8
Dart clung to my shoulder, swaying back and forth as I left the kitchens and head out to the vegetable patches by the East Wing of the castle. One of my extra chores was to put a circle of the ash around the patch to deter pests from eating the vegetables. Normally, we left the ashes in a box by the gardeners' shed, but this is punishment for me.
If I was honest, I didn't mind too much. It meant I had a reason to be out of bed longer, and spend more time with Dart, who had eagerly helped me with the task of cleaning up the ashes. She simply loved being near anything that created heat. Once I was closer to the patch, I dropped the heavy bucket and stood up straight, wiping some of the sweat from my forehead. No one ever talked about how much a bucket of ashes weighed.
Most of the castl
