looked up from Avery’s hair.  “I’m seven.”

“Seven.  Wow.  And can you read and write?”

Sophia shook her head.  “No.  Can you?”

Maya nodded.  “I can.  Perhaps I could teach
you?  Would you like that?”

“Yes.  I have a little brother you know.  His name
is Nicholas.”

“And how old is Nicholas?”  Maya asked.

“He’s seven moons old.  He’s sick a lot.”

Maya glanced at Avery.  “What kind of sickness?”

Sophia shrugged and began to stroke Avery’s hair again.
 “He sneezes and coughs a lot.  He’s always throwing up his
milk.  Mrs. Lanning says it’s the air.  She says my mother should
never have lived in the city.”

She frowned, her hands tangled in Avery’s hair.  “I
don’t like Mrs. Lanning. She has bad breath, and says mean things about my
mother when she thinks I can’t hear.”

“Where is your mama?”  Avery asked gently.

“She’s dead.”  Sophia said matter-of-factly.  “She
had a friend who was a bad man.  He took her to the leeches.”

“I’m sorry, baby.”  Avery rubbed her back gently, and
Sophia leaned companionably against her.  “You must miss her very much.”

Sophia shrugged.  “She wasn’t around a lot.”  She
sighed and snuggled in closer, resting her head in the curve of Avery’s
neck.  “I take care of Nicholas – I’m very good at it.”

“I’m sure you are, baby.”

Sophia wrinkled her nose.  “You smell bad, Avery.”

Avery grinned as Maya giggled softly.  “I know I
do.  Perhaps when we get to your home, I could have a bath.”

“We’re not going home yet.  We’re going back to our
campsite.  Marshall says it will be another two days before we arrive
home.”

She sighed softly.  “And it’s not my home.
 Tristan says I used to live there but I don’t remember it.  Tristan
says I’ll like it.  He says there are lots of places to explore and the
house is very large.  I’ll have my own room, and he said he would buy me a
pony and teach me to ride.”

She hesitated.  “I’m not sure I’ll like living in the
country though.”

Marian spoke up.  “The country is a wonderful place to
live, young miss.  The fresh air, big open sky…”

She trailed off, sighing happily.  “The Farthing’s had
the most beautiful country home.  I’ve missed it.  I’m so happy to
hear we’ll be living in the country.”

“I’m not.”  The girl sitting next to Marian said
glumly.  She had a thin and mousy face, and she sighed dramatically.
 “I hate the country.  Give me the city any day.”

“I miss the city too.”  Maya said softly.

Marian frowned.  “It was the city living that got the
ancients into trouble in the first place.  All of those people crowded
into the city with no place to turn without running into another human.
 “The Great War destroyed so many of us because we were crowded into the
old cities like cattle.  Three quarters of the population wiped out in an
instant.”

“We have seen an old city.”  Maya said eagerly.

The mousey girl’s mouth dropped open.  “You’re lying.”

“I am not!”  Maya replied indignantly.  “Our
father took us to see one when we were young.  Did he not, Avery?”

“Aye.”  Avery nodded.  “He did.”

“You would have the sickness if you had gone to the old
city.”  A dark-haired girl, Avery thought her name was Nadine, said
critically.  “Your hair and teeth would have fallen out, and the sores
would have appeared.”

“Would have been a blessing for that one if her hair had
fallen out.”  The mousey girl nudged Marian and looked pointedly at Avery.

“Don’t be rude Renee.”  Marian frowned. 

Maya shook her head.  “My father arranged for us to
wear special suits.  They had these small canisters attached to them that
gave us our own air.  That’s why we didn’t contract the sickness.”

“What was it like?”  Nadine asked.

Maya glanced at Avery.  “I was very young, around
Sophia’s age, but I can still remember how tall the buildings were.  They
blotted out the sun.  A lot of them had crumbled to the ground.
 Father said there used to be a great many more but the Great War
destroyed most of the buildings.”

She shivered delicately.  “It was so quiet.  No
birds sang or animals moved about.  Although the sun shone brightly, there
were no plants growing.  There were no signs of life at all – even after
all the years.”

“Why did your father take you there?  What if you had
gotten sick?”  Nadine wondered.

Avery shifted Sophia on her lap.  “My father was
fascinated with history.  He had a thirst for knowledge, particularly
about the ancients’ lives, and he wanted to share it with us.  He wanted
us to learn from the ancients’ mistakes.  He believed it was worth the
risk.”

“He sounds crazy.”  Renee sniffed.

Maya frowned but Avery smiled.  “Aye.  I guess he
does.”

“I still wish I had been bought by someone who lived in the
city.”  Renee sighed.  “The lights are so pretty at night, and there
is music and dancing and parties.”

Marian rolled her eyes.  “What do you know of the
parties?  You, who was born into slavery.”

“My lord’s son favoured me.”  Renee said
haughtily.  “I pleased him well, and in return he showered me with gifts
and took me with him to many gatherings.”

“A fat lot that did you, didn’t it?”  Marian glowered
at her.  “You still ended up being sold when the household could no longer
afford to feed you.”

“It doesn’t matter.  Now that we’re going to the
country, I’ll never hear music or go dancing again.”  Renee complained.

“Tristan says there is a village not far from his home.”
 Sophia piped up.  “Perhaps they dance there?”

Renee smiled at her.  “Perhaps, young miss.  But I
would still prefer the city.”

Marian frowned.  “With the leeches and the faeries and
the werewolves just running rampant?  No, thank you.  Do you know how
many people go missing every day from the city?  Why, before Mrs. Farthing
sold me, there were five people in the city not five miles from our home that
went missing all in one night.  Of course no one knows for sure what
happened to them.  Some swear it was the faeries, but I heard from Mr.
Windon next door that it was the werewolves.  It was a full moon that
night.”

Sophia had begun to visibly tremble in Avery’s arms and she
squeezed her soothingly.  “Are you okay, my pet?”

She nodded as Tristan turned around.  His gaze landed
briefly on Avery before he scanned the rest of the women.  “Quiet your
tongues.  All of you.”

* * *

“The gods be damned, Lord Williams!  You said you would
be bringing no more than six back with you.”

Avery stared curiously at the woman holding the crying
baby.  She was tall and thin and looked to be close to fifty.  She
had deep wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes, and her black hair was
pulled back into a severe bun. 

She jiggled the baby impatiently as he screamed
louder.  “This one has done nothing but cry since you left.”  She
said grumpily.

Tristan took the baby from her, patting his back and lightly
bouncing him up and down, as the others climbed out of the wagon.  They
stretched their legs and stared curiously at the campsite. 

Maya held Avery’s hand and squeezed it nervously. 
Avery smiled reassuringly at her.  “It will be fine, Maya.”

She looked around curiously.  They were in a large
clearing in the forest just off the main road.  A number of horses, their
long leads staked to the ground, were grazing at the edge of the
clearing.  A small carriage was standing close to the road, and there were
four tents situated around a large campfire.  Two men approached the
horses, and helped Marshall untie them and lead them to where the other horses
were grazing.  Two women were in the campsite.  One was tending to a
pot of boiling liquid over the fire; the smell of cooking rabbit drifted to
them on the soft breeze, and both Avery and Maya’s stomach growled in response.

The other was sitting close to the fire, a basket of mending
in her lap, and she stared at the small group.  When her gaze fell on
Avery, she actually gasped and crossed herself nervously before standing and
backing towards one of the tents.

Avery, used to the reaction, winked at her and the woman
covered her mouth and stumbled into the tent, closing the open flaps firmly
behind her.

“What is that?”  The older woman stared in horror at
Avery.  “You bought a Red?  What – what were you thinking?”  She
glanced down at Sophia who was holding Avery’s hand firmly.  “Tell me she
is not the nanny for your children!”

Tristan rolled his eyes, still trying to soothe the wailing
baby.  “Mrs. Lanning, these women here,“ he nodded towards Marian and the
others, “will be your new house staff.” 

He stared at the women.  “Mrs. Lanning is the head of
the household.  You will obey her without question.  Do you
understand?”

They nodded as Tristan approached Maya and Avery.  The
baby was really screaming now, his small fists flailing and his thin face
bright red.  His tiny body twisted and squirmed in Tristan’s arms, and his
nose was running steadily.  His screaming turned into a bout of coughing,
and Avery winced as his small body was racked with sudden shivers.

Tristan held the baby out to Maya.  “Your sister says
you have a way with babies’.  Now is the time to prove it.”

Maya took the shrieking, wailing baby and glanced timidly at
Tristan.  “Do you have a blanket for him?”

Tristan nodded and turned to the girl who was standing by
the pot.  “Laura, grab his blanket please.”

She disappeared into one of the smaller tents before
returning with a small, thin blanket.  Maya took it from her with a nod of
thanks and knelt on the ground, holding the wriggling baby carefully against
her.  She spread the blanket out and laid the baby in the middle of
it.  With quick, practiced movements, she wrapped and folded the blanket
around his body until he was swaddled completely.  Only his thin, red face
peeked above the blanket, and Maya picked him up before standing.  She
placed a soft kiss on one red cheek and swayed back and forth, crooning softly
to him under her breath.  The baby quieted and stared at Maya’s face as
she used one edge of the blanket to wipe the snot and tears from his face.

“Husha baby.” She sang softly.  “Go to sleep, little
baby.”

Avery gave Tristan an ‘I told you so’ grin, and he snorted
and turned back to Mrs. Lanning. 

“This is Nicholas and Sophia’s new nanny.  Her name is
Maya.”  He cupped the back of Sophia’s head.  “Sophia, show Maya to
yours and Nicholas’s tent.  I need you to show her where all of Nicholas’s
clothing and supplies are.  You and Nicholas will sleep with her in the
tent tonight.”

Sophia nodded and Maya held her hand out to the little
girl.  She took it willingly enough and led her to the tent that Laura had
pulled the blanket from.  Avery could hear her chattering to Maya about
Nicholas as they disappeared into the tent together.”

“What about this one?”  Mrs. Lanning looked at Avery
with revulsion.  “What am I to do with it?”