He nodded, and I spun away in a hurry to leave the Water behind me.
Ten
On the outskirts of the estate, the sky rumbled and let loose a torrent of cold, spring rain to pound the ground. I sloshed the remaining distance to the gate, disheartened to see it raining inside, too. I'd hoped the magic would keep it out and let me dry.
No mist waited for me, so I found my own way to the manor, shivering as I let myself into the kitchen. A small fire crackled in the hearth, and I eagerly closed the door on the poor weather. Disregarding the trail of water I left, I crossed the room to warm myself. The heat from the flames barely heated my fingers and did nothing to reduce my trembling. Only dry clothes would warm me.
My boots made squishing noises as I walked to the servant's quarters. I closed the door, then struggled to remove my dress. Peeling off the wet mass wasn't easy. Shivering, I dug in my sodden bag for my shirt and trousers. The pants were soaked, but the shirt had escaped most of the water and only felt damp. I removed my wet binding, laid it over the footboard of the bed, and tugged on the shirt.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I removed my boots and socks. The cold floor further numbed my feet while I gathered up my dress and pants. With my wet clothes draped over one arm and my boots in my hand, I opened the door to a mist filled kitchen. It was so dark the light of the fire didn't penetrate more than a few feet into the gloom.
"I didn't expect you so soon," the beast rumbled from the darkness.
Holding my dress to shield my bare legs, I hesitated in the doorway and debated if I should retreat into the room until I dried.
"My sister is sick. Father sent me to gather what I could to trade for more medicine. We were all told to stay in quarantine, so you might not want to come too close." I was less concerned about spreading sickness to an enchanted creature than I was about tempting the beast.
"There is washing to be done. Follow me, and I will show you to the laundry."
The fire snuffed out, and his tail bumped against me. I had no choice but to drop my boots and walk across the cold stone floor, holding his tail so I could follow.
It seemed that the winding path led behind the kitchen. Rain pinged against a window, and the sound echoed in the room. I continued to hold onto the beast's tail, unable to see anything.
"Stand here," he said gruffly as his tail pulled from my grasp.
In a moment, a fire burst to life on each end of the room, flooding the large area with light. At the opposite side of the room, two windows marked the wall with a door that led outside. Near the door, three wooden half-barrels squatted heavily beside the fireplace. Not far from there, a long table abutted the wall and racks for drying lay in a tumble. In order to wash anything, I would need to right the drying racks and fill the tubs. Both tasks requiring more bending than I would want to perform when dressed only in a shirt.
Turning, I eyed the mist just outside the arched entry I'd come through.
"May I have something to drink, sir?"
The mist receded, and I sagged with relief. I quickly tossed my dress over a drying rack and moved the rest of the racks into place between the tubs and the arch. To the left of the back door, lay a pile of dirty linens. By arranging several of those over the drying racks, I created a screen for myself before setting to work.
A large kettle and a cistern to the right of the fire gave me what I needed to start the process. The beast returned while I sorted through the soiled pile, his clicking growl announcing his presence. Arms around a mound of linens, I didn't turn to acknowledge him as I dropped everything into an empty tub.
The growling faded as I tested the heating water, so I braved looking around. A clay pitcher and a stout cup had appeared on the long back table. Cautiously, I tiptoed from behind my screens and poured myself some water. My throat felt dry and slightly sore, probably from walking in the rain. The cool water soothed it enough that I could focus on laundry.
It took a long time to fill the tub with hot water and even longer to scrub soap into the cloth. The soapy steam tickled my throat enough that I coughed occasionally. While I let the cloth soak, I filled another tub with cool water for rinsing. The heat from both fires warmed the room so much that I had to wipe the sweat from my brow. I no longer felt the chill from the floor.
Coughing made my throat sore, which made me cough more as I rinsed and wrung out the water. I changed the material screening me from the dirty ones to the clean ones and washed the second tub of linens.
A mist invaded the room again while I worked, easily two hours after I had started. He made no noise, not even a growl. I felt his eyes following me as I moved from the washtub to the rinse tub. As I twisted the material, sweating and coughing, I realized I would need to walk from my screen to hang the second string of bedding. But, the shirt I wore only hung to the tops of my thighs. As I considered the situation, I decided I didn't care as much anymore. I was hot and tired and wanted to finish, return home, and go to bed. With that thought, I realized I had Bryn's ailment.
Stepping from around the screens, I coughed harder and heard a slight wheeze as I inhaled. Yet, I continued to drape wet linens over a drying rack along with several shirts with torn button holes and missing buttons that I had found and washed. As soon as I deposited the last piece, I touched my still damp dress and looked toward the arch.
"Finished," I said softly.
Outside, the rain continued to pound against the door, so it didn't matter if the dress was dry. But would I make it home? Bryn had grown gradually worse in a short period of time.
"Will you accept my offer?" he asked.
"What exactly is your offer?" I asked. The heat I felt no longer came from the fires, but from inside.
"Stay with me, do as I command, and I will grant your every wish."
"And my family? Will I see them?"
He growled fiercely, giving me the answer I'd already known.
"I cannot accept your offer." A cough ripped from me, and I struggled to catch my breath. "But I don't think I can leave yet, either. May I stay in the servant's quarters until the rain stops?"
The mist swirled around me, blocking all light from the fires. His hand brushed my brow lightly, the touch brief. Suddenly, he bumped into me, knocking me into his arms.
"You may stay until you are well."
With him carrying me, we flew through the halls to the kitchen. He gently set me on one of the bare mattresses and left in a whirl. I shivered in the cool room, coughing so hard my stomach hurt. He returned with a thick comforter and covered me gently. I closed my eyes and asked for one more thing.
"Please send word to my father. I don't want him to worry."
* * * *
Heat burned through me, and a crow cawed loudly. Wind roared through the room, making the beds shake. From the shadows a demon rose. Black with glowing red eyes, it opened its massive maw and bit down into my chest, opening me wide and tearing me apart with each cough. I faded.
* * * *
"Help her!"
The roar filled the room, a distraction from the painful cough consuming me.
"Are you willing to pay the price?" a voice demanded sharply, sounding vaguely familiar.
"Wretched woman, haven't I given you enough? What more would you take from me?"
"Secrecy. Before she leaves, you must reveal yourself," the voice said in an angry, spiteful tone. "No mist to hide you. You deserve no respite. You've learned nothing."
A moment of silence reigned while the demon continued to devour me.
"Yes, I will pay the price and wish you to hell," he said raggedly.
"Here, give her one dose of this each day until she is well. Now, don't bother me again unless it's to give me what I want."
A cold wind rushed through the room, then a large hand burrowed under my head to lift me slightly. A cup pressed to my lips and liquid touched them. I swallowed convulsively three times before the hand lowered me to the mattress again. The liquid flowed down, burning through the wounds the demon had chewed, until I cried and begged for help.
The beast whispered promises in my ear. He asked me to give him my obedience, and he would stop the demon's feasting. I thought of my father and, hoping he didn't suffer the same fate, shook my head to deny the beast. The bed trembled with his anger.
* * * *
The demon left at some point during the night, but the wounds he'd caused remained to fester and boil. Again, the beast lifted my head and forced me to drink the vile draught of water and medicine. It didn't burn as much when I coughed afterward.