Depravity (A Beastly Tale Book 1)(8)

       
           



       

"Recent events having left me in a poor mood, I'd rather not waste any  more time on idle conversation. I hurt everywhere and think I may vomit  soon so, please, just be done with it."

The vines around my wrists loosened, and I fell forward onto something  hard, furry, and warm. Draped over the beast, I realized, a moment  before we were moving.

Sadly, I vomited before fainting.

* * * *

"...should I?"

The shrill voice cut through the fog clouding my mind, and I blinked my  eyes open to stare at the rough shingled roof blurring above me. A growl  filled the air, and my stomach lurched, not from the growl, but from  the sour taste lingering in my mouth. I gagged.

"Leave us," the feminine voice commanded.

A door slammed, and I turned on my side to dry heave. A gentle hand ran  over my hair, lingering on the spot at the back of my head where I'd  smacked against the pole.

"There's the problem. Let's sit you up."

She leveraged a thin, wiry arm behind my shoulders and helped me sit.  Slowly, my vision cleared and an aged, haggard face filled the space  before me. White hair twisted tightly behind her head and pulled the  skin of her face, smoothing a few of the deeper creases. Her brilliant  green eyes glinted at me with cold humor.

"Got in the way of something, I'd say," she murmured, leaning in close,  her gaze shifting back and forth to study mine. "Best to stay awake  tonight. You'll feel sick, which is normal. Drink lightly. Don't eat  until your stomach stops twisting."

Without mercy, she tugged me to my feet. The ground tilted and heaved, and I spread my stance wide to keep from falling.

"Smart girl," she said with a laugh. "Too bad he brought you to me. You  can't stay here. Out you go." She nudged me toward the door.

The stomach I'd thought empty heaved again, and I left a gift on her  floor before I managed to clear the threshold. Her insulting laughter  rang out behind me before the door closed and silence enveloped me.

Reaching out, I braced myself on the door. Night had claimed the sky and  the half-moon weakly highlighted the area, not that it did me any good.  The pain in my head clouded my vision. How would I manage a walk home,  especially when I didn't know where I was? I recalled the beast's growl  and knew I had to be somewhere within the estate. South, then, was the  way to go. I lifted my head to the moon, trying to focus enough to get  my bearings.

I took a lurching step away from the door, my skirt swishing through the  grass. Within seven steps, I heaved again, and my eyes watered. The  muscles in my stomach protested, and I wished for a cool drink to rinse  my mouth. Instead, I received a growl.

"Vomit on me again, and you will suffer," he said before he swung me  over his shoulder. The grass flew past us, and I clenched my teeth as  blood rushed to my head and pulsed in my ears. My vision clouded, and I  knew I'd faint again and wondered if that counted as sleeping. The beast  sensed something, though, because he stopped his run, and I found  myself standing before him in the shadowy light beneath a tree.

"What did she say?" he demanded.

When the world tilted, I didn't try widening my stance. Instead, I let my weak knees fold and sat heavily on the ground.

"Don't sleep or eat until my stomach stops twisting. Drink lightly and  get out." I partially groaned as I struggled to my knees and heaved  again, aggravating my stomach muscles and the lump on the back of my  head. I spit weakly and let my head hang.

"Running upside down made it worse," I said, swiping at my lips.

"You blame this on me?" His low growl increased in volume and clicked with menace as he crept close to me.

"Well, it was your fault that I hit the back of my head against the pole. Before that, only my wrists bled."

He roared in response, which brought back the ringing in my ears. I paid  his anger little mind as I sought refuge from my pain in the cool grass  and closed my eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to sleep."

"The witch said not to."

"And you just roared at me. So what? If I die, I die. I'm tired of being  bullied by you and the idiots in the village. If I live, so be it. At  least, I'll have had a few moments of peace."

His feet padded softly, rustling the grass and scraping the dirt until  he stopped behind me. Lying on my side with my face cushioned by my arm,  I'd saved the back of my head from touching the ground, but also left  it open to the beast's inspection. He huffed a great breath, blowing my  hair over my face. Then he began to lick the lump he'd made.

I couldn't help the sigh that escaped me as the ache eased and the twisting in my stomach faded.                       
       
           



       

"Thank you," I whispered.

He grunted and kept licking for several more minutes. Without the nausea, it lulled me to sleep.





Four


"CAW!"

I bolted upright at the loud cry in my ear. My stomach muscles protested  at their overuse, and I suffered a brief period of disorientation. I  recalled the night before and studied my surroundings. The shaded glade  only sported a few tufts of low growing grass on the outskirts. A soft  patch grew in the center where the sun struck at midday, the very patch  on which I'd previously reclined until the crow, hopping on the ground a  few feet away, had rudely woken me.

The crow cawed at me again, but I ignored it as I struggled to my feet.  The aches of the night before lingered in my shoulders and stomach but  remained absent elsewhere, drawing my attention to the smooth and  unblemished skin of each wrist. The memory rose of how the beast had  eased the ache in my head. I glanced around the glade but felt certain  only the crow and I entertained it now.

Given the dangerously unpredictable nature of the beast, I thought it  best to keep my company to myself, and I began to carefully pick my way  through the trees, heading toward the general area of the gate. As soon  as I started walking, the crow took flight only to land on a branch  ahead of me. I ignored the bird for the most part since it kept quiet  when it flew but listened closely to the surrounding wood as I made slow  progress through the estate lands.

It didn't surprise me when I spotted the gate ahead and it grated open  on its own, the estate obviously ready to be rid of me. Of the beast,  there was no sign. Muddied and disheveled, I made my way home in dawn's  first light.

* * * *

A familiar gasp greeted me when I opened the kitchen door. Behind me, a  furious flutter of wings sounded, prompting me to ignore Bryn's  incredulous stare and quickly close the door before the annoying crow  decided to let itself in. It cawed at me through the wood.

"Benella," Bryn finally managed to cry. "Father's been so worried." She  stood by the stove with an apron wrapped around her dress. Eggs fried in  a pan, and a small crock of fresh goat's milk already rested on the  table, waiting for Father.

The study door opened, and Father hurried out fully dressed for the day,  his expression putting truth to Bryn's statement. His eyes swept me and  relief erased the worry.

"When I mentioned a walk, I didn't think you'd stay out all night, child," he said mildly, seeing me whole and healthy.

"An unplanned event to be sure," I said. "I ran into a bit of dirt and will need another bath."

Bryn gave a small, exasperated huff.

"I can't haul water for you again, Benella. I'm supposed to go with Tennen to-"

"Bryn," Father said softly. "I'm sure it wouldn't over trouble you to  help with two small buckets, just enough to rinse the dirt from your  sister's hair." As he spoke, he circled me and lifted the hair on the  back of my head.

"Surely this unplanned event had a few interesting turns," he murmured for my ears only.

I gave the barest of nods, and he stepped back from me. I appreciated that he didn't question me further.

"At least the dress survived unscathed," he said.

Blye harrumphed from the doorway of our room. She'd joined us so quietly I hadn't noticed her.

"Its hem is stained with mud. I wouldn't call that unscathed."

"Better than ripped," Father said in a tone that didn't allow for  argument. "Benella, I would speak with you before I leave about an  errand I need you to run. Would you mind stepping into my study before  you wash?"

"Of course, Father," I said, more than willing to escape my sisters' pique.

He surprised me by not asking of my night once he closed the door behind us.

"I apologize for asking this of you, but I need a message delivered to the Head in Water-On-The-Bridge as soon as possible."

The request disheartened me. The walk would take me most of the day  there and back, and sleeping on the ground the prior night had done  little to leave me feeling rested. But, I reasoned with myself, a whole  day with no other obligations might be nice. I rolled my shoulders,  feeling the ache in the joints, and tested my stomach. Nothing I  couldn't handle. So, I nodded my agreement. Outside the window, a crow  squawked.