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Authors: Francine Rivers
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down those steps faster than a cat chased by a pack of dogs.
“Cadi Forbes,” she said firmly, halting me in my tracks. “It’s the only reason ye came, ain’t it?” She stood there staring down at me, old and proud, her chin slightly tipped, her mouth disdainful, her hand white knuckled on her cane. “Ye come here just to find out about the sin eater. That was it, weren’t it? No other reason than that.”
I thought of lying and knew it was no use. She would know just like Granny always knew things about people. And of a sudden, I found myself wishing Miz Elda was blood kin and closer bound. I’d done a terrible cruel thing coming to her for my own uses and not thinking of her needs. She had been my granny’s dearest friend in the world, and I had had no thought to her grief. Now, looking up at her, she reminded me of Granny. She was getting so crippled up that she wouldn’t be able to do much of anything soon. Except die. My heart clenched tight at the thought.
Company. That’s all she craved. Someone who cared about her feelings. A friend who came to see her for her sake and not to dispense cures for a fee or find out about the sin eater. For all her pride and prickliness, she was lonely, though I was fair sure she’d rather die than say so.
Well, I knew all about loneliness and being separated from those ye love.
Meeting Miz Elda’s eyes, I saw myself and was ashamed—ashamed into my very soul. “Yes, ma’am,” I said truthfully, tears burning. “That were my reason.”
“Go on then,” she said with a jerk of her chin. “Go on about yer business.”
“Go on now,” Lilybet said softly from the base of the steps. “Go on and do what’s in your heart to do, Katrina Anice. And do it quickly, for it needs doing.”
I raced back up the steps before I lost my nerve and slipped my arms around Miz Elda’s waist. “It won’t be my reason next time.”
She gave a soft gasp of surprise, and then I felt her hand brush my hair lightly.
That slight touch made something open inside me, something that hadn’t opened in a long, long time. She was all angles and soft flesh and she smelled not unpleasantly of rabbit tobacco and whiskey. Remembering her aching bones, I eased my tight hug and backed off a little.
She tipped my chin. “Tell me what ye find,” she said and then set me back from her. “Go on with ye, chile.” Her words were filled with tenderness this time, and her faded blue eyes were filled with moisture.
I hadn’t gone more than a hundred feet into the woods when Fagan Kai caught hold of my arm and swung me around. “Hold on thar!” he said when I came at him tooth and nail. “Hold on!”
He grunted in pain when I kicked him in the shin. Letting go of me, he hopped one way while I collapsed on the ground with a yelp, holding my smarting toes tightly between two hands. “See what ye done!” I railed at him.
“You kicked me. Don’t blame me if ye broke your foot.”
“Sure, I kicked ye! What’d ye expect grabbing me like that, scaring me to death?”
“I had to run after ye once before. Remember? I didn’t like the prospect of doing it again!” Hunkering down, he watched me massage my toes. “Ye break any?” He was smiling, taunting.
I flexed them cautiously. Wincing, I glared at him. “No.” The stinging pain was easing off and I stood up. I walked around and around until my foot stopped paining and I knew nothing was seriously wrong.
“Good as new,” he said, grinning now.
“Yep.” Turning sharply, I punched him as hard as I could in the stomach. He let out a great oooff and doubled over. Grabbing his hair with both hands, I pulled with all my might. How the mighty fall! Triumphant, I leaped over him and ran for my life, screaming back at him, “Don’t ever do that again!”
I was ever doing things I later regretted, relishing the moment without thinking of the outcome. And I regretted that, for I didn’t figure on him following me so fast.
Seeing as
“Cadi Forbes,” she said firmly, halting me in my tracks. “It’s the only reason ye came, ain’t it?” She stood there staring down at me, old and proud, her chin slightly tipped, her mouth disdainful, her hand white knuckled on her cane. “Ye come here just to find out about the sin eater. That was it, weren’t it? No other reason than that.”
I thought of lying and knew it was no use. She would know just like Granny always knew things about people. And of a sudden, I found myself wishing Miz Elda was blood kin and closer bound. I’d done a terrible cruel thing coming to her for my own uses and not thinking of her needs. She had been my granny’s dearest friend in the world, and I had had no thought to her grief. Now, looking up at her, she reminded me of Granny. She was getting so crippled up that she wouldn’t be able to do much of anything soon. Except die. My heart clenched tight at the thought.
Company. That’s all she craved. Someone who cared about her feelings. A friend who came to see her for her sake and not to dispense cures for a fee or find out about the sin eater. For all her pride and prickliness, she was lonely, though I was fair sure she’d rather die than say so.
Well, I knew all about loneliness and being separated from those ye love.
Meeting Miz Elda’s eyes, I saw myself and was ashamed—ashamed into my very soul. “Yes, ma’am,” I said truthfully, tears burning. “That were my reason.”
“Go on then,” she said with a jerk of her chin. “Go on about yer business.”
“Go on now,” Lilybet said softly from the base of the steps. “Go on and do what’s in your heart to do, Katrina Anice. And do it quickly, for it needs doing.”
I raced back up the steps before I lost my nerve and slipped my arms around Miz Elda’s waist. “It won’t be my reason next time.”
She gave a soft gasp of surprise, and then I felt her hand brush my hair lightly.
That slight touch made something open inside me, something that hadn’t opened in a long, long time. She was all angles and soft flesh and she smelled not unpleasantly of rabbit tobacco and whiskey. Remembering her aching bones, I eased my tight hug and backed off a little.
She tipped my chin. “Tell me what ye find,” she said and then set me back from her. “Go on with ye, chile.” Her words were filled with tenderness this time, and her faded blue eyes were filled with moisture.
I hadn’t gone more than a hundred feet into the woods when Fagan Kai caught hold of my arm and swung me around. “Hold on thar!” he said when I came at him tooth and nail. “Hold on!”
He grunted in pain when I kicked him in the shin. Letting go of me, he hopped one way while I collapsed on the ground with a yelp, holding my smarting toes tightly between two hands. “See what ye done!” I railed at him.
“You kicked me. Don’t blame me if ye broke your foot.”
“Sure, I kicked ye! What’d ye expect grabbing me like that, scaring me to death?”
“I had to run after ye once before. Remember? I didn’t like the prospect of doing it again!” Hunkering down, he watched me massage my toes. “Ye break any?” He was smiling, taunting.
I flexed them cautiously. Wincing, I glared at him. “No.” The stinging pain was easing off and I stood up. I walked around and around until my foot stopped paining and I knew nothing was seriously wrong.
“Good as new,” he said, grinning now.
“Yep.” Turning sharply, I punched him as hard as I could in the stomach. He let out a great oooff and doubled over. Grabbing his hair with both hands, I pulled with all my might. How the mighty fall! Triumphant, I leaped over him and ran for my life, screaming back at him, “Don’t ever do that again!”
I was ever doing things I later regretted, relishing the moment without thinking of the outcome. And I regretted that, for I didn’t figure on him following me so fast.
Seeing as
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