had its downside, as she was always giving them new concoctions to cure various ailments that none of them knew they had. This was especially true in Sasha’s case, since their mother was unable to figure out what caused her episodes. Sasha had been subjected to cure after cure for years, none of which seemed to help, but a few did cause her to get quite sick in other ways. Once, after drinking one of their mother’s brews she couldn’t eat for two days without throwing it back up. Their mother said that this was her body’s way of cleansing her from her illness. These remedies, of course, didn’t make a difference. Sasha still had episodes, and their mother kept coming up with new ways of fixing them. Legon didn’t know what the remedy was today, but he could smell it and it was horrid.
“Will you be ok, Sash?” he asked giving the drink a look.
“Yes, I think so” she said, but her voice wasn’t confident. She gave the glass a glance and shivered a bit.
“Ok, I’m going to go change my clothes and help dad, I’ll see you before lunch okay?”
“Ok, don’t worry about me. I’m fine now.” She gave the glass another look and placed in on the table.
Legon smiled at her, leaned over, and kissed her on her head. He walked to the stairs and started for his room. On his way up his father stopped him and placed his hand on his arm to bring him in close. He said in a soft voice, so Laura and Sasha couldn’t hear, “I want you to stay close today incase Sasha has another one. You’re the best with her.”
“I was planning on getting a new cleaver from Kovos today, but I think you’re right. I can get it tomorrow and Sash can come with me. It will be good for her to get out and about,” he said, looking at his sister.
“I think she’ll like that. Now go get ready, I want to hit it hard today so we’re not working late.” His voice was business-like as he patted Legon’s shoulder.
Legon chuckled. “I hit it hard every day old man, you’re the slow one.”
His father laughed, shook his head, and walked over to the table.
Chapter Two
A Hard Day’s Work
“To many, the Everser Vald was at one time no more than a commoner, struggling with the everyday woes of the world. Only the trained eye could see the servant and master, laboring by day and by night for those that mattered most.”
-Excerpts from The Diary of the Adopted Sister
Legon hustled up the stairs to his room and began to undress. He went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of rough brown pants made of thick cloth and an off-white shirt made of the same material. His room was flooded with light coming in from the window, and outside he could hear signs of the town coming to life.
At the sound of soft footsteps in the hall, Legon poked his head out of the door to see Sasha being led to her room by Laura. Sasha was starting to look better, and he thought that a good nap would probably help. He got his clothes on and rushed downstairs, stepping out of the front door onto the dirt street. The street was lined with buildings of varying sizes, all made of the same dark brown wood. Many of the structures were starting to gray with age and the constant bombardment of snow, rain, and sleet. Most people in town built their home next door to their place of business, and in some cases the buildings served both purposes. The town did have a central market, but most of the things sold there were livestock and produce, along with the occasional traveling merchant who would sell their wares there.
Legon turned to his left and walked through the door to their family’s store, instantly being welcomed by the scent of salt, meat, and spices. An impressive array of knives and cleavers glinted on the walls, speckling the room with reflected daylight. Because they were butchers, their business was not set by the seasons but by what people would bring in. People in the town would bring their livestock and would either pay to have Legon and Edis butcher the animal and give the meat back to them or sell them the animal for them to butcher and sell to the rest of the town. Oftentimes, people would bring in kills