Read Online Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jaclyn Dolamore
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if I ask after her, I’ll find her quickly enough …”
Esmerine knew it was too much to ask—a week of travel, for a girl he barely seemed to remember, just to tell Esmerine if she was all right. And if she wasn’t all right, Esmerine’s heart would scarcely be eased.
“I could go,” Swift said. “You could spare me for a week.”
“Have you ever been to the Diels before?” Alan asked.
“No, but they’re just north, right? It can’t be that hard. We have maps around here, and I’ve been as far as Torna. I can ask at the messenger post there.”
“I don’t know,” Alan said. “You’re rather young to be going that far by yourself. What if you run into trouble?”
“What do you think I did to make money before you came along?” Swift said. “I used to steal hats sometimes when I couldn’t find better work. That was as dangerous as anything. I can take a beating. I doubt the Diels will give me worse than that. Anyway, you were a messenger last year and you’re only a few years older than me.”
Swift was not so young as Tormy after all, then; he was just small for his age. Even so, Esmerine felt a pang of guilt. “I can’t ask you to go all that way for my sister. You don’t even know her.”
“Fandarsee are supposed to see the world,” Swift said. “And you’ve come a long way looking for her. I want to do it.”
“I suppose it’s up to Belawyn, in any case,” Alan said dismissively.
“Think about what message you want me to bring your sister,” Swift said, but all Esmerine could think about just then was that she’d be spending at least a week in the human world, and all for just one exchange of a message.
Chapter Eight
“I don’t have any place to stay,” Esmerine said with some reluctance. She didn’t want to rely on Alan’s charity when he didn’t seem to bear even the slightest feeling toward her anymore. “If I sold this statue, would it be enough for an inn?”
“There’s a spare room upstairs,” Alan said. “You can stay. It’s only a week.”
She barely had a chance to thank him before a young man came in looking for political tracts, and Alan was more than happy to attend him.
Esmerine flipped through the history book, although it was difficult to truly read when she was so distracted by her clothing. Her stays and tight sleeves held her shoulders back, and she couldn’t bend her elbows much, forcing her to hold the book in her lap. The stays were cutting into the sides of her stomach, and she was beginning to feel sore there. Dosia had been dressing like this for weeks now—almost two turns of the moon. How could she bear it? The more Esmerine thought of it, the more she itched and ached and fidgeted, and she just wanted to draw one deep breath. She hooked her finger beneath the stays and tried to pull them away to get some air, but not only was it impossible, her breast almost popped free. Flushing, she glanced Alan’s way but he was still talking to the customer, and Swift had slipped out the back.
She stood to stretch, but her feet immediately ached with pain that vanished as soon as she sat down again. Human clothes were so sweaty and constricting! Panic crept over her. She slipped her feet out of her shoes, but the stockings were still itchy, and she could feel the tight ribbons above her knees holding them in place. How she wanted to tear those ribbons free! She could at least take off the bonnet, although she could hardly lift her arms with the tight sleeves she wore.
“I was just discussing this with another customer; most of us agree that you can’t just let the people have free rein over the government, and yet …” Alan and the man were droning on with some discussion. She tried to listen, but her mind rebelled.
Heat spread through her chest, and her tongue was dry, her heart beating faster. She was feeling a little dizzy. She stood up and tried to walk to the door for some fresh air, but funny lights appeared inside her head, and
Esmerine knew it was too much to ask—a week of travel, for a girl he barely seemed to remember, just to tell Esmerine if she was all right. And if she wasn’t all right, Esmerine’s heart would scarcely be eased.
“I could go,” Swift said. “You could spare me for a week.”
“Have you ever been to the Diels before?” Alan asked.
“No, but they’re just north, right? It can’t be that hard. We have maps around here, and I’ve been as far as Torna. I can ask at the messenger post there.”
“I don’t know,” Alan said. “You’re rather young to be going that far by yourself. What if you run into trouble?”
“What do you think I did to make money before you came along?” Swift said. “I used to steal hats sometimes when I couldn’t find better work. That was as dangerous as anything. I can take a beating. I doubt the Diels will give me worse than that. Anyway, you were a messenger last year and you’re only a few years older than me.”
Swift was not so young as Tormy after all, then; he was just small for his age. Even so, Esmerine felt a pang of guilt. “I can’t ask you to go all that way for my sister. You don’t even know her.”
“Fandarsee are supposed to see the world,” Swift said. “And you’ve come a long way looking for her. I want to do it.”
“I suppose it’s up to Belawyn, in any case,” Alan said dismissively.
“Think about what message you want me to bring your sister,” Swift said, but all Esmerine could think about just then was that she’d be spending at least a week in the human world, and all for just one exchange of a message.
Chapter Eight
“I don’t have any place to stay,” Esmerine said with some reluctance. She didn’t want to rely on Alan’s charity when he didn’t seem to bear even the slightest feeling toward her anymore. “If I sold this statue, would it be enough for an inn?”
“There’s a spare room upstairs,” Alan said. “You can stay. It’s only a week.”
She barely had a chance to thank him before a young man came in looking for political tracts, and Alan was more than happy to attend him.
Esmerine flipped through the history book, although it was difficult to truly read when she was so distracted by her clothing. Her stays and tight sleeves held her shoulders back, and she couldn’t bend her elbows much, forcing her to hold the book in her lap. The stays were cutting into the sides of her stomach, and she was beginning to feel sore there. Dosia had been dressing like this for weeks now—almost two turns of the moon. How could she bear it? The more Esmerine thought of it, the more she itched and ached and fidgeted, and she just wanted to draw one deep breath. She hooked her finger beneath the stays and tried to pull them away to get some air, but not only was it impossible, her breast almost popped free. Flushing, she glanced Alan’s way but he was still talking to the customer, and Swift had slipped out the back.
She stood to stretch, but her feet immediately ached with pain that vanished as soon as she sat down again. Human clothes were so sweaty and constricting! Panic crept over her. She slipped her feet out of her shoes, but the stockings were still itchy, and she could feel the tight ribbons above her knees holding them in place. How she wanted to tear those ribbons free! She could at least take off the bonnet, although she could hardly lift her arms with the tight sleeves she wore.
“I was just discussing this with another customer; most of us agree that you can’t just let the people have free rein over the government, and yet …” Alan and the man were droning on with some discussion. She tried to listen, but her mind rebelled.
Heat spread through her chest, and her tongue was dry, her heart beating faster. She was feeling a little dizzy. She stood up and tried to walk to the door for some fresh air, but funny lights appeared inside her head, and
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