A Dangerous Path
The final bells for Sext had already died away by the time I made it to the great hall. I blew in through the kitchen and took my place beside Freia, a frosty cloud settling around me and dissipating into mist. “Oh Swanie, thank goodness you’re all right,” she said while I situated myself, taking in the salad spread before me. Cabbage, onions, leeks, and green beans festooned with sprigs of dill and lavender. I began crushing it with my spoon, silently longing for a fork for what felt like the thousandth time. Freia passed me a jar of vinegar and murmured, “I watched you until you headed downhill toward the stream. Then Erna asked me to help her lay out the bread.”
“It was fine. He didn’t hurt me,” I assured her, savoring the tangy mingling of dill and vinegar with the m
