Crow Moon by Anna McKerrow

Author:Anna McKerrow [McKerrow, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

War is not for the Greenworld. We leave war to those that have not found peace.

From Tenets and Sayings of the Greenworld

When we walk back into the village Tom’s waiting for Saba at the Witch’s Gate. It’s a jolt back into reality, and it hurts. I’d forgotten there was a Tom, a good- natured tall blond boyfriend, a guy I reluctantly like. Saba snatches her hand away from mine and I know she has the same jolting feeling: like we were in our own little world down at the beach, and now here we are back home where the old rules apply.

Saba smiles and waves, dropping the ‘Tom’s girlfriend’ persona over herself like a robe.

I arrange my face into a pleasant expression.

‘Hey, baby,’ he says, and kisses Saba as she gets to the gate.

‘Hi, Tom,’ she says a little guardedly, or am I imagining it? ‘I didn’t know you’d be waiting for us. It’s so early still!’

He smiles. ‘Well, got to support my girl, haven’t I? And I thought I’d bring some veg over for tonight’s dinner,’ he says. There’s a big box of muddy Greenworld organic veg by his feet. All grown by his fair hands, no doubt.

‘Dinner?’ she asks blankly. But I remember. Tonight we’re hosting a Yule dinner for some of the villagers. It’s a regular thing – various townsfolk come to have some quality time with the witches. To see we’re normal people, I guess, not a bunch of cackling, wart- munching weirdos.

‘Yeah, you know, the gardeners are coming to yours tonight,’ he says.

I nudge Saba. ‘Come on, Sabs, the big dinner. How can you forget? Lowenna’s got us on spud-peeling detail.’

‘Oh, right. Yeah. Sorry. Still a bit spaced out, I s’pose.’ She smiles up at me. At me, not him.

‘It was a pretty heavy ritual,’ I say, by way of explanation to Tom.

‘I guess it was,’ he says slowly, looking at me, looking at her smile. And I know in that look that he gets it. That I like Saba. So I give him that look back – Yeah, brother. I do. So let the best man win.

The rest of the village girls tramp past and there’s a slightly uncomfortable silence until Saba breaks it. ‘So d’you want to come back to the house?’ she asks Tom, but he shakes his head.

‘Ummm, no, actually. I’ve just remembered I’ve got a lot to do today – finishing early to come to yours later – so I better get going.’ He shoves the box of vegetables at me. ‘Dan can take these,’ he says.

‘Oh . . . OK,’ Saba says, a little bit flustered. ‘See you later then.’

He turns away and gives a backwards wave to us, not looking back.

Saba looks put out. ‘Well, that was odd,’ she says. ‘What’s up with him?’

I know exactly what’s up with Tom, but I’m not telling the tawny-maned temptress Saba, the one that men would slay dragons for.

‘Maybe he didn’t want to peel potatoes,’ I say, and she smiles.

The dinner comes after a day of food prep.

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