Chapter Four
An icy blast of water struck Dell’s face, and he sputtered awake, almost falling from his loft in the barn. His eyes snapped open to find the haggard face of his stepmother hovering over him. She threw the now empty wooden bucket behind her and planted both hands on her expensive gown covered hips.
He would have laughed at her presence among the un-mucked stalls and animal smells, but her shrill voice permeated the air instead.
“You ungrateful boy. Where have you been? No one has seen you in days.”
He may have thought she’d worried over his absence if he didn’t know her.
He would not tell her the truth, so he decided to go with nothing at all.
She narrowed her eyes. “You will make up the work. The Madran trader, our largest ship, is leaving a day late to pick up the next
