Miss Mariss would surely suffer.
The relationship between her and Trinda's father had always been
tense and strained, but they were both professionals, and they did
not let personal feelings stand in the way of business.
As Trinda stood, ready to climb down and make
an appearance by the ovens, she stopped. Someone she didn't
recognize was approaching the Watering Hole, and he went neither to
the front entrance nor to the stables; instead he walked into the
shade provided by an old maple. It seemed a strange thing to do,
considering there were no doors on that side of the inn. Knowing
her father would scold her for not appearing while Miss Mariss was
in the bakery, Trinda stayed, intrigued by this unknown man's
mysterious behavior.
For what seemed a long time, he stood in the
shadows, only the toes of his boots visible from Trinda's vantage.
Then, when the streets were empty, he squatted down and wiggled a
loose piece of the inn's wood siding. After sliding what looked
like a rolled piece of parchment into the space behind the siding,
he quickly adjusted the wood until it looked as it had. Then he
melted into the shadows and disappeared.
* * *
"Where is Trinda today?" Miss Mariss asked,
trying to make the question sound entirely casual, as she always
did, and Baker Hollis looked nervous and fidgety, as he always
did.
"Must know there's work to be done," he said.
"Any time there's somethin' needin' done, she turns invisible."
"Those her age can be like that," Miss Mariss
said, despite not believing any of what he said. "I'll be making
double the usual amount of sausage breads, and I'll need triple the
usual baked loaves for the Challenges. That won't be a problem will
it?"
"No problem at all," Baker Hollis said, and
he looked over his shoulder as if expecting to see Trinda. Miss
Mariss was as surprised as he that she had not shown herself. It
seemed whenever Miss Mariss came to the bakery, Trinda would make a
point of making herself seen. "Everyone's sayin' this year'll be
better than any before. I suppose we'll have to rise to the
challenge," he said.
"I'll send Strom over in the morning for the
daily order," Miss Mariss said as she turned to leave. Before she
reached the door, though, a small, sweat-soaked head peeked around
the corner and briefly met her eyes. Miss Mariss could read nothing
from Trinda's expression; it was the same bland and sullen look as
always. With a sigh, she left the bakery behind and soon forgot
about Trinda as the responsibilities of running her inn once again
consumed the majority of her thoughts and time.
* * *
Sitting on a bale of hay with his knees
pulled to his chest, Chase kept to the shadows, not wanting to
cause any trouble for Strom, who was busy saddling a pair of
horses. So many things had changed in such a short period of time
that Chase could hardly believe it. He no longer felt safe in
places where he'd once felt quite at home. People he had considered
friends no longer met his eyes, yet he could feel the stares that
lingered on his back as he walked away.
"Sorry about that," Strom said once the
customers had ridden around the corner.
Chase just handed him the jug of huckles
juice they were sharing. "Do you remember when things used to be
normal?"
"I remember," Strom said. "I remember things
were sometimes good and sometimes bad, but it always seemed like
things would get better. Now . . ."
"I know what you mean," Chase said. "I really
made a mess of things."
Strom laughed. "You're still blaming yourself
for all of this? You sure do think a great deal of yourself. Are
you so powerful that you can control everyone else? I don't think
so. You need to face the fact that you're just as helpless as the
rest of us. Whatever happens just happens, and there's not a
thing you can do about it."
"Thanks for the uplifting speech," Chase
said. "I feel much better now."
"Don't come to me if you want sunshine and
roses. That's not how I see the world. You could go talk
The relationship between her and Trinda's father had always been
tense and strained, but they were both professionals, and they did
not let personal feelings stand in the way of business.
As Trinda stood, ready to climb down and make
an appearance by the ovens, she stopped. Someone she didn't
recognize was approaching the Watering Hole, and he went neither to
the front entrance nor to the stables; instead he walked into the
shade provided by an old maple. It seemed a strange thing to do,
considering there were no doors on that side of the inn. Knowing
her father would scold her for not appearing while Miss Mariss was
in the bakery, Trinda stayed, intrigued by this unknown man's
mysterious behavior.
For what seemed a long time, he stood in the
shadows, only the toes of his boots visible from Trinda's vantage.
Then, when the streets were empty, he squatted down and wiggled a
loose piece of the inn's wood siding. After sliding what looked
like a rolled piece of parchment into the space behind the siding,
he quickly adjusted the wood until it looked as it had. Then he
melted into the shadows and disappeared.
* * *
"Where is Trinda today?" Miss Mariss asked,
trying to make the question sound entirely casual, as she always
did, and Baker Hollis looked nervous and fidgety, as he always
did.
"Must know there's work to be done," he said.
"Any time there's somethin' needin' done, she turns invisible."
"Those her age can be like that," Miss Mariss
said, despite not believing any of what he said. "I'll be making
double the usual amount of sausage breads, and I'll need triple the
usual baked loaves for the Challenges. That won't be a problem will
it?"
"No problem at all," Baker Hollis said, and
he looked over his shoulder as if expecting to see Trinda. Miss
Mariss was as surprised as he that she had not shown herself. It
seemed whenever Miss Mariss came to the bakery, Trinda would make a
point of making herself seen. "Everyone's sayin' this year'll be
better than any before. I suppose we'll have to rise to the
challenge," he said.
"I'll send Strom over in the morning for the
daily order," Miss Mariss said as she turned to leave. Before she
reached the door, though, a small, sweat-soaked head peeked around
the corner and briefly met her eyes. Miss Mariss could read nothing
from Trinda's expression; it was the same bland and sullen look as
always. With a sigh, she left the bakery behind and soon forgot
about Trinda as the responsibilities of running her inn once again
consumed the majority of her thoughts and time.
* * *
Sitting on a bale of hay with his knees
pulled to his chest, Chase kept to the shadows, not wanting to
cause any trouble for Strom, who was busy saddling a pair of
horses. So many things had changed in such a short period of time
that Chase could hardly believe it. He no longer felt safe in
places where he'd once felt quite at home. People he had considered
friends no longer met his eyes, yet he could feel the stares that
lingered on his back as he walked away.
"Sorry about that," Strom said once the
customers had ridden around the corner.
Chase just handed him the jug of huckles
juice they were sharing. "Do you remember when things used to be
normal?"
"I remember," Strom said. "I remember things
were sometimes good and sometimes bad, but it always seemed like
things would get better. Now . . ."
"I know what you mean," Chase said. "I really
made a mess of things."
Strom laughed. "You're still blaming yourself
for all of this? You sure do think a great deal of yourself. Are
you so powerful that you can control everyone else? I don't think
so. You need to face the fact that you're just as helpless as the
rest of us. Whatever happens just happens, and there's not a
thing you can do about it."
"Thanks for the uplifting speech," Chase
said. "I feel much better now."
"Don't come to me if you want sunshine and
roses. That's not how I see the world. You could go talk
Similar Books
