This was what Mahrree was hoping to avoid, the “Guarder Snatched!” rumors. Oh, they flew on and off for years, whenever anything was pinched or lost—Guarders stole it! Yes, Guarders were now desperate for stockings.Children seemed to rely on that excuse, especially when a goat wandered away or the winds from the canyons were particularly strong and blew around items that were supposed to be secured into houses, sheds, or cellars.
Just as the winds were three days ago.
But adults were just as gullible. And manipulative. Anything questionable was attributed to Guarders. They were convenient to explain why a philandering husband came home late at night: “Thought I saw a Guarder! Had to investigate! I tracked him until he rushed off into the forest . . .”
Or why livestock vanished during the night, then mysteriously showed up later in someone else’s barn. “Why, the Guarder must have had second thoughts about that cow, tried to return it, and mistakenly brought it to my place instead. Really, I can’t imagine any other reason why she’s here. Why of course you can have her back . . .”
Adults even thought leaving a candle lit in the window might frighten away potential thieves. If it looked as if someone was still awake, the Guarders wouldn’t think of raiding the house now, would they? Mahrree thought it was all just a waste of tallow, especially since accidental late night fires caused more damage than the Guarders ever did.
But stories were powerful, and the less credible they were, the stronger they seemed to grow. Mahrree was always perplexed as to why people were more intrigued by gossip than truth. And the rumors gave the Guarders more influence than they likely realized. If they knew the control they already possessed—even with being absent from Edge for decades—they probably wouldn’t have stayed away so long. As far as Edgers were concerned, they were already here and causing havoc.
But Mahrree still hoped she might be able to keep the next generation from believing such ridiculous tales. Right now each girl was rapidly turning pale in fear that Guarders suddenly developed a desire for teenage girls’ underthings.
“Gia, just how windy was it the night your stockings disappeared?”
The poor girl gulped. “Very?”
“And have you checked your neighbors’ yard for your stockings?”
“No?”
“You might want to.”
“But my older sister’s uh . . . unmentionables are also missing!”
Mahrree sighed. “Is she still courting that boy next door to you? What was his name?” Mahrree rarely knew who the teenage boys were, since they were taught in another school, but occasionally their names were lovingly scrawled on the margins of her students’ work.
Gia squirmed as a couple of girls tittered. “Um, yes?”
“Please don’t answer everything with a question! Now, Gia—I may not know a lot about young men, but I do suspect that unmentionables flying in the breeze next door just might be a temptation for a hot-blooded boyfriend. And personally, I think he’s a much bigger worry to your family than Guarders.”
Gia turned purple as the other girls giggled.
One rumor put down.
At least temporarily.
“But where could the Guarders live?” Teeria pored over her notes on the slate, baffled. “How many are there?”
“Again, no one knows. If we did, we could end all of this once and for all. When I was a girl we thought the Guarders retreated to the mountains and lived up in the higher valleys. But it seems they may have never left the forests. And now, they’re interested in our villages.”
Several of the girls shuddered.
“How many soldiers are coming to Edge?” Sareen giggled worriedly.
“You’ll have to ask the captain that, Sareen.”
“Hope it’s a lot,” she muttered with unexpected heaviness. All of the girls nodded in sober agreement.
“And I hope they’re as handsome as the captain,” murmured another girl.
Mahrree closed her eyes as the girls tittered again.
Teeria raised her hand. “Miss Mahrree? Just one more question.” She looked over her slate, examining her tight writing that filled to every corner of it. “Now, where was it . . .”
Mahrree smiled. Today had been a success, full of questions and many not easily answered—
“—because you know my mother . . . always ready to question me on everything . . . now I thought it was right about . . .”
Ideally the girls would take those hard questions home and discuss them during dinner with their parents. That, Mahrree thought in satisfaction, would be the perfect way to end this day. Just one more hard question to mull over together—
“Ah, here it is.” Teeria looked up studiously. “What my mother really wanted me to ask: exactly what color were the captain’s eyes? Black or dark brown? She was sitting too far away to see.”