Elemenchya - Book One

The ebb and flow of business tormented S’bowynn, occupying her mind when the store was full and leaving her to wistfully daydream, staring out the empty storefront waiting for a customer to bring work through the front entry. Would the next customer by the tall, dark man from the Kavawli desert who had woven baskets that never broke but the leather carrying straps always needed repair or replacements because of the massive weight of fruits and herbs the baskets effortlessly carried? Would the fast talking, blonde curly hair merchant that wore clothing adorned in coins require repair for their decorative reins and harness for their exotic beast quickly so they can leave in time for the festival far to the east in the coming season? Would the weather-worn seafarer bring in their towers of folded sails for grommet replacements and patches? For each repair, S’bowynn demanded a tale and always, the travelers were all too happy to oblige.

“S’bowynn!” a masculine voice rang out from the wood beams at the front of the store.

“I’m here!” she called back. Customers had already begun to congregate around the front of the repair shop. S’bowynn gently pushed past the crowd standing inside the fenced area where small, handcrafted leather goods were usually displayed to entice travelers into stopping into the store. She greeted Derohn with a puzzled look before jumping over the front desk to stand beside her taller, muscular boss. S’bowynn tilted her head toward her shoulder and spoke softly to him, “I didn’t know that we were coming in before Arovdora left the horizon.”

“An alert came to Main Market last night from the guard to expect an increase in caravan traffic over the next few days,” he explained under his breath, masking behind years of practice hiding stress from the customers filing into his store.

“A last-minute arrival perhaps?” S’bowynn responded with a mischievous grin. “Then I can’t be in too much trouble for not knowing, can I?”

Derohn groaned. “Did you finish the netting order for the grocer?” He turned his broad back before receiving a reply.

“That’s a really nice shirt you’re wearing today,” she responded with a guilty grin before disappearing through the veil of leather strips. The backroom smelled heavily of leather dust and glue, enveloping S’bowynn as she began to riffle through bins containing miscellaneous leather straps. The grocer’s net was hanging in the same spot she had placed it the night before, waiting to be completed. From within the bin, a strap of proper length and thickness presented itself from the mass as she turned the contents over and over. S’bowynn unraveled it from the knotted mess and started pounding rivets through the braided bands woven into a loose basket with robust leather forming its border. Her hands flew instinctively across the workbench, grasping hole punches and metal sets for rivets where they had been discarded yesterday. Loud banging rang from the workroom, followed by heavy clanging as the rivets were smashed through holes and set into perfect little domes with the long tails snipped and filed into smooth disks. The large net unfurled to the ground and S’bowynn started checking each rivet and pulling on every strap, ensuring the weave was secure.

The muscle memory checking the leather was so routine for S’bowynn that her mind began to wander, revisiting what Derohn had said moments before. The thought of a disruption large enough for the city to have the time and urgency to alert shopkeepers pressed its way into her mind. The city maintained incoming and outgoing traffic with such regularity that abrupt additions were considered rude. Even when a large migration of vimova had happened just over a decade ago for some unknown reason, a messenger had been sent days ahead and accommodation was able to be made. For an alert to be handed out after dusk and only a day or so of preparation afforded was unheard of. The mystery of it all thrilled S’bowynn and filled her thoughts with hypothetical questions about its cause and playing out fictional scenarios to answer them.

Her focus slowly returned to the task passing effortlessly through her hands and spilling onto the floor when Derohn called from the front, “Grocer’s here!” She stopped testing the straps and looked down at the net for the first time. Deciding it looked completed, she folded up the corners and bundled the net in an identical manner to three other bundles resting near the curtain to the front of the store. The tower of bundles pressed against S’bowynn’s face as she picked them all up, balancing their weight in her arms and cautiously stepping over bins before passing through the doorframe just as Derohn called again. “Grocer’s he…” was all he managed before being confronted by the bundle tower. He backed up awkwardly, pulling the curtain to one side allowing S’bowynn to safely carry the tower and place it on the front counter.

“Grocer is here. I heard,” she managed to say as the nets pressed against her cheek. She hefted the woven leather tower onto the counter and placed a steadying hand on top to keep it from leaning. A small, wiry man fidgeted uncomfortably on the other side of the counter with a worried look, raising his hands nervously in case the tower shifted in his direction. S’bowynn smiled and rested her free hand on her hip and taking a private moment of enjoyment as the merchant puzzled over how he would move the heavy tower to his cart waiting outside. S’bowynn was familiar with the look of worry or disbelief cast on her when she accomplished tasks requiring strength. Her slender build was betrayed by broad, strong shoulders and wide hips that baggy pants cascaded from disguising where most of her strength came from, allowing her to lift heavy things and stride confidently while doing so.

“Don’t want anything going out into the world that isn’t up to our standards. Just had to go over it one more time. I know how heavy produce can be!” She flashed a smile at the grocer and ignored how hard Derohn was rolling his eyes at her feigned enthusiasm. The grocer melted slightly as he placed his claim slip on the counter before returning to a frazzled state as he considered how to pick up his nets. “Is that your cart?” S’bowynn asked, distracting the man for a moment. He turned, glancing outside, confirmed it was, and by the time he turned back to S’bowynn, she had the tower resting in her arms again and had walked around the counter to follow him out of the store to deposit the tower safely within the cart.

Derohn jested as S’bowynn waltzed back into the shop, “You know, if you didn’t have such good vimova skills, I’d expect you to get things done on time.” He smiled, dispelling his stern features into a warm, soft face framed by a trimmed, full beard matching his dark eyebrows. Short, tightly curled black hair accented his tanned skin and his round jaw. He was taller than S’bowynn by a full hand and broad enough to give the best hugs or be intimidating when the situation called for. He was sarcastically attempting the latter as he scolded her and failing, causing S’bowynn to giggle.

She clasped her hands over her heart and mocked being in pain. “Ouch! I always get things done when they are needed. THAT,” she emphasized and pointed toward the cart that had just started to disappear into the crowd, “was on time.” S’bowynn danced around his scowl and used her body to push him away from the counter. “I got this,” she assured as the next customer filed into the empty spot on the other side. Derohn laughed and disappeared into the backroom to work on his own projects.

The morning chaos reduced sharply as lunch time drew near. Customers had stopped in to pick up their completed repairs, but the number of new projects brought in was noticeably less than normal outside of the cold season when traffic into the city was also reduced. Now that it was nearing the closing hours of afternoon, the foot traffic outside the store was more concerned with hurrying back to where they came from or finishing last-minute errands. S’bowynn was able to focus on finishing projects, passing the needle and thread back and forth through the holes punched in the leather earlier that day. The bins near her workspace had been growing empty. Normally this would have a calming effect on S’bowynn but today she had something else threatening an unknowable chaos that she imagined in a hundred different ways. Her mind had gotten so far away from herself she failed to notice the anxiousness that took up residency under her skin, deep in her fidgeting muscles. Against her will, one leg had been bouncing slightly long enough, her muscles twisted into tight cords.

S'bowynn tied off the stitch she had been threading through a leather patch. Absently she reached over to the tag sitting on the workbench where she had placed it when she started the repair. Scribbles of information were written on it that told who owned the item and what repair was being done. She reached out and ripped the bottom of the tag that had the repair instructions on it and tossed it into a waste bin, leaving just the owner of the item’s name, then reattached the tag to the item and set it on a bench further away. The shelves and bins were considerably emptier than they had been this morning whereas the “done” bench was strategically piled to a dangerous height.

She looked over the remaining repairs, mostly easy jobs, and considered starting one. The sigh that forced itself out of her mouth was signal enough that she didn’t really want to start another repair so late in the day. They’re not due for a while, she reasoned to herself. The nerves that had been expressing themselves through her bouncing knee were now pressing deeper into her muscles and travelling up her spine. Nope, I’m done, she decided.

Out front, Derohn was busy closing up, pulling in displays and folding the fencing used to claim space along the walking path. He had the great fortune of a storefront being put up for sale just off the center Market Road and as such, the walking path along the street was much wider than the disarray of newer stores on the periphery of Main Market. Many of the cafes and stores near the road placed goods out front to entice travelers inside. When closing came, all those displays had to be pulled into the safety of a locked building. Derohn’s storefront had a fence that folded on hinges, coming to rest in front of a large sliding barndoor that opened the entire front of the building. During the day, it afforded a bright, airy atmosphere and at night, could be drawn closed and locked with chains and bars.

Derohn had the added security of living above the store. A stairway opposite the workshop led to a small second story loft he had converted into a bedroom, small dining area, and a guest room that was currently being used as storage. Behind the store, he had a small patio and stone fireplace that doubled as his kitchen when needed. Normally the stove was used as a tiny forge for making custom pins and rivets. Under the stairway, Derohn was in the process of digging out a cellar and storing meat. It was taking a long time because he had decided that stooping was inconvenient and so he was lowering the dirt floor in stages.

S'bowynn stretched, sighed again, and decided to place her tools back into their places. She needed to start her walk home soon or she would be at risk of Derohn asking her to stay for dinner. It was difficult for her to turn down his offers because Derohn had a hidden talent. Derohn could cook. His dinners were amazingly flavorful and savory. He described it as a hobby, but S’bowynn was convinced that it was his true passion. She could barely contain her smile as she thought how giddy Derohn would get any time a merchant passed along a rumor of an exotic herb merchant passing through town. He would command S’bowynn to solo the shop and disappear before she had time to protest. Upon returning, his arms would be full of bags and wrapped packages of the crushed plants, colorful powders, or dried herbs aggressively permeating the air as he rushed past her. In the basement were shelves full of similar packages and jars, labeled and organized with pride. Anytime Derohn prepared meals, he would know exactly which container was needed and the resulting aroma spellbound every soul within its proximity. S’bowynn’s anxious muscles demanded her to wander so she stood and bid good night to Derohn.