‘Who’s Tóla going to find to replace you?’ Blackthorn gives me a smile. ‘Nobody else could do what you’re doing. Sounds like you’re building the whole thing almost single-handed. If the man has any wits, he’ll recognise that.’ She gets up. ‘Time for bed. I’m tired enough to sleep soundly even with Mathuin marching around in my head.’

Turns out she’s wrong. She falls asleep quick enough, but she tosses and turns with bad dreams. Mutters and curses and once or twice shouts out, all without waking up. Covers on the floor. Pillow awry. Don’t want to wake her if I don’t have to. I get up, kneel by her bed, put the blanket back over her. Her face is all wet with tears. I dab them away with a corner of the blanket. Settle myself on the floor beside her. Wrap both my hands around one of hers. Hum a bit of that tune I’ve heard Bardán singing: Every birdling in the wood . . . When she’s quiet, when her breath’s not a sob anymore but peaceful, I rest my head on the bed next to her. Folk are easy hurt, no doubt about that. Easy wounded. Easy broken. There’s poor Bardán, and that boy Cully and his mother. There’s young Blackthorn, sent away from home when she was only ten. Wish I could mend them. Wish I could mend them all.

Chapter Thirteen: Cara

13

~Cara~

Cara loved the rain, loved the many feelings of it on her skin. Rain could be soft, like a mother’s touch. It could be as hard as a punishing whip. It could be as warm as a sunny morning or cold enough to set ice in your bones. Walking in the woods in a rainstorm she could feel the trees breathing deep, stretching their roots into the damp soil, reaching out their leaves to catch the wet. She could feel how thirsty they were and she rejoiced with them, letting the rain soak her to the skin and turn her hair into a mad, tangled mop. She would take off her shoes and slosh through the mud, and not care at all about the woeful state of her skirt. That was the kind of thing Aunt Della would say, woeful state. It was the kind of thing the servants at Winterfalls might mutter to each other, just loud enough for her to overhear.