She nods and pours me some water from a bottle she keeps on the counter. I’m guessing she doesn’t trust the water in the taps. I take a long gulp.
“Is Mr. Tudor still sleeping?” I ask.
She laughs. “No. He left for the mine several hours ago.”
“He did?” I say, peering towards the window. Morning’s only just stirring. It’s still pretty gray outside. He must have left when it was still pitch black. I wonder how he’s able to work in the mines with his bad knee. But I don’t say anything. We all know how hard it is in Slate Quarter.
“How’s your head this morning?” she asks me next, when I finish the water.
“Better for that,” I say. “But I’m feeling a bit on the queasy side.”
“Take a seat,” she says. “I managed to get some eggs this morning.”
What I’m desperately in need of is coffee, black as night. That’s not something anyone can get hold of here in Slate Quarter, though, so I have to make do with tea, stirred with a lot of honey. I sip it while Mrs. Tudor beats the eggs.
“Is it just the wine?” she says as she lights the stove, “causing the queasy feeling, I mean.”
“Huh?” I say, not catching her meaning at first, and then it dawns on me. “Oh, no, definitely just the wine. I had an accident a few weeks ago.” I don’t explain to her that it wasn’t an accident at all. In fact, I was cornered by a group of academy students and beaten to within an inch of my life. I’m sure she’s worriedenough about us all without that added information. “And they gave me a shot at the clinic to stop, you know, any accidents.”
“Oh good,” she says, “because you’re very young. And with four boyfriends…” She shakes her head and pours the egg mixture into the pan and begins to stir.
A minute later I have eggs fluffier than clouds on my plate and I’m wolfing them down.
“Are you going to go and wake those boys up now?” Mrs. Tudor asks when we’ve both finished our food. “They’ve been sleeping a long time.”
“Actually,” I say, “I’m going to go and check on my dragon. I want to make sure he’s okay.”
“Okay.” Mrs. Tudor stares at me. “Dragon. Right.”
I laugh. “I know it sounds really crazy. I guess it is kind of crazy when I stand back and think about it.”
“Where exactly is this dragon?” she asks me.
“Hiding out in the forest, hopefully,” I say. “Hopefully, he hasn’t wandered off anywhere.”
Mrs. Tudor peers towards the small window, like I’d done a few moments ago. “Don’t you think you’d better take those boys with you? Or the dog?”
“No,” I say. “Let them sleep. And Barney’s been through enough. I’ll be fine. No one’s really going to notice me. They never really did in Slate.”
“I find that hard to believe. You’re a very pretty girl. I’m hardly surprised those boys are nuts about you. Especially Fox. He’s clearly head over heels in love with you.”
“You think?”
“It’s something a mother can see almost immediately.”
“I’m very much in love with him too.”
She reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “I know, dear. It warms my heart to see it. Which is why I’m not keen on lettingyou out there alone. I’m not sure he’d forgive me if anything happened to you.”
“It won’t,” I say. “I’m good at blending in and disappearing. But I do need some different clothes.” I peer down at mine. They’re not glamorous clothes like the shadow weavers wear. But they still look much better than anything anyone in Slate is wearing. And I’m sure it will draw attention to me and cause raised eyebrows.
Mrs. Tudor pushes back her chair and disappears, returning a moment later with her old coat. It’s worn and patched in places and just what I need. It’s a perfect disguise.
“Thank you,” I say, putting my arms into the sleeves, doing up the buttons, and yanking up the hood. “I’ll be back soon.”
“If they wake up, I’ll tell them where you went and I’ll probably get a big lecture from my son,” she mutters.
I give her a thankful smile and step out into the gloom.
