Page 61 of A Thieving Curse

“Pretty much.” She winked and moved to her chair at the other end of the table. As they ate and Lucas rattled off questions and ideas about snakes and snake-catching, and could they sell snakes, Raelyn realized she was starting to really like these people.Maybe I’m ready to be just Raelyn.

21

THE NEXT MORNING, Peter showed Raelyn how to milk the goats. She was a little queasy about touching the udders at first and felt horrible about squeezing the teat. Peter had to put his hand over hers and guide her fingers into position, which made her feel ridiculous. He was patient with her, though, and the goat didn’t seem to mind. Lucas assured her that it took him a while to learn, too—but then he ruined it by mentioning he learned when he was five. Eventually, she got it down and Peter left to attend to other chores.

“Lucas,” Raelyn called as she developed a rhythm. “Come look at this.”

“What?” He jumped off the fence. “I’ve milked a goat many times, you know.”

“Yeah, but this is strange. What do you make of this?”

Lucas walked over and peered down. “Looks normal.”

“You don’t see that?” She frowned and motioned down with her chin as she continued to milk the goat. “That blue thing in the bucket?”

“Blue thing?” He crouched beside the goat and squinted into the pail. “I don’t see anyth—”

Raelyn turned a teat and squirted him in the face. He gasped and blinked, sputtering as goat milk ran down his cheek. He sat back on the grass, and she laughed. “You, um, have something on your face there, Lucas.”

“I’d knock down your stool if it wouldn’t risk you accidentally hurting Ruby,” he grumbled.

“Her name’s Ruby?”

Lucas wiped the milk off with his shirt sleeve. “She had a red mark on her nose when she was born. But it faded. We still call her Ruby, though.” He told her all the names of the other goats. “And that one is Apples; she’s pregnant. Oh! You could name the kid when it’s born! If you want.”

Memories of naming the kids every spring with Gareth warmed her heart. “I would like that.”

After dinner, Raelyn helped Meredith clean the dishes while Jasper hummed under his breath and churned a tub of goat milk into butter on the other side of the kitchen. Raelyn had helped haul the water from an underground stream which Meredith explained ran through part of the cave and supplied all their water needs. Through helping the others, Raelyn was developing a stronger sense of direction in the mess of tunnels and caverns.

She dried a plate with a cloth. “Meredith?”

“Hm?”

“What happened when Henry showed Alexander to the Court of Lords?” Raelyn asked tentatively. “He couldn’t tell me about it; he was so upset.”

Meredith leaned against the rim of the bucket full of dishwater. “That’s something you should ask Jasper. He was there.”

Jasper looked up from the tub of butter. “Ask me what?”

Raelyn stacked the dry plate on top of the others on the kitchen table. “About what happened to Alexander at the Court of Lords.”

Jasper paled. “Oh.” He stopped churning the butter. “What did he tell you?”

From the look on Jasper’s face, Raelyn wasn’t sure if she wanted to know anymore. Ever since Alexander hadn’t been able to speak about it, she had felt like she was missing something. Something that would help her understand Alexander better. Clearly, there was a reason he was so traumatized. “Just that after his uncle cursed him, he brought him in front of the Court of Lords, who didn’t know what to do with him, and then he escaped.”

Jasper nodded. “That’s the basics, yes. You see, Henry made sure Alex was cursed the night before the Court met.” He swallowed. “Henry didn’t just bring Alex before them, Raelyn. He dragged him. Literally.”

“What do you mean?” Raelyn asked as she leaned back against the table.

Jasper rolled his shoulders and rubbed the base of his neck for a moment before continuing. “He tied Alexander’s hands and feet and dragged him across the floor by a horn.”

A wave of nausea hit her.

“Henry threw Alexander on the floor in front of the dais.” Jasper looked down at the tub and shuddered. “He held up Alex’s fingers to show his claws. He pulled on Alex’s wings and stomped on his tail. He shoved his fingers in Alex’s mouth and forced back his lips to reveal his fangs.”

Raelyn gaped. She felt light-headed. Bile pushed at the back of her mouth and she swallowed it back.He was nine.Nine.Her fingers curled around the edge of the table.

“It was horrible.” Jasper dragged the heel of his hand beneath his eye, wiping away tears. “The things he said… Everything you called Alexander and worse. Monster, beast, demon, abomination, horror, freak, creature, thing, hell spawn.”

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