Unwinding the Spiral by Peta Hawker
Author:Peta Hawker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Peta Hawker
28
SHARVEL
In a small, circular room, Jessandra sat at a table grinding herbs in a mortar. Strath stood a few paces away, leaning over a large pot on the wood-fired stove.
âI think theyâre ready,â Jessandra said, handing the bowl to Strath.
âPerfect,â he said, offering her a small smile that made a lump rise in her throat.
Sheâd never ground herbs before, never made food of any kind. As children, sheâd often followed Lenta into the castle kitchens to see what the staff were doing. They would be fed cakes and sweet apple juice before being sent back to their rooms. None of the cooks would ever let them near the food preparations, worried that theyâd be punished by Mascerab.
Strath tipped the herbs into the pot, stirring a few more times before joining Jessandra at the table. He sat beside her, and her senses tingled at their closeness.
âI donât have any bread for our soup,â he said. âThatâs the problem with travelling.â He shook his head with a sad laugh. âAlso the problem with having no parents.â
âIâd have the same problem even with my parents,â Jessandra muttered, wrapping her hands around the mug of tea sheâd poured earlier.
After Kali had given Wave the book, Strath had led them to his domed house. Despite the fact heâd been gone from Sharvel for months, his home felt fresh and alive. Strath had sent them both to rest in a bedroom that held two single beds.
Jessandra hadnât been able to sleep, and neither had Wave. As soon as they lay down, Wave began to read, flicking through the pages of Kaliâs book at a lightning pace. Jessandra was envious of her speed, but pushed her thoughts aside. Wave was her friend, that was all that mattered.
As Wave read, Jessandra let herself relax, getting lost in thoughts about Strath and Sharvel. Now that the stress of escaping the Black Cloaks was gone, Strath was much calmer. She couldnât deny the flutter in her belly when she was around him. When he smiled at her, she felt seen in a way sheâd never experienced with Jaiâtil.
It felt like mere moments had passed while Jessandra lay back, lost in her thoughts, when she heard Wave sob.
âI have to see Kali,â Wave had said through her tears, taking the book and running from the room.
âDo you think Waveâs okay?â Strath asked, dragging Jessandraâs attention back to the present.
âI hope so,â Jessandra said with a shrug. âDo you have any idea what was in the book?â
Strath shook his head. âThe library is full of ancient texts. Iâve read a lot of them, but I havenât read The Blood of the Ehta.â
âI wonder whatâs different about Setoraâs story,â Jessandra said, looking into the swirling colours of her tea. âMaybe thereâs some sort of cure that was lost in the retelling?â
âI hope so,â Strath said, staring out of the window.
There was always something about the way Strath looked at Wave, the way he spoke to her that made Jessandra jealous. She couldnât be sure, but she got the sense that he liked her a little more than a friend should.
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