Blood Moon Read Online Free PDF

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welcome.
    Krackensled seemed to fall somewhere
between the two. The expressions of those they passed were neither
sullen, not friendly. They were mildly curious or
reserved.
    Aslyn interpreted that to mean that it
would be safe enough to stay for a short time and that, if she had
arrived alone, it would not have been.
    Jim pulled the cart to a stop beside a
rickety shack near the very edge of town. It looked as if it had
been abandoned for some time. With an effort, she struggled down
from her perch and looked around as Jim and Enid did the same. “The
healer, Gershin, lived here. I thought, if you were satisfied with
it, I could talk to the landlord for you and see if he would agree
to the same terms he’d had with Gershin.”
    It looked dismal, but beggars could not
be choosers. “Do you know the terms?”
    Enid shrugged. “Most likely service for
his family and a tithe of what you earn in service to
others.”
    Aslyn nodded. She’d expected as much.
“That sounds reasonable enough. Are you certain you don’t mind the
task? I could speak to him myself.”
    Enid shook her head. “Likely as not,
he’d try to gouge you. We owe you as it is and I expect you’ll need
to look in on Jim again. If you’d be willing to accept it as part
of what we owe…?”
    Aslyn smiled, relieved by the offer. In
her past experience, landlords had been inclined to consider they
might as well barter for ‘special’ favors while they were about it,
as soon as they discovered she was unwed and traveling without a
companion. “Certainly.”
    As Enid turned her steps toward the
heart of town, Jim jogged the ox into motion, turned the cart down
a narrow alley, and disappeared beyond a structure almost as
ramshackle as the one that had belonged to Gershin. Aslyn caught a
glimpse of him and the cart once more as he reached a road that ran
parallel to the one where she stood and turned back toward the
heart of town. She supposed they’d settled it between them that Jim
would take their belongings to begin unloading while Enid made
arrangements.
    Aslyn turned to survey her new domain.
It looked worse than any of the other cottages that lined the dirt
packed road, but only by a little. Sighing, she made her way to the
door. It was not locked, but the wood had swollen with moisture and
was no doubt sealed with ice, as well. She’d battered bruises on
her shoulder before she managed to pry the door open sufficiently
to squeeze inside. Without any light source, the interior should
have looked much like the cave she’d sheltered in the night before,
for the house had been constructed of sod and thatch and boasted
not a single window. Unfortunately, there were more than a few
unplanned ‘lights’, allowing sufficient illumination for her to
make out the contents.
    Without surprise, she saw that it
consisted of only one room. A few rickety pieces of furniture
littered the space. In the far back was a cot … no doubt crawling
with vermin. Aslyn debated briefly with herself, but decided she
was confident that Enid would prevail in her negotiations with the
landlord. That being the case, she saw no reason to wait upon word
when she could be working at making the place a bit more
comfortable.
    Moving back to the door, she peered at
the hinges and discovered the leather was rotted on the upper
hinge. It had begun to separate, allowing the door to sag. Lifting
up on the door, she opened it wide to let in more light and,
hopefully, allow some of the musty odors trapped inside to
escape.
    She was reluctant even to touch the
mattress, but she most certainly had no intention of using it until
it had been thoroughly aired. Grasping one end, she lifted it from
the rope frame. Expecting it to be heavy with moist, and probably
rotting, straw, Aslyn discovered that the mattress, no doubt filled
with down, was surprisingly light. Having braced herself for more
weight than she’d encountered, Aslyn staggered back a couple of
steps as the down filled