AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gram lets out a hearty laugh and sips the tea. “Well, it’s not like I didn’t expect this or anything. I’ve seen the way that young man looks at you. Even a blind man could see that he is smitten. And you? You are drawn to his wildness.” She grins. “But I do like Jordy, and I am happy for you, my love. It’s about time you had a beau. I fear you’ve spent most of your maiden years looking after me. You deserve happiness of your own. After all, you are a woman. No, you are not a child, no matter how much I wished to keep you my little girl forever.”
“Thank you, Gram.” I clasp her had. “And I will always be your little girl.”
She sips her tea and I fetch some water for myself before joining her at the table again.
“Well,” I say, “as exciting as that was, it wasn’t nearly the most exciting thing that happened in the forest today. You’ll never guess what Jordy and I saw.”
“Oh, an intrigue,” Gram replies. “Tell me then. I’m all ears.”
“We saw two knights talking. We hid in the underbrush, so they didn’t see us, but one was telling the other that the king is evil. He also said that the king is ailing, but that’s not the most interesting part. What made my hairs stand on end was when he said that he knows what the king did to the queen so very long ago, and that he can prove it.”
Gram’s face whitens, horror gaping her mouth and glassing her eyes. “Milla, promise me you will never speak of this treachery again. Truth or no, it could get you hanged. Or worse.” Her hands are visibly shaking as she pushes the tea aside.
I hate seeing her so upset, so I try to lighten the darkness now consuming her thoughts. “Hanged or worse? What could be worse than hanging? Worse than dead—”
“Milla!” Gram snaps, causing me to jump. “This is no time for folly. I mean it. Promise me you will never speak of this treachery again, not even to Jordy. And caution him as well if he mentions it. Matters of the palace could see you both punished, even if you are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. You could pay with your life. Understand?”
Fear twitches at the hairs on my arms, and I rub them to relieve the tingles. “Yes, Gram. I understand. I will speak of this to no one. I promise.”
I’m not sure how long it took me to stock the apothecary after Gram went down for the night. I spent most of the afternoon finishing random chores in the cottage, anything at all I could do to help Gram after frightening her so badly with the revelation about the knights in the forest. Nothing could’ve prepared me for her reaction, and truth be known, I still can’t truly understand it. Matters of the palace have nothing to do with common folk. And Jordy and I would never spread eavesdropped speculations around Timberness. We know how dangerous idle talk can be. Gram’s reaction was beyond troubling.
What is she really afraidof?
I put on my coat and step outside for some fresh air. I switch my thoughts to Jordy—the way his lips felt on mine, the way his hand cupped my cheek, the way his mouth tasted. My thoughts make me feel giddy and mischievous all at once. He is a delicious thrill, better than food. Better than air. And he is mine.
I hear a muffled cry behind me and bend down to pick it up when I see it. The kitten is small, probably not too far weaned from its mother. It is a wee thing, tufts of shaggy, white fur mingled with patches of copper and brown. I pity it immediately. But my pity will not fill its empty belly, and I know we cannot take in another hungry mouth to feed.
“Wait here,” I say, its tiny cries still filling the night air when I set it back to the ground.
I return a bit later with an old blanket, a piece of cheese, and a saucer of water. It’s not much, but it will sustain the kitten until I can take it to the docks next morrow. Hundreds of cats live on the docks, filling their bellies with the remnants of fish that the boats drop from their nets while unloading their catch, not to mention the dock rats that live there for the exact same reason. The docks are a cat’s paradise.
I wrap the kitten in the blanket when it is satisfied from the cheese and snuggle it close for a minute or two. I sit on the cold steps leading into the back of our home, the kitten now nestled in my lap. The sky is blanketed with stars, and I watch one streak across the pitch like a lighted bird in flight. But I do not make a wish. A thousand souls could be wishing on that falling star this very moment, under the illusion that its magic is solely for them. But the light of a star cannot be contained, can never be completely glowing for a single person who dares to wish upon it. So, I reach into my chemise and retrieve a match and my flintstone. I strike the match and watch the glow until it nearly reaches my fingers.
“I wish for Gram to have a peaceful night.” I blow out the flame before it reaches my fingers.
When nothing else in the world is your very own except the flame of a single match, it becomes a magical thing. It is the magic you create for yourself, and it is powerful. So, I save my wishes for matches. Let the others keep the stars.
CHAPTER 7
Swirls of dust tickle my nose, but I keep sweeping. Master Burgess sometimes pays me to clean his trading post. I know he doesn’t need me to clean it, but he knows I need the work, so he obliges.
“So, Milla,” Master Burgess says, draping a hand over my shoulder, “are you going to the harvest dance on morrow’s night?”
“If Gram feels up to it,” I reply. “Why, kind sir? Are you asking to take me?”
He lets out a laugh that comes straight from his belly. “Now, could you just imagine an old codger like me arriving to the dance with you? Tongues would wag, my dear.” He shakes his head, still chuckling. “How is your gram, by the way? Is she feeling any better?”
“She has her good days and bad.” I lean the broom against the wall and step closer to Master Burgess. “Might I ask you a question, good sir?”
“Anything.”
I clear my throat. “How long have you known Gram?”
“Well, now, let me see…” He puts a hand to his chin. “I’ve known your grandmother for at least twelve seasons, ever since I opened the trading post. Why, dear? Me thinks this isn’t simply curiosity’s handiwork.”
Master Burgess has no idea how far beyond simple curiosity this goes. “I was wondering if she’s ever spoken to you about her family, where she’s originally from, places she’s lived? Has she told you anything at all about our people?”
“No, child, I can’t say that she has.” His eyes narrow. “Are you saying that your gram has never told you anything about where she comes from, whereyoucome from? Do you not know your kinsmen, child?”
