Free The Fragile Fall At Tallow Bridge (The White Blood Chronicles Book 1) by Mark G Heath Page A

tavern.
    “ The seamstress is this way,” indicated Kathryn as she took Thaindire’s arm. “ She is just three doors away.” Thaindire looked across the square and was aware that the other villagers were all watching him and Kathryn keenly; having halted whatever chores they were attending to. A group of ducks quacked as they waddled past the duo, a young boy egging the ducks on with the aid of a stick. Thaindire glanced across to the building from which the little man had appeared. He saw no sign of activity, the windows, in contrast to the houses around it, were shuttered.
    “ Who lives over there?” he asked pointing at the closed house.
    “ Oh Ilberd lives there, the alchemist. It won’t be long before some pongy smoke will start billowing out of his chimney. Once it does I am going to hammer on his door for your writing items. He can’t pretend he isn’t there when he is filling the air with a funny smell,” Kathryn explained.
    “ An alchemist?” queried Thaindire as he slowly walked besides Kathryn, actually welcome of her arm to hold onto.
    “ Yes, keeps himself to himself, he is a very clever man, according to my father,” continued Kathryn.
    “ Does he live there on his own?” asked Thaindire.
    “ Yes he does. Why? Are you thinking of moving in with him? You’d better chop off your nose if you are thinking of doing that,” she grinned.
    “ No, I just wondered if he had an apprentice.”
    “ Not a chance, he is too cantankerous for that. I will take you over in a while if you aren’t too tired, but first we must see Mistresses Metylda and Melissent,” announced his guide as they halted outside a well-appointed house. Two tubs stood either side of the door and some kind of red flower adorned them. There was a polished knocker set in the centre of the door but Kathryn ignored this, instead just pushing the door open and stepping over the threshold. Thaindire followed, his eyes struggling to adjust as he stepped from the daylight into the gloom of the interior.
                  He noticed the smell of material, of cloth and flaxen. It hung in the air; it was clean in nature, almost as if laundry was being attended to, hung up to dry within the dwelling. Kathryn and Thaindire stood in a medium-sized room with a clear walkway ahead of them leading to a closed door. The wall, which the door was set into, was hung with some of the most breathtaking tapestries that Thaindire had ever seen. The lighting in the room was not particularly bright, being a combination of two lanterns and the daylight from the windows either side of the door through which they had entered. Notwithstanding the low light, Thaindire marvelled at how the tapestries shone. The central one showed a knight stood in full battle armour, the edges of which seemed to shine silver. He leant on a two-handed sword, which was bloodied, and the scarlet trickles of blood similarly gleamed as if fresh and real. The other tapestries depicted an archer, a stag rutting with an opponent and a lady sat upon a throne. He did not know the significance of what was portrayed only that he had never seen such detailed and colourful creations in Lancester or indeed anywhere on his travels.
    “ Marvellous aren’t they?” commented Kathryn as she noticed him drinking in the majesty of the tapestries.
    “ Yes, they are truly magnificent. What do they signify?” he responded.
    “ Oh, I don't know, I just think they look wonderful,” said Kathryn.
    Thaindire soon forgot however about the brilliance of the weavings as he panned his gaze about the room. At the same level of height as the wall hangings he saw what he at first thought were windows, dirty windows at that, as several panes of glass were set into the wall, wooden frames around them. He counted eight in all along the wall. As he looked closer he was surprised to see that within each glass pane he could see a huge spider. His skin tingled at the sight of the massive arachnids, which