Her aura shifted, moving through strange patterns. “I have to be firm on the price, Daniel. If I made an exception for your family I’d have to do the same for everyone. We have to make a living too.”
Was that amusement?
While her face was serious, he felt certain that her aura was conveying a different emotion. She was looking down on him.
“I doubt you’d try to charge my father that price if he were here,” he noted, trying to remain reasonable.
Her expression softened into one of mild pity, “He isn’t here, though.”
Daniel felt it clearly now. While her face was sympathetic, inside she was laughing. A thought occurred to him then as he remembered the patterns that Brenda’s aura had taken during their…tryst. On impulse he reached out with his mind, touching her aura and shifting it slightly, moving it closer to the pattern Brenda’s had been in.
She might give me a better price if she felt differently, he mused.
Her facial expression went blank for a moment, but she gave no outer sign that she had felt any change. “If you don’t like the price, you’re welcome to come back another day,” she said, sticking to her position.
Daniel heard the difference in her voice however, a faint tremor. He took a step closer, moving to within a few feet of her. “I don’t like the price, Alice. Are you sure you couldn’t come down just a bit?” He kept his face smooth, adopting an expression of sincerity.
Alice took a step back, as if uncertain, a strange thing for the normally confident negotiator. Her eyes met his, and as they did he touched her aura again, shifting the pattern further, closer to the state that he associated with arousal.
Her nostrils flared slightly and her pupils grew larger. Wetting her lips nervously, she held still, “I might consider it, though it would be unusual for me to do such a thing.”
Daniel knew it was working now. He had the upper hand, and for once it felt good to be the one in control. “I think perhaps you should give them to me for an eighth,” he said, aiming for a price below even the usual exchange rate.
Her eyes started to harden, she was a stubborn woman by nature, but he stroked her aura again, sending ripples of pleasure through her body. Somehow his extra sense could register even more information than just her aura, and he could tell she was flushing as blood rushed to her cheeks and—other places. “That’s too low,” she said even as she squirmed imperceptibly.
She doesn’t know it’s me, she just wants to get me out of here before she embarrasses herself, he realized. He just needed to make her aware that he knew exactly what she was thinking about. Leaning in, he did the unthinkable and reached out to run his fingers around the outside of her left ear. As gestures went it was completely inappropriate, and under normal circumstances he might have been thrown out of her shop.
Today, though, he knew exactly how she would react. “An eighth, Alice, that’s all I’ll pay. Maybe there’s some way we could come to a compromise?” Watching the effect his manipulations had had upon her, he was beginning to respond in a similar fashion.
A gasp escaped her lips, and her eyes darted to one side.
She just remembered that she’s minding the store alone today, thought Daniel.
“You need to leave,” she told him, pushing him toward the door, but her words lacked conviction.
He let her guide him to the entrance, but before she could open it he slipped his hand under her hair and pulled her head back, placing his lips over her own.
She melted then, and after a moment she returned the kiss fiercely. With one hand she drew the bar that would lock the door, ensuring no one would walk in unexpectedly.
“An eighth?” he questioned, his hands already roving.
“No,” she protested.
He pulled away from her, but used his strange ability to stir her passion even as he did.
“Yes!” she cried, “We have a deal.” Her eyes were devouring him as she pulled him toward her. “Don’t make me wait any longer,” she pleaded.
He didn’t.
***
“I didn’t expect you to get so much,” said Alan Tennick as he eyed the wagon bed.
“The price was good,” said Daniel.
“How much?”
“An eighth.”
“For the peas or the scallions?” asked his father.
“The peas,” said Daniel. “Mrs. Hayes was in a really good mood. She threw in the scallions for free.”
“Damn, son! You’re turning into a better haggler than I ever was. Maybe you have a talent for this, eh?”
Daniel thought about that for a second. He hadn’t really intended for things to go as far as they had with Mrs. Hayes. If anything, he had merely hoped that changing her mood would improve the price, but he couldn’t complain. It had been the best experience he could ever remember having. Alice had seemed extremely pleased as well.
“Maybe I do,” he mused.
Chapter 10
Two weeks later his father sent him back, this time to talk to Dalton Brown about acquiring a few yards of wool cloth. Dalton was a tailor and his wife a seamstress, so they kept a lot of cloth on hand. Unfortunately his bartering with Dalton was far less successful than it had been with Alice Hayes. Daniel had kept himself to more traditional methods.
He stopped at the Hayes’ store and got a few incidentals for his mother. She hadn’t asked him to, but he was curious about how Alice was doing.
Her face went pale when she saw him come in.
“Daniel!” she said nervously, glancing at her son Aston. “What brings you to town?”
“I just stopped by the Brown’s place,” he told her, “but I thought I might pick up a jar of honey if you have any.” Unable to help himself, he gave her a sudden wink. On impulse he stroked her aura again, to remind her more directly of their last meeting, and her color went from pale to pink.
“I’m surprised they let someone that smells like you into the place, sheep-lover,” sneered Aston.
“Aston!” barked Alice sternly, “Mind your manners. Run down to Mr. Stiles’ place and see if he has any more nails we could buy.”
“Awww Mom! That’s an hour’s walk,” he whined.
“I don’t care,” she snapped.
“Didn’t we get some just last week?”
“Move it, and next time think twice about how you talk to the customers,” she ordered.
Reluctantly her son left, and she dropped the bar as soon as he had stepped through the door, surprising Daniel with her forwardness. “I honestly just meant to get the honey,” he told her, “and to make sure you were doing alright.”
“I haven’t been able to think about anything else,” she confessed, taking the jar from his hands. “The honey is free.”
“That seems reasonable,” said Daniel with a smile.
***
He left the store almost an hour later and was surprised to see Aston already returning. The other boy must have run to get there and back so quickly. Feeling a bit perverse, Daniel made a show of re-buckling his belt as he stepped out the door. He didn’t expect anyone would honestly believe that anything had occurred within, despite the truth of it. He just wanted to taunt Aston.
Daniel gave him a big grin, but didn’t say anything.
“What are you still doing here, sheep-lover?” asked the young man.
Slightly taller and more heavily built, Daniel walked directly toward him before leaning close, “I think you know exactly what I’ve been doing.”
Startled and intimidated by Daniel’s uncharacteristic display of aggression, Aston struggled to think of a reply, “Don’t make me laugh.”
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t touch any hole you came out of,” said Daniel harshly, “but then, there are other ways…”
Enraged Aston forgot his fear and took a wild swing at him.
Expecting the blow, Daniel, let it land anyway, bobbing his head slightly to rob the punch of some of its force. With his new senses he could see Alice Hayes
watching from the storefront.
Now I’ve got just cause.
Daniel’s right arm was already cocked, drawn back tightly against his body. He had learned a lot from his father over the past year. Releasing the tension in his muscles, his body uncoiled and he struck Aston with a powerful jab, hitting him squarely in the stomach, just under his ribs. The young man collapsed, gasping for air, and a moment later he vomited up the contents of his stomach.
Daniel looked down on him with concern. After a minute, he helped his opponent to his feet. They both knew who had gotten the worst of the exchange, but Daniel had a swollen cheek while Aston appeared unhurt.
“Next time I’ll break something,” said Daniel pitching his voice low even as he offered his hand.
Aston watched him with fearful eyes but accepted the handshake finally.
“Are we good?” asked Daniel, speaking louder now.
“Yeah.”
Daniel smiled and headed for the wagon. “Don’t forget,” he whispered as he passed.
***
That evening as he lay in bed Daniel reflected on his actions. He had been exhilarated, first by Alice’s enthusiasm and then by his victory over one of his oldest antagonists. Even so, he still felt guilty. Deep down he knew he had done wrong, first in his behavior with Mrs. Hayes, and then he had compounded it by humiliating her son. While anyone who had witnessed the exchange would probably say it hadn’t been his fault, he knew better.
He had initiated the fight, he had controlled it, and he had purposefully hurt Aston far worse than the mild bruise he had received in return.
Maybe I’m cursed to do evil.
The memory of the warden examining him on the trail the day Brenda had ‘educated’ him, came unbidden to his mind. The servant of the gods had known there was evil in him. The warden had sensed it somehow, even before he had done anything.
Since he had begun opening his mind and exploring his strange abilities, he hadn’t sensed anything of the warden who had been searching for him last summer and fall, but he knew it could only be a matter of time. Eventually he would return, and next time there would be no mistake about Daniel’s relative wickedness.
He was damned.
***
The next day Tom Hayes dropped by for a visit.
It wasn’t unusual for the man to show up now and then, being a merchant by trade he made constant trips up and down the valley, always bartering to fill his store. His visit today however, was different. He called Alan Tennick aside, and the two men spoke privately in the barn for a while, rather than in the house.
Daniel’s father looked embarrassed when he walked back.
“Thank you for stopping by, Tom. I’ll talk to him,” he told the other man.
Daniel was gripped by apprehension. Does he know? If Alice had confessed to her husband, she would be ruined by the shame of it. Daniel would be an outcast. The stigma would stay with him forever, and his parents would suffer by extension.
It felt as though the world was collapsing around him.
“Come out here if you would, son,” ordered his father.
Head down, Daniel stepped out. His face was red, and he felt the beginnings of tears in his eyes. He had never respected anyone more than his father. His shortcomings couldn’t be laid at their feet. Alan and Helen had been the best parents anyone could ask for, and he had loved them for it. Now the two people he loved most would know, would see the blackness that had taken root in him.
“Tom told me about your fight with his son yesterday,” began Alan.
Relief flooded through him, and he fought to hide his reaction. That’s what this is about! Not daring to speak, he nodded at his father’s words.
“Give me your version of it,” said his father sternly.
He related the tale, omitting the details of his insult although he admitted to goading the other boy into the fight.
Alan nodded, “I appreciate your honesty, son, although I’m disappointed by your lack of judgment. I didn’t teach you those things so you could use them to bully other boys.”
Daniel felt the truth of his father’s words and he could also sense the rising anger in him. In his mind’s eye he could see the red fringes around his father’s aura. It was rare to see his dad angry, and he knew he would probably be punished. He looked at the belt at Alan’s waist.
Before his father could continue, Daniel spoke, “I’m sorry, father. I know it was wrong. I lost my temper, and I made a mistake.” Mentally he reached out and soothed his father’s aura, trying to bring it back to its normally smooth blues and yellows.
Sighing Alan Tennick drew a deep breath. He grew calmer and his temper receded. “As long as you know it was wrong. Promise me you’ll do better in the future.”
“I will Dad.”
Chapter 11
A few weeks later Daniel went with his father to visit Vernon Withers, a charcoal maker who also supplied most of the potash used by the people of the valley and Colne. They used the potash to make soap, which in turn was used to clean the grease from wool after the summer shearing.
It was a long trip, but they stopped in Colne on their way back. Alan intended to stop at the Hayes’ store, but Daniel wasn’t too keen on seeing Alice again, especially not with his father present.
A flash of red caught his eye as they passed the small home the Brown’s occupied. “Do you mind if I go see Mr. Brown while you’re in the store?”
Alan looked as his son strangely, “What would you want in there?” Daniel had never shown any particular interest in cloth or clothing.
“I thought I’d see if maybe they’d have something Mom would like,” he replied, giving a half-truth. The red fabric had given him the idea. It was a rare color to find, and he knew his mother would be excited if he was able to get some for her.
His father raised one eyebrow, “Maybe there’s hope for you yet, son. You grow more thoughtful by the day.”
“I learned from the best,” said Daniel as he hopped off the buckboard seat.
His father kept moving, driving down the street to park near the store while Daniel knocked at the Brown’s door. He could see the red fabric through their front window.
Fiona Brown opened the door. “I didn’t expect to see you back again so soon.”
She was referring to the fact that he’d purchased several yards of grey wool from her husband only a few weeks prior. “I saw the red in the window,” he told her.
“You want to see?” She opened the door wide to admit him. “I hadn’t thought you interested in such things.”
Stepping into the small front room he took in the surroundings. He had already opened his mind and he knew there was no one else nearby. A large bolt of strangely smooth red fabric stood out amongst the earthy browns and greys of the rest of the room.
“I just thought mother might like something like that,” he said, indicating the red cloth. “It doesn’t look like wool, though.”
She gave him a kind expression, “It’s linen, Dalton found it in Dereham. He went back yesterday to see if they had any more after all the interest we’ve gotten.”
“Linen?”
“They make it from flax,” she explained. Fiona’s smile went all the way to her eyes which crinkled, making their warm browns seem even more attractive. She was a young woman still, barely five years older than Daniel, and she and her husband had yet to be blessed with children.
He touched the fabric curiously. “It seems rather flimsy,” he noted, comparing it to wool in his mind.
She stood beside him, “It’s much stronger than it seems and it doesn’t take up water the same way wool does. Many people make fine shirts from it.”
“It seems like it would be cold.”
“It isn’t as warm as wool, certainly,” she admitted, “but the texture of it feels better against the skin.”
“How much would you want for a few yards of it?” he asked.
“Three bales a yard,” she told him.
Dan
iel was shocked, “Why so much?”
She explained to him their reasons, the foremost being the price they had had to pay to buy it to begin with, before adding the trouble of traveling to Dereham.
He watched her as she spoke. Fiona Brown wasn’t hard to look at, although she was far from the most beautiful woman in town. Her nose was a bit longer than some and her chin was too small, but her hair was well kept, and she smelled good. What made her most attractive was her friendly personality and the easiness with which she smiled.
She isn’t half as pretty as Kate, nor half as smart, he thought involuntarily, but then, I don’t deserve Kate.
“Is there any way you could go lower?” he asked, stroking her aura invisibly. His heart had begun to race already.
***
Less than half an hour had passed before he met his father at the wagon. Fiona had turned out to be surprisingly athletic, but she had given him an incredible discount in return for his best efforts.
“How much was that?” asked his father, he knew already that the red cloth had to have been expensive.
“I promised them two bales for two yards,” said Daniel sheepishly. He hoped his father wouldn’t be angry at his impulsive purchase.
Alan’s brows lifted, “That’s pretty cheap I think.”
“I told Mrs. Brown it was a present for Mother, and I think she felt sympathetic,” explained Daniel.
“You definitely have a way with women, son,” said his father. “So Dalton wasn’t there?”
“No sir.”
Alan Tennick laughed, “I hope he isn’t too irritated by the loss when he discovers you sweet-talked his wife out of that cloth for a bale a yard.”
Daniel tried to hide his nervousness with a laugh. The cheap price was the least of the things he was worried about Mr. Brown discovering.