The Brave

Awakening

I felt as though I was floating to the surface of some vast pool.  My body rose, heart beating faster in my ears as I broke the surface of the water. The sound of breath was deep and slow and an eyelid slowly parted to reveal the orange glow that enveloped me. I tried to open my other eye, but it would not. A burning pain coursed down my face, throbbing concentrated above the spot where my eyelids met. 

As my fingertips traced the surface of hot, stretched skin, the image of Joe's twisted face flashed before me, his mouth viciously forming unheard words as his eyes, hardened with fury, looked through my own. Instinctively, my hands clamped themselves to the small round bump that stood proud beneath linen and a warm surge through my body confirmed that my baby was safe. I turned to the right, trying to focus on something with my working eye, my eye fell on a brown smudge. Blinking several times revealed the smudge to take the form of a low three legged milking stool.

"Drink this." an unfamiliar voice jarred me from my thoughts. Gasping, I drew my body tight into a ball, my fists clenched, ready to fight. The figure didn't move, my heart was throbbing through my ears as I scanned the shadowy form that towered at the end of the bed. A hint of movement was all I needed to trigger a responsive attack of nails and teeth and screaming. 

'Young Landy is long gone. He won't be back. That boy has more sense than to argue with the wrong end of a rifle." The man's voice was slow and modulated, if I was sure of anything it was that I had not met with this man before.

"You know Joe?" I asked cautiously, trying to forcibly relax my furrowed brows. A dented copper cup was thrust towards me in response, wrapped in a strong, masculine hand.

"Drink this." His voice repeated. I studied the twilight toned copper glinting of the mug before responding.

"What is it?" I asked, my eyes flicking up to the source of the answer.
'Whisky. It will ease the pain".

"I don't like whisky." I said, turning my face down in protest.

"I didn't say you had to like it, just to drink it." His voice was as steady as before, an emotionless beat, steady as a drum. "Drink" he urged again. I reached up, taking the cup from his hand. Peering inside, the amber pool swirled against the sides, the spicy, sweet scent rose into my nose. I lifted  the cup to my dry lips and took four large gulps of whisky, draining the contents swiftly to avoid the inevitable wave of burning warmth in my throat. I handed the cup back towards its owner.

"Thank you." I spluttered. I couldn't make out the face of my rescuer, so I looked where I hoped his eyes would be. A few seconds of silence ensued before his hand reclaimed the cup in silence.

"You should rest, you took quite a beating out " He said as he turned abruptly to leave. I swung my legs to the edge of the feather bed and landed my weight on my feet, quickly standing.

"I don't need rest, I have to go home." I was closer to the figure now, the outline of his bearded face was highlighted by the warm glow of lamplight from the other room. His face turned back towards me, I noticed a brief glisten in his eyes as his gaze met mine.

'The sun will be up in a few hours, you can be on your way back through the woods in daylight, not until."  He turned and walked through the doorway into the adjoined room. Sandy curls gleamed in the flickering candlelight as he moved out of sight, his presence only signalled by occasional creaks and bangs of movement through the small cabin.

"Wait." The word was out of my mouth before I had even registered that it was my own voice. My heart was suddenly thumping against it's bone cage as I stumbled towards the door in the darkness. "Please. Wait, please." My voice was panicked and I wasn't sure why. I was moving as quickly as my wobbly legs would allow, gripping the wall as I made my way towards the doorway. 'Please. please, don't leave me alone.' I shouted as I tried to force my legs into the next room. I reached out for the edge of the door to stabilise myself. As I gripped it, it gave way, moving out of reach and tipping my body forwards. My legs wouldn't move to regain control. I was falling.

'Easy. Easy there. It's alright now. I ain't goin' far.'
Strong arms held me securely. I tried to look through the tears of my good eye but as I tried to force it open the tears came and I felt myself begin to shake. Grasping the arms of safety was all I could do. He said nothing more as I wept. We just stayed there, in that moment, lit only by firelight.

My tears cried themselves out and the room fell into silence and stillness.

It seemed like an age had passed before I felt my weight being lifted back to my feet. I felt embarrassed, unable to look directly at my ally . I had grown accustomed to the look of judgement and disapproval of late, I didn't want to see that expression on the face of a stranger. I kept my eyes firmly downwards, wrapping my long arms awkwardly around myself as I became suddenly aware of my state of undress.

"Here." A large hand pushed a worn horse blanket towards me. I took it, slowly wrapping it around my bare shoulders and gathering the edge in front of my chest.

"Thank you", I whispered as the man walked to the table and the sounds of liquid pouring into a cup filled the small room.

" Is it Landy's child?", a momentary pause broke his slow and considered speech. " A man that beats a woman doesn't deserve a child." His voice was filled with acidic bitterness as he spoke. 

I turned quickly in the direction of his voice, more from shock than outrage." I didn't think anyone could tell." I  wasn't sure if I was aksing a question and I tried to hide the emotion in my voice as I replied, "You don't know me, Sir. I would kindly ask you to not make such assumptions."

"Then maybe, Beth Turner, you should have tried to escape Landy's fists on someone else's land.", he kept his back towards me as he spoke, draining his glass as the final word left his lips.

He knew me and he wanted me to know that he knew exactly who I was. I said nothing and watched carefully as the tall stranger knocked back another drink. He turned and walked to the armchair, sitting down and turning to meet my glare.

'If you don't sit down, you're gonna fall down again.' He said  watching me as I hovered cautiously in the doorway

'How do you know me?' I barked, trying my very best to sound as commanding as I could.

'This is a small town. People know things in small towns.' Thomas' eyes met mine in an attempt to diffuse the growing tension between us. His stare was icy and hard. Who was this man?

I moved towards the second armchair and slowly lowered myself down, appreciating the warmth of the fire and blanket.

'I thought your Ma and Pa left to start a new life in Savannah? His words stung. Most people in the town knew that my family had abandoned the charred remains of the plantation after the war, they just thought I'd gone with them.

'That's right, they did just that." I tried to respond as matter-of -factory as I could.

"Do they know you're having Landy's baby?" Thomas asked.

"Do you live here all by yourself?" I replied, looking around the cabin for some sign of a wife or a child. 

"I do." barked Thomas.