Words Like Coins by Robin Hobb

Author:Robin Hobb [Hobb, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Magic, Charms, high fantasy, hedge-witch, Robin Hobb, pregnancy, pecksies
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Published: 2012-05-10T04:00:00+00:00

“Drought will bring rats here. The well and your stored grain draw them.” The pecksie gave her a sideways look. “But for us, rats would have eaten all grain. You should not be stingy if we take an egg sometimes.”

Mirrifen bit back a retort and lifted the well hatch. The bucket’s rope played out longer than it ever had. She said quietly, “If the drought lasts much longer, the well will go dry.”

The pecksie didn’t look at her. “You waste words on what you can’t change.”

Mirrifen drew the bucket up slowly. Every bucket of water she gave to the pecksie was one less bucket for Jamie and her. Mirrifen braced her courage and asked the question. “If I told you to leave our farm and take the other pecksies with you, you would have to do it.”

The pecksie didn’t answer the question. Instead she said, “You bound me to see that no harm comes to the child. To fulfill that, I must be where the child is.” She stared off into the darkness. “Or the child must be where I am.”

A chill went up Mirrifen’s back. As she brought the brimming bucket to the surface, the pecksie said in a flat voice, “Thank you for the water, mistress. I am bound.”

In less than a heartbeat, pecksies surrounded the bucket. The pecksie’s fluting voice was stern, and they formed an orderly line. The water was rationed, each creature drinking for only a few seconds before another took his place. Nonetheless, Mirrifen drew four buckets of water before the horde was satisfied. The hatch thudded shut. The pecksie hunters dispersed. Her pecksie was the last to leave, walking not into the fields, but toward the house.

Slowly Mirrifen followed her. The house was silent. Inside the darkened bedroom, she sat down on the hard chair. She saw no pecksies, but knew they were there. The pecksie had said rats couldn’t get into the room but there seemed no way to keep pecksies out.

She awakened late the next morning to Jami shaking her shoulder. “You slept! You promised to guard me, and then you slept!”

Sunlight flooded the room. The morning chores awaited and her head pounded from weariness. “I did my best. Please, Jami. Don’t be angry. Nothing bad happened.”

“Is this ‘nothing bad’? What is this thing?”

Jami’s thrust a hedge-witch charm at her. The amulet was smeared with silver but with a lurch of her heart, Mirrifen recognized beads and spindles from her own supplies. “I found it on top of me, right on my belly. The baby woke me, squirming inside me. He’s never moved like that before!” She stared at Mirrifen and demanded, “Did you make this? What is it?”

Mirrifen shook her head as she reluctantly struggled to interpret the beads and knots. “It might be about something turning…”

“Oh, you don’t know! It could mean anything! Anything!” Jami was trembling, her eyes welling tears. “Look around this room! Pecksie dust everywhere! They could have slit our throats as we slept.”

“But they didn’t. I bound her not to let harm come to your child.

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