5. Nora
5
Nora
T he waking afternoon sun streamed through my window. I yawned with a stretch, sliding my legs along my sheets before a tightness in my belly made me recoil.
Ooph.
I rested my palm over my upper stomach, remembering the blunt impact of that man’s foot as he fucking kicked me. A smile shouldn’t have graced my lips, but I couldn’t help it. I’d never run into someone like that, actually able to use the training I’d practiced. If someone had kept a tally, I’d definitely scored more points than him. Internally, I beamed brighter than the sun blasting through the windows.
When I lifted my head off the pillow, pressure built at the back of my skull. I brought my fingers to it, skimming along the area, remembering the act that’d caused it. Sure, at the time it hadn’t felt great, but my main concern had been escaping his grip. Now that the fighting-for-survival rush had worn off, my body chastised me for being so aggressive.
“Nora!” The muted beckoning between floors hit my ears, but it didn’t defeat me as much as normal. Like even Eucinda couldn’t taint how skilled I’d been last night.
Still, I didn’t desire to poke the beast, and got myself ready as quickly as my moaning body would allow.
Only my room existed on this level, a retreat away from the rest of the house. After my father passed, I’d moved up here, unable to carry the same routine as if nothing had happened. Moving out of the shared room with my step-sisters allowed me to grieve in peace. They hadn't seen me cry since my father's funeral, no one had. I’d donned emotional armor since that day and learned I could only depend on myself.
Sunshine glistened off the glass heart on my dresser. In my whirlwind of getting ready, it stopped me in my tracks. The last gift my mother ever gave to me before she passed. A reminder of how important it was to take care of my heart, and not let it fall into the wrong hands. “Miss you, Mom,” I said before continuing out of the room.
Each stair creaked beneath my feet as I barreled down without a care for being quiet, going down two flights until I entered the foyer.
Melody turned the corner. “Hey, we’re going to the markets.” Her smile brightened the dreary, dusty space.
“We are?”
“Mhm! Mama is probably wanting to give you a list of things to pick up. I told her I wanted to go and that I’d take you.” Often, I’d become Melody’s chauffeur. Too precious for Eucinda to let out unaccompanied. Me, on the other hand…
“I’m ready when you are.” Any chance to get out of this house where a shrill dictator couldn’t reach me was more than welcomed.
With a pep in her step, Melody ran upstairs. I walked myself to the dragon’s den, stopping before I entered her sacred space, clasping my hands behind my back. “Yes, Ma'am?”
“Melody wants to go to the markets. Don’t you dare let anything happen to her.”
It was a miracle I was unscathed by frostbite, given the ice cold warning in her blue eyes.
“Never,” I replied, genuinely meaning it.
“Good.” She returned to her stitching, apparently not wanting to look at me longer than necessary to deliver her threat. “Take Kenzie.”
What would have been a sunshine filled outing suddenly turned gray and gloomy. “What? No, I—”
“You’ll take her, and watch her, too. You’re to pick me up more thread. Money is on the counter, along with the list of colors. The exact colors.”
A twinge tugged under my eye. Were we missing money for a loaf so she could waste more thread on her stitching monstrosities? “Yes, Ma'am.” I took my leave before letting anything slip out that would just get me lashed.
In my thinly veiled anger, I snatched the coin pouch and list from the counter. It crinkled in my grip.
With the weather starting to warm, the softening ground kicked up mud beneath the traffic on the streets. More carriages out than usual. Horses’ hooves clipped and clopped around us, giving us less room to walk around freely, with the delightful odor of horse manure wafting through the air.
Any onlookers who didn’t know us would assume I was the help, and my stepsisters were the upper class based on our attire. Though their capes and matching gloves were out of season, they were in nearly pristine condition. Easy to keep them that way when they weren’t the ones running all the errands.
“Let’s go see that one!” Kenzie pointed excitedly, yanking Melody’s arm to follow.
I rolled my eyes. We’d already stopped at four booths on the outskirts of the market, a reason I dreaded taking Kenzie. “We need to get your mother’s thread,” I groaned, knowing my lecture wouldn’t make a difference.
“Oh Mel, look at this!” Kenzie picked up and stroked a scarf made of fur. Once upon a time that could have been a luxury we afforded, but unless Melody married rich, fashion like that was now a pipe dream.
My gaze wandered around the market from boredom. Kenzie would look at every singular piece for sale before we could move on. I sighed.
Through a break in the crowd, I spotted Alejo at the bakery stand. A flashback to us huddled in the darkened corner of a busy bar sprung to mind. They’d told me to reach out to them if I was interested.
The excitement of snooping around for clues about the recent abduction had distracted me, plus kicking a random dude’s ass. I bit back my smile to avoid looking like a fool. Now that a new day had come, and I’d been reminded of the interaction we’d shared at the tavern, a new set of doubts weighed heavily on my shoulders. It was dangerous, the things they’d spoken about. If the wrong person had so much as overheard, I think we all could have been hung.
Truthfully, I didn’t have an answer yet. Their plan sounded great in theory, but I had responsibilities to take care of. I highly doubted that Hamish Caine would simply forgive my father’s debt if I couldn’t fulfill it. After all, my father dying wasn’t enough to absolve it. It’d just been passed down to me since the age of fourteen. If Caine thought a child working at a pub reasonable, who knew what else he’d inflict upon my family?
My gaze flitted to Melody, whose golden hair glistened in the daylight. She adorned that sweet, warming smile, even while interacting with her brat of a sister. Melody didn’t deserve to be subject to a grueling life of labor for no pay. Plus, I didn’t know if she could handle it.
While it made me a little giddy to envision Kenzie working off the debt, I knew it’d break her, too. The thought of Eucinda stepping up was laughable. Getting out of her beloved chair to work on her feet in a tavern filled with the lower class? Never.
If none of them could shoulder the burden, they’d lose the house. Maybe even their lives if Caine wanted to make examples of welching on a debt. If forced out on the streets, I feared what their lives would be subjected to, especially with the slew of kidnappings still happening.
Resolve bubbled in my gut. As much as payback made my skin tingle in an exhilarating fashion, the pull to save my family and find out who was behind the kidnappings was stronger. Alejo and Gregory said they had others, so maybe they wouldn’t need me after all. If they could succeed without me, I’d still revel in their glory.
Increased chatter in the already vibrant afternoon crowd drew my attention. As soon as I saw the line of approaching carriages and the telltale blue flags, my mood curdled like old milk.
“Let’s go,” I barked at my sisters in an attempt to get out of here without delay.
Melody turned, looking me up and down to figure out the reason for my abrupt declaration.
“What has gotten into y—” Kenzie paused, catching sight of the navy banners as quickly as I had. Except, unlike me, her face lit up. “Oh! It’s the prince!” She jumped up and down in place, rattling Melody’s arm.
Melody also brightened with intrigue, and my abdomen tensed. Getting them to leave before the royal show would be more difficult than getting drunkards at The Thirsty Tankard to quit spilling their ale.
Part of me considered fleeing. Walking the half a block to the house, shutting myself away from whatever insensitive display was about to unfold here. But returning without my sisters would only mean more trouble, and I’d be damned if the prince was the reason I endured reprimand.
The parting crowd making way for the castle’s convoy tossed us around like a ship on the sea. My vision could spin from the anger brewing inside me. What a perfect representation of everything the prince stood for; his people being pushed around, forced to suffer, all so he could do whatever his heart desired without repercussion.
If I had any magic in my blood, I’d curse the royal line for treating us this way.
Though that would come with its own set of problems. Dislike of magic was common in South Harbor, hence why Melody had such trouble finding a suitor that accepted her gift. With her first husband, Eucinda had thought blessing her daughter with magic could help them survive, give them an advantage in this world. Then she’d found my dad and insisted Melody hide away that part of herself for fear of societal ruin.
Once the convoy moved past, the crowd eased, filtering toward the stage.
“Let’s go!” Kenzie grabbed Melody’s hand, and together they sprinted toward the square.
Stiffening muscles wanted to lock me in place, but if I lost the girls in the sea of people and we arrived staggered back at the house, I would only suffer. Fuck the prince.
“Wait!” I shouted as they weaved into the crowd. I hurried to catch up, dreading that I’d be forced to listen to, and see, that pompous cad.