Owin #17 — A dark room for the night
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Owin led Gwen through Rhyl’s streets. The sun would not even give hint of life for several turns of the glass and his limbs ached with fatigue. The ache had less to do with physical exertion than fear of possible loss, but it left exhaustion nonetheless.
He could feel Gwen’s panic and knew the girl blamed herself for what happened. But really, this is my fault, I encouraged her too much. He wished Gavin still lived. Her father would not likely have raised her much differently, but then it wouldn’t all be my fault.
Owin led Gwen into the abandoned building he had used most recently after his robbery of the warehouse. A few animals scurried away at their approach, but it appeared there were no people present.
“I am so sorry, Owin. Please forgive me,” Gwen said in the dark. Her voice carried fear, but not the sound of tears.
Owin would not risk lighting a candle even if he had one. Instead, he felt the floor, searching for the familiar clearing among the debris. Carefully, he helped Gwen sit down and then sat next to her. “It’s not your fault.” He admired her strength of will in not breaking down.
“No Owin, it is. I knew what I was doing. I knew the risks. I just never thought Mother and Grandma would pay for it.”
He put his arm around her and she fell against his side. “Gina has been a friend for a while. Back in the old days, she worked in the temples mixing ointments and potions. She’s not a priestess, but she has friends there. If anyone can get Elsin healed without raising too many questions, it will be Gina.”
“She was furious with you.”
Owin nodded his head, though neither of them could see the motion. “That will blow over.” He sighed. “However, Lord Darro’s anger won’t. Your mother will be safe for a while, as long as she stays with Gina. However, there will be people looking for you. They know who you are and where you lived. They have my name and a good description of me. Mentioned to the right people, they will know where to look for me. Which means, we’ll have trouble if we are seen on the streets. The city guard as well as more criminal elements will be looking for us.”
He heard Gwen sniffle. “What can we do?”
“In the morning, we’ll cut your hair and I’ll find you some men’s cloths. They’ll be looking for an older guy and a young woman.”
“You’ll turn me into a man so they won’t recognize me.” He heard her swallow. “They’d give me a public flogging if they found me pretending to be a man.”
Owin nodded his head, amused she would worry about that instead of being hanged for murder and robbery. He knew she understood the real risk, but neither of them would voice it. “We’ll just make sure you know how to act like a man then.”
They sat there in silence through the rest of the night while he tried to calculate how long it would take Mark and his boy Simon to realize their threats against Elsin and Gwen were compromised. Without that leverage, they had no means to hold Owin in Rhyl and that would make them more desperate. I’ve got only a short time to find enough money to get us out of the city before things get very bad.
