The Fires of Esus - Ranger's Apprentice

Chapter 19: It Cannot Be

She led them towards the fire, gesturing to a large log on the ground. "Please, sit. We will bring you blankets and food, and our ceremony will begin momentarily."

Will and Horace glanced at each other, and then sat down on the log bench. As soon as they'd settled, one of the children came running around the side of the fire, carrying two large white clothing items in a neat stack.

"These are dry and warm. Please feel free to remove any wet clothing and lay it out to dry. Your food will come soon," the woman said warmly.

Will and Horace shared another look before they reluctantly, and at the same time, gratefully, began stripping off their outer layers of sodden clothing. They may be surrounded by murderous enemies, but they were cold and wet and appreciated the opportunity to get more comfortable. Will hung his cloak over a nearby log, and Horace left his chain mail on the ground in a heap. They both kept their weapons on hand, though. Neither of them had forgotten what these people had done and were planning to do.

The woman knelt next to Will and took one of the white blankets from the boy's arms. As her sleeves slid back to her wrists, Will swallowed a gasp as his eyes locked on her left arm, which ended at the wrist. There was no hand, no fingers. Just a rounded stump of fully healed flesh covering her wrist. She used the end of it like a hand and didn't struggle to unfold the white cloth at all.

She didn't notice Will's reaction, but Horace, who's eyes were also wide as he noticed her stump, couldn't stop the horrified gasp from escaping his lips. He had not had the chance to be warned by Will about the strange decapitations, and now he was paying the price. Horace's wide eyes glazed over the entire camp, just now seeing the missing hands and legs. His face drained of color, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Will couldn't blame him. He couldn't help but stare at the woman's stump as it moved around so close to his face.

The woman glanced up at him, gave him a small smile, and said nothing as she looked back down. He fought the urge to lean away from her as her knee brushed the toe of his boot. This woman, and these people, were not only horrifically disfigured, but they were murderers and criminals. They were his enemy, and he knew better than to let his enemy get too close to him. But so far it seemed she didn't know who they were, and she didn't seem to want to burn them alive or offer them as a sacrifice. So for now, he tolerated it. She was offering them warmth and shelter, even food and clothing. And after the difficult day he and Horace had had, he couldn't turn it down, especially with the prospect of learning more about them.

If their mission to gather intelligence on the druid camp came with a hot fire, fry clothes, and a free meal, all while not getting burned to death, then it was about to be the best mission ever.

Will took the opportunity of the woman's nearness to examine her face closely. She was young, and surprisingly beautiful. She had red hair, like many other druids, thick and curled. Her eyes were hazel, and she had a splatter of freckles across her nose and cheekbones. Lewellyn, that was her name. He remembered it from what the woman at Jenny's restaurant had told them. Lewellyn was supposedly the one who could control fire, the one who was setting fire to many of the buildings. He had been expecting a much older woman, someone who looked evil and a little bit insane, like the King of Celtica. But she looked like Jenny, or Alyss, or any other woman his age. She was not what he had expected, too kind and gentle. She didn't look like a murderer.

She let the white material unfold, revealing a thick cloak, and she reached over Will's shoulders to wrap it around him. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes as she started to tie the front of the cloak together at the base of his neck with her one good hand.

As her hazel eyes met Will's brown ones, she paused and tilted her head, studying him more closely. Her eyes widened. "It cannot be," she whispered.