Part 2

"I saw it clear as day," said Lowell Vern. His face was hard and would have been emotionless were it not for the occasional tremors of boyish excitement beneath the stone facade. He was happy.

Lowell Vern had just delivered the worst news that Rietta could imagine, and he was HAPPY about it!

"Clear as the sun in the sky." He nodded. "Mmmhmmm. Sun in the sky."

Rietta Vern wept.

Until this point, the conversation had consisted of only two sentences. In the first, Lowell stated a simple fact, and in the second and Rietta boldly denied that fact even as her heart clutched tight like a fist in reaction to the truth.

"It can't be," she whispered.

"There's no mistaking it. It's not like I haven't seen it before. Hell, I was with Tiskers when HE saw it... that makes three I've seen with my own eyes. No... four. And even if I'd never seen it once, ya just can't mistake something like that. All those... all those colors-"

"But this can't be right! It's not our TIME! "

"Oh it's past time and you know it. Way past time... I was startin' ta think somethin' was wrong. Next years crops-"

"Something IS wrong! It's time, yes, but not OUR time! Why US? Why not someone else!? This isn't FAIR!"

"Don't start down that road, woman!" Lowell snapped. The barely hidden excitement in his face morphed into something hot, dark, and not at all hidden. "Don't you dare! The Honor is what it is! It comes to who it comes to! There's no questioning-"

"Well dammit, I'M QUESTIONING! I'M QUESTIONING! We've already GIVEN and I want to know WHY we have to give AGAIN!"

"Give? The Honor is given to US, woman, not the other way 'round!"

"Well WHY US when there are some who haven't given ANY-"

The slap came without warning.

Lowell, who hadn't even been within arm's reach an instant ago, jumped forward and knocked the words from his wife's mouth with the back of his rough, calloused hand.

His knuckles came away bloody. The blow launched Rietta sideways. Her head struck the cabinet door hard enough to loosen two teeth, after which she stood unsteadily as reality wavered... receded... and then rushed back into focus.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, and a wad of bloody mucous drooled from her bottom lip. She closed her mouth, dabbed at the blood on her face and looked sheepishly at her husband.

"'Why' ain't a question we ask in this household. Not about this. Not about anything I say or do, but ESPECIALLY not about the Honor! Damn, woman, you should be HAPPY! You know what this means! For this family! Not just for everybody, but for US!"

Rietta looked sheepishly at her husband and then lowered her eyes without a word. Not looking at him was the only way to not speak the words that were gathering at the top of her throat. But if she dared speak them, he would hit her again.

"Yeah, you keep quiet," said Lowell. "You keep that blasphemy out of your mouth before I have it sewn shut! Do you realize what a blessing it is to be Honored twice! TWICE!" Lowell shook his head. "Sometimes I think I don't understand you at all... but then I realize you're just a woman and not worth understandin' anyway."

Rietta ignored the insult with her typical composure, refusing to show any more pain than was already evident.

"H-how long?" she said. "How long before...?"

"I'm betting not long. Last time we had a fortnight and ya KNOW what almost happened. Hell..." Lowell shook his head. "Naaah, and we're already overdue, as it is. We won't have much time at all. Rinius will tell us. We'll know tonight... maybe before noon. Then there's the Watch ta organize... Damn, there's a lot to do!"

Lowell broke off the conversation and went into the bedroom... the only 'room' in the house with a door that actually closed. And locked. There, he kicked off his work books and began pulling on an almost identical pair that didn't reek quite so much of manure. Then he sniffed his shirt and pulled it off as well.

"Less than a week then?" Rietta appeared in the doorway. "Only a few days?"

"At the most." Lowell found another shirt... not clean, but not as filthy as the one he'd just taken off. "Damnation, woman, do you not wash CLOTHES around here?"

The question wasn't meant to be answered, so Rietta didn't bother.

"I'm going to town," said Lowell. "You know where. You know who I'll be with and what we'll be doing. I'll send the womenfolk here." Lowell thought for a moment. " I know you cackling hens keep your secrets, but I need to know if there's been any strangers around lately."

"I don't go to town," said Rietta. "And I haven't seen any around here."

"Ask the others when they come. We need to know. You know how important that is. You know happened last time."

Rietta nodded.

"What about David?"

"Keep your eye on him," said Lowell. "The womenfolk will wanna paw all over him like a new pup, but don't you allow that foolishness! That's not what this is about. You keep him away from the talk and the foolishness... but keep an eye on him. That's your responsibility in this. You got your own watchin' ta do."

"I know."

"I'll send word from Rinius when I know. After that, I'll be back when I'm back."

Lowell swept out of the bedroom like a sudden gust of wind. But then he stopped.
He was just outside the front door, standing in the dirt with his head turned to the side.

When he spoke his parting words, it was almost a whisper.

"Woman," he said. "I know you and your ideas."

"What idea-"

"Women are always havin' stupid ideas, so before YOU get yours you listen to me. If somethin' happens to the Honor... if you do something ta even TRY ta stop it from happenin'...."

"I won't-"

"I'll take you past the hill myself."

Silence.

"You AND the boy, if it comes to that. Ya understand me?"

"Y-yes."

"Good."

And Lowell was gone.

Rietta watched him follow the road leading away from the farm... watched him disappear around the bend.

Then she took a few minutes to cry her tears before setting out to find her son.