Darkness carved in bone

Chapter 22

Ten

The men were slowly approaching, and every second that they inched closer to them felt like an eternity. Ten swallowed, his mouth had gone dry. What has he supposed to say they were doing? There really wasn't any good excuse to be out in this looming darkness. And what would they think of him and Helen traveling together. His heart was beating frantically in his chest, making it impossible to think clearly. The only thing that calmed him was the fact that Helen seemed calm. She still held his hand, squeezing it reassuringly, through their mittens.

She had a plan, he tried to remind himself. Because he had none. Even though he had been trained to infiltrate and spy, he was too... He didn't know what he was, or what he was thinking in this moment. He gritted his teeth as he tried to calm himself, tried to find his focus again. But he could not find it as his heart raced in his chest, and it started becoming increasingly difficult to breath, as if there was something heavy atop his chest. The only thing he knew for sure in the chaos within him, was the fact that he needed to protect Helen. He desperately needed to protect her. But the people he had to protect her against now were light-people. He hadn't been trained to deal with them in any regard that would help him now.

Helen pushed down her scarf that had been protecting her face as they approached the men. Ten had seen their faces and clothes from the moment he had spotted them coming over the hill. He tried to focus on the strangers as a way to control himself and regain his calmness. They were carrying axes and saws, and the men looked tired and worn. One looked like he was in his early twenties, the other in his fifties. Perhaps father and son, Ten thought. They were broad-shouldered and clothed in what looked like working clothes, rough and ragged clothes, which supported his hypothesis that they were walking home from a day of working.

Helen leaned forward as they reached the men and Ten could feel rather than see that she gave them one of her heartwarming smiles as she said. "Oh, hello there my good men. Could you tell us if we are far away from the village by Sigdvatn? My husband and I, we managed to lose the trail a couple of hours back, and we would like very much to reach it before darkness settles any more for the night."

Ten felt his heart stop for a moment as Helen said the word husband. Was that her plan, to make them pose as husband and wife? Why? His efforts to calm himself were suddenly rendered useless, as her words scattered his thin control. He could imagine this going awry in a thousand different ways. When the initial shock settled however, he could see the cleverness in her words. She had given them a good excuse to be out in this late and dark afternoon, that they had lost the trail. He could acknowledge that as a smart move by her.

"Good evening milady" the oldest one replied in a hoarse voice. "Sigfjordswerf is just a short trek along the path. You should reach it within a quarter of an hour."

"Oh, that is happy news indeed. I was terrified we would have to stay out in the darkness." Her voice sounded relieved, and Ten could see in the men's eyes that they seemed to believe her story. She seemed credible. The youngest of the men kept glancing a bit suspiciously at Ten, however. Ten was sure Helen noticed that as well, as she looked at him and then at Ten. "You see we are not familiar in these paths. We are on our honeymoon, as I wanted so badly to see the great lake and skate upon it. To take the trek across Sigdvatn. But our supplies have come up a bit short, you see." She spoke, her voice still light and warm. But Ten who was still sitting close to Helen could feel her heart beating faster and could feel her swallowing to wet her now dry throat.

Ten pushed down his own scarf uncovering his face and hoped that the darkness of the sky would cover whatever might reveal him as a dark one to these men.

"Yes, you see my wife is a southerner through and through, she can't handle the colder weathers of the north. So, we have burned through our supply of black powder." He kept his tone light and playful, and gave the men an understanding look, as he tried to paint the picture of the newlywed couple they were now posing as without giving away too much information about them.

Helen looked back at and gave him a faint annoyed look as she continued, "Well not everybody can be as enduring as you, and I am not accustomed to the outdoors." Her voice was light and confident, she slipped into the role of a docile housewife so perfectly. A part of Ten was a bit startled by her ability to shift like that. He thought he understood why she was so adept at that particular skill; she had been playing a role for her village for years now. A sadness crept over him as he thought about how she had been forced to put on a mask to live among her friends and family for so long.

The men gave Ten an understanding but respectful look, which told him that they had convinced them, fooled them to believe their tale. Ten felt his heart calm at that thought.

The young man looked up at them and spoke, his voice containing the same hoarseness as his father, but there was more youth in his voice. "The winter solstice is tonight; you should stay for the feast."

Ten almost cursed, they should have known that, should have kept track of the days. They had to look like fools in the men's eyes for not knowing that. But Helen voice chimed again, and Ten's heart strangely calmed without knowing what she would say, but he knew she would save their lie.

"Oh, I thought winter solstice was tomorrow," her voice was filled with embarrassment as she looked up at Ten with slight horror in her eyes. "I am so sorry dear, I know you said it was today, but I was so sure it was tomorrow." She turned to address the men again. "I must have lost my track of the days," there was embarrassment and humor in her voice. "But of course, we would love to join the feast."

The young one beamed up and added. "There is an inn at the town square, you can stay there for the night and leave your order for the supplies you need. The innkeeper will have everything ready for your departure tomorrow."

"Oh, thank you my good man," Helen replied with wholeheartedness.

"We'll see you tonight then," the oldest man said and nodded in goodbye, as did the younger man.

Ten gave them a slight smile and nod in return and beckoned Shiny to move forward.

Neither Helen nor Ten spoke for a long while until they were entirely sure that they were alone.

"I can't believe I was stupid enough to believe we would be safe in the dusk. I just assumed that no light ones would be out at this hour." Ten said, his voice was accusing and angry, but it was all directed at himself. How could he have been so stupid?

Helen looked at him, her eyes calm but alert. "I guess they stay out longer here in the north. The day would be painfully short if they were forced to stay inside even at dusk," she looked around herself, assessing the darkness. It was a lot darker here than it had been in Ejfjordswerf, at the same hour of the day.

Ten considered her words and realized that she had to be right. These northerners would just have a few hours of daylight, which probably meant they pushed the hours they stayed out, just so they could get things done.

His thoughts were suddenly turned to another topic, "So we are married now?" He asked, his tone both playful and annoyed.

Helen looked up at him and bit her lip as she glanced nervously up at him. "Yes," she dragged out the word, "it was the only thing I could think that would make them not even think that you could be a dark one." She looked almost a bit disappointed for a moment. He too felt the same disappointment inside, as they both seemed to realize the enormous gorge that was between their people. That it would be so impossible for a light-woman to be married to a dark one, that these men would not even look at the signs that might suggest that Ten was in fact a dark one.

"They could have turned us in to the church or the authorities if they thought we were runaways. But if we are on or honeymoon, they really can't suspect anything."

Ten nodded in agreement, it had been a smart plan and quick thinking on her part. He just feared attending a feast in an unfamiliar village filled with strangers. Could they see what he was? There really wasn't anything that could reveal his true nature in his looks. But he knew that Helen had known instantly, that she had known what he was from the first time she had laid her eyes on him.

But she had now cloaked him in a robe of lightness, and every villager would see them as that, as a newlywed light couple, and not realize that there was a dark one amongst them. She had given him the best cover and concealment that he could ever hope for.