AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Later, Mother brings down her dishes and tosses them in the sink. She walks to the window and throws her bags out, making sure they float to the ground safely. I sit on my chair, my mending in my lap, on edge as I monitor her. She seems to have calmed down since breakfast, thankfully.
She whips around and stares at me, as if she’s trying to determine every thought passing through my mind. Thank the abyss she can’t. “No desserts while I’m gone. I’m not sure how long this will take.”
I nod, not vocalizing any promises. She purses her lips, then says, “Let down your hair.”
Holding my breath, I put my mending away and stand up, heading toward her. “Could we consider getting a rope, Mother? This is hurting my neck.”
She glares at me. “You know no rope is strong enough for this tower. Not with my magic covering it. Besides. It’s your one job.”
A flash of anger pierces my heart, and my eyebrows draw together. “No, it’s not.”
My words are soft, barely audible, but Mother whips around, her voice deadly quiet. “What did you say?”
My shoulders drop as I realize what I said. “Nothing, Mother.” Obediently, I drop my hair out the window, stepping on the coils to anchor it. Mother grabs hold, glaring at me one last time, and falls out, sliding down to the ground. She stalks off to the portal and I watch as magic surrounds her, whisking her away to the coast.
Once I am sure she is gone, I head to my floor. I want to see what else I can make for Raúl. I settle on a dried fruit bread I could shape into a braid, since we have plenty of dried berries. Mother routinely brings baskets of berries and I dry the extras to keep on hand.
Ignoring my chores, I set out the ingredients right away. Once I have everything gathered, I measure and mix, loving the smells that waft up from my bowl.
I put the dough into a bowl, covering it. There is plenty of time to do chores while it rises. Since I’m going to be working in this room in a circle, I place all my hair into a pile in the middle of the room. I work my way around the room, dusting the window sills, cleaning up the kitchen, and sweeping the floor.
I finish around the time the dough is done, and I roll it out, forming three sections to make into long pieces. I braid those pieces together and pinch the ends. Admiring my work, I place it into the oven to bake.
Since Mother requested her robe be done soon, I work on the mending. There are only a few stitches left to adhere the patch and then it will look brand new. While I stitch, I wait for the bread to finish. A thought comes to my mind. Much of my life is spent waiting. Waiting to finish chores. Waiting for Mother to be home. Waiting to leave this tower.
Would I ever have the courage to stop waiting for events to unfold on their own? Even make them happen?
I stare out the window, sitting a distance away so no one will see me, watching for the dark sky to overtake the sunlight. Stars glitter in the sky and anticipation lights my nerves. Raúl will be here soon. I know it. I twist a small piece of fabric in my hand and my heart pounds.
Sure enough, the minute night descends onto my window, Raúl is there, as if he moves the shadows themselves. His face appears in front of me, the mischievous grin spread across his face. “Knock, knock, Penny.”
His low voice sends shivers up my spine, and I try hard not to show how unnerved I am while my heart races. A strange urge to press my lips to his flits through my mind, and I shut it down in confusion. I slowly rise from my chair and walk to the window. I cross my arms and attempt to look stern. “What now?”
Raúl pauses for a minute until he sees the glint of humor I can’t keep out of my eyes. He laughs. “I smelled bread from the base of the tower. Is it for me?”
I raise my eyebrows. “Bread? Surely you must be imagining it.”
He scratches his head playfully. “I might be. You should let me in and see if I am feverish.”
I laugh. “You sneak.” I turn away. With my back to him, I say, “Your bread is cooling.”
In the kitchen, I test the food. It’s cool enough to handle, so I pick it up and walk back to the window. Raúl rubs his hands together gleefully. I hand him the bread and he holds it like a baby. “I will honor you, sweetbread, as best I can.”
I snort and raise my eyebrows in surprise. Yet another sound I’ve never heard out of me.
Raúl chuckles and tears a piece of bread off for me. “Here, we should eat together.”
I grin. “One second.”
Turning around, I drag the chair close to him. Raúl waits patiently, then hands me the food when I am ready. “Now, what is your question for today?”
A frown pulls at my mouth before I speak. Again, I struggle with the exact question I want answers to. However, it doesn’t take long to narrow it down to a specific one that has been burning in my heart for the past few days. “Before, you looked confused when I said my mother doesn’t let me out because it’s not safe. Why?”
Raúl’s face falls and instead of the usual mischievousness on it, worry etches his brow. “Are you sure you’d like to know the answer?”
I tilt my head and raise an eyebrow. “Yes, of course I do.”
Chapter Ten
