Lepre-Conned

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lochlan walked down the trail, laughing as he went along the rocky path and thinking of the looks on the faces of the villager's he'd just robbed. Up ahead, he spotted a large tree stump and stopped, dropping the coin purses he'd collected and emptied out their contents onto the smooth, aged wood of the dead tree.

"Let's see what we've got, then," he muttered to himself. To his disappointment, there were many iron and copper coins, with a few small gem stones and only one, small gold coin. "Half a crown?" Lochlan complained. "Hardly worth the bother." He tucked the gold away in a small pocket lining his shirt and put the rest into the largest purse, which he tied at his waist before throwing the other, smaller purses into the grass.

That done, he stretched out into the grass beside the stump and looked up at the sky, remembering the feeling of swirling through the air in his tornado, seeing a few clouds that he'd soared through on the way, twisting the vapor to look like a smiling face. He waved at his creation and settled back for a nap. He'd just closed his eyes when he heard a whinny from the other side of the massive stump.

"Ho, Silver, ho!" Shouted a young man's voice.

Lochlan turned over and crept up behind the stump, peeking over the top of it to see a freight wagon being pulled by a small, gray donkey. The driver was young, no more than a dozen summers old at most. Seeing an opportunity for more fun, Lochlan pulled out his tattered cap and pulled it down over his hair down to the tips of his ears and stood up, walking over to the small road the wagon was on.

"Ho there!" Lochlan called out, getting the lad's attention. The wagon slowed to a stop and Lochlan walked up to it, patting the small donkey on the head as he walked. "What's your name, lad?"

"Sean, sir," said the lad, beaming at him.

"Sean, eh? That's a good name for a strong lad like yourself. Where might you be heading?"

"To Ashfurn, sir!" He said, so excited that he bounced on the wagon's seat. "I'm to sell my Mam's crop!" He gestured at the wagon bed behind him, which was full of twisted, ugly-looking vegetables. The boy's clothes were a patchwork of worn wool and leather. The wagon reflected the boy's poverty, as well- the wood was all gray and split, the tired wheels seemed to be bowing out from the axles at an odd angle. Even the donkey looked like it had seen better days.

Lochlan walked over to look at the vegetables, picking one up and smelling it. He gasped in revulsion, but put on a smile and asked, "How much are you asking for them?"

"I think I could get two coppers each, sir," said Sean, counting on his fingers.

"Two coppers each? For this lot?" Lochlan asked, feigning shock as he pocketed the small squash he'd been smelling. "I'd charge at least three, and then maybe let a stubborn few talk you down to two on the worst ones."

"You really think so?" Sean asked, eyes wide.

Lochlan nodded, keeping his expression serious. "I do. Run along now, and watch out that no one steals one off you unawares." He clapped the boy on the shoulder, slipping the large purse full of worthless copper coins up underneath the wooden seat when Sean wasn't looking.

After waving goodbye, Lochlan smiled to himself, shaking his head at the thought of exchanging the gourd for a pile of worthless coin and walked off the beaten path into the soothing twilight of the forest. As he walked among the rows of evergreen trees, he pulled out the squash he'd taken off the wagon and took a bite out of it in satisfaction.

He felt one of his teeth crack as he bit into the tough skin. After a momen's shock, he spit out the foul substance and breathed in pain as the juice trickled down his chin. Lochlan felt his eyes begin to water. "Urgh!" he said, and took a closer look at the thing. An ugly gourd, not an ugly squash. He tossed the rest of the gourd to the ground and walked away, wiping his tongue with the edgy of his sleeve and holding his cheek as the pain of his cracked tooth ebbed.

***

The moon light was shining through the branches of the trees when Lochlan woke from his nap. The air had grown cold, and he could hear the chittering of small animals as they scampered in the air above him.

Stretching out his arms, Lochlan gave a loud yawn and sat up. He'd taken refuge under a tall oak tree with a large opening at the base just big enough for him to squeeze into. He liked to sleep undercover whenever he could, to avoid the necessity of outwitting any passersby that had a mind to capture him for his gold. As Lochlan looked out from his tree, he could see a small, light gray shadow fly across the moon, making the hair on the back of his neck tingle. Dismissing it as a cloud, he got up, brushed himself off and checked his pockets for his stash of gold. Finding every coin he had hidden in the lining of his clothes, he breathed a sigh of relief and started walking.

He hadn't gotten far when he heard a low, sweet sounding melody on the breeze. It started as a single note, not much different from a bluebird's song in spring, but Lochlan began to feel a cold chill in his chest.

"A banshee?," he asked himself, and he looked around for the source of the call in confusion. "Why here, why now?" The sound stopped, and Lochlan looked up to see the softly glowing specter a mere ten paces from him. "Oh," he said, recognizing. "That banshee."

Lochlan took off running.

The forest floor was softly lit in the moonlight, just bright enough for Lochlan to avoid all but the smallest of dried leaves. He tried not to make a sound as he traveled a general rule, but found himself being extra cautious this evening. Ahead, he saw the trees part into a small clearing, with waist-high grass in the center.

As he stepped past the tree line, the song came back with a vengeance, resounding throughout the forest and chilling Lochlan to the bone. This time, he could hear the sound of a voice, calling out in the wind.

"Wasted gold!" Lochlan swore under his breath. He turned around and began running back in the trees, trying to stay under cover as much as possible as he raced among the rocks and tree roots. Behind him, the voice grew louder and more desperate, he could feel the voice as if it were the wind, blowing against him and ruffling his hair.

Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he chanced a look backward and saw the glowing figure of a woman, her robes whipping in the wind as she seemed to flow among the trees, racing right toward him. She was not yet close enough for him to see the blackness of her eyes, but soon would be.

"Nice to see you again, lass," he said aloud, and picked up the pace. He'd been through this area on several occasions, and knew there was a cave nearby. If he could just get to it before she caught up to him... "Sorry I can't stay and visit."

"Lochlaaan!" the Banshee called, her soft voice echoing in the wind. "Come to me, Lochlan."

Lochlan jumped at the sound of his name, and fell head first into the ground, kicking up dirt and leaves behind him. Tasting the dirt in his mouth, he listened behind him, hearing the sound of rushing wind. With great effort, Lochlan turned himself over to look into the face of the banshee as it rushed through the trees, mere paces away from him.

Beginning to regret wasting his life without having acquired more gold, he looked around for any hope of salvation. To his immense relief, he saw the small opening to a cave in the ground, just a pace away. Thinking fast, he hurled his hat away to the left with a shout. The Banshee turned to watch the hat fly, giving Lochlan just enough time to roll over and slide into the cave.

As he crawled on his belly deeper into the narrow passageway he heard the Banshee call after him in anger, screeching for him to come back.

"Nice seeing you again, my lady," said Lochlan, as the spirit screamed in anger. Banshees could not follow him underground, so for the moment he was safe. He crawled a little further just in case, and took another well-earned rest.