Rebekah's Refuge by Meredith Leigh Burton

Author:Meredith Leigh Burton [Burton, Meredith Leigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-08T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Angela awoke with a cry. The growth reached out with thorn-tipped fingers, groping its way through her innards with invasive intensity. She hadn’t felt such pain in some time. The salad Charles procured kept the pain at bay. Searing heat enveloped Angela’s frail frame as she struggled to rise from her bed. She stumbled as nausea clawed at her stomach. “H-Help me,” she choked. “Please! Someone help—" She fell to her knees, hot tears mingling with vomit as she succumbed to the pain.

“Angela?” Charles burst into the room, swearing as he beheld his wife’s condition. He gathered Angela into his arms. Shaking, he carried her to the bed, propping pillows behind her. Fear ran rampant within him. What had caused this sudden relapse? “Darling, I’ll fetch some warm water to bathe you,” he said gently. “I’ll be right back.”

Angela whimpered. “It hurts so much, Charles,” she said. “Why does it hurt so?”

Charles gritted his teeth in frustration. “You just need a stronger batch of salad, sweetheart. I’ll procure it for you.”

“I cannot eat anything now,” Angela whispered. “I’m so nauseous.”

Charles nodded. “I’ll fetch you some peppermint tea with honey and mandragora, then. It will settle your stomach and help you sleep.”

Angela bowed her head. “Charles? Do you think our daughter’s death was only the beginning of our punishment? Perhaps Egaphia is punishing me for what I did.”

“Rubbish!” Charles’ face convulsed with rage. “You only sought to have a child, Angela. You’ve done nothing wrong.” He bowed his head with sadness. “I sought to heal you, and my actions were rash. If Egaphia is punishing anyone, it’s me.” His face contorted with pain. He picked up Angela’s basin from the dressing table. “I’ll fetch water now,” he said. He left the room, his mind traversing unpleasant memories.

***

“Charles? Come look at this.” Angela stood at the kitchen window, gazing at the abundant array of vegetables in their neighbor’s garden. “Have you ever seen anything like it?” She gestured to a patch of swaying plants. Tall, slender stalks supported diamond-shaped leaves of a vibrant chartreuse. A peculiar scent floated through the air toward their open window, a scent similar to honey but more earthy and sharp. “Aren’t those plants most unusual?”

Charles smiled and planted a kiss on his wife’s cheek. “Indeed,” he murmured. “From what I’ve read, norns are known for their creativity. Wonder what that vegetable’s called?”

Angela shrugged. “I wonder how it tastes.”

Charles smiled. “Why don’t we simply go and ask her?”

Angela laughed. “That woman? She never speaks to anyone. She never shares her vegetables with anyone, either. Norns are strange creatures,” she continued musingly. “I knew one when I was a child who threatened to trap me in a hedge of thorns simply because I wouldn’t play the game she wanted me to play.” She bowed her head for a moment and then returned her gaze to the window.

Charles frowned. “Then perhaps it’s best to forget about those plants, Angela. Let the woman tend to her own business, and we’ll tend to ours.

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