It’s #bookqw and the ‘night’ has been too exciting.
More from Chapter 14:
It was late, later than she should expect breakfast. Annmar entered a screened, postage-stamp landing crowded with crates of vegetables. The inner door flew open and Mary Clare stuck her head out. “About time.” She gestured enthusiastically. “Get in here and give us your account of last night’s alarm.”
Late, on her first day, no less. Surely last night’s disruption would serve as an excuse.
Ahead of her, Mary Clare darted to the sink, grabbed up a bowl with a dishcloth inside and vigorously scrubbed. Mrs. Betsy turned from the counter with a measuring cup in hand and smiled. “Good morning. Will it be tea or coffee, duck?”
“Tea, please. I’m sorry to be coming around so late.”
“Are you kidding?” Mary Clare said over her shoulder as she plopped the dish in the rinse water and took up another. “We’ve been serving scattered breakfasts all morning. A third of the workers didn’t go back to bed until dawn. You were there. Rivley told me when he came for breakfast.”
“Only to ring the alarm and help Miriam. Others knew better what to do, so I went back to bed. More guards were hurt, I heard.”
“The vermin tore up Terrent’s leg pretty bad when he tried escaping up a tree.” Mary Clare swept her arms wide and flung drops of water on Annmar.
“Careful now,” Mrs. Betsy said. “We don’t want to drown the girl. Here’s your tea, duck. Have a seat next to the stove until I have your breakfast up. Eggs for you?”
“Yes, please.” Annmar sat in the armless rocker beside the woodstove, its gentle heat soothing her as much as Mrs. Betsy’s familiar endearment.
Mary Clare put her hands back in the dishwater, but talked over her shoulder. “When Daeryn arrived, he fought them, and they both ended up falling.”
Annmar wanted to ask if all happened as she was imagining, with people as animals fighting off other vicious animals. But she couldn’t draw attention to herself with such a question, especially if what she thought wasn’t so. They’d think her a lunatic. “From the tree?”
“From the tree. Into more of the pests,” she said with a nod, her eyes wide. “By then, both were standing three-legged.”
Three-legged. That meant animals. Annmar put a hand to her head. It hadn’t been her imagination.
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Ready to read more? The Unraveling, Volume One of The Luminated Threads is a free ebook on my Payhip Store and everywhere ebooks are sold.
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In writing news:
Every morning this summer and fall before work on our fire mitigation, I wrote in my historical fantasy world of The Luminated Threads. This short story (16K) is now up for pre-order in a romance anthology called Love At Dawn.
My story, Falling into Place, features beloved secondary characters Mary Clare and Rivley! Go back a year and feel all the feels only the magic of falling into love can bring…er, or is that a wayward Knack? Problems on the farm bring them together, while shadows in their pasts keep them apart.
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Love At Dawn releases March 21, 2023. All proceeds go to World Central Kitchen, a charity that supports families in need- please support this wonderful charity with your pre-order of an $3.99 ebook from your favorite retailer today!
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