The Weaver's Source

Chapter 31

I woke in the late hours of the afternoon and, much to my disappointment and relief, Grigore was not in the room. As I was feeling less fuzzy in the head, I decided to get up for a little while. I quickly bathed in the lukewarm water left behind in a washbowl for me then sought out clothes, finding clothes both familiar and new at the end of the bed. I shook open the kirtle and observed it for a moment, noting with surprise it was already looking tired and frayed. I decided to wear what Arthur had fished our of his strange home and take the opportunity to fix up the clothes Grigore had bought me kindly. He had little money on him, often trading his services for food, shelter or a place to bathe rather than coin, so I felt a strong desire to maintain my clothes carefully.

Coughing and ignoring the hot tingles in my chest, I pulled on the strange clothes, finding it infinitely more snug and less scratchy than my smock and kirtle. It pulled in at my waist and the cut, instead of coming to my throat as I was used to, rested about my breasts, pressing them gently. It was strange. I'd seen the slightly wealthier women of the town wear dresses like this, made of richer cloth and cut less drably, but I never imagined I'd wear one. It made me feel a little less poor, despite the fact I knew the dress itself wasn't truly that expensive by the dark colour and cloth.

I stepped outside of my temporary bedroom and into the dark crooked hallway with walls changing in height, clutching my worn clothes and sewing pouch to my arms. Small orange lights glowed on the walls, lighting up the peculiar pictures; strange and quite grotesque. They were of beasts and people, all exaggerated and twisted, to such an extent that sometimes it was hard to make out what the subject actually was.

As I had nothing better to do and had no real desire to hunt for Grigore when I would probably just put him in a bad mood, I continued to browse the pictures, ignoring the loud snarls of thunder that shook the house. The storm hadn't let up at all while I slept the morning away. Grigore hadn't lied when he said these storms could last for days. It made me wonder if I had to walk in that torrential rain again, making myself sick when I had only just recovered. A part of me doubted Grigore would let that happen though. He seemed to be taking responsibility for my current condition.

While I stared aimlessly  at the picture of a twisted fat pig, wearing the outfit of a gentleman, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A small pale shape, no bigger than my hand, wriggled on the floor. I turned my head sharply but nothing was there. I frowned then stiffened when a strange giggle echoed in the corridor, alerting my magic. I pressed my back against the wall defensively, then eyed the corridor frantically. I couldn't see anything but the small lights and the darkness hovering around the tiny candles. But my magic could feel something.

It was incredibly strange. It was everywhere but nowhere at once. All monsters I had encountered had a solid presence about them and my magic could pinpoint its exact whereabouts, whether or not it was a threat. Whatever this was wasn't a threat though. My magic wasn't alarmed, just wary. Even so, I was scared. I didn't trust my magic as much as I used to. The safety it had given me since I was a child had wilted considerably since the incident with Black Annis.

I stood there, stiff as a board; eyes squeezed shut with gentle, slightly mocking laughter floating in the air around me, until a hand grasped my shoulder. I whirled away sharply, preparing to defend myself, but my legs couldn't cope with the movement and buckled beneath me, letting me fall to the hard floor. I winced at the pain shooting through my already aching legs then peered up at Arthur when he crouched next to me, his face filled with worry.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He said apologetically.

I laughed weakly. "I'm sorry for being so jumpy." I said as I pushed myself onto my knees and coughed lightly, trying not to disturb the pain in my chest and throat.