Page 6

Simple, sweet, peasant Amalia, who no one really knew.

Her life hadn’t been easy, but she thought she had proven to herself that she could withstand anything.

She smiled as she opened the door to her cottage.

Bala, obviously hiding in the trees, ran in behind her and almost knocked her forward by bashing the back of her knees.

“You feral little cretin!” she yelled, grasping her basket with fragile glass inside it to her chest to protect it. “Why are you such a pest? If you cannot be good, go find some other sympathetic female to feed you.”

She dumped her basket onto the dining table and checked that everything was okay. Bala jumped on as well and stood above her basket, pawing at the covering like he expected her to have something for him.

Which she did.Smart cat.

She pulled out a small paper bag and opened it to reveal the fresh fish she’d bought from the market.

Holding onto it by the tail fins, she held it above the ground, and he hopped to the floor while staring up. He pawed at the air, impatient as always, and Amalia threw it out the front door.

He ran after it, and she closed him outside.

She walked over to the long-dead cooking fire and held her hand above it. With a small, quiet chant, she felt energy pulsate from her hand. She quickly removed it when fire burst to life.

She brought the saucepan pot of tea she’d made the night before over the fire and left it to boil. Then she started preparing the medicine she needed the sapphire leaves for. She also grabbed the book that held ingredients and all their uses.

Darth, you brilliant man.He was correct, sun sap did have healing properties as long as it was mixed into ointment, oils, and creams. The person would need to sit in the sun with it on. If eaten, all it did was substitute for honey.

She started grinding all the herbs and spices she needed for her potion with her mortar and pestle. When she was satisfied with the way everything was ground up, she added a small amount of the sun sap and the morning dew she collected most days to turn it into a thick liquid.

Once she was pleased with everything, she placed a small cup with the tea and a spoon on the table next to it.

After pulling the key from the top drawer of her nightstand, she opened the birdcage. When she did, she carefully tried to reach in to grab the lizard.

Startled, it suddenly woke and stumbled to the back of the cage. It appeared disorientated, its eyes unfocused while its head lulled about.

“Shhh... shhh,” she whispered to it.

She followed it with her hands, chasing it around the small cage.

Then it bit her!

With a cry, she pulled her hand back to look at the muscle right below her thumb where it had bitten her. She was bleeding already and gave it a foul glare.

Shaking its head as if to clear it, it returned her look.

“You stupid little thing!” She shoved her hands back inside the cage. “I am trying to help you!”

It bit her again, but this time into her wrist. She let it bite her so she could grab the sides of it, wincing when it shook its head to worsen the damage. As she pulled it to her chest, she cradled it with the hand it was still biting.

She went to grab the towel it was laying on.

“You better not bite my tit.” As if it understood her, it did just that. “Ow!”

She wrapped it in the towel so the creature couldn’t run or crawl away when she put it down. It struggled against its weak bonds as she went to the kitchen to grab a rag to wipe the blood away from her hand, and unfortunately, her breast.

She sat down at the dining table in front of it, plopping herself into the wooden chair with agrumph.

“Stop fighting. You will hurt yourself worse.”

It snapped its mouth at her, revealing sharp pointed fangs. Then it opened its maw wide in her direction.