Thinking about Rumple’s rules made me sad for Joe. Two more years and he’d be kicked out of the shop and forced to work the field, sheering sheep and the like for the fabric we used.
A hurried murmur of fear-filled voices pulled me from my thoughts. Then suddenly, I was being bounced between hard bodies and lost my footing. The impact shoved me to the ground, throwing the package from my hands. A sharp sting slashed through my hands and knees, making me wince.
I covered my head with my hands, praying that no one stepped on me. I was bumped a few more times before the herd finally dissipated. Sighing, I inched off the ground, careful of my scraped hands.
“Did you hear?” a female voice asked another as they passed by me. “They caught a huge beast outside the town walls.”
A huge beast? I wrapped my cloak tighter around me, my eyes widening as a trickle of fear tingled down my spine. Ducking my head, I grabbed the bundle and pushed forward to find Patrick, keeping the sad face of Joe in my forethoughts.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I squeaked out, glancing up at the ice-blue-haired woman I’d bumped into.
She peered down at me with a frown. “What’s going on out there?”
“There’s a huge beast outside the city walls,” I stuttered out before catching sight of Patrick’s carrot-top head. I ran toward him without waiting for the woman to respond, shouting out Patrick’s name until his freckled face turned to me with a confused bunching of his brows.
“Mara? What are you doing here?” He shifted the bundle of clothing from one hand to the other.
Breathing heavily, I shoved my bundle out to him. “You missed an order.”
Patrick fumbled with it for a moment before shaking his head. “I can’t take it. I’m already behind because of the commotion outside of town.” He gestured with the package, scowling. “No one’s answering their doors, and you know how Rumple feels about leaving orders at their doors. Half these deliveries can’t even be made.”
I chewed on my lower lip, feeling for Patrick’s situation, but I’d done what I’d set out to do. Joe was safe from Rumple’s wrath and, if I wanted to be the same, I had to get back to the factory before he noticed I was missing.
Then Patrick gave me those big puppy-dog eyes. “Can you please please pretty please deliver this one for me?”
I opened my mouth but, before I could answer, Patrick shoved the package back into my hands. “Thanks, Mara. You’re the best.”
Then he was gone.
Gaping down at the package, I clipped my mouth shut and sighed. Well, I’d better hurry if I didn’t want to get in trouble myself.
Chapter 2
A quick glance at the package told me that it belonged to a lady down on Goldilocks Lane. With another exasperated sigh and a quick prayer that she wasn’t gaping at the beast outside of town, I made my way toward the old crone’s house.
The people were sparser the further down her street I got, which didn’t bode well for me. If the client wasn’t home, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I couldn’t leave it at her doorstep, and the thought of hunting her down outside the town walls where that beast was made my stomach churn.
As I approached the house, my spirits sank at the closed drapes and darkened windows. In complete denial, I stepped up to the door and clacked the knocker. I waited one minute... two... three... then knocked again... and still nothing.
My eyes sank closed as I pressed my face against the door. Why me? Why couldn’t I just tell people no? Helping Joe was one thing, but I had my own work to do. I couldn’t run around town searching for this lady just to help Patrick. His work was his problem, not mine.
I blew out a breath and stepped back from the doorstep. Oh, who was I kidding? I’d have helped him even if he hadn’t shoved it on me.
Shoulders drooping, I shuffled down the street and toward the sound of the growing crowd outside the town walls. The candy forest lined the dirt pathway. Its colorful trees and foliage should have been comforting, but the darkness spilling out between the trees gave it more of an ominous presence watching my every step.
A hair-raising roar shook the area. Several people screamed and ran back toward town. A large, furry beast appeared in the middle of the crowd, jerking at the ropes wrapped around him.
“It’s going to get loose!” someone screamed.
I threw myself to the side and directly into some viridian-colored bushes. I gasped and grimaced, shifting in place but only making the branches of the bush poke and scratch me more. Whimpering with every move, I got caught on something at the same time liquid dripped down my forehead.
I swiped at my forehead, my hand coming away red.
My stomach twisted at the sight of blood, then another blood-curdling roar shook through me. Refusing to die here, I grabbed at the ground and yanked until something ripped, and I finally stumbled out of the bushes. Scuttering to my feet, I found a large tree and hid behind it, my chest heaving with each breath I took.
I didn’t know how long I stood there, clinging to that tree and waiting for the sounds of pain and terror to fill the air. When the rumbling horde of panicking townspeople didn’t appear, my bunched shoulders eased. Breathing out, I flexed my hands, wincing as I assessed the damage.
Red still colored my fingers. A closer look showed that it was too bright a color to be blood, and a quick lick found it to be sweet. I glanced at the bushes I’d fallen into and found a scatter of cherry-colored candy balls on the limbs and across the ground.
