Cursed Tales: The Jury's Daughter

Lia rode wearily into Mengar, the first town west of Opas Key. Roan had to be there. Where else would he have gone?

Lia inquired at the inn, asking for him, but the innkeeper shook his head; no one named Roan was staying there, no gypsies had come to his inn in the last few days. She nodded, thanking the man before trekking down the street to the saloons. There were only a few places Roan could be, and the town of Mengar wasn’t that large to begin with.

The barkeeper at the saloon told Lia he might’ve seen a man of that description in there the day before, but he’d had a few drinks and hit the road again.

“Did you see which direction he went?” Lia asked hopefully. The man shrugged, thinking back.

“North, maybe,” he said, but dismissed the subject from his mind and set his eyes on Lia, waggling his eyebrows at her. “You know, I could use a pretty new showgirl,” he said. Lia was torn between slapping him across the face and running from the premises. When she slowly backed away from the bar and noticed the looks she was getting from all the other men in the saloon, she opted for running.

So, hoping the barkeeper was right, she headed north out of Mengar, spending the night near the border, so exhausted she didn’t even bother to make a fire for the night. Her food was gone, so she had nothing to eat; all she had was the blanket from Barot’s saddle bag and the hard ground beneath her.
She completely regretted the way she had treated Roan. She was still scared of the idea of a relationship with him, but she knew if she didn’t find him and make things right she would regret it. So she slept lightly, waking with the dawn, and rode on toward Tip Send, crossing the border back into her home country of Henric.

She inquired in Tip Send for Roan, but found nothing. She was beginning to think it was hopeless; what made her think she could track down a gypsy, anyway? Let alone a gypsy with a broken heart who wanted nothing to do with anyone, least of all her. Feeling defeated, she stopped at the general store, staring longingly at the fresh produce available.

Lia hadn’t eaten in nearly two days, but had no money on her for food, let alone a room at an inn for the night.

The storekeeper caught her hungry looks and kept a suspicious eye on her, thinking she might be hungry enough to steal from his store. Lia had to admit that he was right; if she’d been given the chance, she would have stolen something—anything—to stave off the pain in her stomach.

A townsperson entered the general store, bringing the storekeeper inside to help the customer. Lia saw her chance, eyeing the pile of apples in the bin not two feet away from her. As if encouraging her actions, her stomach rumbled hungrily. Her hands wrapped around her sore stomach and stared at the pile of apples, glancing through the window at the storekeeper. His back was turned, so she made a quick move, grabbing an apple and slipping it into her pocket before hurrying off down the street toward her exhausted horse. Standing next to Barot’s horse, she pulled the apple from her pocket and took a satisfied bite, relishing the taste.

“Enjoy it while you can,” came the an angry male voice behind her. Lia slowly turned, finding the storekeeper there, looking down at her. “I saw you swipe it,” he told her, eyeing the apple. Lia held the apple in her hand, unsure whether to leave it and run, or finish it. “It’s no use to me now,” he said with a grumble, sensing her thoughts. Lia took another bite of the apple.

“You will pay for that,” he told her.

“I don’t have any money,” she said.

“I figured as much,” he nodded. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have taken the apple.” Lia just stared at him, worried what price he would name for the fruit.

“You will pay for it in labor,” he smiled. “I’ll put you to work in my store, and in return I won’t cut off your hand, or turn you over to the Jury,” he said. Lia nodded, not wanting to be brought before her family for stealing a single apple out of hunger. What would they say after these months being gone, only to see her again as a criminal? It would be humiliating.

“If you work the rest of the day, I’ll even give you another apple,” he added. Lia nodded in agreement, actually looking forward to the treat of having two apples to eat that day—it was better than nothing at all. “The name’s Benjamin,” he grumbled, opening the door for Lia to enter the store.

“Lia,” she whispered. Benjamin nodded.

So Lia went to work for the storekeeper. She swept the floor, cleaned the counters, arranged the shelves of stock and merchandise, even measured and cut yards of fabric for the women of the town.

“I don’t recognize your face,” a kind old lady mentioned as Lia measured out the yards of muslin for her.

“I’m new in town,” she said simply, not wanting to go into the details. The woman frowned, looking over at Benjamin. He didn’t say anything, only smiled at the woman and offered to help carry her things to the wagon for her.

The day passed slowly, but Lia kept her mind focused on the end of the day—of the apple she would get in return instead of the noises her stomach was making, or the state her hair must be in from traveling and sleeping on the ground the past few nights.

Finally, Benjamin announced it was near five o’clock, and time to close up the store. He took a look around the clean store, neatly organized by Lia and nodded contentedly. He picked up an apple from the pile and tossed it to her.

“As promised,” he said. “Though work like this is worth more than a measly apple.” He nodded, making up his mind. “I’m sure my wife would be happy for the company at the dinner table,” he said. Lia lit up; a real meal! She didn’t care that she’d be sleeping in the dirt again that night, she was happy enough to have found a way to feed herself.

Benjamin gestured to Lia to the back door where the stairs to the upstairs apartment were hidden. Lia took them ahead of Benjamin, hesitantly opening the door at the top. She found a table laden with fresh bread and vegetables, and a chicken sitting as the centerpiece to it all.

The woman standing next to the table smiled at Lia before raising her gaze to her husband. Benjamin moved to embrace his wife fondly before turning back and gesturing to Lia.

“This is Lia,” he mentioned. “She worked for me in the store today and so in return I thought she could use a nice home cooked meal.”

“Of course!” the woman replied happily. “There is plenty,” she said with a wink. Lia had the feeling that the woman knew she’d be eating dinner with them all along. Benjamin beamed at his wife.

“I’m glad,” he muttered, and took the chair at the head of the table. His wife took the seat opposite, leaving Lia to take a chair between them. Benjamin bowed his head in a quick prayer before helping himself to the food, talking as he did so. Lia was introduced finally to his wife, Debora, and the conversation flowed easily for the rest of the meal.

When Lia finished, she thanked Debora for the delicious meal, and thanked Benjamin for the opportunity to work in his store that day, and made to leave. Debora stopped her, giving a pleading look to Benjamin.

“Oh, Ben,” she said, “Why don’t we let her stay the night,” she said. “Wouldn’t do any harm, would it?” she asked. Benjamin thought about the suggestion, seeming to weigh the chances of Lia running off with their belongings in the middle of the night.

Reading her husband’s thoughts, Debora continued. “She’s such a sweet girl, Benjamin, and I’m sure she’d love to work in the store tomorrow morning in return,” she suggested; Lia nodded in agreement. Unable to go against his wife’s wishes, Benjamin agreed, letting his wife set her up with cushions, pillows, and blankets in the living room for the night. Lia thanked them both numerous times before they retired to their own bedroom for the night.

Lia curled under the blankets and grinned. How she had managed such a feat she had no idea, but she was fed and sleeping comfortably—under a roof for the first time in months. Her smile dimmed when she thought of Roan and where he could be, hoping she could find him soon. She knew she couldn’t encroach on the couple’s hospitality much longer.