Chapter Three
Which Contains an Introduction to the Woods
The days until her initial delivery crawled along. Tasia knew the very basics of washing dishes from observing how the estate’s kitchen was run back home. The first time was a bit of a struggle, but she soon got the hang of it. Other household chores completely eluded her.
At first, Mother Anthi expected their guest to somehow just know what needed to be done, and when. Upon learning that Tasia lacked all the necessary knowledge, Anthi heaved a huge sigh, then gave a verbal explanation of every task and responsibility she wanted done, as fast as she could speak. Occasionally, the older woman pointed around the living space, but since she didn’t move from her spot in the center of the room, the gestures didn’t clear much up.
Tasia forged ahead. Meals were simple. Washing up afterward was accomplished more quickly as she learned. Laundry, on the other hand, was a tiring, dangerous affair that almost saw her scalded more than once. Overall, while frequently unpleasant,none of the chores were beyond Tasia’s capabilities. Even the addition of needing to entertain Chara wasn’ttoomuch, though it made her miss her baby brother.
One downside of constant chores was the vast amount of time she had to fret about her upcoming trip through the woods. What had seemed a miraculous blessing at first quickly became a source of stress. What did she know about hiking? Weren’t there wild animals and cliffs and things? She might not survive the first trip, let alone live to repeat the experience weekly.
Rescue from her thoughts unexpectedly came in the form of Pagona. The vain young woman had been delighted to pass her responsibilities off. Every single one. She also actively looked for ways to add to her cousin’s duties. As unpleasant as sweeping the floor multiple times in one evening was, it was a minor nuisance compared to dealing with Pagona’s friends.
Pagona loved hosting tea at home. Mother Anthi loved taking tea anywherebuthome. Tasia used to enjoy tea . . . until she was in charge of providing it for four catty females.
Anthi tended to leave the house shortly after breakfast and stay away until dinnertime. Pagona slept in each morning, then expected Tasia to have multiple treats ready for when her friends descended shortly before noon.
Her friends, Nomiki, Claudia, and Bianca, mostly ignored the outsider, despite Pagona’s efforts to call attention to her deficits. Nomiki gossiped and twittered. Claudia was the butt of their jokes almost as often as Tasia. But Bianca? Bianca presided over the gatherings like a queen giving her supplicants leeway while being firmly in control of the reins at all times. Commanding absolute loyalty, something about Bianca (or Bunny, as the others called her) rubbed Tasia the wrong way. There was nothing she could put a finger on beyond the general petty gossip, but she stayed out of the younger girl’s way.
It was with no small relief that Tasia set out for her delivery the next rest day. Walking for hours would be a lovely break. And if a wild animal got her, she wouldn’t have to listen to sweetly phrased contempt anymore. In her heart of hearts, she also hoped that her assigned guide would be a decent conversationalist.
Dino was set to meet her at the apothecary, but when Tasia arrived, she was glared out of the small shop. Pretending it hadn’t ruffled her, she waited outside. Eager to be on her way, Tasia had left her cousins’ house earlier than required. Even still, she waited for quite some time before a rough-looking man clutching a basket stomped up to her.
“Tasia?”
“That’s me. Are you Dino?”
He grunted an affirmative and began marching back the way he came. Tasia scurried to catch up. His long legs and lack of consideration for his walking companion made that a difficult task. When she finally did come alongside him, it was mostly because he stopped abruptly on the other edge of the village.
“Thatis the apothecary that Grandmother uses,” he said, pointing to a structure that was probably being held up by the copious amounts of moss and mushrooms adhered to every surface of it.
Tasia opened her mouth, but her guide had already clomped off. Again, it took her the length of the village to reach his side. Her initial plan to chat with her guide was thwarted for a few reasons. First, she didn’t have the breath yet to initiate conversation. Second, the fierce scowl her guide wore discouraged talking. And third, Dino gave off a carelessly dangerous vibe, as in he felt more dangerous because he looked like he didn’t care about anything but getting the job done. The scary-looking lumps under his vest were undoubtedly sharp, and Tasia didn’t feel brave enough to risk her physical safety forsmall talk. Though if she continued to be cut off from social discourse for much longer, she might be tempted.
As the sun climbed and became visible over the trees, the day grew warmer. The thick trees provided plenty of welcome shade that Tasia knew would be less enjoyable as the season changed. The path they followed was not much of a path in many places. Portions of it were little more than a deer trail or a wide space amongst the plant life.
Dino proved his worth as a guide. Tasia still needed to pay attention for herself, but the brusque man pointed out landmarks to look for as they walked. A few were distinct and easy to remember, like the sturdy log that acted as a bridge over the stream, or the boulder that could have been a troll from the right angle. Others were less useful. Dino highlighted multiple trees that Tasia couldn’t tell apart aside from the presence of a black squirrel on one, a red squirrel on another, and no squirrels on the last few. Unfortunately, it also seemed unlikely that the highly mobile squirrels would stay on those particular trees when she needed them.
The trip was supposed to take two hours. Dino’s speed would have shortened the time if they didn’t have to keep stopping for Tasia. She hadn’t thought she was unfit for walking, but the trail wasn’t flat or smooth, and being able to dance into the wee hours of the night apparently didn’t translate to hiking. Her footwear didn’t help matters, either. Her mother hadn’t packed any dancing slippers, of course, but the sensible-looking shoes were turning out to be less practical for the woods than for chores.
When they finally stumbled out of the trees—well, Tasia stumbled; Dino stomped—the sun had passed its zenith. Grandmother’s cottage sat in a small clearing, cozy and inviting. A lazy curl of smoke drifted out of the chimney, and cheery red curtains hung in the windows. Pretty blue flowers that Tasia couldn’t identify bloomed in the window boxes.
Dino tromped up to the door and pounded twice, then once more. In the silence, he thrust the basket he had carried the whole way into Tasia’s arms. A moment later, Grandmother opened the door. Hunched and relying heavily on her cane, she peered at her guests.
Grandmother nodded at the guide. “Thank you, Dino. You may go.”
He inclined his head respectfully, then left the clearing in the opposite direction.
Dread tightened Tasia’s jaw. “Isn’t he going back with me?” she squeezed out through clenched teeth.
“Ha.” Grandmother shook her head. “You’re a big, brave girl.”
Tasia didn’t want to disillusion the only person who had shown kindness to her. But where walking next to Dino’s competent bulk had silenced her fears about predators and pitfalls, finding out that he wasn’t returning with her brought them roaring back.
“I’m not sure I will remember the directions going backwards,” she confessed. That felt like a safe excuse, and it had the added bonus of being completely true. “Oh, here.” Suddenly recalling the basket in her hand, she presented it to Grandmother.
“Thank you, child. Wait here.” Grandmother accepted the basket and shuffled inside. She returned with a small pouch that clinked, and a greasy, unshaven man.
Tasia accepted the pouch, nearly dropping it when it proved heavier than expected. She tucked it into her pocket, grateful that she had worn a dress instead of a skirt and blouse. The weight tugged her dress askew, but it might have pulled her skirt off her waist. Resolving to split the coins between her pockets when she had a chance, she eyed the man behind Grandmother with misgiving.
