she made, wishing she could finish it and wondering when Derk would be back. But Old Gam was staring at her and she had asked and she had shared. Tavera could still imagine the scar on the woman’s skin and she couldn’t help but feel her own skin crawl and pull tight and itch on her legs. Biting her lip she cleared her throat and forced herself to speak.
“I…when I’s with my father’s debt holders, they cut it. And they sent it to him. Since he couldn’t read. To make him pay. I…” She sucked in her breath and held it for a moment before she spat the last bit out. “I don’t think he ever paid. So they sent me to the Blocks.” Everyone knew what the Blocks were. Tavera had gotten off easy for a little girl from the ‘Wicks. Orchard work, gleaning, fish gutting and finally…sausage making. She still hated sausages to this day. Tavera put her hand up to where her ear was cut and frowned.
“There, there,” Old Gam said. She sat up and knelt besides the little girl and she hugged her, letting Tavi bury her face in her neck. Old Gam smelled like milk and sleepspice and Tavera tried to remember what her mother and father had smelled like but could only remember Derk. His skin, the tobacco he smoked, the oil he put in his hair and the iceleaf he chewed sometimes, occasionally mixed with alcohol.
“And don’t you think that people like that…they give the rest of us a bad name, don’t they? Not every person from the Freewild is like my pa and not every gambler and debt taker is like those people who did this to you.” Old Gam smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “And if you’re good at what you do and as clever as Derk says you are and you stay sparkling like you are, you’ll get to set things right. And have fun on the side.” Her brown eyes strayed down to Tavera’s lap and she smiled. “Look, you’re almost done. I’ll make you a bedtime drink. Derk’ll be back soon.” She ruffled her hair with her hand, and it made Tavera grimace with annoyance which, in turn, made Old Gam laugh. She went back to the kettle and threw some herbs in and stirred it with a wooden spoon, coming back to sit while it steeped.
Tavera finished her circle and she smiled at it, a crooked little smirk. A circle was harder than a square, she told herself and she had made a perfect circle. Tavera had decided she had admired her work enough and was about to hop out of the chair when Old Gam spoke up. “Has he ever mentioned a woman named Sindra?”
Tavera shook her head and looked at Old Gam’s face, trying to figure out what she was looking for. Derk hadn’t mentioned anyone by that name. “I don’t think so,” she said finally. “Just you.” The little girl’s words made color come to Old Gam’s cheeks though she didn’t look up from her work. Tavera stood next to Old Gam and looked over her shoulder at her work. It was a handkerchief with daggerleaf crawling over the edges in a pale green, the red flowers popping at the corners. “Who was she?” she asked, not sure if she should say the name. Was that the woman she was supposed to look like?
Old Gam just sighed, managing a few more stitches as she did. “Just some woman your pa used to fancy when he was younger. I never met her but she was around, if you catch my meaning.” A bit of annoyance showed in Old Gam’s face. Apparently she didn’t like to be on the receiving end of some questions. Tavera focused on the handkerchief Gam was sewing, surprised to see the progress the woman had made in the short amount of time.
“You’re good at this,” Tavera said finally. A circle was one thing but a straight line of various shapes was something different altogether. Plus Old Gam didn’t sew up and down as Tavera did. Her thread looped around and collected in chains and sometimes the stitches ran next to each other to give the effect of smoothness, filling in little pools of color on the square of cloth.
“I know,” Old Gam said, pleasure with the
“I…when I’s with my father’s debt holders, they cut it. And they sent it to him. Since he couldn’t read. To make him pay. I…” She sucked in her breath and held it for a moment before she spat the last bit out. “I don’t think he ever paid. So they sent me to the Blocks.” Everyone knew what the Blocks were. Tavera had gotten off easy for a little girl from the ‘Wicks. Orchard work, gleaning, fish gutting and finally…sausage making. She still hated sausages to this day. Tavera put her hand up to where her ear was cut and frowned.
“There, there,” Old Gam said. She sat up and knelt besides the little girl and she hugged her, letting Tavi bury her face in her neck. Old Gam smelled like milk and sleepspice and Tavera tried to remember what her mother and father had smelled like but could only remember Derk. His skin, the tobacco he smoked, the oil he put in his hair and the iceleaf he chewed sometimes, occasionally mixed with alcohol.
“And don’t you think that people like that…they give the rest of us a bad name, don’t they? Not every person from the Freewild is like my pa and not every gambler and debt taker is like those people who did this to you.” Old Gam smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “And if you’re good at what you do and as clever as Derk says you are and you stay sparkling like you are, you’ll get to set things right. And have fun on the side.” Her brown eyes strayed down to Tavera’s lap and she smiled. “Look, you’re almost done. I’ll make you a bedtime drink. Derk’ll be back soon.” She ruffled her hair with her hand, and it made Tavera grimace with annoyance which, in turn, made Old Gam laugh. She went back to the kettle and threw some herbs in and stirred it with a wooden spoon, coming back to sit while it steeped.
Tavera finished her circle and she smiled at it, a crooked little smirk. A circle was harder than a square, she told herself and she had made a perfect circle. Tavera had decided she had admired her work enough and was about to hop out of the chair when Old Gam spoke up. “Has he ever mentioned a woman named Sindra?”
Tavera shook her head and looked at Old Gam’s face, trying to figure out what she was looking for. Derk hadn’t mentioned anyone by that name. “I don’t think so,” she said finally. “Just you.” The little girl’s words made color come to Old Gam’s cheeks though she didn’t look up from her work. Tavera stood next to Old Gam and looked over her shoulder at her work. It was a handkerchief with daggerleaf crawling over the edges in a pale green, the red flowers popping at the corners. “Who was she?” she asked, not sure if she should say the name. Was that the woman she was supposed to look like?
Old Gam just sighed, managing a few more stitches as she did. “Just some woman your pa used to fancy when he was younger. I never met her but she was around, if you catch my meaning.” A bit of annoyance showed in Old Gam’s face. Apparently she didn’t like to be on the receiving end of some questions. Tavera focused on the handkerchief Gam was sewing, surprised to see the progress the woman had made in the short amount of time.
“You’re good at this,” Tavera said finally. A circle was one thing but a straight line of various shapes was something different altogether. Plus Old Gam didn’t sew up and down as Tavera did. Her thread looped around and collected in chains and sometimes the stitches ran next to each other to give the effect of smoothness, filling in little pools of color on the square of cloth.
“I know,” Old Gam said, pleasure with the
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