Weaver's Curse

Indeara sat on a stone wall with Vassa, the two of them swinging their legs. Pinky was flopped down at the base of the wall, her head on her hooves.

“Pinky!” Vassa called, tossing a rotten apple that had fallen onto the wall from the trees on the other side.

It splatted on the ground in front of her and busted open. Pinky grunted happily and slurped the apple up.

“Got any more of those?” Pinky asked, giving Vassa her version of puppy eyes.

“Not without trespassing on these people’s land.” Vassa said apologetically.

“Hmph.” Pinky said.

Sedine returned, holding two packages.

“Got us some supplies,” she said, plonking the larger of the packages down beside Vassa. “And dinner.”

She unwrapped the smaller parcel, and passed Indeara and Vassa sandwiches. She’d even brought some moldy bread for Pinky.

Sedine hopped up on Indeara’s other side and began eating her food.

Indeara took a bite, enjoying the savory flavor of the pork, seasoned with garlic and some sort of pepper.

“Mm. That’s pretty good.” Vassa said.

Indeara nodded her agreement, and took another bite. She found Pinky, who had already scarfed down her bread, staring at her.

“Good, is it?” Pinky asked.

“Oh. Oh my stars, I’m so sorry!” Indeara said, suddenly making the connection.

“Don’t be.” Sedine said, giving Pinky a stern glance. “If you dropped dead at this moment she wouldn’t hesitate to dine on your corpse.”

“Well,” Pinky said. “I have never been one to waste food.”

“So is it okay if I eat you if you drop dead on this journey?” Vassa asked.

“Yes. It would be a complete waste to just bury me. All that wonderful meat, just gone!” Pinky answered.

“What are your views on eating a living person, Pinky?” Sedine asked. “I’ve got a few I’d like to get rid of.”

“They move around too much.” Pinky said. “Now if you kill them first... I can get rid of them in record time!”

“Good to know.” Sedine said.

Thinking about her mother’s murderers, I guess, Indeara thought, glancing at her companion from the corner of her eye.

Sedine’s pain stirred some feeling in Indeara. A memory, perhaps. Not a fully-fledged one. As if Indeara had felt the same anger, once.

“Oh, Indeara.” Sedine said. Indeara jumped, hoping Sedine hadn’t noticed her staring. “When I went to get our food, I ran into, well, he ran into me; literally; a guy that was as tall as you.”

During their journey, Indeara had realized that she was exceptionally tall. She stood about two heads taller than both Sedine and Vassa; and was at least a head taller than most of the men of Reganne. So a stranger whose height matched hers was sort of strange.

“He looked a bit like you too.” Sedine said, tearing another bite off her sandwich and chewing. “Weird right?”

“Maybe you were just imagining things.” Indeara said.

“Maybe.” Sedine agreed. “Or maybe you have a relative?”

“I wouldn’t know.” Indeara said. She felt a little sad about that.

If there were someone looking for her, how would she know? Would they pass each other in a crowd, none the wiser? And if someone came to her claiming they were her lost family, would she even believe them?

Maybe the Weaver will have an answer for me.

It would be nice if the mysterious Weaver had an answer for Sedine’s dilemma as well.

We’ll probably have to come up with one on our own. But how hard could it be to lure someone into the woods and plant a knife in their neck and then flee to Loann? No one would ever have to know it was us.

Or we could just have Pinky eat the body like she said and no one would know what happened to them at all.

The thought made Indeara smile slightly.

“Still no memories about your family?” Vassa asked sympathetically.

“No.” Indeara said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Who knows, I might not actually have one. That could be why I can’t remember them.”

“Huh.” Sedine said. “Then why can’t you remember anything else? You just never made any memories?”

“My head is simply empty and always has been that way.” Indeara said, smiling. “That’s the excuse we’ll go with.”

“Well, no family would save you the trouble of looking for them.” Pinky said cheerfully.

“We’ll just be your family if you want one.” Vassa offered.

“Thanks.” Indeara said. “If there’s anyone looking for me, and not in the way your relatives are, Sedine, I don’t want them to keep waiting, and worrying if I’m still alive.”

“Hopefully the Weaver will have a way to restore your missing memories,” Sedine said.

“Or can tell you who can.” Vassa added.

“That was just what I was thinking.” Indeara said.

“Let’s keep walking.” Sedine said, polishing off the rest of her sandwich. “I don’t really want to spend the night here. Are you all fine with that?”

“No problems here.” Vassa said.

“Or here.” Indeara agreed.

“I do so miss a warm hearth,” Pinky sighed. “But the people here would probably be rude and say I had to stay in a pigpen.”

“You’ll be a hardened travelling-hog in no time.” Sedine said, patting Pinky gently on the head.

Pinky turned her snout up. “I would rather be a delicate common room piggy, but if Vassa wants me to travel with her, I will.”

I don’t think she actually cares that much.

“If you turn out to have good parents, I’m adopting them.” Vassa joked. “Mine went off and croaked. Very unfortunate.”

“I don’t think you want my remaining one.” Sedine said. “Although I’m not sure he deserves to be called one. Hm. I might have to join you there, Vassa.”

She’s able to joke about it casually, so it must have happened a while ago. But still, even if she’s able to make the subject into a jest, who knows how much she’s really hurting?

And Sedine... I know her wounds are very fresh.

Sedine hadn’t talked to them about her father, but Indeara was already sure he had to be trash, if he hadn’t bothered to protect her from his nephews, or her mother from her murderers. Indeara had a sneaking suspicion that he might even have helped cover up that murder.

Sedine had mentioned that she was illegitimate a few days ago, so maybe the motivation lay somewhere there.