Page 8 of Of Glass and of Gold

Melody entered the kitchen, carrying the faintest glimmer of concern.

“How are you feeling about him?” I asked, keeping my voice low so Eucinda wouldn’t hear and delegate some new task.

Her gaze didn’t rise to mine, and her posture stiffened. “He’s a very lovely man. Has never said an unkind thing in my presence.”

“Does he know about the blessing?”

That made her soulful eyes drift to mine. “No.”

I probed with casualness, “How do you want him to react when you do?”

“I don’t know.” She brought her full, plump bottom lip into her mouth. I knew she took on the responsibility of future financial relief, and if I had to pick out of a crowd, he would not be the one I’d match her with. Still, something else lingered beneath the surface of my picturesque sister.

“Mel?”

She hesitated, but leaned over the counter to keep it between the two of us. “What if he leaves, like all the others? What if he’s my last option?” Fear twinkled in her ocean eyes, the color resembling a stormy sea. “This might be my last chance to have a family, but this stupid blessing could ruin it.”

My heart split. All her life she’d dreamed of finding love, having children. But heartbreak after heartbreak from men she actually fancied after she revealed her possession of magic made that dream seem out of reach. I didn’t want her to end up with Mr. Pepins; what a bland life that would be. She had a destiny reserved for greatness. I’d always recognized it, but I also wanted her to be happy. If settling is what would make her happy, I would support her.

Maybe selfishly I still hoped Pepins would respond poorly and leave Melody alone. I had all the confidence in the world that something great would come along for her, but I could see her light of hope dwindling. That twisted a corkscrew of sorrow into my heart.

Reaching across the butcher block island, past the empty fruit bowl, I rested my hand over hers. “It’s going to be okay, Mel. However it turns out, you have me.” I smiled, offering reassurance in the only way I could. The smile she flashed back at me faltered from her usual grace.

I wished I could ease her worries more. She set the loaves on the counter, and I grabbed our largest serrated knife to slice through the firm crust. A knock came from the kitchen door behind me, and Melody lit up to go answer it. She thanked the maid who brought over the roast and set it on the counter.

The smell of perfectly charred meat blossomed from the steam when she removed the pot lid, and my mouth watered. Drawn to it like a helpless moth to an enchanting flame, my worries of hunger over the next few days eased. There’d be enough here for each of us to eat twice for three days. That was the best kind of luxury we could experience lately.

The clock on the wall ticked in rhythm, letting me know I had only a handful of minutes before needing to leave. Melody noted my gaze. “Eat this before you go.” She’d already started preparing my plate.

I came up from behind, wrapping my arms around her curvaceous, attention-drawing waist, and rested my chin upon her shoulder. “Thanks, Mel. You’re so good to me.”

She gently leaned her head against mine. “What else are sisters for?”

I ate too much. Or maybe I ate a normal amount, but my shrinking stomach had a hard time accommodating the gifted delicacy. My walk across town to Odion’s land was bloated and uncomfortable, but the ticking clock had us starting our session promptly when I reached my destination.

Two daggers strapped to my body, one on my hip and the other on my thigh. Odion had nearly tossed them away years ago, not even caring to melt them down for something else. They were tarnished with age, and no longer balanced correctly. I couldn’t help myself from retrieving them from his bin, but he’d caught me.

Who knew a blacksmith and a substandard thief would begin a friendship that way? My father would have been ashamed if he knew I swiped the occasional discarded item. But then again, he’d left me no choice, really. After all, it was his poor business decisions that put us in our unfavorable circumstance. One couldn’t survive on a diet of morality and ethics.

When Odion recanted the story of finding me, as he often loved to do, he spoke of a thin little scrap of a girl rummaging through trash. He didn’t rat me out to the guards or scold me. Instead, he’d explained why the blades had lost their value.

Obviously they captured my interest, and I couldn’t afford an upgrade, so he let me keep them. To reduce the risk of hurting myself, he offered to teach me how to use them. Proper grip and techniques. Appropriate care and cleaning.

Thus, this cheery, middle-aged blacksmith armed a girl who had nothing to defend. At least, back then I didn’t.

“Again,” he barked. His massive arms of fat and muscle clenched around me.

My lungs burned from practicing this maneuver half a dozen times. “Feet up,” I recited, making him hold all of my weight before using gravity’s momentum to slam them back on the ground. His attempt to keep a hold on me forced him to lean forward. Shooting my left heel back between his legs as he bent over, I tossed my head back.

If he hadn’t been the one training me, my skull would have cracked his nose. He pretended as if I had, groaning in fake pain and releasing me to bring his hands to his face. I crouched on the ground, using all my force to sweep my already perfectly placed wedged leg. He wobbled, and faking disorientation from the nose hit, tumbled to the ground in a rehearsed fall.

Utilizing the distance, I propelled myself out of his reach, somersaulting away and jumping up to my feet. In a swift, smooth motion, I unsheathed the daggers from my thigh and hip and stood in a fighting stance. A strand of my nearly black hair that slipped free from my tight braid stuck to my slick forehead.

“Good job, Nora. If you can take down someone my size, you’ll have no problem against any others,” he praised as he rose to his feet, bending backwards to stretch his aging torso.

My raised arms fell from position, and I wiped the hair and sweat from my brow. “My other opponents won’t be making themselves fall for my benefit, though.”

“Hey, the fall may have been controlled, but you knocked me off balance. Those moments are all you need to get the upper hand.”

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