Facing the Sun by Carol Beth Anderson

Author:Carol Beth Anderson [Anderson, Carol Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781949384000
Publisher: Eliana Press
Published: 2018-10-24T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Four

The line between confidence and pride

Is as fine as spider silk

And just as sticky.

-From Proverbs of Savala

“What about this?” Tavi held up a dress. It was bright yellow with enormous, puffed sleeves and a bow on the front that was so large, it extended beyond the width of the waist. The skirt was flounced with black lace accents.

Tullen examined it thoughtfully. “It’s a little casual but might work well for laundry day,” he concluded.

Tavi burst out laughing and put the dress back on its rack. Their small general store had added a “Ladies’ Fashion Corner,” but Tavi didn’t know where they were sourcing the clothing. Each piece was dreadfully ugly.

“We’d better get what we came for,” Tavi said. Winter storms had again kept them home, this time for a full week. Their stock of staples was running low, and this was the first day the weather had allowed them to walk into Oren. Tullen pulled Mey’s list out of his pocket, and they walked around the store, picking up flour, salt, lamp oil, and more.

At the register, Tullen pointed to the glass jars behind the counter. “We’d also like one bag of ulora root candy, please.”

“That’s not on the list!” Tavi said.

Tullen held the paper out to Tavi, and there it was, in her mother’s neat script: 1 bag of ulora root candy. Tavi grinned, mouth already watering. “Did you put her up to that?”

Tullen just smiled and shrugged. They paid and placed their items in the bags they had brought. Once their gloves were on, they exited the store into the slushy street and turned to walk home.

Ahead was a small café. The owner was kneeling before an iron bench next to the door, swiping snow off the seat. “Hello, Mr. Sinno,” Tavi greeted him as she and Tullen passed.

“Hello,” he responded. He followed his greeting with a shout of pain.

Tavi and Tullen turned and rushed back. Mr. Sinno was holding one hand tightly in the other. “Knew I should have worn gloves,” he said.

“What happened?” Tavi asked.

“Just cut myself on this bench,” the man replied. “The snow and ice must have weighed it down so much that one of the welds came loose.”

Tavi gave Tullen a hesitant look, and he smiled and nodded at her. “Mr. Sinno,” Tavi said, “I’d like to heal it, if you’ll let me.”

His eyebrows rose. “You can heal now?”

“I just learned,” Tavi said. In the previous weeks since healing Tullen, Tavi had practiced her skills a few times when her family members had small injuries. She had found that scrapes were difficult to heal and bruises impossible, though she hoped that would change with time. But the one thing she knew she could do was heal a cut.

“I’d appreciate that,” Mr. Sinno replied, holding out his hand.

Tavi nearly vomited as she took her gloves off. The cut was ragged and bled freely. She looked away and brought magic into her hands by contemplating how much she desired the warmth and dry roads of summer.

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