The Weaver's Source

Chapter 4

Seven people died. Men were torn apart, eaten so entirely that only shreds of bone remained, while the women had only their faces ripped apart, corpses abandoned to swell up on the river banks. The only way Otto knew there were five men dead was because they couldn't be found anywhere. Despite Otto's and sometimes fatal efforts of his men, no monster had been found and slain. It was then taken into David's hands, the priest of our town, and he summoned a meeting, one neither Gabi nor myself could ignore. The town was growing tense, the harsh whispers growing into shouted insults when I passed. I knew something was brewing, something bad.

Everyone was shouting. I had never seen the town so angry and scared but I wasn't surprised. Gabi and I were in the town hall, squashed between a large very vocal woman and an angry farmer. I tugged at the scarf around my head harder, hoping no one locked onto my face, while Gabi tried to stop the large woman from crushing her against me. I knew being here was a bad idea but I had to know what was going on and what the town decided to do, and whether I was going to be brought up. By my name being thrown about heatedly, I had a terrible feeling I was.

At the pedestal was David, an elderly priest trying his hardest to calm the angry townsfolk and get them to listen. He failed but a man near the front of the horde managed to grasp their attention instead.

"We need to get rid of her!" He bellowed at the chairman. "It's because of her that my son is dead!"

This was followed by a loud cheer of agreement. I tried to make myself smaller.

"It's no fault of Lyra." Otto snapped.

"If she wasn't here, my son wouldn't be dead! That thing that lurks in the water wouldn't have stopped there!"

"You seem to forget that monsters exist in this world and hunt human prey, regardless of whether there is a Source in the vicinity! That thing was going to hunt here before it sensed Lyra." Otto snarled, standing up sharply with his hand gripping the pommel of his sword.

"Men, please, settle down." Came the old wheezing voice of David. 

Otto did as he was told instantly, scowling and rather ungraciously sat down in his place facing the crowd. The crowd followed Otto's lead. 

"I know you're all upset. Five sons have gone missing and two daughters found dead, but you cannot go pointing the finger of blame at a harmless woman."

"There is nothing harmless about that witch." Someone shouted savagely.

I cringed. This wasn't going well and panic was beginning to rise. I grasped Gabi's hand for support while I tried to control my breathing and prayed to the gods Otto and David were enough to prevent me from being kicked out of town once again. I wouldn't know where to go if I was tossed out and I doubted I would survive for more than a day out there on my own.

"She is harmless and that in itself is a problem." David said in his calm tone. "She is helpless and can't destroy the monsters she attracts."

"We might as well just throw her to the beasts that want to eat her so badly. At least our town will be left alone."

Otto barked out a dry laugh. "You're under some delusion then. Monsters will still come."

The folk didn't like this comment and grew rowdy again, I even got elbowed in the head by the angry farmer. He did it so hard and at a point where my hands had loosened on the scarf that it flew from my head. My mousy brown hair tumbled free and bounced around my shocked face as I stared up at faces that twisted into angry recognition. Gabi wrapped her arm around me to shield me from view but the damage had been done. The townsfolk had seen me.