The Dorston Fall [Book I in the Dorston Legacy]

Chapter 9 - Healing (Part I)

Katelyn felt her arm begin to pain the closer they got to- in fact she didn't know where they were going. Sammy, his arm around her and keeping her close, was guiding her, returning her to the forest. They walked along silently by the stream, through the trees, minding the stones and surfaced roots as they did. He kept looking over his shoulder, paranoid that someone was spying them from behind a tree trunk or boulder. Katelyn understood his fear. After the fiasco in the tavern, Gods knew how many more Justice would turn up in this sleepy town. As they walked, she kept receiving shivers and goosebumps as if she were being watched, but whenever she turned she saw nothing.

As the forest cleared and Sammy directed them out of the forest, Katelyn saw a building appear. Compared to Matthew's tavern, the building was small with two floors and a timber canopy built outwards from the ground floor. She saw the walls of the lower floor were made of grey stone, weathered and dark with age. The canopy, with its timber frame was exposed with dark thatch. Looking closer, Katelyn could have sworn it was leaning slightly. Under cover was a water basin, deep and metallic. The upper level with its timber framing showing, was painted a sunshine colour, the plaster looking newer than any other part of the building. From the chimney, she saw black smoke rise into the air and fade quickly. Putting two and two together, she figured this building a forge and Sammy's home.

Beside her, Sammy stiffened. He didn't expect his father to be up and about so quickly, but hearing the familiar thung thung thung sounds told him otherwise. Taking in a breath, preparing himself and his tongue to lie, Sammy brought Katelyn under the canopy and turned to her.

She registered his worried expression immediately. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"My father," he said simply. "I don't know if I can get you upstairs without him seeing you."

"Just tell him I'm a patient and that I need help," she advised him, ignoring the rush in her cheeks at the other thought associated with the upstairs. "I'm sure he'll be too busy to care, right?"

Sammy looked towards the door, the banging still going on within. Part of him hoped she was right, that he would be too consumed in his work to notice them. Over the last three months, he hardly noticed anything unless you held up a bottle of mead. That caught his attention almost immediately. The other part of him knew... just this once, the time he actually wanted to disappear, his father would notice. It was inevitable. Katelyn bit the inside of her mouth, as she held his arm and nudged him softly; bringing his gaze back on her.

She smiled with a nod. "It'll be fine."

Swallowing hard, Sammy nodded and started towards the open door, Katelyn in his hook of his arm. Crossing the threshold, they walked onto gravel and the stones clicked and crunched under their feet. As they proceeded towards a huge metal door, Katelyn looked across the room to see a man, Sammy's father standing by the anvil; bringing down a hammer on a scorching piece of metal. Bang! She flinched, feeling the sound vibrate through her. Bang! The furnace was burning viciously; its blistering heat brushing against her cheek and making her hands sweat. Coals sparked and sizzled. Stream and smoke lingered in the air, the smell of burning metal clung to her lungs, almost suffocating her.

The man stood about Sammy's height, possibly taller however slouched over his work. He wore overalls, filthy black with handprints along the rib cage and buttocks. His long greying hair was pulled back with a band and even from a distance, Katelyn could make out the grease and neglect. Sammy urged her on with a squeeze on her good arm, his head bowed to the ground. They were about at the door, when metal jingled and a cough sounded.

Sammy looked up slowly to see his father watching him, wiping his hands on his overalls. "Morning, Samuel," he grunted huskily. Wisely, Katelyn kept her gaze and body averted from him.