Free The Safe-Keeper's Secret by Sharon Shinn Page A

said—
    â€œI heard her,” said a quiet voice.
    Fiona opened her eyes. Reed. She did not turn around.
    â€œYou’re a brat and a nuisance, but at least you’ve got royal blood in you. A man doesn’t mind talking to
you
,” Cal said. “But she’s loony. And she’s never going to get a husband, let alone me.”
    Reed’s voice was soft, easy, the voice he used when he was fishing in earnest and didn’t want to startle away his prospects. “My mom’s friends with the witch down the road,” he said. “Elminstra? You know her?”
    â€œShe’s loony, too,” Cal said.
    â€œIf I asked her to, she’d give me a potion for warts and hives. She’d give me a potion that would make your skin itch and flake off and turn bloody when you scratched it. She’d give me a potion that would make your hair fall out and never grow back. Or worse,” Reed said.
    There was a moment’s silence.
    â€œI didn’t do anything,” Cal said sullenly.
    â€œIf you ever say another word about my sister—to her, or to anybody else—I’ll get every single one of those potions from Elminstra, and more besides,” said Reed. “I’ll put one in your milk one day, and spread one on your chair another day. I’ll spill one on your head when you’re walking home from school and I’m sitting up in a tree hanging over the road. If you ever say a word about my sister, or to my sister, you’ll be sorry I didn’t find the potion that would make you curl up on your daddy’s farm and die.”
    This second silence was even more profound.
    â€œI wasn’t going to say anything,” Cal said at last.
    â€œGood,” Reed said and walked the remaining few feet across the room till he was at Fiona’s side. “Did you find something to tie up my arm?” he asked.
    Still staring at the blackboard, she shook her head. Reed added, “Well, let’s look for Miss Elmore, then. It’s still bleeding.” And he put his hand on her shoulder, turned her toward the door, and walked between her and the sight of Cal Seston until they were out of the room.
    She was crying by the time they got to the hallway, and so blinded with tears that she couldn’t blunder her way out the door to the dirt clearing. Reed led her in the other direction anyway, out the front door to the narrow porch overlooking the road that led away from school, back to home and safety. All of the other children were out back, so they sat together on the porch, Reed with his arm around Fiona, Fiona sobbing wretchedly.
    â€œHe said—he said—” she choked out and his arm tightened.
    â€œI heard him,” Reed replied.
    â€œWhy would anybody be so
mean?
” she wailed.
    â€œCal Seston’s a rat and a bully. Everybody knows it. Everybody but all the girls,” he added somewhat bitterly.
    â€œBut why would he
say
those things?”
    â€œBecause he likes to hurt people. Because he thinks it’s funny.”
    â€œI’m so embarrassed,” she moaned.
    â€œHe won’t tell anybody.”
    â€œHe will.”
    â€œHe won’t. Or I’ll give him a rash in places where he didn’t know he could itch.”
    Fiona giggled through a sob. “What if he didn’t believe you?”
    â€œWell, then, he’ll find out, won’t he?”
    Fiona lifted her head, which she had burrowed into Reed’s shoulder. “Don’t you,” she begged, “don’t you tell anyone how stupid I was.”
    He kissed her on the cheek. “I won’t,” he said. “Not a word.”
    And he never did.

Chapter Six
    T hey were all together again for Wintermoon, Angeline arriving in company with Thomas, and Isadora brought to the Safe-Keeper’s cottage by a Cranfield merchant who had been only too happy to do a favor for the Dream-Maker. It was the most joyous holiday of