Dawn was happy that the two had found each other, in a way it gave her hope that miracles did happen.
The pines were the best behind her old cottage. Branches always fell off in a snowstorm and she would collect a few to enjoy their rich scent. She stopped to see how Old Mary was doing first.
Dawn was glad to see her sitting by the hearth, sipping a steaming brew. She gestured that she was happy to see her looking well.
“Feeling my old self,” Old Mary laughed. “How about collecting a few extra pine branches to share with me?”
Dawn smiled and nodded, though her smile faded as Old Mary’s did and the old woman urged her closer with a crook of her finger. “Remember what I told you, trust no one, secrets abound.”
A shiver ran through Dawn and she nodded again, then Old Mary shooed her out the door.
Dawn didn’t want to think about secrets and what they could mean just now. She simply wanted a few hours without strife or worry.
Elwin stayed close, his eyes alert to their surroundings as soon as they passed beyond the edge of the woods. It was quiet and the snow a bit difficult to maneuver. Dawn didn’t care; she loved the woods after a snowstorm. It was a world of pristine white with icicles glistening here and there. It was also quiet, no sound was heard, the animals were safely nestled in their lairs, and the birds tucked in their nests. The forest was at peace and it was lovely to be part of it.
Elwin stood guard as Dawn enjoyed foraging for pine branches. He helped her once or twice to break a couple of large branches into smaller pieces all the while keeping an eye on everything around them. Dawn didn’t worry. With the snow it would be difficult for anyone to approach without hearing them.
They finished much too fast to Dawn’s liking, though she was pleased that she would spend some time with Old Mary before returning home. She wasn’t however prepared to see that Old Mary had another visitor when she entered.
Torr sat by the hearth sipping a hot brew.
Dawn had no intentions of staying, though Old Mary put a stop to that.
“I have a hot brew all ready for you,” the old woman said and nodded to Torr who picked up the tankard being kept hot by the hearth.
Dawn wanted to decline the offer, not wanting to hear any more of what Torr had to say about her being his half-sister. But it would be rude of her and so she decided to stay at least for a few minutes, and then take her leave. She did however bid Elwin to join them, insisting it was too cold for him to wait outside and though the man usually refused, when he saw that Torr was there he accepted the offer.
It was over an hour later that Dawn took her leave, surprisingly having enjoyed the visit. Torr hadn’t once commented on the possibility of her being his half-sister, he simply talked about his home and clan. From his descriptions, his home sounded appealing and she was certain that had been his intentions, for her to see that his home was warm and welcoming. But she already had a home, a home that she didn’t want to leave. He and Elwin had also entertained them with some funny stories, and she had been glad that she had lingered longer than she had intended.
Once she arrived at her cottage, Elwin helped her clean the branches of snow as best as possible and helped break them into more suitable sizes. He then carried them inside for her and bid her good day since a guard had come to replace him for the afternoon.
Dawn decided to work on the bed chamber first so that the fresh pine would have time to fill the room before Cree returned for the evening. It didn’t take long to fan a few branches across the mantel and she stepped back to admire her work when she heard voices.
They were barely distinguishable and she scrunched her brow wondering where they were coming from. She closed her eyes and listened more intently and realized that the voices came from just beyond the boarded window. She slipped off her boots and hurried to climb up on the bed and press her ear to the roughhewn boards.
“It’s dangerous to meet here. Someone may see us,” the woman said her voice trembling.
“No one is here right now,” the man said. “I saw her leave with the guard and no one else lurks about. Besides this boarded window may be an asset to us if need be. It is something to keep in mind in case other efforts fail.”
“But the person who enters here would never make it out alive.”