said. ‘This ent too bad, if we can stave off the infection.’ She turned to the crowd of children. ‘I’ll need more cloth for bandages, buckets of clean water and a boiling kettle.’ The children looked at her blankly until she clapped her hands, making them all jump. ‘Now!’
As the children ran off, Briar laid out his mother’s tools and began crushing the herbs for the sleeping draught and poultices. Getting the animal to drink was difficult, but soon Maybell was fast asleep, and Dawn cleaned out the wounds and inserted a thin paste of crushed herbs before stitching them closed.
Tami stood next to Briar, horrified. Briar had seen his mother work before, but he knew how scary it must seem. He reached out, taking Tami’s hand, and she looked at him, smiling bravely in thanks as she squeezed tightly.
Masen had been watching Dawn work as well, but he glanced at Tami and did a double take, pointing his axe at Briar. ‘Ay, get your muddy hands off my daughter, you little rat!’
Briar snatched his hand away in an instant. His mother stood, moving calmly between them as she wiped the blood from her hands. ‘Ent going to need that axe any more, Masen, so I’d appreciate you not pointing it at my boy.’
Masen looked at the weapon in surprise, as if he’d forgotten he was holding it. He grunted and dropped the head, leaning it against the fence. ‘Wasn’t going to do anything.’
Dawn pursed her lips. ‘That’ll be twenty shells.’
Masen gaped. ‘Twenty shells?! For stitching a cow?’
‘Ten for the stitching,’ Dawn said, ‘and ten for the sleep draught and hogroot poultices my rat son made.’
‘I won’t pay it,’ Masen said. ‘Neither you nor your mud-skinned husband can make me.’
‘I don’t need Relan for that,’ Dawn said, smiling, ‘though we both know he could make you. No, all I need is to tell Marta Speaker you won’t pay, and Maybell will be grazing in my yard before tomorrow.’
Masen glared. ‘You ent been right in the head since you married that desert rat, Dawn. Already cost all your human custom. Lucky to get animal work these days, but that won’t last when folk hear you’re charging twenty shells for it.’
Briar’s nostrils flared. If Relan was there, he would break Masen’s nose for speaking to his mother so disrespectfully. But Relan wasn’t there, so it was Briar’s responsibility.
His eyes ran over Masen Bales as he recalled the sharusahk lessons he had watched Relan give his brothers. Masen had a weak knee, always complaining about it when the weather was damp. One well-placed kick there …
Without turning, Dawn made her voice a stern murmur only the children could hear. ‘Don’t think your mum don’t know what you’re thinking, Briarpatch. You mind your hands and mouth.’
Briar flushed, putting his hands in his pockets as Dawn crossed her arms and took a step towards Masen. ‘That’s Mistress Dawn to you, Masen Bales, and now it’s twenty-five. Call one more name, I’ll go see Marta right now.’
Masen began muttering curses, but he stomped off to the house, coming back with a worn leather bag. He counted the smooth lacquered shells into Dawn’s hand. ‘Fifteen … sixteen … seventeen. That’s all I got right now, Mistress. You’ll have the rest in a week. Honest word.’
‘I’d better,’ Dawn said. ‘Come along, Briar.’
The two of them walked down the road until they came to the fork, one way leading to their home, the other to the rest of town.
‘You were very brave today, Briar,’ his mother said.
‘Wasn’t right, what he said,’ Briar said.
She waved a hand. ‘Wasn’t talking about that fool-headed Masen Bales. Meant in the yard this morning.’
Briar shook his head. ‘Wasn’t brave. Almost peed my pants I was so scared.’
‘But you didn’t,’ Dawn said. ‘Didn’t scream or run away, didn’t faint. That’s all brave is. When you’re scared, but keep your wits about you. Relan says you held up better than your brothers.’
‘Really?’ Briar asked.
‘Really.’ Dawn narrowed her eyes. ‘You stir trouble by tellin’ ’em I told you that, though, and it’ll be the strap.’
Briar swallowed. ‘I won’t tell anyone.’
Dawn laughed and put her arms around him, squeezing tightly. ‘Know you won’t, poppet. I’m so proud of you. You run off now. Enjoy the sun for a few hours, like your da promised. I’ll see you at supper.’ She smiled and pressed a handful of shells into his hand.
‘In case you want to buy a meat pie and some sugar candy.’
Briar felt a thrill as he made his way into town, running his fingers over the smooth lacquer of the shells. He’d never had money of his own before, and had to suppress a whoop of glee.
He went to the butcher shop, where Mrs Butcher sold hot meat pies, and laid a shell on the counter.
Mrs Butcher looked at him suspiciously. ‘Where’d you get that shell, Mudboy? You steal it?’
Briar shook his head. ‘Mother gave it to me for helping her save Tami Bales’ cow.’
Mrs Butcher grunted and took the shell, handing him a steaming pie in return.
He went next to the sugarmaker, who fixed a glare on Briar the moment he came into the shop. His look did not soften until Briar produced a pair of shells to pay for the candies he collected from the display, all wrapped in twisted corn husks. These he stuffed in his pockets, eating the meat pie as he walked back out of town. The sun was bright on his shoulders, and it felt warm and safe. The memory of the wood demon snarling at him seemed a distant thing.
He walked down to the lake and watched the fishing boats for a time. It was a clear day, and he could just make out Lakton in the distance, the great city floating far out on the lake. He followed the shoreline, skipping stones across the water.
He stopped short, spotting a pair of webbed tracks in the mud left by a bank demon. He imagined the frog-like creature leaping onto the shore and catching him with its long sticky tongue. The tracks made him shiver, and suddenly he had to pee desperately. He barely lowered his pants in time, thankful there was no one to see.
‘Brave,’ he muttered to himself, knowing the lie for what it was.
Late in the afternoon, Briar hid behind the house and pulled out one of the sugar candies. He unwrapped the treasure and chewed slowly, savouring every bite as his father did with bacon.
‘Ay, Briarpatch!’ a voice called. Briar looked up to see Hardey and Hale approaching.
‘Where’d you get that candy?’
