Serenity Valley (40 page)

“Good, then. We will have great fun
exploring together!” Bells led the couple out of the storage room
and crypt. Once in the chapel, Bells said, “We will go out another
way. There is an old armory on the way out I can show
you.”

Ivan said, “Yes, most interesting way
out is good.” Bells led them through the many twists, turns, and
staircases. Everyone was enjoying the adventure.

On the way back to Sirates House, Ivan
stopped at the main house stables. From the supplies in his wagon,
he fashioned a heavy leather strap and nailed it onto the butt of
the carved arm. The strap would provide something for Demon to
carry the arm with. He also fashioned a small horseshoe-shaped nail
and filed it sharp on both ends. He gave the arm to Bells. He and
Giselia would make rounds of the wounded at the
barracks.

Upon returning to Sirates House, Bells
checked on Goodwin, now resting in the bedroom. Gamel was with
Basilea in the other bedroom. Basilea was sleeping, while Gamel
hovered over her.

Fina, Trina, and Roesia arrived
through the back door carrying baskets of supplies and foodstuff
for the kitchen. Fina saw the carved wooden arm sitting on the
table and said, “So this be da remedy fer that repulsive bit a
horror Demon has latched on ta?”

“Yes, this is the solution. When he
hides his arm tonight to eat, we will attach the ring to this arm
and exchange them,” Fulk said.

“Does ya think 'twill work? Surely
he’s knowing da difference,” Trina said.

“With ring on new hand should accept,
understand change maybe not,” Ivan replied.

Fina shook her head. “Well, I
certainly hope so, 'tis a gruesome thing. Why da beasties have ta
be so nasty?”

“Animals see things differently than
we do. Although smelly, Demon just sees the pretty ring Gamel said
he could keep,” Fulk said.

“Hope for the best, we should,” Trina
said before she turned to her daughter. “Nesta, ya able ta keep up
wit da cookin' fer dis mob?”

“Yes, Mama. So far, I’ve been doing
all right. I don’t know if I’ll make it home tonight.”

“It be okay. You takes care a things
here. We be bringin' in da night meal from da kitchen. Eva be
roastin turkey taday.”

“Oh, that will be good! I’ll bake
fresh bread and tubers to go with it.”

Trina looked at her daughter with
pride. She had raised a good girl, and she knew it.

Roesia said, “Ada sent a basket of
fresh baked pies.” She set the basket on the kitchen work table as
Fulk stalked in for a closer look.

Fina said, “We will be back before
evening meal wit more supplies. Come, ladies, we best be gettin'
back, lotsa spoiled royalty ta feeds.”

Bells said, “I will go with you. I
need to put in an appearance. Fulk, don’t exchange the arm until I
get back. I want to watch what he does.”

“Yes, wait for us ta come back too. We
want ta see too.”

Fulk said, “Of course. Who am I to
refuse a request from such a bevy of beauties?”

“If'n I be knowin' what me bevy be, I
could see if'n it was beautiful,” Trina said.

Everyone laughed as the group left out
the rear door and headed toward the kitchen. Fulk and Nesta took
advantage of the couple of hours’ free time to snuggle together in
front of the hearth. Sitting together on the great chair, Fulk
noticed how tired she looked and said, “Stretch out and lie down
for a bit. Rest while you can, my lady.” Nesta took Fulk up on the
offer, lying out and resting her head on his thigh. He reached for
the blanket on the back of the big chair. Covering Nesta, he
reached for her hand and held it while she fell asleep. Satisfied
and comfortable, he soon followed her example.

It was early evening when Ivan,
Giselia, Bells, and a number of kitchen staff entered through the
back door. Fina was complaining about having to compliment Demon on
his grisly trophy before they could pass into the house. Fina said,
“Oh, this must work. I never seen such disgusting a thing in all me
days!”

Ivan said, “It work; soon you
see.”

Trina spotted Fulk and Nesta asleep in
front of the hearth and crept closer to spy on them. Delighted, she
looked at her daughter with joy in her heart. Nesta had found a
true and gentle love, not the abusive, degrading type of
relationship she shared with her husband. Standing next to Trina,
Roesia said, “True and innocent love, what a darling picture it
makes.”

Fulk said softly, “I hear you. Like
Ox, I can hear an ant fart a mile away, and that, while I’m
asleep.”

Trina and Roesia couldn’t help but
bust out in laughter, which woke Nesta. Sitting up on the great
chair, Nesta said, “Mama, you’re back already?”

“We been gone hours, child. Almost be
time fer evening meal.”

“Oh, sorry! Guess I needed a little
nap.”

Gamel came out of the bedroom carrying
Basilea in a cocoon of blankets. He put her down in a chair in
front of the great hearth. Nesta was up and fetching a mug from the
kitchen in a flash, filling it with hot tea from a kettle kept warm
on the swing arm of the hearth. She took the mug to
Basilea.

Basilea’s face was all that could be
seen in her mummified condition. She said softly, “Oh, thank you,
Nesta, my good friend, but as you see, I have no arms or hands.
Perhaps we should wait for my wings to sprout.”

Everyone in the room was amused. Nesta
unwrapped a number of blanket layers until she found and freed one
of Basilea’s arms. Basilea took the mug, saying, “Gamel is so
worried I will get the lung sickness again that he tends to overdue
things.”

Giselia said, “Right Gamel be doing.
Warm and rest best things now.”

Fulk spoke next. “Ivan, do you think
you can position yourself in Demon’s secret tree while I distract
the horses for a while?”

“Yes, is no problem, ready now I
being.”

“I will call them into the covered
turnout with the promise of fresh pies. When I get them inside, you
can climb up in the tree. After you are in position, give a bird
whistle, and I will feed them at the trough. That’s when Demon will
hide the arm. Ladies, you should be able to see Demon’s reaction by
standing along the north turnout fence. I will come get you before
they finish eating. Ivan, do you have everything you
need?”

“Yes; have arm, nail for make ring
stay, hammer.” Ivan was showing all of his components.

Fulk examined the small, curved, half
round nail for fastening the ring to the finger and said, “That is
a really great idea, Ivan. This will keep the ring from ever coming
off.”

Ivan said, “Hope it work, should work,
yes.”

“My husband best husband, very smart
he being.” Ivan and Giselia looked at each other with loving
smiles.

Fina handed Ivan an empty flour sack
and said, “Put that nasty thing in this, then we can burn
it.”

Ivan left out the front door while
Fulk got a couple of pies and went out the rear door into the
covered turnout. Bells opened the rear-facing windows of the
kitchen area so they could watch and listen for the signal. Goodwin
came out of the bedroom walking stiffly, with mussed hair. He said,
“I haven’t missed it, have I?”

“No, you haven’t missed anything,”
Bells assured him. “We are just setting up a distraction to get
Ivan into position.”

With pies in hand, Fulk whistled for
the horses. Something similar to a stampede was heard coming
through the maze walls. Mildred and Demon were eager and pranced in
place at the sight of the pies in Fulk’s hands. Fulk said, “Well,
good evening, my very fine beasties. Would you like a little snack
before the evening feed?” Demon and Mildred whinnied and nodded
their heads in affirmation. Fulk handed Mildred a pie. She
immediately bit into it, letting half of it fall on the ground.
Demon took his pie in his lips, not releasing his hold on his arm.
He lowered his head to the ground, releasing the arm. He began
eating his pie a couple inches away from his beloved yet rancid
prize. Demon watched Fulk and Mildred carefully as he split his
attention between his pie and protecting the trophy arm. Fulk said,
“You two have been such good horses today. You didn’t get out much
today. You deserved a little treat, didn’t you?” Demon and Mildred
whinnied in agreement. Before long, a bird call was heard from the
open turnout area. It repeated itself a second time. Fulk said,
“Well, are you two ready for the evening meal? Are you sure you
still want to eat after filling up on pie?” Both horses whinnied
and bobbed their heads up and down. “Oh, then let’s go.” Mildred
and Demon trotted out through the maze walls. Fulk noticed Mildred
headed for the feed trough, but Demon turned to the right to stash
his arm. Fulk climbed the turnout fence in front of the feed area.
Starting with the water, he topped off the trough. Mildred
patiently waited for her feed, but Demon hadn’t returned
yet.

Ivan waited in the secret tree several
limbs above the place where the pot was stashed. He heard Demon
coming. Demon slowly walked around the tree with wide eyes and
rotating ears. He was trying to detect anyone who would spy on him.
As an extra precaution, Demon placed his arm on the ground and
raised his head straight up. Curling his lip back, he sampled the
air for any intrusive smell. Ivan had placed himself high enough
that his scent should travel well above Demon’s nose. The stench of
the rotten arm should also help mask his scent. Satisfied at last,
Demon picked up his arm and deposited it among the dense branches
with the stolen pot. Again, he checked all directions for any sign
of intrusion. Contented, he took off for the feed area at a fast
trot. Ivan allowed enough time for Demon to reach the feed area,
then slowly climbed down to the level of the rotten arm. Not
wanting to touch the maggot-infested arm, Ivan put his hand in the
bag and picked up the rotten, stinking meat, using the bag for a
glove. He rolled the bag over the arm until just the hand was
visible. Taking hold of the ring, he gently pulled. The finger had
swollen around the ring, and it wouldn’t budge. Ivan pulled harder
the next time. To his disgust, the entire finger slipped off the
bone along with the ring. Ivan gagged at the putrid smell, try as
he did to hold his breath. He removed the ring from the squishy
meat of the finger. As soon as the ring was free, he cleaned it off
on the flour bag and dropped the rot-filled bag to the ground.
Gasping, he took several long, deep breaths of fresh air. Ivan
tried a test fit of the ring on the wood finger. Finding it too
tight, he pulled a thin-bladed knife from his boot and lightly
scraped the wooden finger. Repeating this process several times, he
left the fit slightly snug. Using his small hammer, he tapped the
ring the remaining distance. Then, he took the specially crafted
curved nail from his britches and placed it over the ring at the
bottom of the finger. Gently tapping, he secured the ring in place
permanently. Carefully placing the wooden arm where the rotten one
had been, Ivan then descended the tree. Picking up the sack of
putrid meat, he trotted for the south side of the turnout, opposite
from the side where the horses were eating. He cleared the turnout
fence to be confronted by Sergeant Devin of the personal guard.
Devin said, “Oh, Ivan, it’s you.”

“Yes, it is Ivan. Do you make fire pit
for burning?”

“Yes, we already have a fire lit in
the pit in front of the house.”

“You please burn; burning needed very
much.”

Devin took the bag from Ivan and
peeked in it, gagging from the stench. “Is this the arm Demon has
been carrying around?” he asked.

“Yes, be old arm, now have new wood
arm, not rotten.”

“I’ll take care of it, Ivan. Not to
worry.” Devin carried the flour sack held out as far away from his
person as possible. When he reached the fire pit, he told the men
to add more wood. When satisfied the fire was hot enough, he tossed
the gruesome bag of rot into the flames.

Ivan scrubbed his hands at the well.
Fulk was still outside, watching the horses eat. Fulk asked,
“Everything go well? “when Ivan joined him.

“It is done, nasty too terrible, is
burning now.”

“Thank you, Ivan. I know it must have
been horrible. Next time, I will make the exchange.”

“No being next time, I thinks; I
hope!”

Both men laughed heartily. “I better
go get everyone so they can watch what Demon does,” Fulk said, then
went into the house to inform everyone it was time to take a
position on the turnout fence.

Basilea was sitting at the table with
Gamel by her side. “I want to see too, please, please!” she
said.

Gamel replied, “I think you are still
too weak to take the outside air.”

“Oh, please, please. I’ve been a good
girl. I know I’m not so pretty with all of my extra holes now, but
please, for your not-so-beautiful Basilea?”

“You’re still the most beautiful
creature to walk the earth, but I cannot be seduced when it comes
to your health.”

“Please, please, take me out! You can
cocoon me extra!” Basilea wrapped her blankets around herself until
just her eyes were uncovered, which she was flashing continuously
at Gamel.