Tuesday is here! It’s time for Part Eight of The Shape of Family, where we’re gonna see what Claire’s been up to in Jeffrey’s absence.
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The Shape of Family
Part Eight – Betrayal
by Rick Cook Jr
Claire and Private Hughes tended to the girl’s wounds while she was unconscious, and then put her to resting in the bed Claire had vacated this morning. Hughes dropped into a chair, bundling up the bloody cloths and bandages.
Having removed the girl’s jacket and shirt, Claire saw two things: the new wound was not as bad as it looked through the layers of clothing, and this wasn’t Marie.
“This is Renee,” she said after the girl was settled and resting fitfully.
Hughes started. “What?”
“Did you see the lump on her clavicle?”
“I was busy stitching that back wound.” She stood up and stretched, then pulled the covers back from Renee’s chest to examine the old wound. “That was a bad break.”
Claire nodded. “Renee broke that bone when they first started training with their horses, and it healed a little wrong. Marie didn’t break that bone.” Hughes had joined her Wings after that, and wouldn’t remember that.
“But she came in on that black mare.”
“We’re missing a part of the story. I saw Jeffrey ride away on that horse.” She looked out the window of her room and saw him stabling that beautiful black horse with the others. “Go and fetch him, would you?”
“Yes, ma’am. Should I send Maggie up with something to eat, or drink, or… ?” She didn’t finish the thought.
Claire didn’t turn from the window to hide her blush. “No. Just Combs for now.”
Private Hughes nodded, saluted, and left her in the sunlit room. Maybe her secret wasn’t so secret after all.
It shouldn’t matter the bed she chose to make, but Claire knew better. A priest with a penchant for pretty men was one thing, but a captain couldn’t be seen to fraternize and flirt with anyone. She was in a position of authority, she held lives in her hands and it was inappropriate, indelicate, to have those lives feel uncomfortable around her.
Jeffrey knocked and opened the door slowly. “Everyone decent?” he asked before entering.
She glanced at Marie and stepped to the girl, covered her more fully under the blanket, and nodded.
He stepped in and closed the door behind him, then took a seat in the chair Hughes had vacated minutes before. He fidgeted in the seat.
“Sergeant, report on the horse.”
“Yes, ma’am. She’s all right now. Shaken up, tired, but she’s behaving.”
“I saw her spirit you away into the woods not an hour gone.”
“Just a quick run to make sure nothing was injured, Captain. She’s well, and I think she’ll follow my orders now. A trial like that, whatever happened to them. It can change a person.”
“Horses aren’t persons,” she reminded him.
“Of course, of course. You know me, though, treat ‘em all like my siblings if you let me.”
Yes, that was true. She nodded. “Well, there’s a story here that we don’t have, if you can believe it.”
“Wasn’t the bandersnatch?”
“This isn’t even Marie.” He gasped and to Claire it seemed… almost theatrical. He twisted the wrist-braids that marked him a horse-whisperer in his fingers, which he only did when he was nervous.
Am I just being paranoid? I’m seeing duplicity everywhere I look.
“How’d she come to be on our wayward horse?” he mused, rubbing at his chin.
“She was muttering about shadows that moved on their own when I first brought her inside.”
“Shadows?”
“You’ve always got a fable to hand, what sort of creature can be shadow without substance, Sergeant?”
“You’ve got me.” But he snapped his fingers. “Well, there’s one. My brother told it around the campfire when we were younger.”
“Tell it.”
“Well, it wasn’t even really a story, more like a caution.”
“I’m waiting, Sergeant.”
“Yes, ma’am. The Shade of the Bloody Wood it’s called. Moves only in darkness, casts no shadow ‘cause it has no body. It turns creatures stone cold with fear, ices the hearts of man. It was said to be able to change its shape.”
That was interesting. “Change shape?”
He nodded. “Tall tales to scare little boys.”
“Maybe not so tall these days. You remember the story of the wolf who became a boy.”
“Sure. Didn’t put much stock in it.”
“Well, you should start.”
His eyes widened. “For true?”
“Lot of things coming out of the Bloody Wood of late, it seems.”
“You think the wolf boy and this… shadow thing are connected?”
She shrugged. “I truly don’t know. Rumor and truth of protean creatures back to back. We caught the bandersnatch out during the day. This wolf boy is around. There’s the mare down below that just doesn’t seem quite normal…”
Jeffrey coughed and stared around the room. “She’s a strange one, but I think I’ve got her under control, Captain.”
“What aren’t you telling me, Sergeant?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve been my subordinate for a year now. We’ve been in the thick of things and I like to think I know you.” She stood up, hand on the hilt of her sword. He started to stand, hand going to his own weapon, and she pulled her blade a little, letting the metal sliding on metal give the threat.
“Stay seated, Sergeant.”
“What is this?” He sat down, hand still on the hilt of his blade.
“I’ve had enough of people evading me today.”
“With all due respect, Captain, you look tired. And hungover.”
“I am. Both of those things. But I can still tell when I’m being lied to. And you’re not telling me something. So,” she pulled the blade out the rest of the way and leveled it at him, point near his neck. To his credit he didn’t flinch or pull away, as a Winged Rider is expected. “You’re going to talk or I’ll have an opening in my roster.”
He sighed. “This really didn’t go the way I expected it to.”
“What are you hiding?”
“I have your best interest at heart, Captain. Truly I do.”
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
“What’s going on?” Renee mumbled suddenly. Claire’s sword tipped that direction and that proved the mistake.
Jeffrey came up under her arm, knocking her sword away and planting a fist into her gut, knocking the wind clean out of her. Spittle flew as she dropped to the ground, clutching at her stomach and at the front of his jacket, trying to call for help.
It came out in barely a whisper and she knew she was going to pass out. Jeffrey eased her to the floorboards and whispered, “I’m not doing this against you, and I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m sorry I had to do this. I made a promise.”
And he stepped over her body while she curled up into a ball. She should be fighting back, she should be calling for help. She should be doing something, anything. But all she could do was fade in and out.
Jeffrey grabbed the girl, wrapped her in a blanket, whispered something to her, and stepped back over Claire. She gasped and gasped, and her eyes fell on Renee’s as he carried her out of the room. There was not fear in her eyes, only determination.
What in hell was happening to her Wings?
By the time she got breath enough to call for aid, it was too late. Maggie came in, found her struggling to stand, and when she got to her feet she nearly fell again.
“What happened? I just saw Jeffrey leaving with the twin.”
Claire could only nod. She managed to whisper, “He took the black mare, didn’t he?”
She nodded. “Why? Would you tell me what’s happening, love?”
Love. That was a thought she had no time for. “Rally the Kingsguard. We have a traitor to catch.”
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Come on back next week for the next part, where we’ll still be following Claire!
Panning For Clouds 