The Book Keeper

Happenings

"Is that blood on the hem of your dress !?"  Cora exclaimed as Claira entered her corner of the workshop. Cora was sitting on a stool with a vase and a red tipped paint brush in her hands. She was extremely surprised when she saw her sister standing in the shop looking tired, sweaty,pale and her dress bloodied at the hem . She carefully set down her vase and hugged her sister. 

"Clary is everything okay, Biscuit  ? " Claira smiled in her sister's lemon smelling hair. Biscuit and Clary, those stupid childhood names . "Almost " She muttered . 

"Mistress ! Can you excuse me ? Biscuit is not well."  

"Cor !" Claira snapped.  

"Sure. Take care. Biscuit."  Lana, Cor's Master's wife chuckled .

Cora quickly packed everything in her sack and dragged  her sister who was busy glaring daggers at Lana. " What happened ? Is that your blood? Are you sick ?" 

"Tell you later." Claira muttered as the sisters exited the shop and walked down the lane to the lower levels of the Capital. The amount of crowd they found there overwhelmed Claira though Cora remained unfazed. 

"Where are we going ?" Claira asked her sister as they weaved through the crowd . 

"To mother's old workshop." Cora answered as she eyed a necklace made of blue glass pearls.

Claira smiled. Their mother had a nice workshop in which she used to work with two apprentices. Those were the good times when they were babies and their Father was still around. Ze'ev had been forced to leave his wife with the two babies and go to the war. He never came back. Mara had struggled a lot and only her reputation as a good seamstress had them from starving. 

The workshop remained empty these days as there was no suitable buyer for it .  The workshop was very empty and perfect for their private talk.

"- and then I came here." She finished and looked at her sister. Cora's reaction was like she had expected; shocked and calm.

"Maybe you should.." Cora was hesitating.

 "Maybe I should what ?"

"Maybe you should visit a hedge witch." Cora murmured. She knew that this was a stupid idea but nevertheless she wanted to help her sister. "Cora that's the most stupid thing I've ever heard!" Claira exclaimed
 " It is dangerous and stupid to even go near their dwellings, they-,they are the dealers of death." Claira said with fear in her eyes.

"This might interest you. A week ago the druidess came around our shop and chose vase." Cora said, she was ashamed of suggesting stupid ideas and really wanted to help.

"And?"

"And the vase is still there, it's kept in the storeroom. What's more is that the druidess was going to have the vase delivered to her tower today." She said. 
Claira sighed " Great she wanted to decorate her tower ,so what ?"

" A man came to the workshop bearing the palace seal and took the vase away."