Chapter Six #3
“Yes, please!” Ellyn squealed and did a cute little shimmy as we walked together toward the side-by-side.
I chuckled at her excitement and steered her onto the Gator before I hopped in beside her. Fang jumped in the back, and then we were off once again.
I was expecting a normal trip back to the center of town.
So, the last thing I expected to see was Alden talking to a stranger in the middle of the street. With the gate being closed off and only opening on command to Gladers, a new face seemed almost out of place in the current climate.
The person standing next to Alden was a ?short and plump human woman. She looked to be in her early forties, with crow’s feet pinching the corner of her oak-colored eyes. Laugh lines bordered her thin lips, and there were a few age spots peppered across her mahogany-colored skin.
Dark black curls were bunched into two pigtails on either side of her chubby head, and she had looked at Alden with a gentle smile as he continued speaking to her.
Behind her was a large cart, full to the brim with an assortment of crates that each held a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. I spotted one crate teeming with dark-colored potion bottles, and the one next to it looked like it was full of jars with varying colors of some jammy solid inside.
A large Shire horse with a ginger coat was attached to the front of her cart, and it huffed and puffed as it waited for its master to be done talking. Its large hoofs dragged across the cobblestones impatiently, but the stranger didn’t pay it any attention as she listened intently to the Overseer.
Whoever this person was, she had brought stock with her, and that wasn’t a bad thing.
I pulled the Gator to a stop a short distance away. Then I silently made my way over to the couple with Ellyn at my side. Fang followed close behind, and he sniffed at the stones with an inquisitive wet nose as we walked.
“Who do you think that is?” my wife whispered to me. “Someone passing by?”
“Alden would have probably sent her on her way if she was,” I whispered back. “It’s not safe to come through Gladewood anymore.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Ellyn mumbled. “He seems to be enjoying her company quite a bit.”
Alden was leaning in toward the mysterious stranger with a dopey grin on his face. I’d never seen the Overseer look so smitten before, and the flush on his cheeks was only confirming my suspicions.
Alden had a crush.
As Ellyn and I approached the couple, the Overseer did a double take and quickly cleared his throat as he took a step away from the stranger.
“Noah, Ellyn, so nice of you to drop in,” the half-orc said with a strained smile. “I’d like you to meet our new resident, Josee Pike.”
“A pleasure to meet you both,” Josee said as she extended a chubby hand toward us. “Alden has told me much about you in the short time I’ve been here.”
“Did you just arrive?” I asked.
“Yes, moments ago, in fact,” Josee said as she threw her thumb over her shoulder. “That wall is most impressive.”
“I’m surprised you got let in,” I said as I glanced at Alden. “How did she get in exactly?”
“Well, Wilbur heard someone calling from the other side and wanted a second opinion, so he fetched me,” Alden said as he casually thumbed his belt loops. “I saw Miss Josee here and decided she didn’t look very much like a bandit.”
“Far from it.” Josee’s laughter was like pure sunshine, and even though her arrival was unexpected, she seemed to be a pretty kind and jovial person. “Trust me, I’ve had enough encounters with bandits. The next time I spot one, I’ll be giving them a thumping with my broom.”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, Josee, but that might happen sooner rather than later,” I said. “Has Alden told you about our situation?”
“I’m well aware of the recent attack on Gladewood,” the newcomer said with a more solemn nod. “Burnberry was my home before here. I was one of the many held hostage by those bastards before you came and saved us.”
I blinked.
That… was surprising.
“I…” My voice trailed off as I tried to find the right words. “Why leave Burnberry? Gladewood is a bigger target now.”
“Even with the magnifying glass being turned to Gladewood, I didn’t feel safe in Burnberry anymore,” Josee admitted as she reached a hand out to pat the Shire horse’s thick neck. “Me and Bert here took what we had and left for the next closest town.”
“Josee was a grocer in Burnberry,” Alden said as he flashed the mahogany-skinned woman a tusky smile. “I’ve offered her a position here to carry on her work. I thought you might be interested in another investor, Noah.”
“Yeah, actually, that would be great,” I said as I glanced at Ellyn. “We’ve actually just taken in some Emberhorn Goats, and we’ve got a lot of milk we don’t know what to do with.”
“You have Emberhorn Goats?” Josee gasped and clutched her chest. “And it’s the perfect time of year for their milk! Alden, did you know it stays warm no matter the temperature?”
“No, I didn’t, Josee, what a fascinating fact!” Alden said in an uncharacteristically peppy tone.
The Overseer was always enthusiastic about things that could benefit the town. But it was clear as day why he was suddenly so interested in Emberhorn Goats.
“I have some cheese here for you to try, if you’d like a sample of a potential new product,” I said as I fished out the small, wrapped chunk. “I was going to ask Alden here if he could send a pigeon to Midhallow and Burnberry for future shipments.”
“It’s been years since I’ve tried this,” Josee sighed wistfully as she pulled off a small piece. “It’s more common in the North of Mystica because of its warmth.”
“Fascinating, Josee, truly fascinating,” Alden commented as he gripped his chin and watched Josee take a bite.
When the grocer’s eyes fluttered shut and a soft moan left her lips, Alden’s eyes bulged out of his head, and he quickly cleared his throat as his cheeks flushed a darker color.
“I’ll take that as a sign it’s good,” he weakly joked as his eyes darted from the cheese to Josee’s blissed-out expression.
“Remarkable,” the mahogany-skinned woman corrected. “Noah, I’d be happy to invest in this once I’ve set up shop.”
“You’ve got a deal,” I said as I outstretched my hand. “How much would you like to buy?”
“Ten pounds a week should suffice for now, just so I can get an idea about how much people buy,” Josee said. “Alden’s helping me refurbish one of the houses on the main strip, so I can have a home as well as a store.”
“It belonged to one of our fallen, Jesper,” Alden said with a low bow of his head. “He would have wanted it to be used for something good. Especially if it meant giving someone a home here.”
“That’s awfully kind of you, Alden,” I teased the Overseer, who was hellbent on not making eye contact.
“Yes, well, we provide for who we can, when we can,” Alden dismissed with a casual wave of his hand. “Was there anything else I could do for you, Noah?”
“I was going to ask about the progress of the watchtowers, but it looks like everything’s moving pretty quickly,” I said.
“I can take you down to the east wall, if you’d like?” the half-orc suggested. “That’s where Hunter Gibbon has been the busiest. Alaek has been flitting between the southern and west walls.”