Page 37 of Songs and Spun Gold
Not that she should feel distressed while strolling along on Fritz’s arm.
But she did, and that fact only added to her distress.
They walked in silence. Whenever Katy chanced a glance at her companion, she saw a soft smile gracing his lips. If he happened to be glancing at her, the smile would widen until the light from one of the road lamps reflected faintly off his teeth. Katy hoped that her answering looks assured him that she was enjoying herself just as much as he was.
They were nearing the small village tavern when she heard the raised voice of her father. Increasing her pace, she flashed Fritz a sheepish grin. “You don’t mind if we hurry past the tavern, do you?”
“Of course not.” He lengthened his stride to match hers,looking warily at the establishment. Katy hoped he wouldn’t be put off if he recognized the voice. After all, he had known her father’s reputation when he asked her to walk. How much worse could it be to hear one of his drunken arguments?
“An outrage, I tell you! An outrage!” her father’s voice rang out, muffled by the walls of the building but loud enough to be distinct as Katy and Fritz drew even with the corner. “Yes, he let us have our spinning wheels back six years ago, but for thirteen years before that, they weren’t allowed anywhere in or around the village, and for what? Just so he can prove his power over us?”
Another voice made a reply, but it was too quiet for the words to carry past the walls. If it was meant to calm her father down, it failed.
“Sheep have always been the backbone of this community! But what good are they when you can’t spin the wool? For thirteen years, King Steffan crippled us!”
Katy felt her feet slow as her head turned to stare at the stone wall and the light showing through the cracks in its shutters. What was her father thinking, speaking against the king like that?
“He didn’t think about us when he ordered Reineggburg Castle abandoned six years ago, and I know it hurt more folk than my family. He didn’t think about us when he outlawed spinning wheels almost twenty years ago, denying us the right to earn more on our wool through our labor. I’ve a sick wife at home; my Katy works her fingers to the bone to make ends meet, and she spins so well we get the best price on the market.”
“No, no, no,” she muttered urgently, her eyes wide as she took a step toward the door, her left hand stretching toward it as her right began to slip from Fritz’s arm. “Stop; don’t bring me into this!”
Fritz caught her hand and tugged on it gently. “Let’s notstop, Katy. It won’t do any good.” His voice sounded worried, but Katy’s focus was on her father’s rant.
“I’m beholden to him for my flock. But if the king had never taken our spinning wheels, Katy would’ve been spinning her whole life. With an extra decade of her profits, I’d have riches to spare. And with that much experience, her spinning would be so fine it might as well be gold!”
The roar that greeted this point in the speech must have been deafening inside the tavern, given how loud it was outside. Katy couldn’t even tell if her father had stopped speaking or if he had been drowned out by his listeners.
“Katy, come on. Let’s leave,” Fritz pled. His other hand gripped her shoulder, trying to pull her away, but her feet were glued to the dirt road as her eyes were glued to the tavern wall.
Suddenly, the din became louder as the front door swung open and a tall man shrouded in a dark cloak stepped out. Backlit as he was, she couldn’t have discerned his features even if his hood were thrown back instead of pulled low over his face. He slammed the door, and with the loss of light from the tavern, Katy thought she could make out a wide grin in the dim light from a distant lamp. It wasn’t a nice grin.
“Look who’s here,” he drawled. Katy shrank back into Fritz, retreating when the man swung his hooded face toward her. “I’m so glad you were able to witness this delightful little scene.”
“W-what are you talking about?” Katy stuttered as Fritz hauled her back, pivoting on his left foot to put himself between her and the stranger.
“Excuse us, sir.” He began walking back the way they had come, dragging Katy along beside him.
The stranger threw his hands out wide. “You don’t want to see how it ends, little girl? This primary step to the fulfillment of your dreams?”
“My dreams?” Her upper lip curled as she twisted in Fritz’s hands to look over her shoulder. “What would you know about—”
“Ignore him, Katy,” Fritz muttered in her ear. “Keep walking.”
Laughing, the stranger called after her, “I know they don’t involve a poor tanner. Not a real one, at least.”
Her nose wrinkled in confusion as Fritz’s lips pressed together. What was that supposed to mean? And she didn’t recognize the man’s voice, so how did he know Fritz was a tanner?
To her relief, the stranger didn’t add anything else as they practically jogged back down the road. He couldn’t know anything about her, but the way he spoke… She didn’t need Fritz to wonder if perhaps he did.
CHAPTER 10
Axel
Swirling his cloak for the pleasure of the dramatic appearance, Axel turned to face the way from which he had come. His gaze passed briefly over the dry stone fountain and the bare shrubs before he strode down the lane once more.
“Hiding in your room would be warmer.”
Axel didn’t bother to look at his friend, let alone pause in his pacing. Having passed the wooden bench multiple times, he knew that Tobias was sprawled across it, one hand draped across the backrest and the other lightly gripping a half-full glass of pale amber liquid. One booted foot was propped up on the bench, and he had spread his wine-red cloak over himself like a blanket.
