Synnergy, Chaos Time Book 3 by Marie Hall Page B

hands are lily
white and fair. I reckon ye’ve never done a day of milkin’ in yer
life. Aye?” She grabbed a short stool and then reached out for the
black goat with the largest teats. “Come ere, ye little bastard,”
she crooned, wrangling the bucking goat between her strong thighs
and rubbed its back until it started to settle down. “Right then.”
She nodded to herself a moment later and sat.
    She placed the bucket underneath the obscenely large
dangling udders and started squeezing. Sable stood spell bound,
both disgusted and fascinated at the same time. Milk blasted out in
large sprays, filling the bucket quickly.
    The rhythmic swish swish of the milking entranced
her. “Saw ye wit Alice last night,” Liza said it so quietly it
jerked Sable out of her hypnotic trance.
    “What?”
    She never stopped her work, but glanced at her. “Saw
ye with Alice.”
    She nodded and smiled. “Yes, she really helped me.”
She would have said more, but Liza glowered at her.
    “Ye stay far from that one. She’s trouble. I feel it
in me bones.” Her hands finally stopped moving and with a smack
against the goat’s rump, she shooed it off. It bleated angrily at
her before sauntering off on petite hooves.
    Sable’s brows dipped. “I’m sorry, I don’t
understand.”
    Liza stood and jerked her chin toward the cups Sable
had plastered against her body. She held them out as Liza tipped
the bucket and divided the still steaming milk into both. She
dropped the container and wiping her hands on her robe, took one of
the cups out of Sable’s lax fingers.
    She glanced down at the thick creamy white fluid with
floating bits of hair and crud dancing on top. Her stomach rolled.
She started to pick them out. Liza stilled her.
    “Those be the good bits.” She sipped hers and then
nodded. “Aye, keep yer distance from that one. One sister to
another, she’s naught but trouble. And take that milk before it
grows cold to the little one, it’ll soothe what ails her.”
    The shift in conversation was jarring. “Now I’m off
to me, man. Likes him a wee tup in the morn before he heads back to
the streams.” Liza waved and was gone.
    It all happened so fast Sable never got a chance to
formulate more questions. She wanted to kick herself all sorts of
stupid for freezing up. Grumbling to herself, she headed back to
her room. She was halfway up the stairs when she heard a low murmur
of conversation. She leaned over the railing and noticed One Eye
and Milly tucked away in shadow, they must have entered through the
back door. She was gesturing with her fist and One Eye nodded,
neither seemed to notice her.
    “Yes, my lady,” One Eye said quietly, and though he
towered over her, it was clear by his subservient manner who was
the one in charge. “As you say.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “See that you do, Jack. I’ll
not warn you again.” Milly started to turn, heading in Sable’s
direction.
    Trying to be as quiet as possible, Sable tiptoed up
the stairs, wondering what Milly had been so mad about.

Chapter 7: I’ll do
whatever I want...(Slayde)

    Later that night found Slayde sitting at a corner
table in the Parlor playing a winning hand of cards. Hunter was
across from him, covered in more scratches than he’d ever seen. He
wondered what the boy scout had been up to. But their vaunted
leader wasn’t talking, he wasn’t even really playing, just throwing
cards down every once in a while. Mostly he was studying the thick
crowd of men and women. He avoided looking at the healer who was
sitting at the far end of the bar chugging one drink after
another.
    Two other guys had joined their game about ten
minutes ago. One was eyeing his cards like a snake eyeing prey. He
almost vibrated with excitement, shifting in his seat and clearing
his throat. Obvious tell.
    He threw a large nugget into the center of the table.
Slayde had a flush. Not the best hand. But there wasn’t much that
would beat it either, and he knew skinny didn’t have