Stranger in Claeglock

"Aneska!" The twins Selm and Sage beckoned, their little heads peaking from around the door frame. Aneska heard the girls, as most of the cabin did she was sure, and quickly rushed to them on silent feet and gently closed the door before any others awoke.

"Girls, it's late" Aneska huffed as quietly as she could, careful to not stir the other dozen sleeping children in their bunks.

"Exactly. So why are you awake?" one of the twins whispered.

The other twin, she could never tell them apart, joined in the interrogation. "Does it have something to do with the person that came into the village?"

'The minute something happens in this damn village these two seem to know every detail.' It didn't really matter Aneska thought, but she wanted to get the girls back into bed as soon as she could and attend to the new guest that had surprised the village elders in the middle of the night.

Guiding them back to their bunks she spoke gently, a thread of sleep conjured from the lavender sprig in one of her many pockets laced into her words.

"Yes, there was a padder back from travelling. She's very tired, as I'm sure you girls are. After she reports to the Chief I'm to look after her." Her words drenched in honey and wrapped in silk, the twins had no chance.

Even before their heads hit the pillow the spell had done its job. One of them tried to fight the spell to no use, lips pursed but relaxing into a gentle snore as she drifted off to the faint scent of lavender.

Aneska fumbled with the sprig in her pocket, or what was left of it. The sprig was now just a soft dust that she rubbed between her fingers.

'They're going to sleep till noon now'; closing the door quietly she hurried back to the Town Hall.

The twins were right, there was a padder that had come in the night, which wasn't unusual. What was unusual, was that Aneska had never seen this padder in her entire life. Aneska was only 16, and padders did travel for years at a time, but this padder seemed young as well, almost to the age where many would have settled to have a child. It was a small village too, where everyone was known to one another. The fact she had never met this padder, or heard talk of a padder on such a long journey was strange.

Despite Aneska's calm exterior, her insides were tidal waves. She tried and failed to avoid imprinting the snow with her footprints, although no one had told her this was a secret dealing, something about the padder made her nerves ignite. She forced herself to slow her pace to the Town Hall, easily spoted as the only building with such a bright fire lit at such a late hour. From the warm glow she could see the mystery padder illuminated inside, sitting with her back to the door. She was still far away, but even from a distance you could smell the rot.

It wasn't a crime to smell after being on the road for so long; but there were many other villages on the way up to the north, and anyone would pay great fortunes for a spell from even the most unskilled padder. More than enough to afford an inn, and a bath to boot. Did this strange woman even visit any of the villages? Craeglock would have heard word of such a perverse stranger coming for them if she had. There were rivers too, that ran so far and so wide you'd think them oceans if ever you were lost on your journey up to the north.

'So she hasn't visited any of the villages, or washed in any of the rivers. Maybe she was in a hurry? But it's not just the stench, she looks like death too.'