***
He waited in the darkness, near his parents’ wagon. Daniel planned to tell them before
he walked home, otherwise they might spend hours searching for him.
Seth found him first.
“I talked to Kate,” said his friend.
Daniel only nodded.
“Were you serious?” Seth asked.
“Does it matter?” remarked Daniel.
“Damn right it does!” argued Seth, beginning to grow angry with Daniel’s attitude.
“I’d kill to have Kate look at me like that
,
and you’re just going to toss her away?”
Daniel’s answer came to him from the darkness of his soul, “You’d make a good match
for her. Someday she’ll forget about me.” It was only later that he would remember
where he first heard those words, but he had no chance to recall just then.
Sudden pain shot through his jaw as Seth’s fist came around in a vicious hook. The
blow caught him off-guard
,
and he fell heavily to the ground.
“You bastard! I hope the wardens take you!” cursed his one-time friend.
Daniel didn’t respond, but he silently agreed,
me too.
Winter came and with it the biting cold that made life in the hills both majestic
and profoundly uncomfortable. In the past Daniel had often looked forward to it as
a time with less work to do. They stockpiled hay through the summer
,
and once the snows came they stopped taking the sheep out to graze. His work usually
lasted only through the morning then and sometimes not even that long. Once the animals
had been fed and watered
,
the majority of his work was done, leaving him with far too much time to think.
In past years he and Seth would see each other more often during the less hectic afternoons,
but there were no visits that winter. He didn’t expect to see Kate, of course, but
the loss of his only other friend hit him deeply.
His parents didn’t understand what had happened at the harvest festival
,
but they accepted it as a result of youthful passions. Helen was still upset, though.
She had long favored Kate
,
and now she saw
that
her hopes of having her for a daughter-in-law appeared to have vanished.
Although they had taught Daniel to read they had no books
at home
. Most of the farmers and herders in the valley were illiterate. The only people
who needed to read were those who kept stores in town
,
so reading wasn’t common. As a consequence
,
their only entertainment during those months was music and conversation.
Alan Tennick was a marvelous storyteller, but they had already heard all of his tales.
He improvised new ones
,
but they still grew stale quickly. Daniel spent long periods simply playing the
cittern. Where he had practiced before, now he lived with the instrument, using it
to fill every waking moment that he was free from chores. His already rough hands
developed tough callouses where his fingers touched the strings.
Months passed and his inner pain seemed to ease somewhat. He still felt the loss
keenly
,
but it was as though a scar had formed over his heart, dulling the sensations. Daniel
saw Kate constantly while playing, and even more vividly while dreaming, but the sharp
emotions evoked by the memories no longer hurt as much.
As spring poked its head around the corner
,
Daniel’s mother asked him to make a trip in to Colne. The lower parts of the valley
were warmer and the farmers there should be bringing in their first small harvests
of spring vegetables. They were all looking forward to fresh foods again.
When Daniel finally stopped the wagon in front of the general store run by Tom and
Alice Hayes
,
he felt some discomfort at the thought of going inside. While Mr. and Mrs. Hayes
had always been courteous and easy to talk to, their son was a different matter.
Aston and Daniel had never been friends.
Aston hadn’t grown as muc
h as Daniel over the past year
, so he no longer found the other boy intimidating, but he never looked forward to
seeing him. He still couldn’t understand how two such seemingly kind people
as
Alice and Tom, could produce such a miserable ass of a son.
Alice Hayes looked up from a table as he entered. She was stacking and organizing
dry goods to make room for the newer items that would soon be filling the store.
“Good morning, Daniel!” she greeted him with a friendly smile.
Daniel ducked his head briefly as he walked in, “Ma’am.”
Mrs. Hayes was blond, much like her son, although on her it was a much more appealing
color. At thirty-five she was still attractive, though not excessively so. Aston
was the youngest of her three children, the other two having already left home.
Daniel glanced around, wondering whether he would have to tolerate Aston’s glares
while they discussed business. Fortunately the other teenager was nowhere in sight.
“Are you looking for Aston?” said Alice amiably. She seemed to have no awareness
of their mutual dislike. “He went with his father to negotiate with Mr. Grath. He’s
almost ready to bring in his first cabbages. He probably won’t be back for a few
hours.”
“No ma’am,” said Daniel promptly, “Mom sent me to see if you had fresh scallions yet,
or any fresh greens.”
Alice smiled, despite her pleasant appearance and soft demeanor she was an excellent
businesswoman, which was why her husband left her in charge of the store most days.
“We don’t have any greens yet, but we do have scallions. We also got some fresh peas
yesterday. I’m sure your mother would like those.”
Daniel nodded, “How much?”
“For the peas, an eighth of a bale per bushel, for the scallions a tenth,” she answered
immediately.
The people of the valley didn’t have money, so all transactions were handled by barter.
The Hayes were frequently at the center of that, performing a function almost like
a bank in that they traded on credit and kept a ledger of what had been brought in
and what had been sold. The previous summer’s shearing had been a good one
,
and Daniel’s family had a significant amount of credit at the store, recorded by
the number of wool bales they had brought in.
But the price for the peas was excessive. While still young, Daniel knew that last
year they had bought peas for only a tenth of a bale. “That seems like too much,”
he told her.
She shrugged, “They haven’t brought much in yet. The price will drop in a few weeks
I’m sure, but for now…”
A surge of irritation ran through Daniel. He was older now, halfway to sixteen, but
it was clear that Alice thought she could treat him like a child. As his emotions
shifted
,
the door in his mind opened again
,
and he saw the world again in that strange state of hyperawareness. He ignored it
for a moment, more intent on their exchange.
“We’ve been coming here for years Mrs. Hayes. I don’t think my parents would be happy
with that price. It doesn’t seem fair,” he replied, hiding his annoyance.
Her aura shifted, moving through strange patterns. “I have to be firm on the price,
Daniel. If I made an exception for your family I’d have to do the same for everyone.
We have to make a living too.”
Was that amusement?
While her face was serious
,
he felt certain that her aura was conveying a different emotion. She was looking
down on him.
“I doubt you’d try to charge my father that price if he were here,” he noted, trying
to remain reasonable.
Her expression softened into one of mild pity, “He isn’t here, though.”
Daniel felt it clearly now. While her face was sympathetic
,
inside she was laughing. A thought occurred to him then as he remembered the patterns
that Brenda’s aura had taken during their…tryst. On impulse he reached out with his
mind, touching her aura and shifting it slightly, moving it closer to the pattern
Brenda’s had been in.
She might give me a better price if she felt differently,
he mused.
Her facial expression went blank for a moment, but she gave no outer sign that she
had felt any change. “If you don’t like the price, you’re welcome to come back another
day,” she said, sticking to her position.
Daniel heard the difference in her voice however, a faint tremor. He took a step
closer, moving to within a few feet of her. “I don’t like the price, Alice. Are
you sure you couldn’t come down just a bit?” He kept his face smooth, adopting an
expression of sincerity.
Alice took a step back, as if uncertain, a strange thing for the normally confident
negotiator. Her eyes met his
,
and as they did he touched her aura again, shifting the pattern further, closer to
the state that he associated with arousal.
Her nostrils flared slightly and her pupils grew larger. Wetting her lips nervously
,
she held still, “I might consider it, though it would be unusual for me to do such
a thing.”
Daniel knew it was working now. He had the upper hand
,
and for once it felt good to be the one in control. “I think perhaps you should
give them to me for an eighth,” he said, aiming for a price below even the usual exchange
rate.
Her eyes started to harden, she was a stubborn woman by nature
,
but he stroked her aura again, sending ripples of pleasure through her body. Somehow
his extra sense could register even more information than just her aura
,
and he could tell she was flushing as blood rushed to her cheeks and—other places.
“That’s too low,” she said even as she squirmed imperceptibly.
She doesn’t know it’s me,
she
just wants to get me out of here before she embarrasses herself,
he realized. He just needed to make her aware that he knew exactly what she was thinking
about. Leaning in
,
he did the unthinkable and reached out to run his fingers around the outside of her
left ear. As gestures went it was completely inappropriate
,
and under normal circumstances he might have been thrown out of her shop.
Today, though, he knew exactly how she would react. “An eighth, Alice, that’s all
I’ll pay. Maybe there’s some way we could come to a compromise?” Watching the effect
his manipulations had had upon her, he was beginning to respond in a similar fashion.
A gasp escaped her lips
,
and her eyes darted to one side.
She just remembered that she’s minding the store alone today,
thought Daniel.
“You need to leave,” she told him, pushing him toward the door, but her words lacked
conviction.
He let her guide him to the entrance
,
but before she could open it he slipped his hand under her hair and pulled her head
back, placing his lips over her own.
She melted then
,
and after a moment she returned the kiss fiercely. With one hand she drew the bar
that would lock the door, ensuring no one would walk in unexpectedly.
“An eighth?” he questioned, his hands already roving.
“No,” she protested.
He pulled away from her
,
but used his strange ability to stir her passion even as he did.
“Yes!” she cried, “We have a deal.” Her eyes were devouring him as she pulled him
toward her. “Don’t make me wait any longer,” she pleaded.
He didn’t.
***
“I didn’t expect you to get so much,” said Alan Tennick as he eyed the wagon bed.
“The price was good,” said Daniel.
“How much?”
“An eighth.”
“For the peas or the scallions?” asked his father.
“The peas,” said Daniel. “Mrs. Hayes was in a really good mood. She threw in the
scallions for free.”
“Damn, son! You’re turning into a better haggler than I ever was. Maybe you have
a talent for this, eh?”
Daniel thought about that for a second. He hadn’t really intended for things to go
as far as they had with Mrs. Hayes. If anything
,
he had merely hoped that changing her mood would improve the price, but he couldn’t
complain. It had been the best experience he could ever remember having. Alice had
seemed extremely pleased as well.
“Maybe I do,” he mused.
Two weeks later his father sent him back, this time to talk to Dalton Brown about
acquiring a few yards of wool cloth. Dalton was a tailor and his wife a seamstress,
so they kept a lot of cloth on hand. Unfortunately his bartering with Dalton was
far less successful than it had been with Alice Hayes. Daniel had kept himself to
more traditional methods.
He stopped at the Hayes’ store and got a few incidentals for his mother. She hadn’t
asked him to, but he was curious about how Alice was doing.
Her face went pale when she saw him come in.
“Daniel!” she said nervously, glancing at her son Aston. “What brings you to town?”
“I just stopped by the Brown’s place,” he told her, “but I thought I might pick up
a jar of honey if you have any.” Unable to help himself
,
he gave her a sudden wink. On impulse he stroked her aura again, to remind her more
directly of their last meeting
,
and her color went from pale to pink.
“I’m surprised they let someone that smells like you into the place, sheep-lover,”
sneered Aston.
“Aston!” barked Alice sternly, “Mind your manners. Run down to Mr. Stiles
’
place and see if he has any more nails we could buy.”
“Awww Mom! That’s an hour’s walk,” he whined.
“I don’t care,” she snapped.
“Didn’t we get some just last week?”
“Move it, and next time think twice about how you talk to the customers,” she ordered.
Reluctantly her son left
,
and she dropped the bar as soon as he had stepped through the door, surprising Daniel
with her forwardness. “I honestly just meant to get the honey,” he told her, “and
to make sure you were doing alright.”
“I haven’t been able to think about anything else,” she confessed, taking the jar
from his hands. “The honey is free.”
“That seems reasonable,” said Daniel with a smile.
***
He left the store almost an hour later and was surprised to see Aston already returning.
The other boy must have run to get there and back so quickly. Feeling a bit perverse
,
Daniel made a show of re-buckling his belt as he stepped out the door. He didn’t
expect anyone would honestly believe that anything had occurred within, despite the
truth of it. He just wanted to taunt Aston.
Daniel gave him a big grin, but didn’t say anything.
“What are you still doing here, sheep-lover?” asked the young man.
Slightly taller and more heavily built
,
Daniel walked directly toward him before leaning close, “I think you know exactly
what I’ve been doing.”
Startled and intimidated by Daniel’s uncharacteristic display of aggression
,
Aston struggled to think of a reply, “Don’t make me laugh.”
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t touch any hole you came out of,” said Daniel harshly, “but
then, there are other ways…”
Enraged Aston forgot his fear and took a wild swing at him.
Expecting the blow, Daniel, let it land anyway, bobbing his head slightly to rob the
punch of some of its force. With his new senses he could see Alice Hayes watching
from the storefront.
Now I’ve got just cause.
Daniel’s right arm was already cocked, drawn back tightly against his body. He had
learned a lot from his father over the past year. Releasing the tension in his muscles
,
his body uncoiled and he struck Aston with a powerful jab, hitting him squarely in
the stomach, just under his ribs. The young man collapsed, gasping for air
,
and a moment later he vomited up the contents of his stomach.
Daniel looked down on him with concern. After a minute
,
he
helped his opponent to his feet.
T
hey both knew who had gotten the worst of the exchange, but Daniel had a swollen cheek
while Aston appeared unhurt.
“Next time I’ll break something,” said Daniel pitching his voice low even as he offered
his hand.
Aston watched him with fearful eyes but accepted the handshake finally.
“Are we good?” asked Daniel, speaking louder now.
“Yeah.”
Daniel smiled and headed for the wagon. “Don’t forget,” he whispered as he passed.
***
That evening as he lay in bed Daniel reflected on his actions. He had been exhilarated,
first by Alice’s enthusiasm and then by his victory over one of his oldest antagonists.
Even so, he still felt guilty. Deep down he knew he had done wrong, first in his
behavior with Mrs. Hayes, and then he had compounded it by humiliating her son. While
anyone who had witnessed the exchange would probably say it hadn’t been his fault,
he knew better.
He had initiated the fight, he had controlled it, and he had purposefully hurt Aston
far worse than the mild bruise he had received in return.
Maybe I’m cursed to do evil.
The memory of the warden examining
him
on the trail the day Brenda had ‘educated’ him
,
came unbidden to his mind. The servant of the gods had known there was evil in him.
The warden had sensed it somehow, even before he had done anything.
Since he had begun opening his mind and exploring his strange abilities
,
he hadn’t sensed anything of the warden who had been searching for him last summer
and fall, but he
knew
it could only be a matter of time. Eventually he would return, and next time there
would be no mistake about Daniel’s relative wickedness.
He was damned.
***
The next day Tom Hayes dropped by for a visit.
It wasn’t unusual for the man to show up now and then, being a merchant by trade he
made constant trips up and down the valley, always bartering to fill his store. His
visit today however, was different. He called Alan Tennick aside
,
and the two men spoke privately in the barn for a while, rather than in the house.
Daniel’s father looked embarrassed when he walked back.
“Thank you for stopping by, Tom. I’ll talk to him,” he told the other man.
Daniel was gripped by apprehension.
Does he know?
If Alice had confessed to her husband
,
she would be ruined by the shame of it. Daniel would be an outcast. The stigma
would stay with him forever
,
and his parents would suffer by extension.
It felt as though the world was collapsing around him.
“Come out here if you would, son,” ordered his father.
Head down, Daniel stepped out. His face was red
,
and he felt the beginnings of tears in his eyes. He had never respected anyone more
than his father. His shortcomings couldn’t be laid at their feet. Alan and Helen
had been the best parents anyone could ask for, and he had loved them for it. Now
the two people he loved most would know, would see the blackness that had taken root
in him.
“Tom told me about your fight with his son yesterday,” began Alan.
Relief flooded through him
,
and he fought to hide his reaction.
That’s what this is about!
Not daring to speak
,
he nodded at his father’s words.
“Give me your version of it,” said his father sternly.
He related the tale, omitting the details of his insult although he admitted to goading
the other boy into the fight.
Alan nodded, “I appreciate your honesty, son, although I’m disappointed by your lack
of judgment. I didn’t teach you those things so you could use them to bully other
boys.”
Daniel felt the truth of his father’s words and he could also sense the rising anger
in him. In his mind’s eye he could see the red fringes around his father’s aura.
It was rare to see his dad angry
,
and he knew he would probably be punished. He looked at the belt at Alan’s waist.
Before his father could continue
,
Daniel spoke, “I’m sorry, father. I know it was wrong. I lost my temper
,
and I made a mistake.” Mentally he reached out and soothed his father’s aura, trying
to bring it back to its normally smooth blues and yellows.
Sighing Alan Tennick drew a deep breath.
He grew calmer
and his temper receded. “As long as you know it was wrong. Promise me you’ll do
better in the future.”
“I will Dad.”