The Savage

Part 2: Chapter Six: Brenn

People poured out of the round stone house and surrounding round cob cottages. Lanterns swinging in hand, their faces shrouded in shadow.

"Clan Kineal?" Brenn questioned in Duthaichi, squinting into the light.

"Brenn?" A woman's voice replied.

"Eava!" Brenn cried with relief, leaping down and rushing forward into the other Faun woman's embrace.

"Goddess be good! I can't believe my eyes." Eava said, her voice thick with emotion.

"We need help, cousin. We've tangled with a Pookah." Brenn replied, pulling her towards Fia who sat slumped in her saddle.

"Cillian child, tend to the horses." Eava ordered. "What of him?" she then asked, pointing at Llewellyn. "The Daearian."

He looked shaken and bewildered.

"Keep an open heart, cousin." Brenn replied. "Llewellyn. Come." She said changing back to Daearian for him.

Sliding down from the saddle, Llewellyn crumpled to the ground, his legs shaking and weak. Struggling to his feet, he staggered to the house following the Folk.

Eava pressed her lips together disapprovingly as she watched him, "Bring the girl inside, Judoc." she instructed her husband.

Judoc lifted Fia onto his broad shoulders with ease. Fia clung to her trophy. A forearm, covered in thick black hair and a hulking hand with long claws on each finger tip.

The round house was warm, heated by the open stone fire pit in the middle. In a high backed chair, covered in furs sat the Crone. Beside her stood two children, the younger clung to a small knitted doll. The other Faun girl, older than the first, lanky in her early teens, had a pair of horns that peaked out from under her wavy auburn hair and large oval pupils. The three watched in silence as Judoc carried Fia to one of the narrow beds thick with furs that sat against the walls of the house.

From behind a screen partition towards the back of the broch emerged another adult woman. Her narrow, hooded Duthaichi eyes were similar to that of Eava's, however her's appeared more intense and were upturned at the outer corner. The auburn lashes that framed those eyes were long and nearly touched her brow. The thick, strawberry waves that hung from her head were held back away from her face in delicate braids and twists. She was startlingly pretty.

Seeing Brenn her face lifted with surprise. She curtsied briefly, "Cousin." she muttered.

"Keeva." Brenn coolly replied with a nod. Her own eyes alighted on the pattern pinned across Keeva's chest. Identical to her own, save for the new addition of a Kelly green thread woven in amongst the deep blues.

"You married Ronan, then?" Brenn asked, nodding to that pattern.

"Don't tell me you want him now?" Keeva snipped.

"Help me, you two." Eava demanded, interrupting their exchange. She hovered over Fia investigating the three, quickly swelling, scratches on the wounded woman's face. They began at her hairline and went down her face over her left eye all the way to her cheek. Reaching to take the severed arm from Fia, the wounded Faun clutched it to her chest. "Come now. Let me have it. You've won this day, your trophy will be here when you wake." Eava coxed.

Fia's arms relaxed as Eava gently took the arm, setting on the floor at the foot of the bed. "Get her boots, Brenn."

Brenn did as Eava bid, removing both Fia's boots and breeches, as Keeva carefully took her cloak.

"We'll need a poultice for this." Eava said, "Galia," she called to the girl with the goat eyes, who shared the same auburn hair as she, "Bring me my remedies."