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Unable to stop myself, I take my chance and bite down on his hand.
Hard.
“You,bitch,” Amadeus swears, stepping back from me to hold his hand up to inspect the bite. I can’t help the small smile of satisfaction that overtakes me despite the sound of approaching footsteps.
Merelda throws open the door, her strawberry blonde hair piled fashionably atop her head. She’s young and beautiful, though the way her face suddenly twists at the sight of me makes that hard see.
All it takes is one glance at her son’s hand, and the broken skin in the shape of my teeth, to have her crossing the room. I open my mouth to try to explain, but her palm connects with my cheek, sending me stumbling to my knees as new tears spring to my eyes.
“Howdareyou disfigure him, you ungrateful little rat,” she spits. “It appears I’ve been too lenient with you as of late. Finish breakfast, then see to mucking out the barn. Oh, and tend to the vegetables too, before the weeds choke them out.”
Fighting back the tears, I swallow hard and nod once. The sooner I accept my punishment, the faster I can get away. Her eyes narrow on me, and for a moment, I worry that she’s caught on to me.
But she turns and crosses to the kitchen door.
“And see that you serve meat with dinner today,” she adds, pausing to glance back at me before finally leaving the kitchen.
I grimace, knowing that will mean losing yet another chicken with no way to hatch more anytime soon. Still, I waste no time scrambling to my feet, not evening bothering to wipe the tears from my cheeks as I brush past Amadeus.
Tossing open the back door, I slam straight into my other stepbrother, Cyprian, nearly knocking us both down in the process. He catches me, steadying us both as he blinks at me in surprise.
“Hazel, what—” he slurs, his brow furrowing as he glances over me at Amadeus.
I pull away before he can finish his question, ducking around him and hurrying back into the garden.
My feet waste no time as they carry me over the path’s crumbling stones and down the grassy hill to the wooden fence in desperate need of repair. The carriage has already passed, but it still might not be too late.
Leaping over the broken slats, I race along the grass to a large old tree that overlooks the small valley below and the end of the drive leading away from our house.
I make quick work of the low-hanging branches, straining to see the road at the bottom of the hill.
This is where I’ve always come to wave goodbye to Father, but today, there’s no carriage for me to see off …
Just a cloud of dust that’s already begun to settle back onto the road.
2
Hazel
Wandering back to the broken piece of fence, I sigh and lean against it. Staring out at the trees and road beyond, my mind wanders, filled with worries about Father and his journey ahead.
I can’t help but wish I could accompany him as I once did. Together, we’d travel the worn roads, laughing and sharing stories as we visited small villages and bustling towns where people were eager to buy from him.
It’s been so long since I last left with him. Since we last shared a moment to ourselves.
My eyes still trained forward, I’m suddenly aware that I’m no longer alone. Tensing, I slowly glance over my shoulder to find Cyprian hovering a few steps away.
My nose wrinkles as he steps closer, the stench of alcohol wafting from him. The dark red of his nearly black hair falls rakishly around his face, sweat dotting his brow, as he peers at me through it. Dropping my gaze, I frown at his bloodied and bruised knuckles.
There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s been at the village tavern all night, fighting and drinking his time away.
“You alright?” he asks, his voice low.
My eyes lift to meet his, the sunlight sparkling in their sea-green depths somehow only improved by the dark circles forming beneath them. Despite rough his rough appearance, even I have to admit there’s still some charm to the lopsided grin he gives me.
Perhaps it’s because I know there’s more behind those sad eyes of his than he’ll ever let on.
I sigh, watching him as he comes to lean backwards against the fence. We say nothing for a long moment, though I can feel his eyes on me as my own return to the dirt road beyond.
