Depravity (A Beastly Tale Book 1)(3)

It was a pleasant enough way to walk if it wouldn't have brought me too  uncomfortably close to the blacksmith. I'd successfully avoided Tennen  and Splane since our last run-in.

As I neared the butcher, Sara, flanked by Tennen and Splane, left the  smithy and headed in my direction. Panicking, I stepped through the  butcher's open door, startling him.

"Ho, there, Bini!" cried Mr. Flune with a laugh. "Are you so hungry to come running through my door?"

"I'm sorry for startling you, Mr. Flune," I said. "I wanted to see if you found the hide I left at your door yesterday."

"I did indeed," he said with a kind smile. "It's a beauty. We don't see  white fur often, so it will fetch a fine price." He stepped back from  his butcher's block, away from the meat laid out for slicing, and  reached for a small wrapped package. "This is for you, a trifling token  of thanks for such a prize."                       
       
           



       

Smiling widely, I took the package, liking the mystery of it. He often  gave me small things to take home, and I never knew what they might be. I  thanked him and, after checking the road, went on my merry way, happy  with the day's trades.

When I walked through the cottage door, Bryn was consoling a sobbing Blye.

"What's happened?" I asked. Blye should have been at work; the day had just started.

"The seamstress can't afford to pay me this month. There are too few orders."

Though Blye didn't earn much, what she did earn, helped. With that  disheartening news, I pulled the bread from my bag and set it on the  table.

"It's still warm," I said quietly to Bryn. I handed her the package,  too, having already peeked at its contents. A dollop of pig fat  glistened within.

Meanwhile, Blye continued to sniffle and sob. Though I considered the  loss of her coin sad news, I didn't understand why Blye would choose to  wail in self-pity rather than look for a solution. It was a waste of  time to carry on as she was. At the very least, she should have faith  our father would not let us fall into destitution.

"Blye, we'll pull through," I said. "We always do. Please stop crying.  You don't want Father to come home and see you like this." Her gaze  flashed with displeasure, but she wiped at her eyes. I took that as a  good sign and continued trying to cheer her.

"You are clever with a needle and thread. And, you still have bits of  the materials she's given you. You'll find something clever to do with  those. I know you will. I'll probably see someone wearing a bit of it in  their hair or on their breast next week."

Her eyes widened, and for a moment, I thought I'd offended her. But, she  popped from her chair, a slow smile creeping onto her tear-stained  face.

"You are the brilliant one, Benella. Their hair," she said excitedly. "I can make pieces to exactly match the existing dresses."

I had no idea what she meant but nodded my agreement. She dashed back to  our room, saying she needed to start right away and that I should bring  her anything pretty I found on my wanderings, like feathers and such.

"You always seem to find the right side and turn it up." Bryn shook her  head then cut me a slice of the bread and spread a thin layer of our  fresh butter on it. "Here. Take this with you. I know you'll want to  walk around and find something for Blye right away."

I reached for the bread as she expected, even though I didn't really  want to walk the estate so soon. Blye would appreciate anything I found,  especially if I found it quickly. If I stayed, she would probably start  crying again. Taking a bite of the bread, I grabbed my bag and left.

The dark woods surrounded me with a sense of peace. Many of the village  folk didn't like foraging so close to the estate, and that made my  foraging much quieter and easier. Before I reached the shadowy mists, I  heard the cry of a large bird above me. I followed it with my eyes and  watched it land on a forked branch of the largest tree in the area. Not  far from its perch, I spotted a twig nest that was wedged in the crotch  of the two branches. The bird ruffled its white and grey feathers and  hopped forward to begin feeding its squawking young.

Wrinkling my nose, I eyed the bird's feathers then adjusted my bag and  set to climbing the enormous tree. The bark bit into my hands and  scraped the skin of my legs through my woolen trousers as I scrambled  from branch to branch. The bird noticed my ascent and shrieked at me  before taking flight.

Minutes later, I pulled myself onto the branch that held the nest and  glanced at the tangle of twigs. Slowly, I inched forward, clinging to  the branch so the wind didn't catch me unaware. The large chicks, blind  to what approached them, chirped at me hopefully and opened their mouths  wide. Soft down feathers the size of my hand lined the nest and  cushioned the chicks. Those beautiful white feathers would be a prize in  any lady's hair.

I removed several from the nest, careful not to touch anything else. I  didn't want to scare the mother off or rob the babies of their warmth.

The climb down took much longer than the climb up, and my legs began to  shake with the strain before I reached the ground. In the distance, I  heard voices and worried they might be Tennen and Splane's. Despite the  tiredness I felt, I hurriedly dropped the last few feet, managed to land  softly, and quickly disappeared into the mists.

I traversed around the wall, finding more treasures. The place where the  primrose had grown now had several more delicate flowers. Carefully, I  plucked the buds, leaving the roots to grow. Bryn hadn't been able to  make anything with the single flower, and I doubted she'd be able to do  much with the six I'd just found, but the candle maker might.                       
       
           



       

Not far from the primrose, I discovered a large spider spinning a  silvery web. It noted my attention and spat web at me. I jumped back in  surprise, and the web missed me and landed on the grass. It shimmered in  the mist. Keeping an eye on the spider, I bent to touch the web. It  didn't stick to my fingers. Instead, its strong silk slithered over them  softly. It would make a fine thread. The spider didn't seem to notice  me pulling the mass of web from the grass.

Hungry and tired, I returned home well after dinner. A covered plate  waited for me in the quiet kitchen. Sitting to eat, I heard Bryn and  Blye talking softly in our room and knew our father read in his study,  as he did every night after dinner.

It didn't take my sisters long to come from the room and inquire after  what I'd found. I set my food aside and pulled the thread and feathers  from the bag. Blye exclaimed over the thread, asking where I'd found it.  When I explained about the spider, she begged me to return the next day  to try to get more. I nodded my agreement, and she left with her prizes  to go sew.

* * * *

The candle maker eagerly accepted the flowers, saying a scented candle  was worth its weight in silver. Then, he sadly admitted he had nothing  to give me in payment until it sold. Though disappointed, the lack of  payment didn't stop me from looking for more flowers as I walked around  the wall to find the spider. But the day didn't gift me with either of  them. The primrose plants that I'd plucked free of any flowers the day  before were completely gone. The spider, too, had vanished along with  his pretty web. Even the patch that usually yielded some type of food  had nothing. I eyed the wall sadly, wondering why it was being so  uncooperative.

As I neared the gate to complete my journey around the estate, it swung  open of its own accord. Heart thumping wildly in my chest, I froze and  stared at the black iron, listening for the telltale sounds of the  beast's approach. Nothing sounded but the wind. It puzzled me why the  gate would open as it had. I didn't think it was an invitation.  Especially when the wall hadn't been very bountiful like it usually was.  Guilt struck at how much I'd taken over the last few days without  giving anything in return. Usually, I only took carrots, onions, and the  like. What if the estate expected compensation for the other things I'd  taken? Worried that might be the case, I checked my bag for an offering  but found nothing. With unease, I walked away.

The day grew pleasantly warm as I made my way home. When I neared, I  went around back to check my own garden's progress. The onions were just  sprouting little green tops, and the peas were an inch high. I hoped  the warm weather would hold.

"Well, how much did you get?" Bryn's voice carried through an open window.

I looked up in surprise. The voice had come from our shared bedroom window.

"A silver!" Blye said. I smiled, knowing they were talking about Blye's first hairpiece.