Witch of the Wild Beasts by Catherine Stine

Author:Catherine Stine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Konjur Road Press

A light knock on the door woke me. “Evalina, it is Amity. Would thee like a visit or are thou sleeping?”

My eyes blinked open. Above, the skylight displayed a shimmering, violet dusk. “Yes! A visit, please.” I sat bolt upright as if I’d gulped a coffee dark as midnight.

“Stand against the back wall, Evalina.”

I obeyed immediately, plastering my arms against the cold surface.

The sight of Amity entering my cell was pure relief—a human being with a listening ear, and a willing heart, albeit narrowly conscribed. She was dressed not in her usual severe black but in a pigeon gray muslin with a matching ruffled bonnet, which set off her dewy face. The guard locked the door behind her and she requested he give them ten extra minutes over their usual time. “Come, sit,” she advised me, pulling out my chair and sitting delicately in the other as she gathered her skirts. “It is cold in here.” She wrapped her shawl tightly about her and then placed a satchel on the table. “Thee requested my presence?”

“Yes, I did.” My pulse galloped like a wild mustang’s as relief turned to sadness and my tears could not be stopped.

“What ails thee?” She reached into her canvas carryall, pulled out a neat square of unbleached cotton and handed it to me.

“Thank you.” I wiped my eyes. “Have you heard? A child prisoner named Lewin is gone. Samuel Barton, a Negro former slave as well. Lewin is a petty thief but only six or so. He has no family. I am worried for their welfare.”

She raised her brows but did not seem unduly alarmed. “How does thee know of this?”

“When we were working in the yard, putting pine boughs on the garden beds, the guards asked us to remove our hoods and be counted. Lewin and Sammy were gone. Gone! I know Sammy well by his face, and also by his hand that’s missing two fingers. I know Lewin . . .” The shaking in my voice forced me to pause and gasp in air. “I knew Lewin from the streets before I came to Cherry Hill. They called him Lightning. He helped me get food when I was wandering, penniless. I owe him a debt of protection for this.” I sobbed into the handkerchief, and I was grateful that Amity sat patiently waiting for me to collect myself. “The guards spoke as if we prisoners knew of the disappearances. As if we had anything—”

“Hush! Watch what comes out of thy mouth.” Amity’s eyes were gleaming under her bonnet. “Best make sure it is civil and nothing the guards cannot hear.”

“Yes, ma’am.” With that, I brushed away more tears and tilted my ear toward the door for any stirring of Blackbeard or Fast Step. Then, I whispered an impassioned plea. “If anything happens to Lewin it would be as if my brother was murdered all over again. And if they find Sammy? I know that Quakers help to procure protection for former slaves—send them to safe houses.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.