Nobody's Goddess Read Online Free PDF Page B

for masked men ’round here.”
    “But Ma’am—”
    “No buts. Get outta here.” Ingrith tore her eyes from him and let her glare fall over me as I approached them. “Wonderful. Now there’s a fine face I won’t soon forget. Come to bother an old woman again with your fancy games, girl?”
    Better to pretend I had no idea what she was talking about. “Did you cause the quake?”
    Bad idea. Ingrith’s face grew even more sour and puckered, and I wouldn’t have thought that was even possible. “Yes, I did. And never you mind.”
    I glanced beyond the old woman to the rest of the northern dirt path. “But won’t the quarry workers notice? They’re close enough to have felt—”
    Ingrith scoffed. “You let me worry about them workers.”
    There was no sign of movement from the quarry, but still. “It’s got to be dangerous to look at the castle so near where there are men working.” She couldn’t have meant to kill the poor men, could she?
    “Dangerous nothing, girl, I just made a mistake. A bird startled me. Can’t blame an old woman for lookin’ when something starts screeching at her.” Ingrith’s mouth clamped shut, and I could see the muscles tense in her jaw. She bent over to reach the walking stick she’d dropped.
    Jurij tried to grab the stick for her. “Let me—”
    “Oh, no.” Ingrith slapped his arm, and Jurij pulled back, cradling his forearm and staring at the woman with his blank-eyed face. Ingrith snatched her stick and stood back up. “Didn’t need no man’s help then, don’t need no man’s help now.”
    Jurij turned his wooden mask toward me. The opened-mouth grin probably didn’t match his real expression underneath as the ungrateful old woman smacked him. But that was the Returning mask, and that was the countenance he was stuck with for the day. Until dusk, anyway. I hope I really do see his face. Surely Elfriede forcing herself to love him is enough. Surely …
    “Let me guess. Ol’ Ingrith is the last to know. Ol’ Ingrith just has to be invited, though there’s no one who actually wants her to come, but goddess help us if the lord don’ give his blessing. I take it you two are having a Returning today?” Her eyes rolled up and down, as she examined Jurij from head to toe. “You look too young to get married.”
    I didn’t often ask the first goddess for anything, but I prayed that no one would notice the flush that I could feel spreading across my face.
    “She’s not my goddess.” He said it in the same manner one might say, “Please pass the potatoes.”
    “Huh. If you say so.” The way Ingrith stared at me, I had a feeling the first goddess had failed me. Again.
    Jurij didn’t seem to notice. “But I’m having my Returning today. This is my goddess’s sister.”
    Ingrith’s eyes narrowed as she looked up at the wooden face beaming down at her. “And let me guess. The goddess is too busy primpin’ to bother with the likes of someone like me.” Her gaze fell on the basket in my arms. “What’s that? A collection for your blessed day? I haven’t got no gifts left to give all these young’uns Returning every other week.”
    “No gift is necessary.” Jurij uncovered the offerings within the basket. They looked even more pitiful strewn haphazardly among the old cloth, with plenty of empty space beside them. “We just brought you some food. We thought you might like something. And yes, we’d like to invite you to my Returning.”
    Ingrith stuck her head over the basket so fast I jumped backward, thinking she might be intending to ram her head into my chest. She leered up at me. “There’s not a thing here worth havin’, but for that apple.” She snatched it out of the basket and took a bite. I might have heard her teeth crack. “You go take the rest of that garbage back where you came from.” Bits of apple and spittle escaped from her mouth with each bite. “You invited me. The lord is satisfied. I’m not goin’. Now get out.” She