Willoe continued to walk and turned toward the old farmer. “Allow us to help you, ancient father.” Willoe spoke in a kind voice with an intentionally friendly expression of respect.

  “Your help is welcomed,” the old farmer said with his back to her. “We got a sow to deliver for a castle merchant.”

The boy was probably his grandson and from the sheepish look on his downcast face, he was the one that had driven the cart off the road.

The farmer stood. “I been flaming well at it for a bit now.” He started to turn back to her while wiping sweat off his forehead with a rag. “Forgive my foul words. My wife says I n’ver should—” He choked on the apology. The man scrambled back several steps, he put his thumb, index and middle fingers together and touched his forehead. He then brought the fingers to his mouth, kissed them, and ended with them on his heart. As he touched his heart, he whispered, “Burning Lady protect us.” He continued to step back until he was even with the boy, to whom he waved to jump down from the cart.

The boy just stared at Willoe; his eyes full of fear. “Are you gonna kill us?” His voice shook with the very same fear she could see in his eyes.

Willoe was stunned. Why would they think such a thing? Then she realized her hood was pulled back and her flaming red hair was hanging loose down around her face. Along with her vivid green eyes she must have appeared to the two as the culmination of every nightmare tale they had been told. She couldn’t help that she and her twin shared the same hair and eye color as a dreaded, half-dead Shade. “I mean you no harm.” She tried to use a soft, soothing voice.

The old farmer was not calmed and dragged the boy roughly from the cart, causing it to rock side to side. The abrupt motion caused the sow to squeal and bang up against the side of the cart.

Casandra had come up next to Willoe and reached over the rear slat. She closed her eyes for a moment and put a hand on the sow until it quieted, then pulled her arm back out. Repeating the plea to the Goddess, the farmer dropped to one knee. “Take the sow but have mercy; leave the piglets.”

Piglets? A squalling noise came from the cart and Willoe peeked in. A half dozen piglets scurried around behind their mother, a rather small sow. They were so little and kept bumping into each other; Willoe had to laugh at their antics. She realized too late that the farmer must have mistaken her reaction, because he bowed his head and began to whimper. Willoe needed to do something quickly before the old man collapsed. The boy was still staring at her as if she had two heads.

Willoe reached in for one of the piglets, hoping that if the boy saw how gentle she was with it they would know she was only trying to help. But the little pig squirmed and slipped from her grasp, kicking out at Willoe. “No!” She shrieked as she started to fall backward, trying to avoid the piglet’s cloven hooves. She reached out and grabbed for the wooden boards to steady herself, only to pull the restraining slat totally off and tilt the back of the cart down. She fell on the ground and was nearly crushed when the sow jumped out the back, barely missing her. She wasn’t as lucky when all six of the piglets followed their mother out of the cart and two of them landed on Willoe’s right leg. Willoe grunted and could feel a bruise already starting to form.

“My pigs!” The farmer had raised his head and stood at the noise of the pigs squealing loudly as they ran randomly around the base of the cart. He started toward his pigs, but then stopped short and stepped back again when he saw Willoe lying on the ground.

“Grab them!” Aeron yelled as he chased after one of the piglets. Rowyn and Casandra each ran around the cart in pursuit of one of the frightened animals. The farmer and his grandson pressed up against the cart, their eyes wide with terror, especially after seeing Rowyn’s red hair fly past them.

Willoe chased one of the piglets and slipped on a grassy patch, falling into the loose dirt along the road’s edge. She got up and finally caught the piglet, then looked around for the others. Aeron also had one as he hunted down another, while Casandra knelt with the sow and two of the piglets in front of her, while she calmly stroked them in turn. Rowyn was closing in on the last of the escaped piglets when Willoe heard the neigh of a horse behind her.