The Oath by A.M. Linden

Author:A.M. Linden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 2021-08-14T16:00:00+00:00

It was no surprise to Annwr that Caelym took as long as he did to change clothes.

“He’s Rhedwyn all over again and will be half the morning preening himself!”

“He will!” Aleswina agreed, not knowing who Rhedwyn was but sure Annwr was right anyway.

They were sitting together on the bank overlooking the river, putting the final touches on their own disguises after taking turns cutting each other’s hair—Annwr’s to fit the part of a fully ordained nun and Aleswina’s to look like a boy instead of a girl. Annwr had dyed Aleswina’s remaining hair dark brown with a slurry of ashes and alder bark tea and had mixed a bit of the leftover tea with dirt that she rubbed over Aleswina’s face and neck before helping her change clothes. With Aleswina dressed in pants and Annwr wearing Aleswina’s habit, the two were ready to pass as an elderly nun and a youthful boy.

“The river will be leaving the forest soon and coming to a bridge with a tollkeeper, and border guards too, like as not.” Refining her plans as she said them out loud, Annwr muttered, “So maybe the thing to do would be to wait until nightfall and slip past like we did through Fenwick.”

Aleswina nodded vigorously in agreement and was ready to jump up and start gathering brush to cover over the boat, only Annwr went on, “No! We’d do better to stop before the bridge and cross openly in broad daylight. That way we’re just pilgrims traveling on foot from Derthwald, and no one will have any cause to wonder how we could appear at the tavern without being remembered crossing the bridge.”

“What about our packs?” Aleswina asked, an anxious look on her face.

“The monks that I’ve seen don’t carry anything except their staff and their begging bowls. So we’ll hide them in the woods and pick them up when we come back.”

“After Caelym has found his little boys.”

“Yes, Dear Heart, after Caelym has found his little boys.” Annwr tried to sound certain about what she knew to be a vanishingly small chance. But some chance or none, they had to try, and she shifted to muttering, “Now how much money will we need for the bridge toll and our fare at the tavern?”

When she’d packed Aleswina’s cache of coins and jewels, it had seemed to Annwr like more than they’d ever need, but now she recalled the trader and merchants from Atheldom complaining about the high cost of the bridge and road tolls and innkeepers overcharging for their meals. Wishing she’d asked what they had to pay, she emptied the pouch on a cloth and set the jewelry aside. Making separate stacks of the three denominations, she counted out what they had. It came to seven gold coins, thirty-two silver ones, and forty-nine copper ones.

Seeing Aleswina looking uncomprehendingly at the coins and realizing that she’d have to learn what money was worth, Annwr pointed to the gold coins. “Those are called scillingas and they are each worth the price of five cows.

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