Hello Everyone! We’ve reached episode 20, can you believe it? It feels like a milestone to me, considering I wasn’t sure I could sustain a schedule with life, dogs, other work, and (little did we know) a pandemic. But I’m glad I have, it has been fun so far and I hope you are enjoying it as well 😊. Winter presses on in this neck of the woods, we actually had some snow overnight. It should be a given here in New England, but not as much as when I was young, it seems. But my dogs are happy this morning and that is all that really matters, right? Here’s hoping all is well with you, and let’s get back to Eleanorah’s tale. You can also follow her on Twitter at @EleanorahStarr and loads of other authors too! #TeaserTuesday is a popular place to hangout ✍🏼.
We last left the travelers in the aftermath of a discussion about magic inheritance, who is called what, and Elahna was pondering her position in the society should she have to stay. She had just concluded she would be at the very bottom, as an Ungifted. No real surprise, really, but still something to be aware of nonetheless. Let’s rejoin them on the road, shall we?~
Shouts of a semi-raucous nature tore the forest quiet we had subsided into after the inheritance discussion. I jumped in my own skin, though Revel barely flinched. “Sawyerset’s millmen.” Ivy said, gesturing off to the right and slightly ahead of us. “It’s a bit late to be sending a barge downriver to Cragbend now, they must be tying it off until morning. No doubt they are eager for the end of the day.”
“We’re almost there, then?” I asked, and then mentally slapped myself. I could see the trees thinning as we progressed and the shapes of buildings materializing in the resultant space. Faint tendrils of roasting meat aromas, pine shavings, and wet earth trailed through the air. The prospect of another new place, different people, and more questions to answer set off flutters of anticipation in my chest. It was a welcome sensation that made me smile. I’d learned much on the ride today, yet I was hungry for more.
Sawyerset nestled into the northern fringe of Venrood Forest. Unlike Cragbend, select trees had been spared the axe throughout the town so that the buildings nestled in among the broad trunks. The branch canopies had been limbed up quite high to allow sunshine in, I imagined, and perhaps some cover from precipitation. Not much for crops was going to grow in the grove, though, without some magical help.
Shade plants must love this, I mused as we rode down the main street, and was delighted to see many of my favorite perennials filling up gardens and borders alongside colorful containers of impatiens, lobelia, torenia, and fuschias.
The bright colors of the flowers adorned cottages and shops constructed entirely of wood. Intricate planking patterns and the species of tree the boards were milled from provided the distinguishing features of the buildings in place of paint. I marveled at alternating herringbone patterns, diagonals, and several variations of Tudor-style using different woods.
*Photo by form PxHere
Rooflines and front fences were adorned with elaborate carvings and patterns, and here and there I saw stained window casings or fascia boards. It was colorful in an understated way that inspired comfort, warmth, and above all, hard work.
The broad, packed-earth road carved a wide horseshoe through the town, with smaller lanes trailing away toward the thicker forest. Most of the townsfolk must live off these paths as I glimpsed only a few cottages that appeared to be actual dwellings and not merchants of some sort. The middle of the horseshoe was dominated by a giant planetree, its patchy white, gray, and green bark visible from any point.
Awnings dyed in bright and varied hues announced the market that filled the western half of the field, while the eastern half contained a clock tower, a well, and a fountain surrounded by woodland plants of every sort. Market-goers were wrapping up the day’s purchasing and gossip, and the stall-owners were packing their carts to head for home, or the pub on the way there. Everything I observed and sensed told me that this was a very close knit community, aware of every event that took place inside its bounds. Small-town camaraderie at its finest.
“We have rooms reserved at The Tarnished Blade,” Ivy said. “It sits at the bottom right of the bend in the Shoe. This road is named the Horseshoe, but everyone refers to it as the Shoe. Directions are given in relation to the place on the Shoe, and relative to the center tree, in case you were wondering.” She flashed me a wise sort of grin. I couldn’t help but laugh some in return. Evidently my curiosity had made an impression on her today.
At the location she described stood a two-story tavern. It was constructed in a Tudor-esque style that paired a silver-gray wood with the framing details in another lumber of fine-grained, dark brown. The contrast of the two colors made the gray shine like a pewter mirror in the fading light of the evening. The second story kept the dark framing of the first floor, but had wide, bright, tongue-and-groove boards diagonally set instead. I noticed each window had different colored curtains in jewel tones, creating the effect of a gem-encrusted belt cinching a pale robe. Warm, golden light spilled out of the many diamond-paned windows along with hearty laughter and scents from the open doors. Half of a sawmill blade was sunk perpendicular into the door frame well above head height, painted scarlet red with blackened tooth tips. Of course, why not use the real thing for a sign?
I dismounted in the small stableyard out back, doing a similar light jig to the one in the forest to restore feeling to my feet. I tried to keep Revel between me and the pedestrians, but he evidently found my dance amusing and did his own version to draw attention to us. A lanky boy strolled in our direction, a wide grin blooming on his face. I picked up Revel’s reins and murmured, “Oh, you are a cheeky one, aren’t you?” as I scratched his ears.
“Long ride today, miss? Oh, Elements be, Miss Ivy, nice t’ see you again. Yes, I’d imagine saddle foot’s got ya, if you’ve been from Cragbend? Here, lemme take thems for you. I’ve stalls prepped for ’em since Mam said you’d be with us for a night. Wat’s this one, he’s a sharp one, eh?” The grinning boy reached for both of our reins, looking Revel over as though he might sprout wings or devil horns.
“Elements be, Scosy, many thanks. You may remember Felicity, and that there is Revel. He’s young, but he shouldn’t give you any trouble. He can be a bit of a sprat though, as you see. They have had a long, but excellent ride today. Make sure they get a good rubdown and extra oats, will you?” Ivy favored the youth with a wide smile, and he colored pink up to the points of his ears. She unlatched her bags from the saddle and turned toward the inn. I slapped Revel’s rump lightly as he pranced away and followed Ivy.
We reached the side door through an alley way of stacked casks and crates and stepped into my imagination. The Tarnished Blade was every bit the tavern I had pictured in my mind, even more so than The Cleft Barrel had been back in Cragbend.
To our right, a lengthy bar of various heights stretched two-thirds of the way to the far wall. A very tall, yet broad-shouldered older man leaned on his elbows from behind the bar, deep in conversation with a patron. His eyes registered our entrance and his hand shot up into the air in greeting, though his conversation never paused. A plump woman burst through the set of swinging doors then, two wide, steaming bowls clutched in towels in her hands. She turned our way, nodded and smiled in greeting before confidently winding through the scattered furniture and depositing the bowls on a table that sat four men in light button-down shirts of the same plaid. She slung the towels over her shoulder and approached us, and I realized what I had taken for plump was actually stout and strong. She would have looked normal in a plaid shirt as well.
“Ivy, Elements be! Perfect timing, as usual. Right before the dinner rush.” The woman’s raised hand greeting turned into a quick, affectionate hug, which Ivy returned, and then she was steering us toward an intricately worked spiral stair at the back of the room. “Take your things up, its rooms septa and octa in the far corner, they’ll be the quietest. Then have a wash, if you like, and grab a table. I’ll ferry over some stew and cider when I see ya come in. But don’t dawdle, it’ll fill up quick on a fine night like this. The mill’s lads’ll be wantin’ their ale!” And then she was gone, back through the kitchen doors for more orders, I supposed.
This is a good place to stop for today, the evening in The Tarnished Blade deserves its own episode. I just may put that out next week instead of waiting a week! I still marvel now at how perfect the taverns were to my imagination. To this day, I miss them. They were true community places no matter where I was in the land.~
Elahna is now a whole day closer to the capital and her situation has a bit more meaning for her. Would you be able to be as composed as she is, in her position? Comment below and let’s talk about it!
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The Sun, a Book, and a Dog 