Chapter Two - Leona Goes to Church
She'd been traveling for over a hundred years. Life was getting very lonely and had little meaning anymore. Settling in one place for longer than ten years was pushing her luck. Her looks didn't change, she didn't age, she didn't get sick. That sort of thing is hard to explain to people.
Stepping off the barge onto the dock, Leona looked around at the lazy, somewhat dusty village before her. At first glance it seemed no different than the many others she'd visited and stayed in. Spotting an inn, she headed toward it, dodging around other people and vehicles as they traveled past.
Shoving open the heavy door, she found an old fashioned great room filled with tables and chairs before her with a long counter and more stools down the length of one side. Through a door in the back she caught a glimpse of a kitchen. A wide stairway led the way to what she presumed were sleeping rooms.
Striding to the counter and the large sturdy looking woman behind it, she waited until the woman acknowledged her. "I need a room please," she said. "For several nights."
The woman looked her over, sneering at Leona's young, pretty face, and articulated, "I'll not have ya working out of the room."
Leona frowned in confusion and queried, "Working? What? No, I need a place to stay, to sleep. You do have rooms, right?"
"I have rooms." She leaned toward Leona, sneering at her. "And if I catch ya whoring in them, I'll toss ya straight to the magistrate, I will."
Speechless, Leona could only stare at the large woman. "Excuse me?" she exclaimed. "That is completely uncalled for. Is there another inn around here, one friendlier than you?"
"No. I'm the only one. And I don't tolerate no whoring 'round here." The woman slapped a hand on the counter for emphasis.
Leona raised her chin and glared her down. "Then I need a room for several nights. Please," she said. She held up her coin purse and gave it a rattle, proving she had plenty inside.
"I'll give ya a room. Right next to the stairs so I can keep an eye on ya." The woman turned and snatched a key from a small cubby on the wall behind her. She slapped it on the counter and demanded payment up front. They hashed out the details and while Leona knew the woman was steeply overcharging her, she paid the fee and took the key.
She settled in her room and washed off the travel dust. Going back down to the great room in search of a meal, she was afraid to hope for better service than when she reserved the room. She took a seat in the corner at a small table and observed the other occupants. Mostly men, large and gruff looking with the few women in attendance dressed modestly and keeping their heads down.
Interesting
, she thought.
A woman appeared beside her, startling Leona by her silent arrival. "We only have stew and biscuits tonight ma'am," she whispered, "Will that be alright?"
"Well, if that's all you have, then it must be."
Looking up, Leona glanced at the woman. She was reed thin and sporting a fading black eye that was currently a hideous yellow-brown in color. Fury filled her instantly. She'd lived a long time and seen a lot of different things in the world, but violence against women, especially one this small, shot anger through her body in a hot wave. The heavy modest dress the woman wore was clean. Her dark hair twisted so tightly in a bun at the back of her neck that Leona knew such a thing would give her headache.
Softening, she held out a hand to the thin woman, "Hello, I'm Leona. What's your name?"
Shooting a frightened look over her shoulder toward the bar area before answering, the woman whispered, "Fleur." She then scrambled away.
Leona now had a good idea who was abusing the poor woman. She firmly told herself to stay out of business that didn't involve her, but her heart knew that wouldn't happen. Tapping her fingers on the table, she waited for her food and wondered if this village was where she wanted to stay. It seemed there was something going on underneath that was not at all appealing.
Finally Fleur returned with her meal and set it before her. Leona had time to notice the portions were smaller than those for the other diners. But then sleeve of Fleur's dress slipped up her arm, revealing an intricate scrollwork mark circling her wrist. When the woman caught her staring at the mark, she quickly jerked her sleeve back down.
Leona looked up into frightened eyes and held up her own wrist where her matching markings glowed in the light. "I know what you are. If you want to know, just ask me," She kept her voice quiet so that only the two of them heard.
With her hazel eyes huge in her face, Fleur stepped back away from the table, then turned and nearly ran from the room. After a moment, Leona picked up her spoon and began to eat. She hadn't seen another woman with the markings since she'd left her own village and her friend Hesta. It had rattled her a little, but she meant what she said.
She'd had years to study old Father Malcome's journal and combine it with her own experiences. She didn't feel that she was an expert on what she was by any means, but she had the process down pat. There had been times when she'd genuinely worried about finding a virgin male to sex up. So far anyway, she'd managed before the marks went completely dark.
Finishing up her meal, since Fleur had not returned, she left the dishes behind but placed an extra coin on the table, hidden under her plate. She stepped outside to take a walk before shutting herself into her room for the night. There were hardly any people left out. The place looked deserted. She strolled down the walkway, enjoying the fresh evening air.
The sudden tolling of church bells rang through the evening. Leona watched as the few people outside scattered and ran. Frowning, she looked around and found herself alone.
A door creaked opened nearby and a harsh whisper floated on the air. "Get inside ya daft woman! Its curfew don't ya know." The door then slammed shut.
"Curfew?" she wondered. It wasn't even full dark yet. This place was looking more and more like one where she would not like to linger for long. Turning around, she headed back to the inn.
Upon reaching the heavy inn door, though, she found it firmly locked. Leona raised a fist and pounded, wincing as she hurt her hand on the hard surface. A window opened nearby and the large woman who had rented her the room stuck her head out, a malicious grin on her face.
"Its curfew. It's illegal for ya to be outside after the bells."
Leona took a deep breath and searched for patience. "Then let me in."
