Page 19 of A Blightress of Wrath
Iglanced back at the section she had been holding.Quirkinga brow her way,Istepped to the golden metal and gripped the rail, shaking it hard.Itdidn’t budge.
“Howcould you?—”
“It’smy lapis magic,BaronRevich.”Herhand hovered over the rail, revealing a wake of shining gold.Herblonde curls bounced over her plump, pink cheeks and her smirk turned into a grin, gracing her pale skin with one single dimple folded into her light freckles.
Ioffered her my arm asIturned toward the stairs to escort her out ofViridis, thinking of all she could do to help the mining townIhad grown up in. “Ilyenna, haveIever talked to you about theHallowMarshes?”
Chapter9
Karus
Sippingmy lemon ginger soup,Iquietly regardedLia.Shereminded me of a honeybee flitting from task to task, hardly a pause in her flutter around the kitchens.
Wehadn’t given her much time to prepare food for eleven of us to travel across the isle, and whenI’dmentioned that we’d be able to pick up more supplies inLythglyn,Radyx, and theSpire, she’d mumbled something about the actual quality of supplies we’d find there.
Iblew on another spoonful of soup and smiled at her as she glanced my way, probably to check thatIwas actually eating, well awareIhad little appetite.
Servantscame in and out of the kitchens, some of them occasionally snagging some fruit or bacon off the communal tray as they carried on with keeping theFortressrunning like her little worker bees.
Liaaddressed her primary cook. “Jesslyn,I’llhave you feed the chickens, please.I’venot had the time, and they’re likely in a ruckus fit about it.”
Jesslynnodded and replaced her apron with a different one before heading out the door that led to the forest.
IadmiredLiaeven more now thatIknew she was theBlightress’ssister, just as old, living her endless years here in theFortressinstead of out there as the lapis conduit she once had been.Shehad arrived back in her birthplace ofFelgrenaround the timeHeimlenhad been chosen as the nextBaron.Iwondered if he’d ever questioned how the cook of theFortressnever seemed to age and had lived just as long as the hundred years he had.
“Whateverreason you’re watching me, love, it’ll have to wait untilIcan get this dough in the oven.Eightloaves extraIhave to bake, andIhaven’t even begun to gather the cheese from the cellar.”
RealizingLiawas speaking to me,Icleared my throat and answered, “I’msorry.Ididn’t mean to stare, butIdo need to speak with you.”
Shecontinued kneading the sticky white dough and nodded. “Ihave the feelingIknow who it’s about.”Sprinklingflour over the surface, she tucked the ends of the dough underneath, shaping it into a round pillowy bundle before placing it on a tray and covering it with a cloth.Shethen pulled more stretchy dough from a large bowl and began to repeat the process. “I’vemade a list of the cheesesIneed to pack over there.”Shenodded to a piece of paper by the stove. “Ifyou’d like to help, you can collect them, andI’llbe able to speak with you sooner.”
Iforced down one more sip of soup and brought my bowl to one of the kitchen maids who took it from me to wash.
Ipicked up the list of cheeses on my way out of the kitchens.Thecellar doors were nestled into the ground at a slant as two worn wood slats with iron hinges.I’dseen them plenty of times, but never had a reason to enter the cold storage under theFortress.Bendingdown to pull the handles, they creaked loudly and fell back with a resounding thud.
Iskimmed the list again and murmured, “Illuminare” bringing my ball of green light to hover over my hand and glow in a steady pulse that matched the beat of my heart.
Ibegan my descent into the cold cellar, shoving aside memories of the last timeIstepped underground.Theblack stone steps were worn in the middle, representing the hundreds of years of footfall from hundreds of years of theFortress’sservants.
Eachstep echoed into an open space below—so dark, even the soft glow of green couldn’t penetrate my path downward.Istopped for a moment, laughing to myself.Itwas just a cellar.Nodanger, no looming monsters or deathly plants to ensnare me.Noancient woman claiming me as hers and forcing me into abyssal black for two weeks to wander.
Irolled my shoulders and tightly gripped my list with its neatly sprawled letters.Ina deep breath,Iwhispered to myself, “I’mjust here for cheese.”
Thebottom of the space loomed ahead in a long, narrow walkway with wooden shelves housing a countless array of jars, bins, and bottles.AsIfound the last step,Iheld my light up high to see that the cellar ended in a stack of oak barrels.
AsIhad suspected,Liakept a well organized pantry.Thelong wooden shelves were labeled, making it easy enough for anyone to find what they needed in this space under theFortress.
Iwalked along the shelves, growing used to the damp, musky smell.Iheld my light up to each one, reading the labels in perfect swooping letters.Lia’scellar hosted various herbs and spices, along with jars of lard and honey, and bowls of stones in many colors.Iwas curious what uses she found for all of them, knowing she used her lapis magic in her cooking.Iwandered all the way down the cramped aisle, ending at the enormous stacked barrels.Thecheeses, eggs, and milk were kept at this end, andIshivered in the cold, understanding why.
Iunhooked a linen sack from its peg along the shelves and began to fulfill the list.Bythe looks of it,Liaplanned for twenty people instead of eleven to be traveling for two weeks across the isle.Icarefully laid the last block of my favorite white, crumbly cheese on top of the others.Mytask completed,Ipulled the strings of the sack and hauled it over my back.Theweight surprised me, and it swung lopsidedly, banging into one of the stacked barrels.
Isucked in a breath as the barrel teetered, then toppled to the stone floor, spilling a mound of flour across the aisle.
Cursingin disbelief at my clumsiness and the fact thatLiawas going to scold me endlessly,Irighted the barrel and looked around for a broom.Instead, my gaze caught the iron hinges of a door where the barrel had been neatly stacked against the wall.
Ishould askLiawhat this is,Ithought, reaching out to touch the old wood.
Ishould call toRevich,Imused, asIused my trailing power to lift the few barrels still stacked, leaving the door just sitting there, waiting to be opened.
