Dragon Tamer - Book 1

Chapter 65

Marcie marched away from Breen's home and continued on into the main square, she waded through celebrating bodies (skirting around Merrick and Ryna, his new flame, who appeared to be trying to hide from the rest of the tightly packed villagers and traders that his hand was under her bodice and seemed to be enjoying itself) and eventually made it to the steps of the Tavern where Luce had set up a table filled with hastily made cakes and pastries, all sitting in shallow baskets surrounding a huge pot of piping hot soup.

The smell made Marcie's stomach growl and she accepted Luce's crushing embrace and scolding at her absence before gulping down as much of the creamy broth as she could.

Luce's children had discovered that the dense crowds of people filling the square, which was only built to accommodate half their number, made the perfect maze to confuse their searching siblings as they played hide and go seek and the air was filled with the sounds of their shrieking laughter.

Marcie held little Myriam so Luce could served out the soup and marvelled at how big the child had grown so quickly, she sent an image to Dara reflexively but he did not respond and so she focused on the childs cooing to distract her from her sadness.

The party ebbed and flowed. The inebriated staggered home, the exhausted shuffled blank eyed to their beds only to be replaced by those who turned in early the night before and wished to continue from where they left off. Marcie allowed herself to be dragged along to dance by various traders and ignored the sidelong looks and the way a path cleared for her as she moved through the crowd.

She managed to extract herself from the arms of one particularly insistent traveller who leered a little too presumptuously when she spotted Breen making his way through the crowd towards her, she broke away and went to him smiling, but then she saw his face and she paused, the smile frozen half way to completion.

"Marcie" he said urgently, gripping her upper arm tightly and spinning her around and forcing her into a fast trot, "You need to leave now"he said,

"Why?"she asked as she was hurried along, struggling not to trip over the trampled uneven ground,

"Not now, just go" he said between clenched teeth, he yanked her through the crowd, brushing revellers out of the way as gently as he could, they took a sharp turn and started in the direction of her home when a gap in the tightly packed dancers revealed a large face, red with fury and suppressed tears.

Breen swore and dragged her back, moving even faster he shoved and pushed people out of the way, Marcie following limply behind,

"That was..." she said, her throat closed up, her blood cold,

"I asked him" Breen said furiously, "I begged him not to speak to them now, to wait"

They were creating a commotion and people began to take notice, moving hastily out of the way making room, Breen just hurried faster.

Marcie felt something hit her shoulder. A glancing blow that sent her stumbling to the ground, her arm slipped out of Breens hand, she turned quickly to rise then froze.

The Blacksmith, having evidently just learned about the fate of his eldest son, supposedly at Marcie's hand, bore down on her. She scrambled backwards, he reached out with hands that trembled with rage.

Then Breen ran into him, grabbing him round the middle and pushing him back a considerable amount, then he slipped behind him and grabbed the man around the chest with one arm and round the neck with the other. The blacksmith was taller, wider and built thick with years of pounding metal into various shapes, he grunted and flexed and Breen broke into a sweat.

Marcie hurried to her feet, and backed away from the struggle, she wondered if she would be able to hold the crazed man back, if he did not take her by surprise like his son did and not being as big as him. The thoughts flashed through her mind quickly but were stopped in their tracks by the appearance of The Blacksmiths wife, two eldest daughters (twins) and two youngest sons (also twins).

Five pairs of red tear strewn eyes glared at her as their father and husband struggled to reach her,

"Ya killed im! Ya killed im!" he gasped,

Breen began whispering frantically in his ear, she recalled Breen bringing the rock down on Noal's head over and over again, she had wondered at the time why he did it, but she knew she was grateful, she hoped he was not trying to tell the crazed man what he had been the one to adminster the final blow that killed his eldest,

She drew herself up, stared the man in the eye and said,

"Yeah I did it"

A hush fell over the crowd of travellers and villagers that surrounded her, then they began to murmur and shift, most were confused and did not know what was happening, others had their own Inclinations.

"Murderer!"one of the twin girls shouted, Vern or Hern, Marcie did not know, she stepped forward but her sister pulled her back where she fell against her chest and began to weep uncontrollable, their mother, Miteel, stood apart as though carved from stone and did not try and console her daughter.

"He attacked me" Marcie said, staring at the mothers cold red eyes, the words came out chocked and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, as though Noals arm was cutting off her air once more.

The Blacksmith growled and made a lumbering step forward, Breen tightened his arms, his teeth gritted, he stared at Marcie, he seemed to be pleading with her silently, but she shook her head gently and he looked panicked for a moment before redoubling his efforts to hold the larger man back,

Marcie took a deep breath and looked straight into the rage glazed eyes and said,

"Do you wish to strangle me? Do you wish to wrap arm around my throat and choke me until I cannot breath? Your son did the same"

The town square was silent,

Marcie swallowed again and said louder, "He held me down as his accomplice beat me and spoke of raping me" She looked again at Miteel, "He was...aroused"

"Liar!"The Blacksmith roared and with little effort began dragging Breen behind him as he stalked towards her.

As Marcie prepared to use her knife, a few hunters rushed forward, having pushed their way through the crowd once they knew what was going on and tackled The blacksmith who was bore to the ground cursing them all, with his last breath, before one enterprising hunter knocked him smartly about the head, he screamed, "The whore killed my son!".

Breen extracted himself from the scrum and dragged her off as she stared at the downed man, she allowed herself to be carried off again, the crowd parting as though she had the plague.

Breen dragged her all the way to the the edge of the trees that led to her house,

"You need to leave" he said, staring behind them as though watching for any villagers who might have taken it into their heads to pursue, "Pack some supplies and stay away for a few days, ill come find you when everything has calmed down and you are safe"

Marcie merely nodded mutely and went to leave when he grabbed her hand,

"Wait" she stopped,

"I am so sorry Marcie, so sorry" he looked looked at the ground,

Marcie smiled sadly, she reached out and patted his cheek,

"Not your fault Breen, its mine"

Breen's head snapped up, "No" he snarled, "Its not yours, its theirs"he jerked his head back the way their came,

Marcie closed her eyes, her hand still on his cheek,

"Thank you Breen, for...everything" What exactly 'everything' was, went unsaid,

Breen smiled tightly, "Thank me when this is all behind us"

Marcie had no heart to tell him she did not think this would ever he behind her. It had been on her since she was born.

"Four days journey" she said, "On the third day watch for the large willow, turn right and follow it for another day until you come to a rock face, look for the ledge, I shall be there" she told him,

After one last embrace she turned and walked through the trees leaving Breen to return to a mess of her making, and yet she felt relief, for she could now go and see Dara, and her heart swelled and she skipped the rest of the way to her house to pack.