Sowing by Oswald Elizabeth

Author:Oswald, Elizabeth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elfhame, Inc.
Published: 2022-09-11T00:00:00+00:00

Down below, the children were waking up. Younger children ran around excitedly, while the older ones pulled pillows over their heads and tried to pretend they were deaf. He could sense Plum and a few of the oldest in the kitchen, probably preparing breakfast.

Outside, in the kitchen garden, he could sense a new life puttering around. Whoever it was was harvesting some of the fruits and vegetables Aspen had brought to maturity the night before, and their light was a clear, calm green, weak but stable. He had a good idea who it would be, and he made his way down the stairs, leaving an amulet hanging from the inside door handle of the sanctuary so that Rouge could get out when she woke, since the door locked automatically.

Downstairs, he skipped the dining hall by going down the main stairs to the ground floor, circling back behind the disgusting display his houseguests had built, and entering the servant’s access halls by way of a narrow door hidden behind a tattered banner. The corridor was dark but clean, and while he sensed a few spiders and mice scurrying away from his footsteps, he didn’t have to clear any cobwebs.

A minute later, he emerged into the kitchen via a small door in the east wall. He had to duck to clear the lintel, and when he stood straight, everyone in the kitchen was staring at him. An older boy, tall and spindly, with shoulders beginning to broaden and a belly that was practically concave, clutched at a small dagger stuck into his belt.

Plum, her hair covered with a clean but dingy cloth, and an apron carefully wrapped over her breeches and blouse, smiled. “M’lo-” he looked at her meaningfully, and she coughed slightly. “I mean, Aspen. Grandpa is in the garden. He worried, at first, about eating the things that grew there last night, but I told him you must have done something, and now he’s gathering fresh ingredients for breakfast.”

Just then, the door to the garden opened, and a very old man walked in. His brown face was heavily lined, and his eyes had spent so many years squinting in the sun that it was impossible to tell what color they were through the wrinkles. His back was curved, but his strong, sinewed hands carried a basket full of gleaming produce.

A girl, small, round, and sturdy, bustled over and took the basket, already exclaiming over the quality and quantity of the things it contained. The children immediately lost interest in the adults, descending on the food like a small horde of starving trolls.

The old man barely seemed aware that his burden had been removed. He was staring at Aspen as if seeing someone risen from the dead. He quickly pulled his hat from his brown pate and clutched it to his chest, and a single silver tear began to trace its way down his seamed cheek. Without a word, Aspen strode forward and wrapped his arms around the old man, holding him close as he cried.

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